Essentials To Carry

The most daunting task that lays ahead is putting together our packing list for Trek. Here is a list of the gear that you must be bringing when set out in mountains. This suggestions will help most of trekkers to get through adventure on easy side.

Water: Running water on the Himalayan Mountains is as good as mineral water. You should drink them without any hesitation. But for your satisfaction, you can take chlorine tablets with you. Also carry at least two bottles of one litre capacity. There is another excellent water filter available from safetykart. It is known as LifeStraw (Price: INR 750) and considered as the invention of the year by Time magazine (Although, I don’t have this). This compact, ultra-light water filter is capable of purifying at least 1000 litres of water in its lifetime without adding any external chemical.

Clothes: Choose your clothes wisely and don’t pack too much. I mean, when you don’t hope to bath for five days on a 10-days trip, its better to pack only 3-4 pairs. Denim Jeans are not comfortable during the trek. Carry trousers (lowers) or trek suites and fleece jackets (better than shirts and sweaters). Carry clothes that can dry easily.

Knife: Simple foldable knife is a very crucial item to carry. For expensive one, you can buy any Swiss Army knife from Victronix.

Torch: A small torch should also be there. Carrying a headlamp is a nice idea.

Sunglasses: Sunglasses are required to protect the eyes from the intense heat of the sun in the noon. Always buy a goggle with 100 % UV protection and minimum category 3 lenses.

Trekking Shoes: Comfortable and ankle-high shoes are must for any trek. They provide good ankle support at uneven surfaces of hills and mountains. Traction of the shoes should be good enough to walk on mud-trails and snow. It should have some deep grooves in the bottom. The shoes should be lightweight (not heavy like Woodlands) and it must have a waterproof/ snow-proof quality.

Tip: Before going for any trek with the new trekking shoes, it is always advisable to walk with them for at least one week, so that you feel comfortable with your shoes during the trek.

Backpack: Choosing a right backpack is the most important thing for any trek or say any trip. It is your best friend during the trip and your only home, where you get things to keep yourself comfortable on the road. While backpacking to normal destinations, you are free to choose big size backpacks, but for a trek, it is very important to choose a right size of backpack. Your entire trek depends on the weight of your backpack. If you have plans to hire porters or mules, then also, it is very necessary to have a right size of backpack. Your porter has to carry his own stuffs also along-with your backpack, because he also needs to spend his nights in the freezing cold with you. Similarly, if your backpack is too large, then it will be difficult to adjust with other backpacks on a mule.

Day Pack: A Small daypack is a nice idea to carry camera, mobile, water bottles, first-aid kit, cosmetics and other stuffs those you may use frequently

Backpack Cover: At the lower heights, rain is frequent and can occurs suddenly. Always carry a rain cover or a plastic sheet to cover the backpack during the rain.

First-Aid Kit: Safety is a priority during trekking trips, hence ensures that primary medical aid is always at hand.

Socks: 3 sets of good quality cotton socks (to use during trek) and 3 sets of light weight (to use during nights) are sufficient for a week day trek.

Thermal inner wear: A must for Himalayan trekkers who sleep at higher altitudes near ice covered peaks where temperature goes below zero degree Celsius. Both upper and lower are necessary.
Two full arm and full neck tea shirts: These are used during trekking. Wear one and use as long as possible. Unless it is drenched due to unexpected rain, no need to change.

Hand gloves: These are useful during night and while walking on the snow. There are so many varieties available. Better to get a woolen with leather outer which gives much warm to the hands.

Some Tips:
1) Avoid loud colors while picking out clothes and gear. The wild animals have a tendency to get distracted from colors. Stick to neutrals, blacks, greens.
2) Carry travel sized items and not the whole product. Especially the things such as ointments. Every gram matters.
3) If there are 2 options, do NOT pick both. You would only be needing one version of the thing.
4) Choose a lightweight backpack (As a rule of thumb, do not pick a backpack that’s more than 1.5 kg heavy).
5) Use packing cubes/plastic covers to organize your things. That way, if you need your toiletries, you need not unpack the entire bag.
6) The things you need frequently during the trek should go in the shoulder/hip pouches (so that you don’t have to open the backpack everytime).
7) The things you need on and off during the trek such as goggles, sunscreen, gloves, tissues etc should be packed in the top compartment (you avoid digging the backpack this way).
8) The things you don’t need until you reach a campsite should go right at the bottom.