How to Pack for a Multi-Day Splitboarding Trip
Hi, my name is David and today we're gonna go over how to pack for a multi-day splitboarding trip.
There's different types of multi-day trips: going in and staying in a tent, or you might have accommodations where you're staying in a hut and going from hot to hot, or you might even be getting helicoptered into a space where you're gonna be dropped off and food will be provided for you.
So, depending on each of those scenarios, there's different nuances that would change what you're gonna bring for those trips.
For this article, I'm going go over what I would pack if I was doing a multi-day hot trip where things like a stove would be provided. There'd be some pots and pans at the accommodation, and fuel and a sleeping space, but not necessarily a sleeping bag or pillow – maybe just a sleeping pad for me to sleep on.
Essentials and Non-Essentials for a Multi-Day Splitboarding Trip
I tend to break my gear into what I consider essential and non-essential or the nice to haves in the essential category. I like to break it down even further into basic gear, clothing, safety gear, and food. And so let's kind of dive into each one of those separately.
Gear
So for your basic gear, obviously for a splitboarding trip, you're gonna need splitboard bindings, skins, boots, and poles. You're also gonna need a backpack. I typically use a smaller backpack for my daily commuter, but for a multi-day trip, I tend to use about a 45, 55L backpack so that I can fit things like a sleeping bag. So that's what I would consider the basic gear category.
Clothing
When it comes to clothing on a multi-day splitboarding trip in the backcountry, in the mountains, all of us know that layering is key. This is especially the case when you're out for multiple days because weather can change from day to day, especially if you've been out for three or four days, things can be dramatically different.
Making sure you have really solid base layers, like long underwear and Marino shirts. These materials wick away the moisture, breathe, dry quickly, and keep you warm. But stay away from anything cotton – that's kind of a general rule of thumb for any time you're out in the backcountry.
I like to bring neck tubes and extra thick mitts if it does get really cold. I have outer Gore-Tex layers for my pants and jacket. I have a vest and it's made from Marino wool. I find that it dries out really quickly, breathes really nice, and is what I'm skiing in most days.
I always have a down puffy with me, packed away in my pack just in case I need it. To round out my list of essentials are a helmet, pair of sunglasses, and goggles for clothing.
Safety
The basics of safety are your beacon, probe, and shovel. I often bring a snow ax with me for digging a snow profile. I also consider a first aid kit as an essential piece. Within that first aid kit, you always wanna make sure you have some sort of space blanket that you can tuck yourself into in an emergency situation.
For a multi-day trip, it's nice to have a radio with you to tune into weather stations, which are good to pre-program before your trip.
An In-Reach can also be a really good device if someone in your group ends up in an emergency situation and has to call for a rescue. Some other miscellaneous pieces I like to have along are duct tape, zip ties, and a Swiss Army knife.
Binding spare parts kits are also amazing to have in your backpack. I have them in my pack all the time and you can pick them up at Splitboard HQ.
I always have a ski strap. You never know when you're gonna need one of these to hold a skin on, hold a binding or a boot or something together, or use it to build a sling or brace a joint.
A headlight is also really essential because you’ll be out at night whether you’re in a tent or hut.
And it's always a good idea, especially on a multi-day splitboarding trip, to take a compass and either some sort of guidebook or map – something on paper, because sometimes when you're out for multiple days, batteries can die in extreme cold temperatures. If you're relying simply on GPS, things like that can fail you when you're in the backcountry, especially for multiple days.
To reduce your exposure to those risks, having a compass for whiteout conditions and a map are really good things to have in your pack.
Food
I like to break it into breakfast, lunch, and dinner. So let's say we're going on a four day trip. You're gonna need lunches for four days, but you're not going to need that first day breakfast and you're not going to often need that last day dinner. So you need four lunches and then three breakfasts and three dinners. So that's my rule of thumb – whatever you have counted for breakfasts and dinners, knock one off on each end.
It is nice, especially when you are going out into the backcountry, to have an extra dinner or an extra little cache of food just in case you get trapped somewhere.
For the food itself, I try to keep it pretty simple. I use instant oatmeal and instant coffee. For lunch I tend to do things like cheese, pepperoni sticks, bars, Honey Stingers, stuff like that. For dinner, again, I like to keep it simple and just go with something like a Backpacker's Pantry/dehydrated meal. And bring a water bottle!
Also be sure to pack deodorant, toothpaste, sunscreen – especially if you're on a glacier for multiple days – and lastly, toilet paper.
Non-Essentials for a Splitboarding Multi-Day Trip
For non-essential stuff I’ll start with hot booties. These are a nice to have for me. They're amazing to throw on as soon as you get out of your boots.
A hat can be really nice to block out the sun.
Handwarmers I would put as a questionable essential thing they could be a part of your essential safety kit as well if you often have cold hands or expect especially cold conditions.
A powerbank is something I bring on all my multi-day trips now. Make sure you bring the cords to be able to charge the right stuff.
For snacks I like to bring popcorn and little drink things, gels, cookies, things like that.
Rutschblock Cord is a nice to have for stringing things together. It's also nice for if you do get into a situation where you want to an extended column test or you wanna do a roof block test.
If you were doing a multi-day glacier trip you’ll want to consider bringing ice axes, screws, rope, a mountaineering ax or climbing ax, boot crampons, and/or a lightweight harness.
Packing for a Multi-Day Splitboarding Trip Summary
That's your basic gear of everything that you would want to have and a little bit of the nice to haves. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us or visit us in store!
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