Attempting Denali is a long, arduous expedition in extreme temperatures that can easily plummet to -40C in May or even later in the season at high altitude. The weather in unpredictable, and therefore, it requires the right gear to face what nature throws at us. The every day life ‘luxuries’ or what we are made to believe are necessities in our busy lives (smartphones, wallets, nice looking outfits, cosmetics) are either useless or unusable on the cold mountain.

Below is a list of a few new items that I brought on this trip and tested for the first time.

Mountain Hardwear stretch down jacket (M size – Red)
Surprisingly good warmth for a mid-weight down jacket. Stretch makes this jacket comfortable. Perfect to stuff at the bottom of the sleeping bag for extreme cold nights to protect feet.

GSI bowl and mug
Excellent combo. The mug fits inside the bowl. They have replaced the hard plastic handle with a fabric handle. Making it more nimble, easier to stuff in packs.

Mountain Hardwear Nilas bib down pants (M size, Black)
Very warm, extremely comfortable. Work from camp 4 to camp 3. Too warm after the ridge. Only 1 long underwear under the pants. Good zips. (Borrowed from Patrick for this trip)

Patagonia R1 mid-weight fleece (M size, Orange)
Excellent piece of gear. Thin and warm, hood ads to warmth. Almost too warm below camp 3. Good sizing, a little tight guarantees more heat.

Patagonia sunshade fly fishing hoodie (M size – Grey)
A best-buy for Glacier travel. Protects against the sun, SPF 50 garment. All 3 of us had one.

North Face thin fleece gloves
Should be washed before use. Good after 1 week. Before that colour transfer to hands. Black hands, very inconvenient. Perfect for most of the trip. Used every day all day long.

Gregory Denali 100L backpack (Large – Black)
With a name like this, it’s perfect for Denali.  It can fit almost all of the required gear. A little bit on the heavy side but it’s 2 main assets are that it remains comfortable when heavily loaded and it’s numerous pockets and storing options. Hip belt way too big, had to be changed for M size (nightmare to contact Gregory customer service).

Marmot soft shell climbing pants
One of my best picks of this trip. A little tight at the start, a little loose at the end but weight loss is unavoidable. Good venting on side of legs, tough fabric, stretch is very nice, Reinforced fabric on legs.

Merino buff (one size – khaki)
Breathable and odourless, a must for long trips without washing opportunities.

Headband buff (Turquoise)
Convenient in some instances when hat is too warm, and wind is blowing my long hair in my face.

Olympus Tough TG-4
Very satisfied with its ‘toughness’. Rated to work at -10C but performed fine at -30C. Did not have any additional protection and the body of the camera was good enough. Absolutely beats an iPhone for pictures. iPhone cannot take the cold and too fragile for the mountain even with my Lifeproof cover. Lens quality is very good. Reliable camera, easy to use.

Garmin Fenix5X

Excellent watch easy to use and reliable. Works fine under extreme cold. Hung it in the tent a few times at -15 to check temperature in the tent and watch was fine. The map feature of the watch is good. I had purchased the Alaska map and it clearly showed were we were on the map! Actually quite close to the ‘path’ going up Denali if there is such a thing ;).