Chauvin Guides International, Presidential Traverse Guide

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Presidential Traverse
Clothing System

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When you look at the clothing list it may seem extensive enough and not much different than most clothing lists. When you see it laid out however you get a different perspective. Also consider that on most traverses I leave my down parka behind, I only bring it when the temperatures are going to be extreme and that means extreme for a traverse! The other thing you will notice is that there is nothing extra. No extra long underwear, socks or jackets, the only extra thing is really the hat and gloves, and even the hats can be worn together. The reason for this is that the clothing is meant to be used in only two circumstances; when you are moving and when you are in your tent cooking. For those with experience winter hiking you will quickly realize that there are plenty of clothes there for someone on the move. For those of you who have never cooked inside the tent, you will have to trust me when I say there is also plenty of clothes there to cook in a heated tent as well.

So why do most parties bring "extra" clothes. Usually you will hear two reasons. The first is so they can change into dry clothing at the end of the day. The second reason is so they can put on more clothes when they stop or more precisely when they are at camp cooking.

Let's look at the first reason, so they can have dry clothing at the end of the day. This is a great idea but it requires you to carry at least one set of long underwear for every day you are out. Why? Because once you take off your damp clothes it will freeze and end up being useless for the rest of the trip. Because you are really the only source of heat out there, once you take off damp clothes there is no place to dry it, so if the air temperature is below freezing the clothes becomes stiff and useless. Now you might think, what about the nifty stove, won't that dry it out? Although the stove takes the chill out of the tent and will even bring the tent to temperatures above freezing it does a lousy job of drying out clothing. The reason for this is the humidity in the tent. Between boiling water and your breathing it is like trying to dry out your clothes in a steam bath. It might be warm enough, but it's to damp an environment. The only hope of drying out your clothes is keeping it on, staying warm, well fed and hydrated. Now that is something the stove can do!

The second reason people bring "extra" clothes is to stay warm hanging around camp. This is where the weight savings of the hanging stove really pays off. When most people cook, they cook outside. They may need to stand around outside for hours waiting for snow to melt, water to boil and food to cook. To do that in the wind or even the light breeze that seems to exist at even the most sheltered of camp spots, they need a lot of clothing. The way I look at it, they need to bring enough clothing that it becomes a second sleeping bag only it has arms and legs. By cooking in the tent not only is the stove protected from the wind so are the people waiting on the food, also by cooking in the tent you get to recycle the wasted heat by enjoying a warmer environment.

In the end those that cook outside often shorten their meal because of the cold. In a windy situation the stove becomes less reliable and less efficient outside and the team members often grow colder than they are hungry and head for the relative comfort of their sleeping bag. By eating and drinking less these individuals feel less enthusiastic and their physical and mental performance declines. By cooking in the tent there is a strong incentive to keep the stove going, its nice and warm! So more food and liquid are consumed fueling your internal furnace, which helps you dry out damp clothing and increases your strength and stamina for what always promises to be a challenge, the next day of the traverse.

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