Gear advice

[Mo Throttle]

In the latter half of September, I'm planning a trip from Arizona to Michigan. Tenting most of the way through New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, S. Dakota, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. Will I need heated clothing crossing 10k foot mountain passes? Will a 20 degree sleeping bag do? No cooking except for coffee. Will a jetboil do? Any special equipment recommendations such as tents etc. is appreciated. This is a solo trip that I have up to ten days to complete. Thanks.

[vnsfxr]

Heated gear is always nice to have.

[Hashimoto]

Heated gloves would probably be helpful by the end of September. Maybe a pair of heated socks or some of those air activated warmer packets. I've never found the need for a heated vest or pants, but everyone has different sensitivity to cold. I do use good windproof riding gear that allows for layering. I have a goose down -20 bag. It packs up nice and small and it doesn't overheat me when it's not cold. You'll want a sleeping pad of some type as the ground will be cooling off by then. As for coffee, I find a credit card or some cash works best, along with a good thermos.;) It would help if we knew what you had for cargo hauling. Top box, tea bag, back pack?
Sounds like it'll be a fun trip, I'm envious.

[dannyk]

Dan,(wannabe2) was just in the high country of wyo. mt. through beartooth pass and yellowstone, said it was 36 degrees and fresh snow on the hillsides, road had some icy patches on it. West yellowstone was 37 degree's, so plan accordingly, it could be in the 70's in the high country or below freezing, what ever the weather can throw at you you might encounter as summer is leaving and fall is approaching, and I have seen 6 inches of snow on the 15th of september here. :biker:

[motomac]

If you have heated gear by all means carry it with you. I just went through Glacier a couple of weeks ago on the way from WeSToc to ONSToc and it got down to 41 and I was gald I had packed my Gerbing's.

[tarfin]

That's the UP Danny...it's a whole 'nother world up there eh. Honestly in my 38 years cannot remember snow in September. Then again my memory is shot. :D

[alan]

Heated vest, I use a Widder and in the mountains it can get very cold. My son and I camped at Silverton, CO in late June in 2006 and the temp got down to 29 degrees that night. Heated grips are a must and are easy to install. I have a JetBoil for making coffee and it does not work very well in cold weather. The JetBoil fuel does not vaporize well when the canister is cold and consequently you get a weak flame.

Dress warm and you should have a nice trip, enjoy.

[FJRMGM]

you might very well run into frosty mornings and for sure cool evenings in Wisconsin that time of year.

[sparkinator]

I woke up to a 28 degree morning and snow in Yellowstone this past June. I was in a tent similiar to this one, and slept well all night. A full rain fly holds in more heat.

My sleeping bag is kind of bulky, but it did a good job. It is a Kelty rated for 20 degrees.

I also had a self-inflating air mattress from Texsport that although bulky, beat sleeping on the cold ground. The self-inflating is actually insulation in the mattress that a simple air mattress lacks. Some of the air mattresses can actually suck the heat out of your body to heat the mattress.

I didn't carry any heated gear, but my heated Corbin came in REAL handy. Late September could be a lot cooler than early June.

Good luck on your trip!

[E the B]

On the camping side of your gear question, a 20 degree bag should be fine. You should also have a sleeping pad, like a Thermarest. You don't want to sleep oin the ground. A one-person tent is also needed, unless you're good at pitching tarps. My solo tent is an MSR Hubba. The Jetboil is great for boiling water, but there's no provision for a perculator with that unit. You could either go with tea, or get a french press to pour the boiling water into. When backpacking, I usually drink tea to avoid the added weight and bulk of a coffee pot .

Hope this helps.