Guide to Trekking in the Himalayas
Precautions while on a trek and packing essentials
Contrary to popular belief, you do not need to go on a shopping spree to make sure you have everything you need when going for your first trek. Most of your regular winter wear, if worn in proper layers is more than sufficient for your trek.
Also, contrary to what people may tell you about buying only specialized mountaineering clothing, those are just ploys to increase sales. We have compiled a general list of packing essentials that is more than sufficient for that first trek that you will be going for. While each trek has its set of requirements and the list differs by trek, this is general list to guide you assuming that the first Himalayan trek you are going for is a relatively simple one. For a tougher and challenging trek this list will change.
As always, if you ever need help or our guidance with anything, please feel free to touch base with us and we will be glad to help you in any way that we can.
So lets begin…
We start this article with the precautions that you must take while on your first Himalayan trek. A trek to the Himalayas is an amazing and highly reqarding experience, but it comes with its set of dangers as well and the right recautions are absolutely necessary to ensure this remains a rewarding and enjoyable experience. We have listed down some of the precautions you must take:
A) High altitude:
During a Himalayan trek you are likely to touch high altitude, as you go higher, the air pressure reduces and the amount of oxygen that your body can absorb gets thinner. On the summit of Mt Everest, your body is getting about 30% oxygen that is would be getting and sea level and this naturally hampers the functioning of your system. There are numerous side effects of High altitude sickness which can turn very serious if not monitored and treated.
We will go into that in another article but as a general rule, between 9,000 ft and 19,000 ft which is considered high altitude your body can take about 2,000 ft to 3,000 ft of altitude gain per day and not more. It is essential that you never cross this threshold and even in this, to make sure your body is well adjusted, you should spend extra days staying put at one altitude, climb high and sleep low.
During the treks we organize, acclamatization is taken well into consideration while planning but different bodies react differently and despite this some people may experience symptoms of altitude. Headaches are considered normal and do not require medication, they normally go away pretty soon. Contrary to what people would think that by sleeping it off at camp your headache will go away, this is not true because the headache is caused by the lack of oxygen, sleeping it off will only make it worse and therefore it is better to stay outdoors and walking around more than inside you tent sleeping.
You may not feel like eating very much but eating well and drinking well is the only sureshot way of getting better acclimatized to the altitude in the Himalayas.
That said, the most important thing here is to never keep any of the troubles to yourself. If you are doing this trek with us, then our guides or leaders know very well how to handle altitude issues. Any trouble that you may have must be shared with your team leader. Some people keep this to themselves out of bravery but that is the wrong thing to do. Like we said, untreated it can be quite a problem
B) Protecting yourself from the cold:
In general, cold to very cold temperatures can be expected uring your trek in the Himalayas and it is very important to avoid exposure to the cold. Children in particular get exposed to the cold really early and that can affect their health and well being on the trek. A few pointers to stay warm on the trek and at camp are:
The body loses most of its heat from the head. It is therefore important to keep your head covered with a warm cap at all times while you are at the base. However, it is not advised to wear a woolen cap while trekking/ out during the day for an activity.
Thermals are important to keep your body warm. Since they stick to your body, they retain heat much better than other woolens. At camp/hotel therefore please wear them as the first layer if it is cold. It is also thought that wearing multiple thin layers(thermal, 1-2 sweats shirt and wind proof) is much better than single fat layer(fat jacket). Please wear your clothes accordingly.
However, before you are headed out for the trek/activity for the day, please remove the thermal as it is not advised to trek/do any activity in them. Wear a T-shirt as the first layer, a sweater and a wind proof on top prior to starting the trek and over the course of the trek start taking the woolen layers off as your body starts getting warm.
If your feet/ any clothing gets wet while on the trek please ensure that you change them the first thing when you return to the base.
C) Pacing yourself during the trek:
Like any other endurance activity, trekking is about building momentum and pacing yourself. While this varies from person to person, we have personally observed that taking too many sitting breaks during the trek breaks the momentum as the body cools down rapidly. The way we typically like to pace ourselves is by taking a sitting break after about 45 minutes of walking and as many standing breaks that we want. Our clients have generally reported that this helped them in building a momentum.
It is also very important to find a pace that we are comfortable with and trek at that pace. We often get carried away while trekking and try to walk faster than we are comfortable with and walk at someone else’s pace. This will get you tired much faster. Find a pace you are comfortable with, walk at absolutely that pace and the rest of the team including the guide will adjust to the pace of the slowest member.
Remember, trekking is not a competition. It is not at all important how fast you reach, but more important how far you reach. The further you go the more the Himalayas will reward you.
Packing essentials(for a simple to moderate trek):
Good pair of shoes:
The shoes should ideally be light and have a good grip and should also be a little “broken in”
i.e.: they should not be brand new and you should have worn them and done some activity in them prior to using them here. A regular pair of sports shoes is good enough provided they have a good grip. We do not recommend trekking shoes for first time trekkers as they tend to be quite heavy and can make walking/trekking difficult.
1) One pair of cotton socks for every day of the trip.
Try avoiding nylon socks as there is a chance of developing blisters and they tend to stink a little more.
2) warm woolen socks.
The night can get a little cold hence the woolen socks can be worn at night.
3) A wind cheater top (also called wind proof) and bottom(Optional)
Those with a material called "Goretex" are considered to be particularly good but it is not necessary to get that material, a set of track suit of the synthetic material can also do. This helps a lot when the conditions are very windy. Wear something woolen under it and you are good to go under the windiest and coldest conditions. A wind proof bottom is not necessary to carry but if you are not very used to the cold then you can carry that.
4) Comfortable pair of trousers or track suit bottoms.
Jeans are not recommended as they are heavy and inflexible. Ideally, you should carry enough sets of track-suit bottoms to change regularly (depending on how regularly you would like to change them).
5) T- Shirts/shirts- As per your requirement.
Ideally enough to change daily/ once in two days
6) Thermal inners (top), sweater/ fat sweat shirt- preferably fleece and one warm jacket.
Thermal inners will probably be required, therefore 1 or 2 thermals should suffice depending on how regularly you want to change them.
7) A cap.
Any normal cap will do but preferably one that can cover all the sides is better
8) A Woolen cap/ balaclava
Very important as most body heat is lost through the head.
9) A good pair of sunglasses
That have UV protection.
10) A pair of woolen gloves.
If you aren’t very used to cold then you should carry this. Useful during the night
11) A small torch with sufficient batteries
12) A simple water bottle.
Any normal basic water bottle will do. Should be about 1 litre in capacity
13) A small Backpack
The backpack can you can use to carry your packed lunch during the days of the trek, your camera etc water bottle etc
14) A decent camera with extra batteries to last about 200 clicks on a digital camera- highly recommended.
15) Toiletries as per your personal requirements- toothbrush, face wash, mouth wash, soap, sun block cream with at least spf 15, cold cream/Vaseline, Towel, toilet paper etc
16) A pair of slippers/floaters
17) Any prescribed/special medication
We carry a basic first aid kit with us at all times but if you have any prescribed/special specific medication for yourself please carry that with you
Also, contrary to what people may tell you about buying only specialized mountaineering clothing, those are just ploys to increase sales. We have compiled a general list of packing essentials that is more than sufficient for that first trek that you will be going for. While each trek has its set of requirements and the list differs by trek, this is general list to guide you assuming that the first Himalayan trek you are going for is a relatively simple one. For a tougher and challenging trek this list will change.
As always, if you ever need help or our guidance with anything, please feel free to touch base with us and we will be glad to help you in any way that we can.
So lets begin…
We start this article with the precautions that you must take while on your first Himalayan trek. A trek to the Himalayas is an amazing and highly reqarding experience, but it comes with its set of dangers as well and the right recautions are absolutely necessary to ensure this remains a rewarding and enjoyable experience. We have listed down some of the precautions you must take:
A) High altitude:
During a Himalayan trek you are likely to touch high altitude, as you go higher, the air pressure reduces and the amount of oxygen that your body can absorb gets thinner. On the summit of Mt Everest, your body is getting about 30% oxygen that is would be getting and sea level and this naturally hampers the functioning of your system. There are numerous side effects of High altitude sickness which can turn very serious if not monitored and treated.
We will go into that in another article but as a general rule, between 9,000 ft and 19,000 ft which is considered high altitude your body can take about 2,000 ft to 3,000 ft of altitude gain per day and not more. It is essential that you never cross this threshold and even in this, to make sure your body is well adjusted, you should spend extra days staying put at one altitude, climb high and sleep low.
During the treks we organize, acclamatization is taken well into consideration while planning but different bodies react differently and despite this some people may experience symptoms of altitude. Headaches are considered normal and do not require medication, they normally go away pretty soon. Contrary to what people would think that by sleeping it off at camp your headache will go away, this is not true because the headache is caused by the lack of oxygen, sleeping it off will only make it worse and therefore it is better to stay outdoors and walking around more than inside you tent sleeping.
You may not feel like eating very much but eating well and drinking well is the only sureshot way of getting better acclimatized to the altitude in the Himalayas.
That said, the most important thing here is to never keep any of the troubles to yourself. If you are doing this trek with us, then our guides or leaders know very well how to handle altitude issues. Any trouble that you may have must be shared with your team leader. Some people keep this to themselves out of bravery but that is the wrong thing to do. Like we said, untreated it can be quite a problem
B) Protecting yourself from the cold:
In general, cold to very cold temperatures can be expected uring your trek in the Himalayas and it is very important to avoid exposure to the cold. Children in particular get exposed to the cold really early and that can affect their health and well being on the trek. A few pointers to stay warm on the trek and at camp are:
The body loses most of its heat from the head. It is therefore important to keep your head covered with a warm cap at all times while you are at the base. However, it is not advised to wear a woolen cap while trekking/ out during the day for an activity.
Thermals are important to keep your body warm. Since they stick to your body, they retain heat much better than other woolens. At camp/hotel therefore please wear them as the first layer if it is cold. It is also thought that wearing multiple thin layers(thermal, 1-2 sweats shirt and wind proof) is much better than single fat layer(fat jacket). Please wear your clothes accordingly.
However, before you are headed out for the trek/activity for the day, please remove the thermal as it is not advised to trek/do any activity in them. Wear a T-shirt as the first layer, a sweater and a wind proof on top prior to starting the trek and over the course of the trek start taking the woolen layers off as your body starts getting warm.
If your feet/ any clothing gets wet while on the trek please ensure that you change them the first thing when you return to the base.
C) Pacing yourself during the trek:
Like any other endurance activity, trekking is about building momentum and pacing yourself. While this varies from person to person, we have personally observed that taking too many sitting breaks during the trek breaks the momentum as the body cools down rapidly. The way we typically like to pace ourselves is by taking a sitting break after about 45 minutes of walking and as many standing breaks that we want. Our clients have generally reported that this helped them in building a momentum.
It is also very important to find a pace that we are comfortable with and trek at that pace. We often get carried away while trekking and try to walk faster than we are comfortable with and walk at someone else’s pace. This will get you tired much faster. Find a pace you are comfortable with, walk at absolutely that pace and the rest of the team including the guide will adjust to the pace of the slowest member.
Remember, trekking is not a competition. It is not at all important how fast you reach, but more important how far you reach. The further you go the more the Himalayas will reward you.
Packing essentials(for a simple to moderate trek):
Good pair of shoes:
The shoes should ideally be light and have a good grip and should also be a little “broken in”
i.e.: they should not be brand new and you should have worn them and done some activity in them prior to using them here. A regular pair of sports shoes is good enough provided they have a good grip. We do not recommend trekking shoes for first time trekkers as they tend to be quite heavy and can make walking/trekking difficult.
1) One pair of cotton socks for every day of the trip.
Try avoiding nylon socks as there is a chance of developing blisters and they tend to stink a little more.
2) warm woolen socks.
The night can get a little cold hence the woolen socks can be worn at night.
3) A wind cheater top (also called wind proof) and bottom(Optional)
Those with a material called "Goretex" are considered to be particularly good but it is not necessary to get that material, a set of track suit of the synthetic material can also do. This helps a lot when the conditions are very windy. Wear something woolen under it and you are good to go under the windiest and coldest conditions. A wind proof bottom is not necessary to carry but if you are not very used to the cold then you can carry that.
4) Comfortable pair of trousers or track suit bottoms.
Jeans are not recommended as they are heavy and inflexible. Ideally, you should carry enough sets of track-suit bottoms to change regularly (depending on how regularly you would like to change them).
5) T- Shirts/shirts- As per your requirement.
Ideally enough to change daily/ once in two days
6) Thermal inners (top), sweater/ fat sweat shirt- preferably fleece and one warm jacket.
Thermal inners will probably be required, therefore 1 or 2 thermals should suffice depending on how regularly you want to change them.
7) A cap.
Any normal cap will do but preferably one that can cover all the sides is better
8) A Woolen cap/ balaclava
Very important as most body heat is lost through the head.
9) A good pair of sunglasses
That have UV protection.
10) A pair of woolen gloves.
If you aren’t very used to cold then you should carry this. Useful during the night
11) A small torch with sufficient batteries
12) A simple water bottle.
Any normal basic water bottle will do. Should be about 1 litre in capacity
13) A small Backpack
The backpack can you can use to carry your packed lunch during the days of the trek, your camera etc water bottle etc
14) A decent camera with extra batteries to last about 200 clicks on a digital camera- highly recommended.
15) Toiletries as per your personal requirements- toothbrush, face wash, mouth wash, soap, sun block cream with at least spf 15, cold cream/Vaseline, Towel, toilet paper etc
16) A pair of slippers/floaters
17) Any prescribed/special medication
We carry a basic first aid kit with us at all times but if you have any prescribed/special specific medication for yourself please carry that with you
