High Mountain Gear Checklist

Pee before entering the tent. If you must use a pee bottle, please dispose properly. No "bombs" left on the side of the trail or road! Also mark with duct tape your pee bottles for easy ID inside your dark tent.

A pee bottle can help warm cold body parts too after you fill it up! Just saying!!!

Yes I agree on having a pee bottle handy (gatorade bottles are best) I always have strapped to my pack! If you sleep in a tent or hammock its a must!

Here's a great interactive gear checklist and pack-weight calculator app that can be a valuable tool... or just fun:

http://www.weighmygear.com

Pee bottle will help you A LOT! Trust me! I regret not taking one with me in the tent, I had to hold my self inside the cold tent for like 3-4 hours. You'll drink a lot, so you'll need that bottle, or two.

Add this to the list: duck cover for pack, all-purpose soap, small sponge and towel for cook clean up (I put these in small mesh bag and pack in pot), bear bell and repellent (bears are gettin crazy!), plenty of moleskin, wet wipes for quick man bath, 1 large heavy duty trash bag (for poncho, tarp, bivy, etc), gallon ziplock for laundry cleaning (for longer hikes, nothin beats clean shirt, undies, and socks). Godspeed!

High Alpine excursions and the need for helmets:

Disagree. Unless I'm on a technical climb I want to be as comfortable as possible and have full peripheral vision. After all, we venture out to enjoy ourselves. Leave the hiking poles (can't stand the sight of them) and the helmet at home unless you enjoy hiking in fear. One old man's opinion.

High Alpine excursions and the need for helmets:

Disagree. Unless I'm on a technical climb I want to be as comfortable as possible and have full peripheral vision. After all, we venture out to enjoy ourselves. Leave the hiking poles (can't stand the sight of them) and the helmet at home unless you enjoy hiking in fear. One old man's opinion.

Something I ALWAYS have is a star flash signal mirror! In the event that you are injured to the point of being immobile,or come across someone else in need of emergency evac, this very light, yet very essential piece of gear proves invaluable!! This produces a blinding flash for miles, far more effective than trying to yell for help, and is recognized as a distress signal by nearly all aircraft pilots! Just a tip.

At what elevation do you switch from a butane/propane stove to white gas?

I live in the mountains and my dad takes us backpackin and on hikes ALOT...the things we take usually that stand out to me is knive,water,matches,headlamp,water treatment and sun glasses...you should also have a way to communicate if your in an accdient!!!

I am surprised to you don't have helmet on this list. Your head is the most vulnerable part of you when it comes to falling rocks. Rocks fall naturally in mountain areas, they also can be knocked loose by others ahead of you. I was on a 24 day high alpine trip where a girl was struck in the head by a football sized rock, although she needed professional medical treatment and was airlifted out, the helmet undoubtedly saved her life. I will never climb or go mountaineering without one! IF YOU ARE GOING ON A HIGH ALPINE MOUNTAINEERING TRIP YOU NEED A HELMET PERIOD.

P.S.-- What do you say backpacker editors, do I deserve to have you guys send me a complementary "editors choice" mountaineering helmed for this vital gear checklist update???

Yes they are a godsend Ive been using them for years!!!

Remember with high altitude hikes, you're gonna drink at least a gallon per day. A 12 oz Gatoraide bottle with its wide mouth is a godsend at 1 am when its 30 degrees outside. Don't misplace the cap!

Yes a pee bottle so you dont have to climb out of you tent on a cold night just to take a leak.

a "pee bottle" ????