Your first overseas trek can be a daunting prospect whether
it is in the Andes, Nepal,
Africa or even Europe. Long flights, altitude,
steep hills, a foreign language, different food and a bunch of people you have
never met. And then before all of that there is a whole list of things you have
to buy, fitness training you have to do and much more. This is the first part
in our series to help you enjoy your first time trekking holiday and to make
sure your first time is not your last time.
Rule 1: Outdoor
Markets are full of “Sales Assistants”
A nice friendly name that.,but who are they “assisting”? How about if we
called them salesmen? Their job is to sell you as much as they can, that little
karabiner, the tiny towel for wiping the sweat from your brow, the little
key-ring thermometer….All those” cheap” little accessories soon add up in
price, in weight and in space in your rucksack.You do not need them. Go in with
a list of what you need and stick to it.
Rule2: Do not
believe everything you read on a trek agency packing list
Its a difficult one this, you have booked with experts, and this is what
they have told you to bring. I suggest you compare their list with lists of a
few other operators, widely available by searching the internet. While some
trek operators have cut their list down to the essentials, others include many
superfluous items.
- Spare laces- how many times have your ever broken a shoe lace? Can you not just tie it back together should it break?
- Water filter/purification tablets- are these necessary or are you provided with a constant supply of purified water by the trek cooks?
- Spare shoes for the evening- I never take them, if your shoes are comfortable enough in the first place then why bother.
- Repair tape- I cannot honestly remember the last time someone had to repair a rucksack on a trek. If there is problem with your tent, the trekking agency themselves will mend it.
- Waterproof jacket and trousers- please if your list tells you to bring these then do so, there are certain things that are not optional.
Rule 3: The fewer
luggages you have the simpler your life on trek will be
The more you have the longer everything takes, longer to unpack, longer to
find what you are looking for and longer to re-pack. Remember you will often
being packing and unpacking in the dark in a tent. Why ruin your holiday by
stressing yourself every morning as you try desperately to cram everything in
to you bag, just take less in the first place.
Rule 4: Someone
has to carry your bag each day
“But it is going on a mule “you say. But someone still has to carry it from
the house to the car, from the car to the airport, from the check in to the
baggage carousel, from one plane to the connecting plane, from the carousel to
the bus, from the bus to the hotel lobby, from the lobby up the stairs and so
on. And that mule that carries it each trek day, it is sure not him that puts
it up on his own back, their is some poor horseman who has to lift it on and
lift if off at the end of the day. All agencies will give you a weight limit,
please stick within it.
Rule 5: The
less you take the more space you have for souvenirs on the way back
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Sports