Mountain Comfort

by on October 26, 2009

Panasonic GF1, Lumix 14-45mm f/3.5-5.6, 1/500 sec f/3.5. Northern Gallatin Mountains, Montana.

There are lots of ways to be comfortable in the mountains, especially in the winter. This is only one of them. It may be my favorite. It’s a base camping / short mileage strategy, but really fun, and really comfortable. This is my interpretation of the ultralight hunting camp.

The Vertex 6.5UL (shelter) and its accompanying titanium shepherd’s (wood) stove is made by the good folks at Titanium Goat.

This weekend, I decked it out with an ultralight cot, an XL NeoAir, a WM Antelope GWS, a quality tea and coffee kit, and an ultralight hatchet. With a Pak-Rifle, clothes, food, and other stuff, a pack for four days in the wilds with this kit still weighs less than 30 pounds.

This photo sort of goes along with the previous post about the end of the trail in terms of composition. I like that the snow storm is hiding the mountains in the distance, pretty as they are.

  • http://wanderingknight.org Ken knight

    I’ve used the Kifaru tipi and wood stove for winter base camping and agree it is a great way to go. Though my success with actual cooking on the stove was a bit hit or muss compared with a more common liquid fuel stove.
    And since I’ve never fired a gun I think I’d have to take more food.

  • http://awalkupnorth.blogspot.com/ Northern Walker

    Great stuff, Ryan, and a great looking shelter. Wood stoves are a bit thin on the ground in the UK but attitudes are changing. We could have done with one during our New Year break as it stayed at -14 C for three days.

  • Curt

    What ultralight cot are you using, Ryan?

  • Ryan

    @Curt – it’s a Luxury Lite cot, about 2 lbs.