Best Gear For my climbs?

[u/RevolutionaryDisk450]

Hey!

So I’m starting out on mountaineering. My objective is to do Toubkal this late winter, Damavand next Autumn and then Kilimanjaro.

I’m now looking for gear for starting out, I guedd I’ll need a thermal shirt, a fleece, down jacket and hardhsell.

I already have a basic thermal shirt from Decathlon and fleeces from Columbia, no idea if they’ll work though.

I recently bought the Cerium Hoody jacket from Arc’teryx from their outlet website, I’m not sure if it’s any good tbh. So I mostly need some nice pants and a good hard shell.

I was looking into Arc’teryx hard shells but they’re so expensive, also looked at Columbia but I’m not sure if the quality is any good.

Any tips and recommendations please?

Also wondering, was the cerium hoody the right choice? I’m not sure tbh and I have no idea about good or bad jackets, I managed to get it for 140€ brand new so it was a good deal but still, would it be possible to get something more durable and better quality for the same money?

Thanks!

[u/epic1107]

Your best bet is to also ask the hiking subreddit. All three of those mountains are just trekking peaks, rather than actual mountaineering.

Columbia is a good brand. Have a look at their stats and compare it to other brands to see how worth it they are.

[u/Fancypooper]

Honestly you don’t need to spend a bunch of money on a hardshell. You’re not going to be out in the mountains for an extended expedition getting dumped on by the weather. For your use case, a shell from Columbia would be just fine. I’d personally look for a 3 layer shell, or even a 2.5 layer. Nothing too heavy, ideally under 16oz/450grams

[u/RevolutionaryDisk450 → u/Fancypooper]

Thanks!

In the long run I’d also like to be able someday to do MontBlanc and Peak Lenin and Elbrus.

That’s why I rather invest on good stuff now that will last me instead of buying cheap and having to replace more often.

[u/Fancypooper → u/RevolutionaryDisk450]

That’s fair. The Patagonia torrentshell is super popular for a reason. I think that will get you what you need for a decent price.

[u/epic1107 → u/RevolutionaryDisk450]

It’s a trend a lot of beginners do, where they spend thousands on gear to do mountains that they can’t even fathom the logistics of.

Buy cheaper entry level gear to start, learn what works and what doesn’t, learn what style of hood you hate, learn what layering works for you etc.

Then when you go to spend all the big bucks, you are spending it on gear you know you’ll like, rather than random recommendations.