My first post here, seems like a really good site... so much information but a little bit overwhelmed being a beginner so not quite sure where to start.
In mid November I am going on a 2 week trip to Nepal where I plan to split my time rafting and trekking.
I dont really have any gear apart from all the footwear. The sort of weather I am expecting around November time is relatively warm during the day, not too much rain, but the odd downpour, and fairly cold in the evenings / night (especially when trekking).
Has anyone been to Nepal or somewhere similar before, and can someone suggest any type of gear I will need? I was having a look at Icebreaker & Haglofs gear but it was quite expensive.
Check out the big travel websites like Explore who usually do have a quite helpful and detailed advised checklist, of necessary specifics for their travellers to take with them.A look into the online Lonely Planet Thorn Tree Forum for travellers should yield a few good indicators too of anything that you should definitely not be without packing. As well as useful trip reports of people that have been there before you - highlighting any possible troubles or difficulties; forewarned is as they do say, forearmed!Have a great time there Andrew! The Lonely Planet guidebook to the destination will likely arm you with a lot of things you may well need to know too, for the travels itself as well as prior to the journey! LP books are always money well spent I do definitely feel!
On here earlier on we were talking about waterproof bags from Alpkit, and some bags like that for your kit might be well advisable if you are rafting out there. Just to keep your key safety and survival supplies kit dry. I take it that the company you are travelling with takes care of safety kit like hard hat and buoyancy jacket for the rafting, do they? Neporene gloves might well be a useful item to raft in, and they can be had quite cheaply still from Argos stores I think still.
A good basic set of outdoors hillwalking kit will be required too. But that can often be had quite cheaply these days in many places, and do watch the bargains thread here on the OM Forum for ideas. As for online shops don't forget to check out the bigger stores clearance and offer lists as you can pick up good bargains there too! For instance the big stores like Field and Trek do a good set of offers the whole year around, as do their big rivals Cotswold outdoors. These such stores can easily be accessed from the OM by clicking on their names in the outdoors suppliers list at left of your screen.Alpkit is always worth a good look too! At the moment a Filo jacket is in the sale there at fifty quid only, instead of 65 quid as per usual; and that would indeed be a good item to have out there in the cold, especially for the nights. A few of the guys on here have been out there in the last few years, so they will give you hands-on 'been there' kit advice, just as soon as they find this thread, I should think!
I did the Annapurna Circuit last October. I did it with the following technical-type gear and was fine: thin baselayer, medium baselayer, thin fleece, (very) cheap down vest, hooded windjacket, fleece hat, Buffalo mitts (worn for about an hour in total), collapsible umbrella (used a lot one day), (supposedly) waterproof shoes, ankle gaiters, one pair of hiking socks, two pairs of trainer socks, trekking trousers.
Had other clothing, bits and pieces and a sleeping bag and it all fit into a 35l pack.
If you go in November it may be a bit colder. If you go higher (AC reaches about 5.400m), then it's going to be colder. What you need is going to depend on where you go.
As Trevor says, you don't need to kit yourself out with really fancy/expensive kit. Decathlon do cheapish stuff. And you can buy loads of cheap technical gear in Kathmandu and Pokhara: much of it's fake, some of it's pretty crap, but there's good stuff too. Many people who are doing long-term trips buy all their trekking gear in Nepal.
One thing about rafting. I did three days of rafting. The guy running our boat liked to turn it over. The raft once spent about 10 minutes upside down. Despite being in a plastic bag inside a (v old) waterproof bin, my bag got wet. Beware.
Get yourself a good little first aid kit (or fak) together too, as in my own experience the group leaders on these trip things seem never to have enough of some basic bits to go around; as minor niggling little cuts and grazes pile up inevitably, in extreme sports outdoors pursuits. Your health is first and foremost down to you, of course.You might want to include some pain killers, and stop and go tablets into that little personal fak as well.
The plan trekking wise is that we are going to do the standard trails, nothing too extreme, but a good sleeping bag etc I already have.
My problem is I tend to look around Elis Brigham etc and always want the best stuff... but it's not cheap. You mention this base layers, etc - is there a definition somewhere on what all these are?
You just need something that wicks perspiration/sweat away from the body to dissipate into the outer layers of your clothing and hence off into evaporation, into the air. That stops the trapping of water vapour inside the fibres of your clothing - as sopping wet tee and underwear- then sapping your body core of precious heat, preventing you becoming a hypothermia victim, basically. That is why especially in American outdoors lore the saying 'cotton kills' is king. As cotton stuff holds the water and does not dry out easily, so if you get wet through from sweat etc in your exertions, then you stay wet. And the body loses its core heat to the wetness.Anything like a wicking layer from Tchibo- new range of these coming very soon - to basic walking undies is great. And they don't necessarily have to cost the earth either.
A look into the online Lonely Planet Thorn Tree Forum for travellers should yield a few good indicators too of anything that you should definitely not be without packing. As well as useful trip reports of people that have been there before you - highlighting any possible troubles or difficulties; forewarned is as they do say, forearmed!
Anything like a wicking layer from Tchibo- new range of these coming very soon - to basic walking undies is great. And they don't necessarily have to cost the earth either.
