Here’s what I typically take for a 2-day trip of easy mountaineering at 3000m in Japan (sleeping in a mountain hut):

For multi-day trips in freezing Japanese winter, a bit more space comes in handy…

A killer goldilocks jacket – for everything from spring climbing to 3000m alpine summits

I recently bought a new pair of winter climbing boots, for 2 main reasons: I wanted a boot warm enough to climb Mt Aka (2,899m) in winter and I’m tired of losing a toenail every winter because my trusty La Sportiva Nepal Extremes are 1/2 size too small.

I recently climbed Mt Akadake in Japan’s Yatsugatake range (2,899m) in winter. It was -13ºc at the hut the night before, so with the extra…

The obvious, but unhelpful, answer is – it depends on what you want to carry.