How to pack (light) for (non-high) mountain trekking?
In the mountains the weather changes often. Once it is cold,
once it's hot, sometimes it rains, and once there is a fog. So we should take
things that would serve us for any of these eventualities. But there are many
of them! And there is only little space in your backpack. Or not that there is
little space, but you just don't want to climb a "four thousender" with too much
kilos on your back.
In Nepal, around
Annapurna trek I was two years ago. My backpack weighted 12 kilograms. Too
much! While climbing huge stairs between Ghorepani and Tadapani I was wondering
if I really need a shampoo in the further part of the journey, which one of the
T-shirts is the heaviest ones, and if I should not leave (for the locals for
kindling) this part of my guide that I already “used”.
On the way to Morocco I made a similar mistake. Here my only
excuse is that I was going directly from a sailing course in Gibraltar and some
things absolutely necessary for the boat may not be that relevant for exploring
the secrets of the High Atlas.
This year I did not make such a mistake. I was flying for 10
days to Peru. Departure was from Barcelona, and a sleepover and a full day in
Paris, with five hours in Sao Paolo, and six in Rio de Janeiro. The journey
back was through London to Bologna. The climate palette was extremely varied,
from freezing Paris, hot Rio de Janeiro, through the end of the rainy season in
the Andes, damp and misty Lima, the cold and windy Lake Titicaca, to an obvious
drizzle in London. I managed to fit in in only 8.5kg! I still had some room
left, which was used during the journey to carry sandwiches, dried fruit and
water.
I was very proud of myself. So now I would like to share my tips
- what to pack when going on a 9-14 day non-high altitude trekking. Be sure to
take:
- Phone and charger
- Credit card
- Cash (some local currency advisable)
- Passport
- Camera, charger, adapter (for different types of electricity plugs), spare battery and an additional SD card
The things mentioned above are in fact the only things
without which I am not going for a journey, but the only absolutely necessary
ones, are credit card, passport and some local cash to start with. All the
necessary items I have in a small waist bag which is always with me and I keep
an eye on it constantly.
Other things that I
take are:
- hiking shoes (preferably not purchased directly before leaving, they should be broken in already! I would definitely recommend waterproof breathable shoes. There is nothing worse than water splashing in your shoe, soaked socks or feet, which cannot "breathe" 14 hours a day or even more! These shoes I have almost all the time on my feet, so I do not have them carry on my back; and if I do take them off, they normally stay in a hostel when I am staying at that time
- flip-flops or sandals (I have very thin flip-flops which do not take up much space, which probably not only one time saved my feet from not necessarily well disinfected bathrooms; I use them also when I want to let my feet breathe and just go around the city - they are far better than sneakers, especially if you catch the unexpected rain:)
- quick-drying microfiber towel (this is generally lighter, and will not be weighed 2 kg more after wiping yourself with it, and it dries much faster than the standard that we use on a daily basis)
- set of cosmetic and toilet:
- Shampoo 100ml
- Shower Gel 100ml
- Antibacterial Hand Gel
- Roll-on Deodorant 20ml (much more efficient, and also anywhere in the airport did not attach the spray)
- Lotion with a high sun protection (up to 100 ml)
- sometimes - strongly effective moisturizer, preferably in a tiny tube (5 ml)
- Lipstick with filter
- Socks (high ones, normally I use these with the most cotton)
- A few pairs of pants
- 1 sports bra, the second - more "elegant" one
- Comfortable long pants (either from material or denim)
- Comfortable pants (covering knees)
- Airy long skirt that I can make shorter by tying in a knot
- 3 t-shirts
- Thermal underwear (such as skiing leggings and a shirt with long sleeves)
- Hoody with a zip in the front
- Fleece jacket
- Waterproof warm jacket
- Or a warm jacket that is packed into a very small size (thanks to developing technology) and a poncho
- Lightweight sleeping bag (some of them weigh less than 800g, and can sometimes save you from catching cold, for example on the bus at high altitude with inoperative or nonexistent heating, or at the airport where you have to wait a few hours on the cold floor)
- Sunglasses
- Guide
- Pen and pencil
- Loose cards or a small notebook
- Mp3
- Small backpack (now there are some available that pack up to a small pocket of a size of a small mobile phone)
- Scarf (in case you are cold and as protection from the sun)
- Gloves
- Baseball cap
- Water bottle (that in some countries you can refill from tap)
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| mine is the smaller one:) |
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