Recommended gear for winter hiking in Nepal

— Friday, March 25th, 2022
As a homeland of eight highest mountains in the world, and diverse topography, Nepal boasts several climatic zones within short altitude fluctuations and corresponding flora and fauna, which is why Nepal is considered one of the best trekking destinations in the world. The Everest Base Camp trekking takes you through the dense forest covered with rhododendron, following the path covered by Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Sherpa. Annapurna Circuit trek is another classic trek in Nepal that takes you through several villages inhabited by ethnic communities, and takes all the way to the world’s 10th highest mountain. Not every trekker loves busy trekking destinations, the places that are overrated and influenced for tourists. Manaslu trekking is one of the best remote treks in Nepal that offers you the best experience in off-the-beaten path as your make through several remote and unique villages. Similarly, the upper Mustang trek is the best trek in the Trans-Himalayan region of Nepal that also gives you the opportunity to walk in the rocky landscape without any sign of trees. Gokyo valley trek is another trek in the Everest region, lesser known but spectacularly beautiful, that takes you through several Gokyo Lakes. 
March to May, and September to November are considered the best time to do any trek in Nepal. During March to May, the lower elevated areas are warm, not too hot, and the high altitude areas shall have moderate temperature. During September to November, the low elevated areas shall have pleasing climate to walk, and the high altitude areas won’t be too cold; however, the early mornings and evenings can be pretty cold. The destination and time you go for hiking in Nepal matters a lot in determining what gear you need to carry. For example, a three-layer system with synthetic base layer, fleece layer, and soft shell layer are sufficient clothing for summer hiking; however, a four-layer system with wool base layer, mid-weight fleece layer, insulation layer, and hard shell layer is required for winter hiking. Following contains the detail of the gears that you need to have for hiking during winter in Nepal.
Hiking Boots that are comfortable and lightweight. Before heading off to Nepal, do not forget to use them for sometimes.
Light sandals/shoes, especially the closed footed ones. It is important to have them during your stay at teahouses.
Qualitative hiking socks. Pack 2-3 pairs, depending upon the duration of the trek.
Have some long sleeved trekking shirts, capable to protect you from the sun. Ensure that they are lightweight and could be washed very comfortably.
To sleep soundly at night times, you might love to bring long sleeve cotton t-shirt. Don’t pack too much, just keep a single t-shirt. It is also very useful to wear as a base layer, for the morning and evenings can be quite cold.
Zip off combat trekking pants that are light weight. Keep 2 such pants; as they are light, and water proof. You can also use them as shorts during the day.
A windbreaker. Carry a good windbreaker to protect yourself from picked up winds. It is also important during the morning and night.
4-5 pairs of innerwear. Do not forget to bring the cotton and polyester innerwear. This combination is very beneficial if you are having problem with friction.
Hat. Do not forget hat. If you are going in the high elevated areas, it is important to block the sun rays from every possible ways. Hat is very essential for you, especially the ones that can cover your ears.
Carry two sunglasses. Ensure that they are genuinely UV rays protection glasses. The higher you go the high UV content is in the ray of the sun. To avoid any easy breakage, you might fancy to buy some hard cased glasses.
Gloves. Yes, gloves are very much essential during the winter hiking. It is better to carry an extra pair of woolen gloves than the ones assumed to be necessary for general hiking in the high altitude areas.
Towel. Do not carry a bath sized towel, carry a medium sized towel that can dry quickly.
Also bring a packet of washing powder, some tablets or drops for water purification, soap, toothbrush, facecloth, toothpaste, dry bag, toiletry bag, etc.
Bring 2 water bottles. Drinking lots of water is key to hydration, and staying hydrated is very much essential throughout your journey. You might need to carry warm water, and there won’t to teahouses everywhere throughout your day trip to boil your water, thus, ensure that you are carrying thermos. A single water bottle may not supply you the sufficient water you need, thus, depending upon the duration of the day, and, especially, if the trip seems to go for quite a number of days, it is better to carry two water bottles. Also ensure that your excitement and journey isn’t ruined by the water bottle, forcing you to stop and search your bag every time you feel like sipping few gulps.
Also carry a dry bag, duct tape, chapstick, and first aid kit. Ensure that the kit you carry has paracetamol, antiseptic cream, small bandage, cream for bites and burn, and plasters. Also ensure that you do know how to use them.
Carry a headlight, with some extra batteries.
Also carry sunscreen to protect you during the exposure to the sunlight.
Also carry a good map with trails properly printed.
Clothing fulfilling the four-layer system is very essential during your hike in the winter season. The interesting part about the four-layer system is that you do switch the layers, or remove them as per your need.
Base Layer: Your base layer should be thin. It normally includes longer innerwear, bottoms, and shirt. Light merino wool base layer is suggested to avoid being overheated while making uphill.
Mid Layer: Your mid-layer must be mid-weight and light. You can choose a fleece you love. Next comes the insulated layer.
Insulated Layer: Get lightweight synthetic or down insulation. Keep in mind that this should fit under the shell layer and over the fleece. Since sweater-styled jacket might get wet during the winter, you might have synthetic insulated jacket.
Outer Shell: The outer layer protects you from getting wet managing breathability. This consists of hard shell layer. The soft shell won’t be waterproof; however, the hard shell may not be breathable despite being windproof and waterproof.
For sleeping, depending on where you are heading off to, you can carry a tent, silk liner, sleeping bag, and sleeping pad. However, if you are trekking/hiking in the areas where there are sufficient number of teahouses are available, do not over weigh yourself with these items. These can be problematic to carry for so long personally, or can increase the cost to porter, if the weight threshold is crossed. However, you can do some research about the place you are heading off to and the time of facilities available throughout the journey, depending upon which, you can make the selection of sleeping gears.
Keep in mind that you do not need to pack any item that isn’t necessary during the trekking. You won’t need a hair dryer, or shaving foam, or any items related to makeup. If you are worried about smelling, pack a very small item. Unless it is your, a kind of-research hiking, do not carry laptops and iPads. Pots, gas stove, pans, solar showers, etc. are also not required during the trek. During your hiking/trekking, you would be packing and unpacking your bag every day, thus, ensure that your rucksack isn’t of the weight that makes you struggle to squeeze the items.
Nepal Himalayas trekking is a leading travel agency in Nepal that has been successful to earn trust and goodwill from trekking and travel enthusiasts since years. We are a group of dedicated, motivated, energetic, proactive, dynamic, and knowledgeable individuals who have been taking trekkers from around the globe to several trekking destinations in Nepal. We always try to ensure that our customers get most out of their hiking or any kind of adventure in Nepal. We arrange every kind of trekking, hiking, tours, and adventures in Nepal. Furthermore, we can also customize any journey as per your preferences and need; do let us know well ahead of the journey. For any inquiry or information about our services, please feel free to contact us; we shall be pleased to be of some help to you.