RTW trip. How to pack light and compact for all seasons?

I'm lucky enough to be going on a long trip around asia in October. I'm thinking of a sort of trekking around the world theme which will include long multi-day treks (eg everest base camp) and trekking in Mongolia/China where by all accounts it can get pretty cold (i will not be there in summer). I would also like to spend some time in very hot india, and it is inevitable i will be somewhere during some sort of monsoon period!!

 To be clear i am not planning on camping anywhere. Mainly staying in basic accomodation (e.g. teahouses en route)

 I have been on a shorter trip before and lugged around a 60 litre rucksack with everything i might need but do not want to do that again. I have only recently got into all this outdoor gear stuff and am completely overwhelmed with all the possibilities!!!

Its kind of nice though because i am starting from pretty much scratch...but do not have endless funds so would like to keep light but don't want to spend lot's more for a few extra grams saved...

Visiting the cold places first and then send stuff home for the warmer climates is not really an option.

So after boring you all to death, the question....

 What is the lightest and most compact way for me to do this? Is that a ridiculous question? Probably...

 Do i take a sleeping bag? A light one and combine it with a down jacket if its cold? (i sleep VERY warm) That would cover me for the cold i guess.Be quite bulky though?Better way to do it?

What sort of shell should i take? Needs to be breathable/waterproof i guess but there are so many different types.

Advice on baselayers/midlayers? Do i take a fleece?

Which backpack? I was looking at OMM villain. Not really sure why anymore!!! Seemed light/gets good reviews/and reasonable size but have nowhere to try the pack on so very hesitant (i live in Holland)

Water purification - steripen? msr miox?

 Arghhhhh i'm not sure. The problem is i have read so much stuff my head is a muddle.

Any suggestions or advice on absolutely any aspect of my quandry out there?

What would you take in my situation?

Dave 

So i'm relatively new to outdoor stuff and looking into how different things

The good news is that there are a lot of lightweight gear available for sales at the minute - the bad news is that there is so much choice.

So if you want a warm and lightweight down jacket - try the Rab infinity endurance - current £130

http://www.cotswoldoutdoor.com/index.cfm/product/infinity-endurance-jacket/fuseaction/products.detail/code/1B110381?cm_mmc=Google-_-GoogleBase-_-GoogleBase-_-1B110381

if you want a light waterproof jacket - try the rab latok trek £120

http://www.cotswoldoutdoor.com/index.cfm/product/rab-latok-trek-jacket/fuseaction/products.detail/code/11111044/id_colour/108/group/513/level/2

etc, etc, etc,

Personally I don't like the rab cut - the hood and chin guard don't get on with me, but I can't deny they make good kit and these prices are amazing.

Thankyou for both replies.

Great to have some specfic gear to look at and consider. Iwill look into the sales a bit further.

 Thanks for your advice Bedouin. I understand what you are saying. I will however need any gear i decide to get for the full duration of the trip and so sending it home does not come into the equation. I just will not need the colder/waterproof stuff all the time so want it to be light and compact to carry in the times i am not using it. I'm sort of going cold/hot/wet/cold/hot/cold or something. That been said perhaps hiring it is an option i will consider but have to consider carefully.

 I really like the idea of having my own stuff too. I know in Kathmandu for example there a hoards of places that will rent you a down jacket for a dollar a day (or something). I plan on doing 60 days (in total) trekking in Nepal so it would cost me 60 dollars to rent. Then i have the worry of having something i might damage that isn't mine, and i'd still probably be wearing something with North face (or another brand) on it anyway! I'm only covered for nepal and would have to do the same in Ladakh and mongolia etc. If i can get a jacket that will stuff into a 5 litre stuffsack or something for 500 grams and hopefully still own it after the trip that is really my thinking!!!

Or maybe i need a rethink....!!!

That seems like a good base layer plan. They are all fast drying etc (right?) so wearing one, rinsing one wearing one and so on. Should not take up much space either hopefully!! Would be nice and flexible!

Now i'm getting somewhere!

Not sure which ME bag you mean? Is it the theoretical ME bag? Oh i see.

 I have indeed set my mind on spending money on kit for this trip. It would not be possible for me to make such a trip without buying at least some suitable clothes in the process.

 I was looking more along the lines of alpkit pipedream 400 (150 pounds) or rab neutrino 400 (180 pounds) which are both under a kilo and wearing a down jacket inside my bag on the occasions that that does not stretch far enough.

 Just read your post wee jimmie thanks for info. Just the sort of advice i am looking for.

Any more thoughts welcome. Hopefully i can piece together all the ideas/suggestions to come up with some sort of solution for myself! It might even be doable with all these sales on like panda points out.

David Morgans wrote (see)

That seems like a good base layer plan. They are all fast drying etc (right?) so wearing one, rinsing one wearing one and so on. Should not take up much space either hopefully!! Would be nice and flexible!

Now i'm getting somewhere!

actually I was just suggesting not wearing it for a day to give it a chance to dry out / re-shape a little - merino, and cocona now, and of course meco (combination of merino and cocona) are supposed to be stink free, so no need to wash them until you get back from each trip, although you might want to wash yourself!

I second wee jimmie's powerstretch fleece top - powerstretch fits snugly and gives great warmth for its weight - wear under a windshirt when its windy.

Ok gotcha.

If i was to wear layers under a windshirt while in cold and wind, whilst walking etc and possibly a down jacket for hanging around in the evenings. Could i forgoe the waterproof altogether? Is that risky? Its not like i'm gonna encounter that situation much. Its either gonna be warm and wet or cold and dry i guess. When its cold and wet, i would get wet but still be able to stay warm with lots of layers. At least whilst moving, or until reaching a bed for the night. Am i missing something - or am i along the right lines?

it can still be cold and wet so I'd take a waterproof, if only because you may struggle finding somewhere to dry your base layers / midlayers.

...and we haven't even gotten to trousers yet

sorry to go on...

So is it worth taking a windshirt and a waterproof then? Is that the solution? For instance that Rab Latok trek jacket you linked to before. That does both, right? So its either an all singing all dancing jacket such as that or a combination of a windshirt and a waterproof? Are waterproofs not windproof? The split allows more flexibility? I must be king of the stupid questions club today...

David Morgans wrote (see)

sorry to go on...

So is it worth taking a windshirt and a waterproof then? Is that the solution? For instance that Rab Latok trek jacket you linked to before. That does both, right? So its either an all singing all dancing jacket such as that or a combination of a windshirt and a waterproof? Are waterproofs not windproof? The split allows more flexibility? I must be king of the stupid questions club today...

No such thing as a stupid question!

A waterproof, regardlss of how "breathable" it is, is not as breathable as a softshell (the new neoshell seems to be the exception to this as it takes softshells to a new level of waterproofness), so if you are climbing hard you will sweat - even though eVent is extremely breathably - so its preferably not to wear one.

which is fine if there is no wind, you can just wear a base or mid layer - but if there is wind, it can cut through your fleece / base layer and leave you feeling F cold. A windshirt weighs nothing and can pack dow to the size of an apple, but it cuts the wind so you are not cold, yet it can breathe better than a waterproof so you don't sweat (as much).

A windproof might be okay for a light drizzle but not for a full on rainstorm - hence the waterproof.

Actually, thinking on about your predicament - its a bit like climbing a mountain in the summer - you start off in the sun at the bottom in shorts and a base layer, and you go up through all kinds of weather sun / rain / snow / wind as the weather gets colder you add more layers and as you come down you take them off - how long will you be travelling?

SD wrote (see)

I am with Bedouin buy as you go as much as you can, trying to second guess conditions for here is unlikely to be right. Hugging stuff around India for Everest base camp needs serious thought.

Ok that all makes good sense. Thanks.

That is my predicament really, i should have kept it simple and just asked that from the start! It might give me a better way to do some more research as that is a much more commonly asked question (i presume) and the answers are related to my situation, if in a slightly different way!

I guess thats really what i need to know. What the good combinations are and how to layer effectively without taking anything i'm not gonna need, using light and packable stuff and giving everything as much use as possible. Easy

I might also look into getting some 2nd hand stuff but with the sales atm it hardly seems worth it.

I will be travelling for around nine months but it depending slightly on how much more i can save and whether i get/decide to do any voluntary work during my trip.

It IS a long time to drag around something i am not using, but i do plan to spend at least half of my time in situations that will warrant some form of colder weather gear. If i am gonna rent then i still have to have space in my pack to carry what i'm renting, or hang it off the end or something and if that ends up being bulkier, heavier and less effective i think i will regret not investing in my own stuff before hand.

Work at 4am tommorrow for me so gotta get off to bed!

Thanks for your help (so far?!) pandas go bad and everyone else that has contributed.

I've learnt a lot today thats for sure. One day i'll be the one offering advice i'm sure of it.

Any more comments will be read tommorrow with interest!