My Gear List

General

• 1 duffel bag (porter to carry your extra gear)*
• 1 large plastic bag to line the duffel
• Several cubes or large zip lock bags to organise, clothes, electrical items, food and dirty clothing
• 1 Gossamer Gear – Mariposa (60L) pack
• 1 headlamp rechargeable (one with red light is recommended)
• Leatherman Wave multitool,
• Urinal bottle ** with glow-in-the-dark lid (not to be mixed with your water bottle!)
• 2 water bottles/bladder (2-3L capacity). I used a 1L Nalgene wide-mouth with a Steripen to sterilise water and tipped it into my bladder. I then added electrolytes to the 1L bottle to drink in the morning. There are many opportunities to refill while walking, so carrying more than 2L isn’t necessary.

Note * items are often supplied by your trekking company

Note ** if you are over 50 and normally use the bathroom at night, this was a lifesaver. No getting on cold boots, opening squeaky doors, dressing up and walking down corridors to a squat toilet, not to mention disturbing sleeping companions. And at high altitude, drinking adequate fluids, yup, you guessed it, you will be going to the toilet more frequently than normal. This tool turned an ordeal into an easy swing, the legs around, and a smile 🙂

Day Gear

It is recommended to dress modestly in Nepal (e.g., avoid cycling shorts and crop tops). There is a practical aspect to this as well. Walking long hours at an elevation means increased sun exposure. You can apply sunscreen all over (and be greasy + sweaty at day’s end), but my preference is to wear a sun hoodie like (OR Astroman Air Sun Hoodie). This provides full sun protection for the arms, neck, and head. They are lightweight, dry very fast and are very comfortable to wear all day, every day. I combine this with long, lined running shorts. No need for underwear, lightweight, dry fast and comfortable. Only on the pass day did I wear waterproof overpants.

• Mature (water-resistant) hiking boots (e.g., Scarpa Delta GTX) for trekking, as you will be moving over rocks and likely snow at the pass
• 4 pairs quality hiking socks
• 1 long sleeve solar shirt (fast drying)
• 1 pair long shorts/capris/pants
• 1 wide-brim sunhat
• Sunglasses
• Sunscreen, SPF 30⁺, 1 Chapstick (with SPF is preferred)
• 1 fleece or down jacket
• 1 warm hat
• 1 set waterproof rain gear (jacket and pants)
• 1 pair of gloves or mittens
• 1 pair of trekking poles (recommended). See video on trekking poles and how to use them correctly.
• Micro spikes*

See Camera & electronic gear list

Night Gear

The key here is to be comfortable and warm. Don’t forget to do your post-hike stretches!

• Footwear. As you will be in lodges each night, thongs work well, you can shower in them, and they dry fast
• 1 sleeping bag (rated -18C/0F)*
• I took a Sea to Summit down inflatable pillow
• 1 pairs sock to wear with thongs and sleep in if really cold
• 1 T-shirt fast drying to wear in a sleeping bag at night if cool (keep bag clean)
• 1 pair of long thermal shirt and pants to wear at night if really cold
• Earplugs (lodges are noisy), night shades (lodges can be bright), mouth tape (facilitates nasal breathing)

Personal Hygiene

Squat toilets are slowly being replaced with Western toilets on the Manaslu Circuit. However, two truths remain: no toilet paper is supplied in lodges (bring your own), and NEVER flush or place paper into the squat or flush toilets. The plumbing may look the same, but don’t be fooled. Placing toilet paper in the bowl may mean a lot of stick poking and flushing to clear all of your deposits!

• 2 rolls of toilet paper
• 1 toothbrush & toothpaste, dental tape
• 1 bar of soap or liquid soap (I used Dr Bronner’s)
• 2 quick-dry travel towels, small to wash, larger to dry
• 2 small travel pack hand sanitisers
• 2+ sets of wipes for a waterless shower. I had read to plan on many nights without showers. This wasn’t the case, but there were no showers at Daramsala.
  

First Aid Kit

First aid kits are highly personal, change with hiking demands, and evolve over time as needs and experience change. I carry all mine in an Adventure Medical Kit 2-person case.

• Blister Kit (learn all you need to know here) and what to do
• Universal ankle brace (lge) my Physio coming out in me!
• Range of gauze, felts, tapes, band-aids
• Pain medications, NSAIDs, Anti-diarrhea tablets
• Neosporin 28gm tube
• Providone and alcohol wipes
• Electrolytes (liquid or tablets for upset stomach or diarrhea)
• Tweezers, mirror
• Scaple blades
• Gloves, CPR mask

Nutritional Preparations

As you will be aware, nutrition plays a critical role in the success of a multiday trek. Coupled with metabolic resistance (protein) associated with increasing age, I was concerned about restricted access to protein over the three weeks. To cover this possibility, I prepared 1.5kg of biltong using our farm beef, and made up 1kg of protein powder/creatine monophosphate and Supagreens. To cover off on the ‘treats’, I made some trail scroggin laced with chocolate and lollies and brought a dozen assorted chocolate bars.

In summary, there was plenty of chicken available until reaching the higher elevations, where Buddhism restricts the killing of animals, and so any chicken on the menu has been killed elsewhere, and mules were transported up. Note, I didn’t see any refrigerators, so eat at your peril! There was an endless supply of eggs (omelette, scrambled, fried, boiled) and lentils (dal) to keep protein levels ticking over. No scroggin, biltong or chocolate bars returned to Kathmandu and my weigth remained stable over the course of the holidays.