Here is a list of what i took and what i would change
Baggage
I took a XL Northface Duffel which was great, It spent most of its time strapped to a yak, I could have gone smaller, around the 90-100LTR but i already had it so no need for more expense (that was the wife talking)
On my back i had my trusty Osprey 50 LTR Atmos backpack, I walked 600 miles on the Camino De Santiago and its so comfortable you hardly know its on, I love it, If you are in the market for a new backpack then for this trek a bag around 35-45ltrs is plenty, As i mentioned above most of your gear is carried by yak or porter, I also had a waterproof cover for the backpack just in case
I also had my wheelie case and Think tank urban disguise 60 which i carried my camera gear in, I left these in Kathmandu
Our gear strapped to Yak's
Boots/Shoes
These are sooo important but what suits my feet may not suit yours, Go to your local outdoor specialists and try them on and make sure that if they do not suit your feet that you can return them,
I purchased Zamberlan Vioz GT boots and they were comfortable straight out of the box, I have custom inserts in them and have never even had a hot spot, I broke mine in well before hand putting over 70 miles on them so they were good to go, They are only really good for cool/cold weather trekking but great at what they do, Not cheap but boots can make or break a trek, My boots took a hammering on the trek, You walk on a lot of rocks and some parts of the trail are just rocks, My boots now look very second hand with the toes completely scuffed up, I am sure after a coat or 5 of polish they will look a little better, I looked at a lot of people and what they were wearing, You can do with lesser boots but make sure that they are either Goretex or leather, I would recommend a very stiff sole for the rocky parts of which there are a lot
I also took a pair of Northface hedgehog shoes for the evening although much of the time the hiking boots stayed on as they were soo comfortable
Clothing
Go into any outfitters and the choice in clothing is huge with names like Northface, Eddie Buer, Rab, Marmot etc etc, Its a personal thing but the better brands are well tested and you do not want to be standing in a -25 wind without the proper gear, Here i would not scrimp on costs,
Trousers
2 pairs Northface Straight Paramount 3.0 convertible pants, These are the new one which are more fitted than the old style, I loved them from the first time i wore them, The waist area is super comfortable which is important when you also have a backpack strap there
I did take 1 pair of Eddie Bauer shorts but these were not needed as i could unzip the legs on the trousers, If you are taking normal hiking trousers then yes a pair of shorts for the warmer days is a good idea, I took a pair of fleece pants for the evening but only wore them a couple of times
Tops
Here i did spend as i purchased Icebreaker merino wool long sleeved tops in both 200 and 250 weight, The thicker for higher/colder parts, they are very comfortable and dont smell even after a few days without a proper wash/shower, I also took 2 synthetic tops (both long sleeved) and these were also fine but once you use Merino wool its hard to go back, I took 3 T shirts but these remained unused
I took a Northface Fleece and only used it a couple of times but worth taking, The tea houses get hot in the evening but the bedrooms will not have heat of any kind
Socks
I have tried many and keep coming back to either Wrightsocks or Smartwool, On this trip i took 5 pairs of Wrightsocks in both thin and thick weights, Great socks with a built in liner and no blisters for me
Underwear
Exofficio everytime, I now use nothing else even for everyday use, Again not cheap but fantastic to wear-5 pairs
I took 2 base layers both tops and bottoms but apart from Base camp never needed them
Hats
I took and recommend 1 wide brimmed, Mine was Outdoor Research and 1 beanie which was Northface
Extras for warmth
Gloves
I took a thin pair of Black Diamond with grippy palms, These are great to use with Trekking poles and 1 pair of proper Mountaineering gloves by Outdoor research, I could have only taken the Outdoor research gloves as they have a removable liner but i love my BD gloves
Scarf
I took and one and never used it
Balaclava
I took a think Under Armour balaclava and used it once, Very small and light and if you are thinking of doing night time photography worth taking
Buff
Super cool items, I took a thin one and a polar fleece one, I used them daily as did most others
Compression leggings
I took a pair i bought on Amazon, Used them on the plane to stop DVT and used them everyday
Gaiters
Still unused, You could take a lightweight pair to stop dirt. dust and stones not really needed
Jackets(s)
I have a bit of a jacket fetish so have quite a few at home, I used and loved my Northface soft shell, Great at keeping you dry and used as a wind breaker, I also took 3 puffer type jackets, Overkill yes, They were all different weights and fold small and are very light in weight, I took a Thermoball Northface, An Eddie Bauer mid weight and a Mountain Hardwear thick insulated jacket that i have had for years and its super super warm, I could have just done with 1 light insulated and i heavy insulated jacket as part of my layers along with a softshell, Additionally i took an Eddie Bauer light insulated vest, This was worn daily as it keeps your core warm and allows your arm to cool, A must have in my book
Over trousers
Berghaus Goretex, I only used them twice but fitted nice and kept me dry
All of my gear was kept in Sea to Summit Compression bags to keep them organized and dry
Sunglasses
I paid $100 for a pair of Julbos and used then for 2 hours before i lost them over a swing bridge, Luckily for me i was offered a spare pair that fit over your glasses by a buddy and they worked great, if you are going high then class 4 is better for your eyes although class 3 will also be fine and will be easier to use in an everyday situation, Class 4 are very dark
Sleeping bag
My wife got me a Northface Inferno -20 sleeping bag for my birthday, WOW what a great bag, I even used it when it wasn't that cold and never sweated once in it, The night we camped at Everest Base camp the temperature dropped to -10 and with the wind chill around -20/-25, Everybody slept in clothing and had a hot water bottle, I slept in my underpants only and did not want or need a hot water bottle, If you can afford this bag its awesome and money well spent, I intend using it in the cold weather in the Smoky mountains
Trekking Poles
I have had Black Diamond Carbon trekking poles for a few year and swear by them, Incredibly light in weight but strong, I have put 1000's of miles on mine and have changed the tips a few times, One of the group tried mine and purchased a pair in Namche Bazaar
Accessories
Water Bottles
I took 2 Camel Back Chutes as i like the mouth piece and a 3 ltr Osprey hydration bladder for my backpack, I would drink 1 ltr of water with electrodes before breakfast and 1 ltr before setting off then 2 ltrs on the trail and 1 ltr after, this amount of water along with the Diamox means you will pee and will pee many times, I found the Diamox gave little warning of when you needed to go and sometimes you just had to do it where you were, You will see a lot of people peeing along the EBC trail, One word of caution, We spoke to a few people who were not in the best shape and found them to be badly dehydrated, Their guides had not talked to them about Altitude sickness and how to stop it, Dehydration is one of the main causes of Altitude sickness, Drink lots, Take vitamin C and/or electrodes, Do not drink Alcohol and keep out of the sun
I took a neoprene cover for 1 water bottle as you can get them filled with hot water and use them as a sleeping bag but as my sleeping bag was so good i ended up using it to carry and protect my spare camera lens
Whilst on the subject of water you will need with a steri pen or water purification tablets. I took a steripen but never used it as i was 1 too lazy and 1 purchased all my water in bottles, Water in Kathmandu is 25c a litre bottle, In Gorek Shep its over $3 and you will need 5 a day minimum
Head Torch
Yes needed as the electricity if off and on higher up and if you want to trek to Kala Pattar early or late you will need one, Mine is a black diamond
Washing/Meds
Once you get past Namche Bazaar the showers will disappear so you can either pay for a bucket of hot water in some places , Use wet wipes which i did and take a medium trekking towel or go without, The wet wipe system does work well so take a couple of large packs each, Take any meds you need as well as Diamox, I would also ask your doctor for a supply of Antibiotics and take a small medical kit, In Kathmandu i bought 2 small rip off Northface bags as these were perfect for toiletries, I do not condone rip offs but at $3 these fitted the bill, Sun cream is a must have, Factor 50 or there abouts, The higher you go the stronger the UV, dont forget the lip balm as well
Camera Gear
This is something i fretted about for months, In the end i could not afford to buy a mirrorless system, Image quality was up most in my mind so i took my Nikon D800E with a Nikon 24-70 and 18-35 lenses, I was surprised by the amount of Dslr cameras being used, Even the big pro models, What i will say is that the lighter your bag the easier the trek will be so its up to you, You can get great IQ from smaller cameras these days like the Sony a6000/6300/6500 type of camera, Cameras on your phones are improving but for me its a non no unless its just for facebook, I want to be able to print big and sell through agencies so for me its still going to be a biggish camera, I carried my camera on my backpack using a Peak Design Camera clip which is a great and well made piece of kit, Check out Peak design website and put 'courtenay' in the promo code to get 10% discount, I would not put my name to any company but these guys make great kit, I also used there neoprene camera cover which worked well and protected the camera and lens
I did take a small carbon tripod (Sirui T-025X) that most people would laugh at but it worked fine a Sirui K-30x tripod head
I also had 64gb,32gb amd 16gb cards along with a circular polorizer (B+W) and Lee Filters ND Grads
Learn to use layers and do not be afraid to stop and change your layers, Morning i would start out using a lightweight jacket or soft shell knowing that in 15-20 minutes my core temperature would be up and i could remove a layer, When you stop add a layer etc, Stay warm but stay dry, Try not to sweat as that will make you cold, Buy a shell where the arm pits unzip, If you start getting warm unzip the arm pit area as well as lower the main zip
Climbing up Kala Pattar you can see as i get higher and the weather gets colder i redress to match the conditions
250 weight Merino wool top, Eddie Bauer thermo vest, Northface trousers, Fleece Buff and Outdoor research Wide Brimmed hat, Lightweight gloves
As i get higher the wind starts to pick up so i changed the hat to a Northface beanie and the buff gets pulled up
At the summit the wind is very powerful and cold so the Mountain Hardwear jacket comes on, I did have sunglasses all the way but they wear around my neck for the first 2 pics
Arriving at base camp, The wind is cold but as i had just finished the trek i had on my Northface softshell jacket, get settled in and then change to the Mountain hardwear jacket as i will taking pictures until dark, the big gloves came out that night as i started shooting starts at 4am, I was covered in frost and because i pulled my balaclava and buff down i managed to get frost bite on my cheeks and nose, I also got some on my hands as i removed my gloves to adjust the camera, Be very careful as frost bite is not very pleasant and feels similar to bad sunburn
I understand layering pretty well and people would ask what i thought they should wear first thing in the morning, Mostly i would advise a softshell as you will warm quickly but have the chance to open vents to cool if needed rather than a big insulated jacket that will need to be removed quickly
The list above is what i took in Oct 2016, I was very lucky with the weather, I only needed my rain gear for the first hour of the first day and the last hour of the last day, The tour before mine had rain for days which turned into snow, Go prepared for the worst, Mountain weather is extremely changable
Dave
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