Backpacking in the Wrangell-St. Elias Park is a stunning adventure, but part of what makes it so spectacular is the remoteness and wild conditions. Therefore, it is pertinent to make sure you are prepared with the correct gear and layers! Lightweights vs Midweights and Heavyweights can be a bit confusing, so we talked with our senior guides to give you a little more insight into what you need to be prepared for your backcountry journey!

Upper Body

Tshirt or Long-sleeve

• Purpose: Baselayer – the bare minimum you’ll have on when it’s the warmest
  • Some people like sleeves while others prefer the exposure and breathability of a T-shirt as a baselayer. Just remember to wear sunscreen!
  • Synthetic, moisture-wicking fabrics work well, while wool provides additional warmth for a colder trip.
  • Opt for a T-shirt over a tank since your backpack will likely rub uncomfortably on any exposed skin on your back, chest, and shoulders
  • Our guides recommend: Patagonia Capeline Cool Daily Shirt, Artcteryx Iona Wool Shirt

Sun Hoodie*

• *This item can replace your baselayer above, or be paired with a T-shirt
• Purpose: Skin Protection (it’s very bright when the sun is out and it might be out all day and all night!) 
  • Look for any type of lightweight sun hoodie
  • Make sure there is UPF Protection  
  • Long sleeves with a hood is best
  • Moisture-wicking capabilities can be good too for sweaty trekking! 
  • Our guides recommend: Black Diamond Alpenglow Hoodie, Patagonia Capeline Cool Daily Hoody

Fleece

• • Purpose: keep you warm at night or lounging at camp and provide warmth while hiking on chillier mornings
    • Breathability is key! When you are wearing this layer to move, you do not want to get soaked while sweating.
    • For warmer trips or if you run hot, you may prefer a technical fleece. It’ll be lighter weight with a trim cut and useful features.
    • If you run cold, we recommend a non-technical fleece in addition to or instead of a technical fleece. A non-tech fleece will be roomy, cozy, warmer and heavier than a tech fleece, but less breathable
    • In either case, fleece dries quickly and doesn’t lose insulation value when wet.
    • Some people prefer a hood on this layer since it my often be your top-most layer, while other prefer no hood so it’s easier to layer under another jacket.
    • Our Guides recommend: Rab Filament Hoodie or Black Diamond Coefficient Hoody (tech), Patagonia Synchilla Marsupial (non-tech)

Midweight Puffy or Fleece Jacket

• • Purpose: Stay warm at lunch breaks on colder or windier days, layer up to stay warmer at camp or while sleeping, your warmest layer
    • A puffy or fleece jacket is fine – you’re looking for insulation! 
    • Make sure you can fit other layers underneath this layer
    • We recommend synthetic over down insulation so you don’t have to baby your jacket and can wear it in the rain if needed.
    • Hoods are recommended on these jackets as they’ll likely be your outer-most layer.
    • Our Guides recommend: Patagonia DAS Light, Patagonia Nano-Air Hoody, Mountain Hardwear Kor Stasis Hoody

Rain Jacket (“Shell”)

• Purpose: Keep you dry! This is important as Alaska can be a very wet place whether rain is coming from the clouds above or you’re bushwhacking through the dew!
  • Gore-Tex: durable and consistent (when taken care of)
  • Waterproof, not just water-resistant
    • Treat older jackets with new waterproofing before your next AK trip. We recommend Nikwax products.
  • This layer can add a surprising amount of warmth by trapping body heat!
  • Our Guide Recommends: Rab Kinetic Alpine 2.0 Waterproof Jacket, Marmot PreCip Eco Jacket, Patagonia Torrentshell 3L Jacket

Other Do’s and Don’ts:

• Absolutely NO COTTON. If your cotton gets wet, it will stay wet for the whole trip. No bueno.
• Down can be a warm and lightweight material, but also looses it’s insulatory properties when wet. We recommend staying away from down for backpacking layers in Alaska because the weather can shift swiftly and sharply and it’s very hard to protect your jacket from getting wet. Synthetic insulation is the way to go!
• For June, late-August, and early September trip, or if you generally run cold, consider an even warmer jacket, doubling up on the fleece, or wearing a wool baselayer.
• Merino wool has antimicrobial properties and can help with hygiene and odor control on a longer trip.
• Make sure to try all of your layers on to ensure they fit over each other properly and you have plenty of freedom of movement. 
• You don’t need duplicate layers. When backpacking, every ounce counts so make sure each layer has a purpose (or even two!) and you’re not bringing multiple items that fulfill the same function.

Lightweight Gloves

• • Purpose: camp comfort, protecting hands while crossing glaciers
    • Any type of lightweight fleece liner will typically work, a little wind or water protection can be nice, but the idea is for these to be breathable
    • If you want more hand protection on the glacier, a gardening style or work glove would do!
    • Our guides use: Arc’teryx Venta Glove, Outdoor Research Stormtracker Sensor Gloves, REI Merino Glove Liner

A few notes on gloves from our guides:

• ABSOLUTELY NO COTTON
• Waterproof or a thin waterproof shell glove might be nice if you know it’s going to be rainy!
• Do NOT get anything fragile or expensive! A bushwack can give a good wear down!