In the interest of not continuing the thread drift in the for sale / wanted forum, I seem to have sparked a debate about what people carry for winter day trips:

For New England Peak bagging I carry: (day trips, mixed conditions)
55L Gregory Alpinisto
Synthetic or down puffy (depending on the forecast and point in the season)
Hard shell jacket
Full Zip GoreTex Hard shell bottoms
Long Sleeve base layer
Pair of wool socks (spare pair)
Balaclava
Water proof over mitts (Old school OR GoreTex ones)
At least one pair Windstopper NTS liner gloves
OR Work Gloves (soft shell back, leather palms)
GoreTex gloves, medium gauntlet with removable fleece liners (either EMS or BD Guides depending on my mood)
Sack of bits and pieces (cord, zip ties, matches, spare pack buckle, Snow shoe repair kit)
Mylar foil bivy blanket
Headlamp, compass, map, locking knife
Camera (Olympus 10MP rugged)
Hand warmers
2or 3 1L Nalgenes of Hot Water in insulators (one on my hip belt, rest in the pack)
1L hot tea in thermos
Quart ziplock bag of assorted bars and food
Microspikes or Crampons depending on what we are doing that day (and the conditions)
Ice axe depending on the objective (very rare)

Wearing:
Wool base layers top and bottom
Synthetic t-shirt
Mixed blend LS shirt
Softshell pants
Softshell jacket
Wool knit cap
Windstopper NTS gloves
boots with heel welt (Kaylands of some sort)
MSR Denali Evo Ascent snow shoes

General rule of thumb is to bring everything you need and nothing you don't. Oops, did I just violate rule 1?

I don't think so, this thread is open for debate, since the RRG PermaDraw thread is nothing I am interested in.
My number one rule is to not end up in the Quarterly Accident reports in either Adirondac or Appalachia. Both editors are wicked harsh.

I like to do my peak-bagging in the Mojave, in Winter. I generally carry a windbreaker, lunch, and a camera.

Oh, my 8 essentials kit goes in there, too.

But you have to hike back down from the summit in the Mojave. That is the nice thing about snow, gravity makes the descent much quicker from a seated position.

Nathatn,
It seems your carrying up to 4 liters of water. Thats a lot of water weight. I usually carry only 2 liters unless Im doing an overnight. Plenty of time to rehydrate in town(at the bar). Also Im just wondering, with a softshell jacket, how often do you end up putting on your hardshell? Just looking to cut a few pounds.

dude is that really taking up all the space in a 55 liter pack, or do you have a bunch of extra space? i like your list though, so your wearing softshell pants and bringing a hardshell layer, do you think you could lighten up by just wearing the hardshell and using the side zips to vent? obviously not as stretchy or breathable but light is right, right... my softshell pants weigh like a pound and a half then throw in a bit of wetness they get heavy quick

I prefer nothing larger than a 30 liter pack with food, water, sunglasses, phone, small first aid kit with space blanket and a down jacket and perhaps one more shirt layer. I wear the camera on me so I take pictures.

Well, the Alpinista 55 is actually 48 in size M, so it carries a bit more trimly. I'd say my list depends on the precise activity and the conditions, since my winter peakbagging is either on skis or in the Mojave these days. Personally I don't carry that much water ever in the alpine - if you're gonna need more than 2L, bring a jetboil - but sometimes in NV I'll carry 3-4L for a day, depending on objective, due to lack of available water. Many times I'll go with less clothing in the interests of moving faster - if I'm cold, i'll hike/ski/crampon faster. To compensate for that, I do bring lots of high-fat foods. I've recently started carrying the GPS - whiteout nav is a lot easier with it. Mostly I just pick my conditions right - if i'm not getting paid, I stay in the bar on shitty weather days. Of course, from what I recall of NE winters, ya'll might not have that option...

I carry marmot minilmist pants and first ascent bc 200 at the bottom of my pack (I use a 40L black diamond speed 40 (for 2-4 day trips)

I almsot never use either hardshell.

This is in the whites, mostly mount washington r presi traverses.

I am curious why you bring along a synthetic t shirt though..or long sleeve shirt. never gets that warm in new england winters, to justify a t shirt, and if hot just stip to base layers so why the long sleeve shirt?

For day trips we rarely stop long enough to boil, especially with 5 persons or more on a trip. its long enough to scarf a bar or sammie and keep moving. But then again to get 18 or 20 miles in a day you gotta keep moving to keep it to 14 hrs or so. Normally I carry 2L plus my .75L thermos of hot beverage vs warm water. A 15+ mile day I would consider the 3rd bottle. Munching on Icicles is not a bad way to keep the thirst down either. The only time I really break out the hard shells is above tree line when wind is howling, or we are doing an extended seated gliassade from the summit. Depending on the forecast and trip I will leave the hard shell jacket at home and just bring a wind shirt which performs the same function in winter. The hard shells are mainly for backup. I tend to perspire a fair amount so swamping it up in hard shell pants is not my thing at all. The long sleeve shirt over a base layer and t-shirt is more for days in the low teens. The most I've ever worn while moving is a base layer, a t-shirt, a long sleeve t shirt and a soft shell jacket. If we are really banging out the miles I often push up the sleeves of the base layer and go bare armed.

I just dont understand why you have a tshirt, a long sleeve tshirt, and a baselayer. doesnt make any sense.

Things I carry that are not on your list: ski goggles/sunglasses (for above treeline travel), extra batteries (for headlamp), cell phone (just in case), first aid kit. A GPS is a really useful piece of gear for Winter travel (especially if you're stuck in a white-out). Hiking poles are also nice to have (for stream crossings, or snow travel, or as a make-shift avy probe, or even to splint a broken leg). On long days with potential route-finding challenges, I carry a pocket stove.

Things I do not carry: as many layers (no extra shirt, for instance), or more than 2L of water (except on very long days).

Unless you have verizon wireless, cell phones are for the most part useless in the northeast. AT&T/T-mobile get practiclly no service in the dacks or the whites.

I carry a paper GPS (map) and a compass a GPS is excess weight and potential failure point. Extra batteries are always in the pack but didn't make the list, the necessities bag has a fair amount more than listed, but those are the salient points (and a first aid kit).

As for a long sleeve base layer, t-shirt and optional long sleeve shirt, that is the system I have dialed in that gives me the insulation at my core where I seem to need it most. My arms rarely get cold, but keeping the cold wind off my core is key to being comfortable personally. It is not unlike why lots of people wear puffy vests instead of puffy jackets. Depending on the conditions I often hike with the long sleeve base layers pushed up above my elbows, but with gloves on.

maybe ask Mark S what he carries

From my limited experience
-long sleeve baselayer (top + bottom)
-Fleece Pant and jacket. (jack stored in pack incase its really cold)
-Down coat (+standard shell, my down isn't waterproof)
-water proof shell pants w/ side zips
-Gaiters
-good gloves
-beanie
-sunglasses/goggles
-mountain axe
-crampons?
-heavy/thick wool socks

Rest is standard peak bagging stuff
-food/water/lights/etc....

Picture summiting Bierstadt on Saturday (shamelessly wanted to post a picture) Submitted By: Mike N on Oct 31, 2011

@wehling ya, 10/29. Hike went from 6am-12noon on the western route

And look how well it worked out for him...


Too soon? ;)

He made it to age 45 or so, plus he had Lyme disease, whipworm, bad teeth and lots of enemies, and over 40 tattoos. sounds like he worked hard played hard and left an exceptional corpse.

What is your favorite/best thermos?