complete list, Nepal

Luggage and bags: Backpacks are a given here.

Clothing/Shoes/Weather Gear: Polar fleece and rain gear for the mountains. Waterproof hikers pretty much mandatory. You can rent sleeping bags, packs, etc. in town, but....if you don't like the idea of sleeping in 6 months of filth from the traveler who rented the bag before you, bring your own.

Toiletries and Medical Supplies: I had a very solid travel medical kit. The only thing I didn't have was eye drops. Turns out, in the middle of nowhere I developed pink eye! If you can...take some type of topical steroid that can be used for ears and eyes in case you develop something. I'd have hated to travel in this condition. Luckily a volunteer working in the area had something for me.

Photo Equipment: Bring something small unless you really feel the desire to carry 10 additional pounds of weight two miles straight up the side of a mountain.

Camping/Beach/Outdoor Gear: If you want stuff that's good, bring your own. If you're into 'knock-offs', you can buy face North Face, Patagonia, Columbia, etc. products here. Beware...they're not the same quality. I bought a stuff-sack and it busted on the first use. I bought a North Face polar fleece and the zipper busted. I payed only $25 and an additional $30 to get a new zipper at home, and am proudly sporting a this knock-off today. It's a $150 or more jacket here. (No comments about copyright issues please...it's helping the economy. If North Face really wanted to help them there, they'd put a company there and hire those people to work in it and pay them a fair wage).

Luggage and bags: If you are going to use porters on an expedition, pack stuff in old Army kitbags - they are cheap, tough and easy for the porters to cope with than huge rucksacks.
Take a 30-45l daysack for yourself and dont push yourself too hard.

Clothing/Shoes/Weather Gear: Fabric boots that are NOT waterproof. Once you have done a couple of river crossings, you realise that water will get in anyway and its best to have boots that will drain again.

Toiletries and Medical Supplies: Rehydration salts - Dioralyte in the UK.
You WILL get the squits!

Photo Equipment: Point and shoots are fine - the scenery is all stunning and its better to travel light rather than with an SLR and loads of lenses etc unless you are a 'proper' photographer.

Camping/Beach/Outdoor Gear: Sandals rule.

Miscellaneous: Beware the leech.
Rubbing tobacco on your boots makes them fall off.
A bit of salt works wonders on them as well, as does a lighter (bit cruel but hey ho)

Clothing/Shoes/Weather Gear: 1. A good reliable headlamp (not a flashlight; something that's hands free is the best). Pezl headlamps are wonderful. I bought mine b/f my trip and it worked beautifully. They're lightweight and wonderfully designed. My travel mate bought one here in Nepal when her flashlight went out and she loves it as well.

2. A walking stick. You can buy wooden sticks in Nepal for around 40 rupees (little more than 50 cents USD). The trails are stony and there are many steep descents. Helps the knees!

3. Toilet paper, antibacterial gel, handiwipes. A must!

4. Goes w/out saying but good hiking boots. Love my Danners (a portland oregon company). They treated me well during the 3-week hike.

5. Warm clothes for high altitude. It's freezing!

6. Hat (sun hat and a wool hat).

7. Sunscreen. Suns intense, even at high altitude.

8. Earplugs are ESSENTIAL.

Luggage and bags: Pack light in old Army duffel bags. These are cinched to yaks or carried in baskets by porters. Accidents happen, bags fall out or get worn by friction. Bring a lock to discourage pilfering (never happened with us). Bring old clothes, then at the end of the trek, watch with delight as you give away those dirty smelly clothes and the porter's appreciate every one of them. If you give clothes away during the trip, the porter's will wear them to show their appreciation. Don't forget to also tip the guide and porter's at trips end.

Clothing/Shoes/Weather Gear: Leather waterproof ankle high hiking boots are a must. Tennis shoes just don't give support on uneven rocky trails. Bring rain jacket and pants. A poncho just blows around in the wind and is unnerving.

Toiletries and Medical Supplies: In the picture I am demonstrating and having a child wash his hands and face, a practice I reinforced with villagers.
Baby wipes are a real blessing, since, when there is toilet paper, it is red, rough and scratchy. Use wipes for hands always before putting things in your mouth; helps prevent the inevitable stomach problems.

Luggage and bags: Soft Army duffel bag to be strapped to yak's or carried by porter's. Day pack for water, snacks, toiletries, sunscreen, extra clothes and rain gear. On a tea house trek, a good backpack.

Clothing/Shoes/Weather Gear: Shorts, skirts or lightweight trousers are ideal in the heat of the day along with t- shirt, long sleeved cotton shirts, sunscreen, sun glasses and sun hat. A sleeping bag, thermal underwear, running pants, down jacket, thick pullover, essential woolen socks and gloves for higher altitude.

Toiletries and Medical Supplies: Pictured: Health Clinic on Helambu trek. The medical supplies were minimal- vitamins, dressings, a scale and not much more.
TOILETTRIES AND MEDICAL SUPPLIES

Before trekking in the Himalayas, you must be healthy and physically fit. Participants suffering from severe high blood pressure, chest, heart or bronchial disorders are strongly advised not to embark on a trek and climbing activities.

Treks are well planned offering hygienic food prepared with boiled water. Still, diarrhea and other ills can happen. Medical facilities in Nepal are not top rate. It is always safer to bring your own emergency medical kit and good water filter.

Photo Equipment: Good quality camera preferably with wide angle and telephoto lenses. Plenty of film and batteries. You can rarely buy film or batteries on the trail. Kathmandu has film.

Miscellaneous: Physical fitness, drinking lots of fluids and taking enough time for acclimatization before ascending is essential to avoiding the hazards of AMS.

On a backcountry trek, medical facilities are a joke except one clinic on the Everest Route.

VISA AND PASSPORT
You must have a full passport valid for the maximum duration of your visit with pre-obtained visa for Nepal or Single/Double entry visa can be obtained upon arrival at the Tribhuwan International Airport in Kathmandu.

Luggage and bags: If you go hiking in Nepal, don't take more than that... its really enough. Everything else is too heavy or you might have to pay a porter.

1 good backpack

Clothing/Shoes/Weather Gear: 1 hiking pants (with legs to take off)
3 Shirts
4 Underwear / 2 Bra's (if female)
1 long pants to relax in the evening
1 Thick Fleece Shirt
1 Rain coat
2 Hicking Socks

Toiletries and Medical Supplies: Just take the real necessary stuff... you will thank it since you will notice every 100 gramms in your backpack.

1 tooth brush / cream
1 shampoo (use same for shower)
1 body/face cream

I even had this little shampoos from my hairdresser which is for test only. These sackets are not heavy and are very small for storage.

Photo Equipment: Whatever you think is necessary. In view of what you can photograph you might take the best you have... in view of the weight to carry, I recommend the smallest camera you have. But you can't stop the mountains up there since they are really breathtaking.

Camping/Beach/Outdoor Gear: In the Annapurna region, where we hiked, you can sleep in the Teahouses which you find on the way.

Luggage and bags: If you are trekking and using porters, try and put all your non essential kit in one big bag - it is easier for them to carry if the bag is big and bulky!

Take all day essentials in your own day pack.

Clothing/Shoes/Weather Gear: Nepal in October and November covers both raging sunshine and then plummets into freezing within hours.

I lost a stone and a half in the five weeks, so be prepared and take a size smaller trousers, its no fun hitching them up every half a mile!! For daytime, take plenty of tee shirts - you will sweat enormously and there is nothing worse than a wet shirt on your back when it starts to get cold.
For late afternoon, always carry a fleece in your day sac as it goes incredibly cold around 4.00pm

I found that I only used half of what I took and that wasn't a lot - I wore thermal underwear as day wear most of the time and then just added layers as it got cold.

Take two pairs of boots if you can, a month in the same pair can cause a little damage to toes.

The piece of equipment which I found to be absolutely essential was sunglasses - make sure they are polaroid or you cannot see where you are stepping.

If you can find room, take two Segg water bottles - fill with boiling water just before you go to bed and put one near your feet and cuddle the other all night long - its the only luxury you will be so glad of. next day you have two litres of cold, boiled, safe water to drink all day long.

Toiletries and Medical Supplies: A must is Diamox - you start to use this when you get symptoms of altitude sickness which I did at only 3,500metres - It takes a day to get working but makes a huge difference to your wellbeing. see your doctor before you set off as supplies can be a little difficult to get hold of in Kathmandu.

Dioralyte - or rehydrate tablets - its amazing how much body fluid you lose, especially in the first week.

Lots of blister packs - you only have one pair of feet, so look after them!

Photo Equipment: At altitude, batteries just die on you - for headtorches and cameras, sleep with your batteries - at 4,500 metres the ink in my Biro froze so you can imagine what it does to battery life.

A polariser for your camera is a must - I took two cameras, both Pentax, but my new one just died a death at altitude and the old one was fine but I didn't have the polariser with me, so I just used my sunglasses - quite good results

Camping/Beach/Outdoor Gear: Always air your sleeping bag with your hot water bottles before getting in - sleeping in damp down is horrendous.

Keep expensive equipment as near to your sleeping bag as possible - thefts from sleeping trekkers is quite high in Nepal.

Think safe - there is always someone on the rob!!

Miscellaneous: Plenty of plastic bags for when you eventually dispense with the socks you have worn for over a week!!!

I found a diary an absolute must - not only did it record all my feelings, thoughts and experiences for each day, but it gave me something to do inbetween setting up camp and eating the evening meal - it got very, very cold between 4pm and 6pm - keep active or you will be frozen all night long!

Luggage and bags: Soft case that stayed in Kathmandu until we got back.
We were provided with bags locally that the sherpas would carry. No framed bags allowed. Plus a small/medium back pack that you carried.

Clothing/Shoes/Weather Gear: Good Hiking boots with a couple of hundred miles in them. Grip is not the issue here but, comfort is.
A long sleeve shirt for the daytime and a sweatshirt for mornings and evenings.
ESSENTIAL ITEMS - Umbrella and Sunglasses
Take a decent umbrella and don't bother with waterproofs if you're in the low lands. If it rains it's normally so torrential that waterproofs are no match. The umbrella deflects most of it and although you will get a bit wet, you're not soaking and your body heat will dry it out. When the sun is out you'll appreciate the long sleeve shirt and sunglasses. It can be very bright. Your umbrella is now put to use deflecting the sun. You always have one hand free when trekking (we're not rock climbing here).

Toiletries and Medical Supplies: I took a toilet roll with me and a GOOD first aid kit, not the usual rubbish. Think about taking a first aid course. And get your doctor or dentist to write a prescription for some antibiotics.

Photo Equipment: I took two rechargables for a camcorder an two lithium ions for the camera.

Camping/Beach/Outdoor Gear: The torch and a box of wetwipes seems to be the most useful within the tent. Liberal use of talcum powder at the start of each day prevented foot issues. Spare set of laces.