Items in RED I would not take again.
Items in BLUE I didn't take, but should have.
Items that don't have any color I'd take again.
Items in YELLOW were useful, but I'd take less of it, use another brand, or modify it somehow.
Don't take anything extra to give to begging children, it only fuels a problem that's out of control.
It is very common to leave items that you don't need for your trek at your hotel in Kathmandu. This guarantees them that you'll come back and stay with them again. Those items that I left at the hotel I did not include in the gear list. i.e. copies of plane ticket, copies of my passport, etc... If you leave your bag at the hotel, it's probably a good idea to secure it with a little luggage lock or something.
Trekking dates were 1-21 March, 2001
Download the gear list (MS Word 49 Kb)
Equipment
Gregory Reality Backpack - This is one great pack
La Sportiva GTX Storm Gore-Tex Hiking Boots - Performed way above expectations (Nikwax applied, great product)
Mammut Gore-Tex Jacket - LOVE this jacket
Polartec fleece jacket/liner 100 weight - perfect for layering, not too heavy
G-Shock watch w/ altimeter, barometer, and temperature - This was a fun toy to monitor the elevation changes, but it was really nice when I started getting Altitude Sickness
North Face Blue Kazoo down mummy bag - With the silk liner I took, this bag was perfect
Silk sleeping bag liner - adds 10 degrees F to your bag and helps keep it clean, great when you're not showering, highly recommended. I bought mine here for $22 USD and it's the cheapest place I've found.
2 stuff-sacks - Great for keeping gear separated by color. Used one for clothes, and the other for medical & misc. They were about the size of a small sleeping bag stuff-sack.
1 heavyweight North Face nylon trekking pants* - I wore these almost everyday
1 lightweight Mammut nylon trekking pants* - Pants zipper off into shorts
2 lightweight long sleeve hiking shirts*
1 heavyweight long sleeve hiking shirt*
3 pairs cotton underwear - Left one pair by accident drying by a fire in Larjung
1 capilene medium weight thermal bottoms* - There were times when I didn't take these off for days
1 capilene medium weight thermal top* - Perfect size for layering, seems like I always had it on
3 pair Smartwool hiking socks* - These socks aren't cheap, but they're the best you can get, and your feet will love you
1 pair Smartwool expedition socks* - Used only for extremely cold weather, nice to have at altitude, especially if your feet get cold easily
3 pair nylon liner socks* - I used these so I didn't have to change/wash my other socks so much
6 ft Parachute cord - Used to hang dry clothes or an emergency shoestring
Wool hat - Bought in Kathmandu for $1
Polartec headband - Used a lot
Polartec gloves - Used a lot
Mittens - Bought in Kathmandu for $2, only used on the pass
Scarf - Good for keeping the wind off your lips/face. I regretted not having one. Can be bought in Kathmandu
3 sets chemical handwarmers - Only used these on the pass, and SO glad I had them
1 pair chemical toe-warmers - Again, used only on the pass and they were invaluable
Ziploc Bags - I put everything in a ziploc, and even kept 2 in my camera case should I get caught in rain. Ziploc also makes a 2 gal bag, which is nice for large items, but they're hard to find. I found some at a Wal-Mart in the states
Toothbrush w/ cover - I got a cover for just the bristles, not the whole brush.
Toothpaste - Travel size products are really great, you can normally find them in drug stores
Ear Plugs - Your tired, body's exhausted, and you may even be sick. A good night's sleep is essential
Dental floss - Hardly used
Hand lotion - Used, skin gets dry at high elevations
Deodorant - Hardly used
Mach III razor with 6 blades - I hardly shaved at all, it was too cold
Soap Dish w/ organic soap - Used often. Soap can be purchased on the trek, but it's not organic
REI Organic washing liquid soap - Used, but it was easier to wash clothes with a bar of soap, not liquid soap
Quick drying towel from REI - Gave this away to Valerie when I left; great towel that packs small. Comes in different sizes
Plastic Shower shoes - Next time I'd take a good pair sandals that have a leather bottom to absorb foot sweat
1 roll toilet paper - Used the whole thing; you can buy paper in some villages, but it's not Charmin
1 folding trowel - Never used, but you just never know. I wanted to be a responsible trekker
Assortment of safety pins - Used for hanging my clothes up to dry. I sometimes wish I had clips instead
Passport, airline ticket, checkbook, and emergency phone numbers - Kept in waterproof kayak bag
Waterproof kayak bag for papers - SO glad I had this, gave peace of mind
Annapurna Map w/ trekking permit - The best map can be bought from http://www.yetizone.com
Lonely Planet Nepal book - During our sicknesses, myself and others had to keep reading the medical section
Gates of Fire reading book - A book for warriors
Annapurna Trekking Guidebook - The best, smallest, and the cheapest guidebook you can get is only available here.... http://www.yetizone.com
Leatherman - I can't believe it, I never used it
Combination padlock - Used for the rooms I stayed in. Nice to have, but not really needed. Perhaps in the high season this is more useful as there is more potential for theft. I should have taken a key lock instead since you can open it without a flashlight in the dark.
Key padlock - See above
Petzl Micro headlamp - A hands-free flashlight, invaluable for those midnight runs to the squatty potty when you don't want your stuff to touch the floor.
6 AA batteries - Do Nepal a favor and carry out the bad batteries. I used 4
Glacier Glasses w/ case - Used above 10,000 ft
Serengeti glasses - Used below 10,000 ft, they weren't dark enough for the higher elevations
4 bottles Potable Aqua - Iodine treatment for water; used 2 1/2 bottles
Small watch compass - Never used
1 Trekking pole - Nice, should have taken 2
Very small mirror - Used surprisingly often
1 Nalgene bottle** - This was my only water bottle. Take one that is leak-proof so you can fill it up with hot water on cold nights and sleep with it.
1 Pee bottle - A great recommendation by my friend Yoke Fong, even though it sounds a little gross. I lost count of how many times I had to get out of my warm sleeping bag, put on clothes, and run to the smelly squatty potty in the dark. Do you know how cold it is at 2am in the Himalayas? Get one that you can identify in the dark, different from your water bottle since you'll sleep with both.
Travel Bible - Like an idiot, I didn't take the one I have. There were many times when I wish I had it.
Cotton baseball cap - Used both hats, condition dependent
Quickdry reversible hat w/ wide brim - Used both hats, condition dependent
Journal w/ 2 pens - Buy a journal in Kathmandu at a bookstore, that way you can have a Nepali rice paper one, they're way cool
2 bent-gate carabiners - Used on the pack to secure a camera case and hold gloves
Candle - Can be bought on the trail, used on a few occasions when the power would go out; nice
Normal lighter - Used often
Windproof lighter - HIGHLY disappointed, this did not work at altitude, and I don't know why. It works at sea-level every time
Pentax SF-10 35mm SLR w/ 28-80 lens, polarizer, carrying case and 2 spare batteries - I've got nice photos, but it was heavy. I like photography so next time I'd take an even better camera, and also a porter. :)
Canon Elph 370Z (Ixus Z70), Advantix camera, carrying case & 2 spare batteries - I think the smallest camera you can buy if you're not a spy, nice and light, and does panoramas, but photos aren't always that great
20 rolls film - You can only import 15 rolls of film and 1 camera, oops... Take rolls with 36 exposures, not 24, less film to carry. The snow and strong sun can make exposure times difficult at altitude. Polarizers work well here.
A special something - This is something you take to share with (not give) the kids and other Nepali people you meet. It could be anything from a few postcards to show them your home, a small magic trick, or even a guitar. You get the idea, yes? The people are curious about you and the nights in the village can become a time of getting to know each other and sharing. When you don't speak the language it's nice to be able to bridge that gap with something, and the kids will LOVE you for it.
*For clothing you have to take quick drying materials. The only cotton I took was my underwear. You wash your clothes in all sorts of situations and places, and if it's cotton, it won't be dry for days and days, which really sucks. The Smartwool socks are so wonderful, but they don’t dry that quick. I solved this by taking an extra pair and by also using the nylon liners.
**Sometimes I wish I had a second Nalgene bottle because the iodine tablets take 30 minutes to treat a bottle of water. Not good if you're very thirsty and want to down more than what you have left in your bottle. This was a problem a few times, but you can work around it if you plan ahead. A water filter will solve the time problem of the iodine, but now you have to take the time to pump the filter, and you also have to carry a second water bottle for the unfiltered water. Don't forget about the weight and size of the filter. The iodine bottles are the size of half a stick of Chapstick and fit nicely in your pocket. It's so easy to fill up your bottle, drop 2 tablets in and keep going. I would only take a filter if I were going to be drinking water over a long period of time as I think that long-term drinking of iodine water probably isn't the best thing for your body. However, I would always carry at least one bottle of the iodine tablets for emergency situations. They're small and don't weigh anything, and what if your filter breaks? And yes, even the best ones break. DO NOT buy the bottled water, as they can't dispose of the plastic bottles. You can see the 'remains' of previous trekkers who didn't heed this advice, and its become a MAJOR problem, not to mention one helluva an eyesore.
Medical Kit
By request I have added a medical
section that covers some of these items in more depth.
Compact Medical Book - Can be bought before you get there or in any bookstore in Nepal. There are bookstores everywhere in Kathmandu and Pokhara. (see medical section for more information on medical book recommendations)
40+ SPF Waterproof Sunblock Gel - Used, but it was in Gel form so it froze easily. Next time I'd take something with a lotion base, and of course it would be waterproof.
2-2oz Hand Sanitizer Gel - These were great, but I didn't use it as much as I had hoped too. They were a little big to keep in my pocket so they stayed in the pack. Outta sight, Outta mind. When I did use them, it was nice.
Vitamin C Effervescent tablets - I took these to put in my water bottle to kill the taste of the iodine. The container was big and it stayed in the pack, and I got used to the iodine taste quickly, thus I never used them for this purpose. I did however, use these once I started getting sick. Next time I'll take Vit C tablets and take them every day as preventative medicine.
Acidophilus - This puts additional flora/bacteria into your digestive tract and is taken as a preventative measure. The additional flora in your tract helps your body adapt since you will be exposing yourself to many things that you're body isn't used to. Although, it's hard to tell if this will prevent you from becoming sick since if it works you'll get sick less or not at all. I took it as a recommendation by a physician and was glad I did. Don't take it while taking antibiotics.
Loperamide (anti-diarrheal) - Used
Ciprofloxacin (antibiotic) - Almost used, but I was coming home in a few days so I decided to see my doctor first. When I got back my doctor gave me Erythromycin for some bacteria that showed up in some tests. He said the bacteria wasn't exotic or anything, only that it just shouldn't be there. Also, if there was something else there that he couldn't find, (I had a cough I couldn't get rid of), the Erythromycin would probably take care of that too, and it did.
Orudis KT (painkiller) - Used
Diamox (for altitude sickness) - Used
Sudafed (for sinuses) - Used
Chapstick SPF 15 - Used. Forgot to use the day we crossed the pass and I severely sunburned my lips.
ACE bandage - Not Used
Betadine Solution - Used
Misc bandages - Not Used
Moleskin - Not Used
Oral Rehydration Salts - Not used. Hard to find, but can be ordered in the U.S. from REI for around $34. Buy it in Kathmandu and save A LOT of money!
Nail clippers - Used
Hydrogen Peroxide Gel - Used
Throat Lozenges - At altitude in the cold, your throat gets dry and sore. These are great, I should have taken a lot more.