DGT gear list

My gear list on my 14 day 67 khulu GT in December 2015/January 2016:
1 X 360 Degree Cool Mountain tent (shared)
1 X Gas stove with a spare canister (shared)
1 X First aid kit (shared)
1 X Trowel (shared)
5 X maps (shared - all geomaps except for the Highmoor one)
1 X GPS with lots of spare batteries
1 X Camera with spare batteries
3 X 750ml waterbottles
1 X Thermarest air mattress
1 X Mountain Hardwear Pinole -7C sleeping bag

Clothes - including what I was wearing at any given point:
2 X long sleeve technical shirts
1 X long pants
1 X shorts
1 X K-Way Challenger fleece
1 X Hi-Tec Hard Shell jacket with underarm zips
1 X change in socks and underwear
1 X Hi-Tec Flash Force trail shoes
1 X lightweight towel

just some quick comments.. I think that gaitors are a good idea and they will also help to protect you non waterproof shoes and non waterproof pants from getting too waterlogged and cold. Frost nip is a real risk if you get wet and walk in snow for too long. Just ask my mate who got his feet wet on our last trip up Giants in the snow. He was lucky to avoid nerve damage according to his doctor.

Trekking poles are also a good idea in the event of snow because once path are covered you will find it hard to move without some kind of stick to probe and support to avoid ankle damage. The lead person is most important because others can literally follow in your footprints.

I don't see the point of a double fleece.. better if you hand a body warmer. double garments that are too tight over each other don't help much to warm you. Stick with the FA fleece.

A poncho is a good idea if it rains or sleets as it can also protect your pants and shoes to some extent, provide the wind isn't too harsh, then its useless..

Hope this helps!?

My guess is that it will be very dry by then, so I would add in water filters, purification tablets or extra gas to boil water. I would also have capacity to carry 2 liters of water, and make sure you have a cup sized object with that you can use to dip into small pools to collect water

@ASL - thanks, the frost nip issue is one of my biggest concerns, not being from the area and not knowing the climate (I am from Cape Town). Gaitors and trekking poles seem to be non-negotiable, according to most of the responses.

@AndrewP - I will also note this, thanks. Another factor that we havent taken into account yet.

Once again, I really appreciate the experienced forum members taking the time to review my gear list. Preparing for the unknown is daunting and surreal, and I take the inputs to heart in planning a safe pilgrimage.

sleeping bag inner seems like a real waste of time to me. it is not going to do anything to make you warmer...and double bagging seems more like a waste of space. you might just have to either borrow a better bag or grab your balls and buy one

no gloves?

dont need double fleece - rather get a thermal long sleeve as a first layer and if your hiking top gets wet then at least you can hike in it and hopefully let your shirt dry during the next day (if its not raining)

remember you are also on the back end of the traditional September snows..so you need to be prepared for that. are you happy with your wet weather gear..i dont recall seeing any pants

@Stretch - gloves arent on the list but I still need to get this. Looking at either softshell gloves or ski gloves.

Wet weather / snow gear is one of my main shortcomings - only have water resistant pants and need gaiters. Shoes not waterproof.

Our leader's strategy is to "hide it out" in the event of knee-deep snow, but I need to do my own research hence posting here. I should probably admit by now that we are not your traditional hiking party but more of an optimistic three-man wolfpack with similar preparation and fitness. If our preparation really is substandard, I would have to relay this to my team members and we would have to reconsider the trip. Thats a last resort, though, as the trip would have to wait for 2017 due to work commitments.

I see I forgot my gloves, beanie and 2 buffs off my gear list.

I did my 5 day GT without gloves and I only took 1 buff. My solution for cold hands can be summed up by this photo - taken by AndrewP:

Re trekking poles: as the worlds biggest advocate of them, it really depends on the individual. For long days with few breaks (30km+ days), I don't use poles, but rather keep my hands free to eat and drink while walking. For slower hikes I use poles, e.g. I did use them on my 14 day GT last year.

Just to throw in my 2c, and confuse the issue...
Layering sleeping bags works very well, provided the insulation does not compress..
Google it.
YHMV

@Papa Dragon - if choosing that option I would be layering two identical sleeping bags, so the inner bag might compress. Unless I sleep in bag 1 and use bag 2 as either a ground sheet or a blanket. Might even share the second bag with my tent buddy

Depends on the fill and the cut..
Try them out and see, Maybe use the outside one like a quilt with just the foot area closed