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How to pack right for a tricky trek?

chadar trek - travel tips for trekkers

Packing for the trek of your life, is unlike any other leisure or holiday packing, where the weight of your bag is one of the most important factors to consider. Pack light and pack right is the key funda, and most of the times even your favorite suitcase and your most expensive and fancy clothes won’t do the job perfectly.

While it may sound like a week long or more trip to a far away exciting place, crucial to remember is – that a trek is a very niche activity be it on the unpredictable mountains of the Himalayas, or in a green meadows of Kashmir or Sikkim and alike. Each trek requires a specific kind of clothing, shoe gear and other trekking accessories depending up on the trek you choose and in which season.

So my personal experience of ‘packing right’ for a trek comes from my recent Chaddar trek 2014, in as adverse climatic conditions as -15 degrees or more. Although I have always been a last minute packer, this one was a tricky bet, and I had to be a lot more prepared than usual. Usually your trek leader will provide you with an extensive list of stuff you need to carry with you, and my advice is to only follow it seriously. And once I received mine, I realized it takes easily around a month to 2 weeks at the least to find all the required items enlisted.

Therefore START EARLY (#1) being the starting point of this post – let me take you through the other really pro guidelines that will help you pack just right, irrespective of the trek you choose


#2 WHERE TO BUY?

Just like your trek, most of the gear you will need is highly niche, and will be available only in specific shops, and not any other regular store. If you are based in Delhi, Adventure 18 should be your first stop, in Satya niketan market, and right next to it you can also fine Adventure Point. Both the chains have other stores too nationally, and therefore you can always find one in your city as well.

adventure 18 - imf - streettrotter - trekking 2

While Adventure 18 comes out be a more experienced shop with more affordable gear, one can find more variety, expensive and imported gear in Adventure point. Both the shops have been in the trade for a while and are more experienced than any other you would find around. All you have to do is tell them which trek you are going for, and they will guide you through the right, most sound gear for it. Other good options are Wildcraft, Noida an Indian brand for all sorts of outdoor and adventure gear and Trekkers point, in Connaught place.

#3 RENT IT ALL


INDIAN MOUNTAINEERING FOUNDATION – IMF, Satyaniketan, Delhi, was till date my best find while searching for the best options to pack everything on my list. While most of the jackets I had to buy were as expensive as Rs. 25,000, I was on a lookout for cheaper ways and options, until I stumbled across THIS goldmine of all technical outdoor gear.

From shoes, trekking poles, sun glasses, back packs, sleeping bags, blankets, ski gear, tents to jackets for all temperatures, whether extremely hot, wet or cold, you can possibly rent everything from IMF, on really cheap rates.

india mountaneering foundation - imf - streettrotter - trekking 1

india mountaneering foundation - imf - streettrotter - trekking 3

india mountaneering foundation - imf - streettrotter - trekking 4

All you have to do is give them a deposit, rent your gear and return it after the trek. As the rent is calculated each day, it is advisable to rent closer to your date of travel, but visit them much earlier so that they can book and hold on to your sizes. Not very common, but still famous among regular trekkers, the gear tends to finish up early and if your late, you will most likely not find what you were looking for.

#4 – CONSIDER THE WEATHER / TEMPERATURES AT ALL TIMES

chaddar trek 2014 - streettrotter 2
Chaddar Trek 2014

Considering that there are treks throughout the year, the weather should be your priority checklist. Winters and low temperatures require ultra warm / fleece / wool and other heat retaining clothing, while dry climates would require wind resistant and cotton clothing. A common t-shirt or jacket won’t suffice as wearing the right clothes is what will get you through your trek in the first place. Make sure you follow your list of technical clothing precisely, packing each and every item instructed.

#5 – PICK THE RIGHT EQUIPMENT / ACCESSORIES 

Once you are done with your clothes, the next is to be sure about your backpack and your shoes.

While normal weekend camping can be done with any bag, trekking needs to be done with a proper backpack – which has a strong back support, lots of pockets for sippers etc., wide padded straps along with extra straps such as the S straps and the waist straps (helping you spread the weight around while your hike/trek) and a rain cover.

india mountaneering foundation - imf - streettrotter - trekking

From personal experience, I would strongly advice to carry two of them one around 65 liters for your clothes, bathroom kit etc, as this is the one your porter will carry; and the other one around 25 liters for yourself which is light and still gives you space on your shoulders to carry your energy bars, water bottles, shoes, socks, etc. 

When it comes to your shoes, please be clear that a pair of normal walking shoes, day shoes, gym shoes or regular sports shoes is NOT what you need for a trek. You require specialized technical trekking / hiking / climbing / skiing shoes depending on your activity of choice, which sure comes at a cost, but are always a good investment. You will find these shoes in specialized stores mentioned above, or you can order them online as well in advance as the actual delivery may take its time.

adventure 18 - trekking shoes - streettrotter

For winter treks, its wiser to buy a size above than your normal shoe size as you will have to layer your feet with extra pair of socks and still leave room for it to breathe. Also, remember to break into your shoes at least a week before so that you become comfortable with them and they open up to your feet size in time of your trek. 

HAPPY TREKKING!


Signing up for the Chadar Trek and not sure to do it or not? – Make sure you read this one – 10 vital questions answered – for you to sign up for CHADAR TREK


 

STREETTROTTER

StreetTrotter is a Travel, Culture & Lifestyle blog, inspiring people everyday with real stories to look good and travel even better. Founded in 2012 by Shraddha Gupta, Founder & COO, this space is all about experiencing new things in life, be it a daring mountain trek, a frugal backpacking trip, a runway look made local, or simply anything that scares you enough to live a little more deeper.

  1. Very informative article – Thank You….specially good for beginners.

    If you don’t mind, please note that there is a typo on line three, under subsection” #3 RENT IT ALL
” (second sentence).

    1. Hey Thanks Amitabha!

      Glad you liked the article. All the tips are from first hand experience which I had to learn myself as a beginner. So thought will be of help for people who are looking for similar information! Do you trek too? Share some tips to be added if you have any. Will be great!

      And yes, thanks for spotting the type! Its corrected now! 🙂

      1. Yes… I do Trek … Just did one in last April at Himachal…have been to Goechala and Roopkund among others…

        Although I have not attempted Chadar, Yet… but your post on Chadar Trek is quite inspiring….for anybody who wants to do the trek.

        Regarding Tips… I think wearing clothes in layers is important plus regular water intake with right kind of food. Last two are very basic, but many trekkers ignore them which causes serious problem later. Plus one should give time to acclimatize in every trek.

        1. Yes, from my experience ones eating and drinking habits on the trek are very crucial. The proper food with regular intake of water help in overcoming dehydration which is very common on treks. Also, Protein bars, dry fruits and chocolates help too.

          So how would you rate Goechala and Roopkund treks in terms of difficulty?

          1. You are right Protein bars, dry fruits and chocolates helps very much.

            Goechala is a 9 days trek with step uphill terrain, jungle and many times negotiating thick snow layers. Situation becomes pretty bad when snow melts and mixes with mud. It becomes very hectic to walk on specially downhill. Acclimatization is the key here.
            Plus one should never inhale the smell of dried Juniper leaves which are found in abundance between Deorali and Dzongri. That can cause a severe headache and sometimes vomiting.

            Roopkund is steep and up hill too. Upto Bedini Bugiyal it is reasonably difficult. After that there is a drastic change. The vegetation disappears very fast. You have to walk a long distance in a difficult terrain without much vegetation around and practically above tree line .

            Similiar scenario is at Goechala when you walk from Thansing to Lamune, but there the terrain is relatively easier and the walk is around two hours, while at Roopkund it is around 6 hours. From Kailu Vinayak to Huniya Tal , even the grass is scanty.

            The final climb to Goechala from Lamune and to Roopkund from Huniya Tal is equally tough. If you start in the night at Goechala to see Kanchenjunga at sunrise it makes the situation a tad more difficult because of trekking in the night. In Goechala you can opt for trekking huts at many places. However at Roopkund its practically tents everywhere. There is a tin enclosure at Huniya Tal, but you need to get hold of that before anyone captures it. Trekking beyond Roopkund to Ronty Saddle needs some rock climbing and a bit mountaineering skill.

            I have not yet wriiten any blog on Roopkund , but you can check my blog on Goechala here :-

            https://amitabhagupta.wordpress.com/2013/11/14/trekking-to-goecha-la-in-the-sahib-style/

  2. Maria says:

    My God… I am not even finding a backtrack for normal travelling!!… shopping not always fun, if you don’t have time or mood and if the store is not near your place): anyway… good shoes and back pack I am sure is a must. I really have no idea on a good backtrack so this gives me some idea… if I had any plans for Himalayan trekking it is postponed for now): anyway

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