Packing List
The kit that actually matters on this route — what to buy, what to rent in Kathmandu for a fraction of the price, and what to leave at home.
By Laxman Rawal ·
Best overall
Merrell Moab 3 (low)
Wide enough for feet that swell over a fortnight and comfortable from day one — the sole is soft, so it is the wrong shoe the moment you carry your own heavy pack.
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Wide enough for feet that swell over a fortnight and comfortable from day one — the sole is soft, so it is the wrong shoe the moment you carry your own heavy pack.
Not for: You are carrying 15 kg yourself, or you have rolled an ankle before. Take the boot.
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Best value
Columbia Silver Ridge Convertible Pant
The zip-off is genuinely useful when you leave a 25 °C valley and arrive somewhere freezing; the zips sit right where a pack hip-belt or a knee bends, and some people never stop noticing.
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The zip-off is genuinely useful when you leave a 25 °C valley and arrive somewhere freezing; the zips sit right where a pack hip-belt or a knee bends, and some people never stop noticing.
Not for: Cold treks that never get hot. Buy a single warm pair instead of a compromise.
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Lightest liner
Sea to Summit Silk Blend Liner
Half the weight of a thermal liner and far nicer against skin, at the cost of adding essentially no warmth — the right choice for lower-altitude treks and hot lodges.
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Half the weight of a thermal liner and far nicer against skin, at the cost of adding essentially no warmth — the right choice for lower-altitude treks and hot lodges.
Not for: A cold trek where you were hoping the liner would close a warmth gap. Take the Reactor.
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Best value
Goodr OG Polarised
Genuinely good optics at a price where losing them off a suspension bridge is annoying rather than expensive; the frames are plastic and they will not survive being sat on.
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Genuinely good optics at a price where losing them off a suspension bridge is annoying rather than expensive; the frames are plastic and they will not survive being sat on.
Not for: Anything above the snowline. This is a low-altitude and spare-pair recommendation, nothing more.
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Best value
Merrell Moab 3 Mid Waterproof
Covers every lodge trek below 5,000 m for a fraction of the money — the sole is softer and the upper wears out faster, which is fine if this is a one-trip boot.
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Covers every lodge trek below 5,000 m for a fraction of the money — the sole is softer and the upper wears out faster, which is fine if this is a one-trip boot.
Not for: You are carrying your own load over a 5,000 m pass, or you expect this to be your boot for years. Buy once, properly, instead.
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Best synthetic
Under Armour Tech 2.0 Long-Sleeve
Dries in an hour and costs a fraction of merino, which makes it the better buy on a short trek — it will smell by day three and nothing you do changes that.
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Dries in an hour and costs a fraction of merino, which makes it the better buy on a short trek — it will smell by day three and nothing you do changes that.
Not for: A fortnight without laundry. That is exactly the case merino is for.
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Best budget
Osprey Daylite Plus 20
Light, cheap and fine for a five-day trek where you carry a jacket and two litres of water — the hip belt is a strap rather than a belt, so it will not carry weight.
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Light, cheap and fine for a five-day trek where you carry a jacket and two litres of water — the hip belt is a strap rather than a belt, so it will not carry weight.
Not for: A high-altitude trek where you carry a down jacket, three litres of water and a camera. You will run out of space by Namche.
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