What's In Tom Livingstone's Pack?

Tom Livingstone is currently one of the most active alpinists in the UK with a passion for trad, winter and alpine climbing. He's recently been active on the American Route on the Aiguille Du Fou, an attempt on Denali's Slovak Direct and Mt Hunters Moonflower and the Leseur route on the North face of the Dru. In this article Tom explains his choice of gear for alpine routes.

"Having a lighter rucksack makes a big difference when climbing in the mountains, especially when alpine climbing in single-push style. I think it's important that equipment is fairly multi-functional, too.

I pack for every route with real care and attention to detail, almost bordering on OCD! I question every item's usefulness and it's necessity. My friends sometimes laugh!

 

Based on the anticipated route, weather, conditions and my experience, I'll make the broader decisions, like are we going to single-push the route (often the approach in the Alps and Patagonia), or are we going to be more cautious and take bivi gear (longer routes in Alaska, or the Alps in winter, for example). 

 

Then I'll make the finer decisions, like how many quickdraws and carabiners shall we take? The gear picture below is a great starting point for many of my alpine routes, and I can add or subtract bivi gear according to the objective. "

 

 

Alpine Rock Pack Contents - multi day. e.g. American Route on Fou or Divine Providence on Grand Pilier d’Angle

1. Rock shoes - comfy but precise
2. Boots - light enough to clip to harness but warm enough to summit mont blanc in bad weather
3. Harness - SITTA.
   I can carry any alpine or trad climbing rack with the four gear loops, and a tag line on the back gear loop. All for 270 grams, and it’s relatively comfortable too. I can pull the fixed leg loops over climbing boots, high-altitude boots and even ski boots.
4. Chalk bag
5. Ropes - single and a tag, the best combination for me on alpine routes
   RAD Line 6mm - I can make a significant weight saving by using this. It’s perfect as a tag line (since it’s hyper-static and therefore very low stretch), or as a rappel line to be stashed away whilst climbing. I like the fact it’s aramid/kevlar too, so it’s hard-wearing.
   VOLTA GUIDE 9.0mm - Combined with the RAD line, it’s a perfect lightweight alpine rope system. The handling is soft and the Dry Treatment is tough - great!
6. Wires x 7
7. Cams x C3 00 to Camalot 3
8. PUR'ANNEAU Slings x 3 - Ultra-lightweight and thin. These are great for extending pieces of gear to reduce rope drag and building belays. They sit behind shallow spikes and flakes because they’re so thin.
9. Quickdraws - 10 total, 4 long, 3 medium. Almost every biner is ANGE S. Light is right!
10. MICRO TRAXION and SPATHA knife
11. SPIRIT Screwgates - These are the lightest locking carabiners and I usually carry three. 1 for my belay plate, and 2 for the belay or in important circumstances (e.g. attaching a bag to the RAD line).
12. 1 Litre water bottle
13. Energy bars -  6 per day
14. IRVIS HYBRID crampons - tres bien! They are a good compromise between weight and durability, with the steel front piece (better than aluminium for climbing hard or old ice) being durable, and an aluminium back piece to save weight.
15. SUM'TEC axe. Sometimes replaced with a RIDE
16. SIROCCO helmet
17. Gloves
18. Windshirt (orange). almost snow proof too
19. Mid layer (red/blue).
20. Down jacket -  super light, big hood.
21. Buff
22. Sunglasses - explorer 2.0
23. Betrafol repair tape
24. Stove
25. 35 litre pack
26. Headlamp