Trek Guide
You do not need to buy expensive gear for one trek. This guide covers what to rent in Kathmandu and Pokhara (down jackets, sleeping bags, poles)…
By Travel Himalaya Nepal · May 16, 2026
Renting in Kathmandu (Thamel) or Pokhara (Lakeside) costs about $1–2 per day for a down jacket, sleeping bag or poles — roughly $60–80 for a 16-day trek versus $400–600 to buy. Never rent boots — bring your own, broken in over 40+ hours of outdoor walking —…
Travel Himalaya Nepal · News
Down jacket rental: $1–2 per day Sleeping bag rental (-15 to -20°C rated): $1–2 per day Trekking poles: $1 per day per pair Rental deposit: Typically $50–200 cash (held until return) Best rental areas: Thamel (Kathmandu), Lakeside (Pokhara), Namche Bazaar…
Travel Himalaya Nepal · News
Walk into any outdoor retailer in London, Sydney, or New York and ask for everything you need for Everest Base Camp. You will leave several thousand dollars lighter. A down jacket rated to -20°C will cost $400–600. A quality sleeping bag rated for high…
Travel Himalaya Nepal · News
Travel Himalaya Nepal · News
A good rental down jacket is the single best gear decision most trekkers make in Nepal. At $1–2 per day, the savings over purchasing are enormous, and the quality of rental stock at established Thamel shops is genuinely high — these jackets are cleaned…
Travel Himalaya Nepal · News
Teahouse blankets are provided at most lodges on the Everest and Annapurna circuits. Below 3,500m, in established teahouses, they are often adequate. Above 4,500m, in shoulder season or winter, they are not. The combination of thin wool blankets over a narrow…
Travel Himalaya Nepal · News
The case for poles is most compelling on descent. Long Himalayan descents — the drop from Thorong La to Muktinath, the descent from Gorak Shep to Lobuche, the long knee-grinding walk down from Poon Hill — can accumulate thousands of metres of descent in a…
Travel Himalaya Nepal · News
Rent, do not buy
Expedition down jacket (−20 °C)
You need this for perhaps three evenings of an Everest Base Camp trek. Buying one costs several hundred dollars; renting one in Kathmandu costs a few, and the shops keep them in good…
↑ Swipe up
You need this for perhaps three evenings of an Everest Base Camp trek. Buying one costs several hundred dollars; renting one in Kathmandu costs a few, and the shops keep them in good condition because their business depends on it.
Not for: Anyone who trekks or climbs regularly. If this is your third Himalayan trip, buy your own.
Rental shops in Kathmandu and Pokhara carry this — about USD 1-2 per day in Thamel or Lakeside. We take nothing from that.
Read the full reviewMost trekkers on the standard Everest Base Camp route do not need crampons. Most trekkers on the Annapurna Circuit , if walking in October through November, do not need them either. The situations where you genuinely need traction equipment are specific: the…
Travel Himalaya Nepal · News
A waterproof hardshell jacket is essential on any Nepal trek. Nepal's weather changes rapidly at altitude, and afternoon precipitation — rain below 4,000m, snow above — is common even in the dry season. If you do not own a quality hardshell, rent one in…
Travel Himalaya Nepal · News
Thamel's gear market operates on two parallel tracks. The first is a sophisticated counterfeit ecosystem. North Face, Marmot, Arc'teryx, and Patagonia goods are reproduced in enormous quantities and sold from hundreds of shops throughout the neighbourhood…
Travel Himalaya Nepal · News
What most people should do
Four-season down bag (−15 °C), rented
A bag you would buy costs several hundred dollars and you need it for perhaps five cold nights. Kathmandu and Pokhara rent good ones for a couple of dollars a day, and we make nothing from…
↑ Swipe up
A bag you would buy costs several hundred dollars and you need it for perhaps five cold nights. Kathmandu and Pokhara rent good ones for a couple of dollars a day, and we make nothing from telling you that — take your own silk liner and the hygiene question answers itself.
Not for: People who camp at home, or anyone doing three Himalayan trips. Then buy once, properly.
Rental shops in Kathmandu and Pokhara carry this — about USD 1-2 per day in Thamel or Pokhara Lakeside. We take nothing from that.
Read the full reviewTravel Himalaya Nepal · News
This is the one absolute rule in Nepal gear planning. A boot broken in on someone else's feet develops pressure points in the wrong places — imperceptible for an hour, agony by day seven at 4,800m where there's no turning back and no alternative footwear…
Travel Himalaya Nepal · News
Plan your trek
NMA-certified guides · permits sorted · 5,000+ treks since 1998.
Free guide
Permits, costs, seasons and routes — the essentials we send every traveller, plus a free, no-obligation trip quote.
↑ Swipe up
Read the full report and grab the free Nepal Trek Insider Guide — or ask our Pokhara team for a tailored, no-obligation quote.
Read more & get the free guide Plan my trip — free quote