Gear for Winter Hillwalking by Chris Townsend

[@trytheoutdoors]

Thank you, sir. Wonderful.

[@sammcloughlin9291]

Really can tell your an experienced guy, great video, thank you

[@yaroslavbozhkov1567]

Many thanks Chris! Best wishes from Ukraine.

[@Jamcraver]

Cheers Chris, enjoyed that!

[@monkeymox2544]

Excellent, Chris, thanks for taking the time to make this! Glad to see you making videos, there are too few British hikers on KZbin with as much experience as you. Best of luck with the new channel!

[@simond.davies4876]

Brilliant, Chris. Really enjoyed watching and listening to someone with vast experience of the outdoors.

[@Olan...]

Those Petrel 600 pots with the heat exchanger are fantastic aren't hey Chris , with my Soto Windmaster i can boil 300 mil of water in 1 minute so saves loads of gas. I use my Toaks 700 mug lid on mine because it's lighter and i try to avoid plastics where possible . Have a good trip 👍

[@bobbymcdonald4365]

Evening Chris, Great to see you out doing gear videos again. Looking forward to viewing the next. B.

[@ChrisTownsendOutdoor]

Thanks. A new venture this - I've never done the filming or editing before. Much to learn.

[@jeriatrix4526]

After over 50 years "on the trails" I may as well add my two cents. I live in Colorado USA and with slight modifications in clothing to accommodate changing seasons, I carry most of the items Chris reviews here. They are carefully considered "universal" pieces of gear that could be useful anytime, anywhere. The only addition to my kit is some basic fire making materials. However, many hikers I know will skimp on extra clothing thinking "oh well, I can always build a fire". Not so! I've been on many, many snowshoe and Xcountry ski trips where fire building was impossible because all the fuel is under three feet of snow. So, heed his advice and always take that extra vest or jacket, pants, etc. One example: last summer, July 28, 12,000 ft. In the Rockies we were hit with a mini blizzard; wind driven snow and an abrupt temperature drop of 15 degrees. Had all of us scrambling to get our extras on. Do some novices laugh at me with all my gear on just a day hike? Sure, but that's their ignorance laughing, ignore them. One addition: if you don't have Chris' book " Grizzly Bears and Razor Clams" I recommend it highly; a delightful read.

[@ChrisTownsendOutdoor]

Thanks Jeri. I didn't include basic fire making materials because in the British hills there are few trees. I would carry them in more wooded areas. Glad you like my book.

[@smujiodome]

Great video Chris. So kind of you to share your experience. This will serve as a great resource for anyone new to winter walking. atb. Stewart Cranston.

[@markhendry8339]

Thanks Chris - very useful and very timely. I picked up some good tips from you there. Hadn’t even considered a snow shovel but I can see how it would come in useful. Look forward to hearing more on the snowshoes in the next one. All the best.

[@jonathanshearer9366]

Great advice Chris. I too take a large pack with all i need and, like you say , have enough so you can spend the night on the hill if you have too. Too many inexperienced walkers are cutting out a lot of essential kit. No matter how experienced you are you can come unstuck on the hills and should always be prepared. Sadly experience is the only true educator and having learned from some bad experiences myself in the past it has made me even more switched on to kit and prep.

[@DaveVaughan2004]

Nicely put together video and kit setup. I also favour a larger pack than most, I find the synthetic gear I use bulkier and a bigger means I don't have to crush and squeeze it all in. ATB, Dave

[@leerollinson1929]

Hi Chris, TGO subscriber and It's great to see you on video talking sense about gear. Great information and would love to see your overnight kit. Keep up the good work, Lee

[@ChrisTownsendOutdoor]

Thanks Lee. I'll be covering overnight gear and other stuff in future videos.

[@Martycycleman]

Thanks Chris although I can't understand such dislike of the gaters ?

[@WalkWithWallace]

Excellent and useful video Chris, particularly for anyone who is new to winter walking. I'd maybe tweak the video title to include 'gear for winter hillwalking' so it's more searchable. Cheers Robin

[@ChrisTownsendOutdoor]

Thanks Robin. Glad you like it and thanks for the advice. I'll tweak the title.

[@kwoody1986]

Great video Chris. Just discovered your KZbin channel looking forward to getting more knowledge from you. Take care cheers Karl

[@domo3552]

Thanks Chris.. Its amazing how I forget little, but important details like not keeping my phone & compass near each other - thanks for reminding me! Would be great to see a winter breakdown of your full camping/snowshoeing kit for a multi-day winter backpacking trip? PS. I'm SO glad I bought a snow shovel. Its a basic Black Diamond model (like yours?), solid, strong & simple and has proved invaluable on snowshoeing/camping trips. Digging out the tent's snow pegs the next morning was hard enough with the shovel and would have been much more time consuming with my axe. The previous nights fluffy snow was more like solid ice by morning (I'm glad I bought a metal, not polycarbonate shovel, although I'm sure they meet stringent strength standards). Good way to warm up - digging out snow pegs! On a winter skills course at Glenmore Lodge we dug out snow holes - one 1/2 of our group with ice axes, the other half with snow shovels. I think we in the snow shovel team were relaxing with a brew on whilst the other team were still toiling away! In all seriousness, that could be a crucial time and energy factor in an emergency/survival situation. Thanks for sharing your knowledge and experience Chris, and I'm looking forward to your other videos.

[@ChrisTownsendOutdoor]

A winter camping video is in my plans. I've found the problem with polycarbonate snow shovels isn't that they're not strong enough - they are - but that they tend to bounce off ice. I've collected a few snow shovels over the years. The short one I carry on day and camping trips is a BCA one. When igloo building I take a longer MSR one. Both metal.

[@petergilbert72]

Would a toilet trowel suffice for unexpected snow shovelling? Would presumably be quicker than an ice axe (ie perhaps used after the ice axe breaks the outer surface)?

[@ShivaCVIII]

I always take a spare torch and some spare batteries.

[@ciscoB2183]

Who makes your insulated pants?

[@ChrisTownsendOutdoor]

Rab, but they're no longer available. Very similar are the Montane Prism Pants.

[@vvs3796]

Great video,i really like the way you go into detail,simple and informative. May i ask about the powerbank : they are known to lose some charge in very cold weather, do you protect them somehow from cold?

[@ChrisTownsendOutdoor]

I keep powerbanks in a padded bag. When it's below freezing I store them in a pocket as well.

[@vvs3796]

@@ChrisTownsendOutdoor thank you..

[@IanTupmanOutdoors]

Excellent video Chris, thanks for sharing your thinking on winter gear. Winter and summer I carry a personal locator beacon since, like you, I'm almost always in the mountains on my own. It's been a great comfort to my family to know that I could summon help if I couldn't get a phone signal. Is it something you've considered?

[@ChrisTownsendOutdoor]

Thanks Ian. I do show my SPOT device in the video.

[@IanTupmanOutdoors]

Sorry Chris, been having problems with our wifi and missed that section of your video completely. Seen it now though and yes, a PLB is absolutely essential if you're out on your own IMHO. Like the idea of a second head torch as well.Looking forward to Part 2

[@RS.Outdoors]

Couple of questions Chris. Have you tried the neoprene hand covers for your Pacer poles as I find them amazing in winter. Can hike with no gloves on. Also have you tried the shovel that you can get that goes with that ice axe. Have the same axe and thought about getting the shovel hed for it. Good stuff and keep posting. Atb

[@ChrisTownsendOutdoor]

Thanks. I have used the neoprene hand covers. They work well. I didn't show them in the video as they're specific to Pacerpoles. I haven't tried the shovel that goes with the ice axe. It sounds a good idea.

[@RS.Outdoors]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/mKG9eXV5pbisfNU

[@IanTupmanOutdoors]

Hi Pinnacle Capture, I bought a Grivel steel blade shovel a few years ago. Don't waste your money! It was useless in hard snow as we found on the Patagonia ice cap when trying to build snow walls. I gave it away and bought a Black Diamond one similar to the one Chris has. It's been excellent.

[@adamjames3119]

Nice, thanks. I've seen you mention a Swiss Army style knife / tool a few times. I'd be interested in a video giving your insights into what you carry and how you've used it.

[@GjPeddy]

Thank you for the valuable information! Would you recommend a thin synthetic jacket as midlayer rathern than a fleece in winter?

[@ChrisTownsendOutdoor]

A thin fleece works well too. Most thin synthetic jackets have windproof shells so they can be worn as outer garments when it's windy. However this means they're not as breathable as fleece when worn under a shell jacket. The top I'm wearing in the video, the Rab Paradox, is one of the few synthetic jackets that isn't windproof and so very breathable. It's lighter and less bulky for the warmth than fleece. Fleece tops do work fine though and I often wear one.

[@GjPeddy]

@@ChrisTownsendOutdoor Thank you so much!

[@flashman3962]

I was expecting a chocolate orange at the bottom there.

[@ChrisTownsendOutdoor]

I wish there had been. I'd have eaten it!