One of the major concerns before any trek is what to carry and what not to. Am I carrying too much or am I carrying too little? What gear should I buy? How many fleeces should I carry? After all the recurring questions, from our trekkers and workshops that we delivered at Decathlon’s in al the major cities of India, we decided to pen down the perfect list of items you will require for a trek.

Sometimes we tend to pack more than what is required an like to have backups or backups for the ‘in case’ moments. We think we’ll be at a loss if we do not carry a billion things with us and ‘What if I need more clothes?’ is the biggest question we face while packing our bags. The key is to pack only the basics. Wherever your trek, whether at Goechala, Great lakes of Kashmir, Chadar trek, Everest Base Camp or a small trek like Kedarkantha, packing for high altitude treks is quite similar to packing for a regular trek, with the addition of a few items.

What you Pack should depend on:

The number of Days

Whether its a Summer or a Snow Trek

The Temperature

TREKKING ESSENTIALS

First and the foremost thing is trekking gears, obviously! These are the items you cannot trek without and we cannot signify their importance in words.  If you forget to carry any of these, the much-awaited experience may into a series of unfortunate events. Besides the obvious tent and sleeping bag, a trekking pole is equally important on this list.

Tent
Compass, GPS, and Map
Headlamp or Torch
Cooking pots, Camping stove,
Utensils
Knife and Scissors ( I always carry a Swiss Army Multi-Utility Knife)
Ration
Matches
Daypack
Water bottles (2 bottles, 1 liter each; make it a point NOT to carry metal bottles as it is heavy)
Spare plastic trash bags
Sleeping bag (invest in a good quality bag)
Thermal Sleep Sheet
Waterproof Sack
Trekking pole (strictly recommended if you love your knees)
Gaiters (if you are going on a Snow/Winter trek)
Microspikes (if you are going on a Snow/Winter trek)
Auxillary Climbing Rope (Few meters only, for emergencies)

Also Read: 5 Best Offbeat Treks in India

things to carry on solo himalayan trek

CLOTHING

It might be extremely hot in your home city, but it will definitely be freezing on the mountains, especially at night. Keeping that in mind, make sure you pack the right amount and the right type of clothes. Now, while the thought of carrying a bulky jacket may seem inviting, it is exactly what you don’t have to do. Follow the concept of layering system(hyperlink layering article) and you should be just fine. Also, dry fit, sweat absorbent fabric helps you to dry your sweat quicker and makes you feel lighter than usual fabrics.

Make sure you check off this list when you pack:

Trekking Shoes
Woolen Hat
Muffler/Scarf/Buff
Woolen gloves/Waterproof gloves
Thermals (Base Layer)
Fleece (Mid Layer) (2 in number)
Rain Jacket (Third Layer)
2 Quick Dry T-shirt
One Trek Pants
2 Woolen Socks
Cotton/Quick Dry Socks (At least 2)
One Cotton T-shirt
At least 3 pairs of Undergarments
Overtrousers (Rain Pants)
Sandals (it’s a good idea to wear these around your campsite, to avoid sore feet from wearing trekking shoes all the time)
Sunglasses
Sun Cap
Summit Pants ( for a trek like Chadar Trek)

HYGIENE

When you go on a trek, you have to keep hygiene in the back seat. No matter how much you try, you won’t be able to groom yourself. Forget about grooming. After 2 days, especially if it is a winter trek, you might not even brush or wash your face; and the best part about it, nobody cares. Make sure you carry plenty of toilet paper though, you don’t want to be stuck in the wild without a toilet paper (the leaves are poisonous at times).

Toilet Paper
Face Wipes
Talcum Powder
Travel Sized Toiletries: Hand Sanitizer, 70+ SPF Sunscreen, Lip Balm, Moisturizer, Deodorant, Toothpaste, and Toothbrush
Medicines (Diamox for high altitude sickness, Water filtration Tablets and Personal medicines including painkillers, Vitamin pills, Crocin and Combiflam)
Medical kit (Band-Aid, bandage, Antiseptic creams) (Download the List of necessary Medicines in the Medical kit, Link at the end of the blog)

MISCELLANEOUS

So far, you have packed most of the items you will need. This list includes other things for your convenience. Do make copies of ID proofs and keep them handy, you going to need them for forest department registration. Invest in a good quality solar phone charger, if you don’t already own one.

Passport Photos and ID Proofs
Books and Games (like a deck of playing cards)
Solar Phone Charger
Snacks (Pack Energy Bars, Dry Fruits, and Nuts)
Ziplock bags and Plastic Bags
Headphones (Do Not forget them!!)

If you get this list right, we are sure you will have a successful trek. Pack things you think you’ll need and then take half of it. And remember, like we said earlier, less is more!

For a further in-depth Checklist and a Medical Kit. (Click the Hyperlinks)

Comment below if you want to know about Trekking in Himalayas.

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Shrinidhi Hande at 11:53 am, May 13, 2018 - Reply

Is solo trek recommended for first timers in Himalaya?

Insane Traveller at 6:55 pm, May 15, 2018 - Reply

Yes, it is but you should try one-day hikes, then two days to get some more experience of trekking and camping. After that, you can try the bigger treks in the Himalayas after getting all the useful information.

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