Trekking in Nepal: packing the right gear

For her trek in Nepal, sales advisor Swinde needed quite some equipment. Read on to find out which shoes helped her stay light on her feet and which gloves ensured her hands stayed warm while still allowing her to operate her camera and smartphone. If you’re planning your own adventure and want to gear up for it, our shops in Basel, Bern, Lucerne and Zurich Europaallee offer you the opportunity to put together your equipment with the help of a personal shopping guide. This free personal shopping service ensures you have everything you need.

But first, the trek in Nepal.

Shoes

My search for the perfect pair of shoes left me spoilt for choice: while I wanted to be light on my feet on the rocky trails, I also had the high passes such as Lobuche East at 6,119 metres up to negotiate, which meant I needed good grip for the climb.

I quickly realised that there are no shoes that do everything. So two pairs of shoes were the solution.

I mostly wore the TX4 from La Sportiva, an approach shoe with a Gore-Tex membrane. Light-footed and fast, I passed the odd hiker in heavy, high mountain boots on the trek. It rained very rarely during my time in Nepal, but when it did, it poured down.

For the strenuous traversing of passes and summits, I opted for the Nepal Cube, a mountain boot also made by La Sportiva. Crampon-compliant, waterproof and with solid ankle support, yet a very light model in its weight class.

Backpack

It was recommended I bring a daypack with 20 to 30 litres of volume for the Everest Base Camp Trek. But as I’m a photographer carrying a large camera and several lenses with me, space quickly becomes tight. My down jacket, water bottle, snacks and binoculars also have to fit on the way to the tallest mountain in the world.

I went for an Ortovox backpack with a 42-litre capacity. The all-round zip for quick access to the main compartment is just brilliant. It gave me access to my water bottle, telephoto lens or waterproof jacket in just seconds.

The compression straps allow the backpack to be squeezed down surprisingly small. Excess volume disappears like magic if you don’t fill the backpack to the top.

Water filters

Drinking water is a big issue on a trek in Nepal. As the altitude increases, your body needs more water. Hydration is the name of the game. You can buy bottled water at the lodges along the trails. But if you want to trek in a more sustainable and eco-friendly way, I recommend a portable water filter.

I chose the Quickdraw Microfilter from Platypus. Small and light, I kept it to hand in the hip pocket of my backpack throughout the trek.

Gloves

Keeping my fingers warm while still able to operate the buttons on my camera and smartphone meant that versatile gloves were up next on my packing list. I found the perfect ones in the Shelter Glove from Mammut. These windproof mittens have a removable glove cap that can be opened with a button when finger precision is required.

If, like me, you have poor circulation in your extremities and get cold easily, you can keep the gloves on all day.