The
thought of hiking in the Himalayas for a month was as much daunting as it was
exciting. I had been backpacking before so I knew a lot of the things I would
need for being in the wilderness for an extended period of time. Still, there
were new factors at play that made me feel like I was back at square one. We
would be staying in guesthouses instead of a tent. Porters would be carrying
a majority of our stuff, so I only needed a day pack. Then there was the new
level of cold I knew was coming.
I
combed through as many blogs as I could find. I found a lot of information, yet
there were still gaps. How big of a day pack? Did they have blankets at the
guesthouses? Do I need special equipment? These were just a few of my questions
I couldn’t find answers to. Lucky for me I had a friend who had done the
Everest Base Camp trek earlier in the year. With his help all of my questions
were answered; the blanks were filled in. Despite that there were still things
I learned on the trail I wish I would have known.
Basic Packing Advice
o It is best for the
porters if you pack a duffel bag rather than a backpack.
o There is a combined
weight limit of 15kg/33lbs for the airplane for your duffel and day pack
o There are differences
to the Everest Base Camp trip and the Annapurna Circuit, but for the most part
both of the treks needed the same gear.
o It is possible to buy
most gear while in Kathmandu. However I highly advise against saving all your
shopping until you arrive. I have split the packing list into multiple
categories regarding this issue.
o Seeing as I am
female, certain gender specific items are included. Men I don’t expect you to
worry about how many sports bras to bring. I have another post specifically for
Tips and Tricks for Female Travelers.
Must Have From Home
o -20C rated sleeping
bag:
Do not plan on renting a sleeping bag there. They will not keep you warm. I
know this from second hand experience. Two of my fellow trekkers had major
issues with this
o Sleeping pad: So this isn’t a
must have, but I will warn you that some of those beds are as hard as a rock. I
used mine almost every night. Well worth bringing in my experience
o Boots that you have
broken in: I cannot stress enough how important it is that you have broken in
your boots. There is absolutely nothing worse than hiking for hours a day with
blisters.
o 2 pairs hiking socks
/ 2 pairs liners:
Make sure you have used these with your boots. I made the mistake on the JMT of
bringing new socks. They ended up being too small and caused blisters.
o 2 sports bra / 1
normal bra:
Trust me; it’s nice to not have to wear a sports bra 24/7 for weeks at a time.
o Enough underwear for
whole trip:
There are laundry places along the trail, but they are per item. It also is
very cold which makes it difficult to dry anything.
o Waterproof/windproof
jacket: This item alone will make or break any wilderness trip. Do not skimp on
it.
o Quick dry pack towel: The guesthouses are
not like hotels or hostels, they do not supply or rent out towels
o CamelBak UV Water Bottle: A recommendation by my
friend. It takes 60 seconds to have clean and still good tasting water. It’s
also USB rechargeable. I ended up supplying both myself and another girl on the
trip with water.
o Water filtering
system:
There are many to choose from. Besides the water bottle, there is also a SteriPEN that uses UV to make water safe. The Sawyer Squeeze Filters are also another
convenient method. My dad uses it on all of this trips. Careful not to squeeze
too hard though because the bag will start to leak. Iodine and chlorine are
another option. These take 30 minutes to work and taste terrible. I highly
recommend using either UV or filter methods.
o Flavoring for water: If you choose to go
with chlorine or iodine I would recommend bringing either flavoring drops or
powder to help with the taste.
o Some of your
toiletries:
Tweezers / Nail clippers / Ear plugs
*Females
– see my Tips and Tricks for Female Travelers for more
must haves from home toiletries*
Preferably From Home
These are things that you can buy in
Kathmandu where the diminished quality wouldn’t make or break your trip.
However, these items I still recommend you bring from home.
o Hiking poles: Even if you have
never used them, you should have some. They are awkward at first, but once you
get the hang of them you will wonder how you ever got along without them.
o 35L or bigger day
pack:
You will end up carrying several layers with you on most days. These take up
space. Make sure the pack is comfortable for extended periods of time and
doesn’t have pressure points on your back.
o Fleece jacket AND
Down jacket
o Warm gloves AND
Waterproof gloves
o 2 pairs of long
john’s/underarmor pants
o 2 long sleeve
shirts/underarmor
o 2 pairs of
convertible pants
o Waterproof pants: You may or may not
need them; but when you need them, you need them. A hour and a half of walking
in freezing cold rain that turned to sleet taught me this. You can get lighter
ones from western stores.
o Sleeping bag liner: You honestly won’t
need this if you have a good sleeping bag. I run cold and was still toasty in
my -20C bag.
o Toothbrush /
Toothpaste / Deodorant: Might as well bring them from home
o Baby wipes / Face
wipes:
Even in the guesthouses it was very rarely warm enough for me to want to take a
shower. I couldn’t wash my hair and I was just going to be even colder when I
got out. Baby wipe baths are a second best. I add face wipes because the baby
wipes can be a bit rough on the more sensitive facial skin.
o Duct tape / Safety
pins / Small sewing kit: I put these together because what I did was wrap the duct
tape around a small prescription jar you get from the pharmacy and then put the
other stuff inside.
o Ziplocs: I never take a trip
without them
Bring if You Have
Them
You can buy all of these in Kathmandu
without worrying about it affecting your trip for the most part
o Worn out pair of tennis
shoes:
It’s nice to not have to wear your boots the entire time. Plus there will be
times where your boots will need to dry. You can always buy a pair in
Kathmandu, but why bother?
o Down booties: My mom and sister
got these for me and my dad. We wore them just about every night. These don’t
replace the tennis shoes; there will be times when it’s too wet outside to wear
these.
o Clothes for hanging
out at night:
Have a shirt strictly for non-hiking times. I loved my fleece plants I got in
Kathmandu for $12.
o Warm socks: To wear when just
hanging out
o 2 non cotton short
sleeve shirts
o Warm hat AND headband: There will be times
when a hat is too much but you still want warm ears
o Neck warmer /
facemask:
I found mine in Namche Bazaar for $2 and loved it
o 2 bandanas: Just in case you
lose one. Something I’m notorious for.
o Sun hat: Clear blue skies
and open mountain terrain above tree line mean lots of sun.
o 2 pairs of sunglasses: If one breaks you
will be very, very happy for the second
o Journal AND
Notepad / Pen AND Pencil
o Carabineers / Water
bottles
Get when you are
there
When doing Everest Base Camp get these
in Namche to save weight. The gear won’t be the best quality, but you probably
won’t use them again anyways.
o Crampons: Could you get by
without these? Yes. However when you are walking on ice covered paths past
people barely staying up right you will be very happy you got them. At the end
of our trip we gave ours to the porters; we weren't going to use them again and
the guys appreciated it a lot.
o Gators: Similar to
crampons, you could get by without them. But between trudging thru snow and mud
your boots and feet will thank you.
o Toilet paper: They do not supply
toilet paper. Let me repeat again because nowhere on the trail will have toilet
paper in the bathroom. 2 rolls should suffice
o Tissues: Your nose and
toilet paper supply will benefit.
Extra Items for
Annapurna
o Environmental soap
for laundry:
It can be warm enough to do laundry and dry your clothes.
o Clothes for hot
weather:
Long pants and jackets are not comfy in the heat of the valley.
o Hair washing stuff: There are times
where it will be warm enough to have your hair dry
o Bag to carry your
stuff to the shower:
It’s nice not to have to juggle clean clothes, towel and toiletries. Usually
something ends up falling when that happens
o Dramamine: For the car rides.
There
you have it. Everything I had and needed gear wise for trekking in
the Himalayas.
To
make it that much easier I'll save you the trouble of having to rewrite
everything by giving you my packing spreadsheet. Red text indicated you need to
bring it from home. Green is for items you really should bring from home. Blue
you could get there without too much worry. Lastly, purple is don't get until
you are there.
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