Just got back from a trek in Nepal and if you want decent gear at absolutely rock bottom prices it's worth setting your sights on a little Sherpa village called Namche Bazaar. Incredibly, The North Face have just set up an outlet there, in amongst the yak dung and the smoky lodges but even better is a Tibetan market where you can buy, what appears to be, TNF and Mountain Hardwear seconds for really low prices. Duvet jackets for less than £20, soft shells, trekking trousers, base layers, packs. I've never seen the Sherpas look so well dressed. The story I was given is that the Tibetan traders buy the seconds from outlets in China, bring them over the high passes into Nepal and sell them at this market in Namche. I've no idea how much truth there is in that story and I'm also well aware that the use of western labels on Nepalese gear is rife but even some of that home produced gear isn't nearly as bad as it used to be. My advice for anyone going trekking in the Everest region is not to waste your money in sub standard gear in Kathmandu but wait till you get to Namche Bazaar. It's a bargain hunters dream...
