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
Outdoor Research Helium Rain Jacket
Light enough that you actually carry it, which is the only property that matters in a shell — the trade is a thin fabric that will not survive being dragged across rock.
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Light enough that you actually carry it, which is the only property that matters in a shell — the trade is a thin fabric that will not survive being dragged across rock.
Not for: Monsoon-season trekking where you will be in rain for hours daily. Take a heavier three-layer shell with pit zips.
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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 overall
Rab Cirrus Insulated Jacket
Synthetic keeps insulating when it gets damp, which in a Himalayan spring matters more than the extra warmth-per-gram of down — it is noticeably less warm than a down jacket of the same…
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Synthetic keeps insulating when it gets damp, which in a Himalayan spring matters more than the extra warmth-per-gram of down — it is noticeably less warm than a down jacket of the same weight, and that is the deal.
Not for: Sub-zero evenings at 5,000 m as your only warm layer. This is the mid-layer under a down jacket, not a replacement for one.
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Best for long days
Hoka Speedgoat 6
The stack height saves your knees on the endless stone staircases; it also puts you further from the ground, which some people never stop disliking.
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The stack height saves your knees on the endless stone staircases; it also puts you further from the ground, which some people never stop disliking.
Not for: Snow, or any trek where your feet will be wet for hours. There is no membrane here at all.
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Fastest flow
Katadyn BeFree 1L
The fastest flow of any soft-bottle filter and it collapses to nothing when empty — the flask is the weak point, and a pinhole in it ends the system rather than the filter.
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The fastest flow of any soft-bottle filter and it collapses to nothing when empty — the flask is the weak point, and a pinhole in it ends the system rather than the filter.
Not for: Rough handling in a duffel. Take the Sawyer if your kit gets thrown around.
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Lightest
Black Diamond Distance Carbon Z
So light and packable you actually carry them on the days you were not sure you needed them — they are fixed-length, so you must buy the right size, and carbon fails suddenly rather than…
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So light and packable you actually carry them on the days you were not sure you needed them — they are fixed-length, so you must buy the right size, and carbon fails suddenly rather than gradually.
Not for: Heavy trekkers or anyone hard on kit. Snapping a pole above Thorong Phedi is a bad day.
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Best bag to own
Marmot Trestles 15 Sleeping Bag
Synthetic keeps working when damp and costs a third of equivalent down — it is also twice the packed size, which on a porter-carried duffel matters less than the internet thinks.
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Synthetic keeps working when damp and costs a third of equivalent down — it is also twice the packed size, which on a porter-carried duffel matters less than the internet thinks.
Not for: A single Himalayan trip. Rent, unless this bag will see use at home.
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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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