what would i need? i'm going to asia for a month

[darren]

what equipment will i need for a 1 month expedition to the himalayas. i dont really know much about hiking kit etc. i'm really interested in bushcraft and i'm hoping to learn as much as i can before i go. so any ideas or skills you'd care to share i'd be very grateful. i'm going in july of 2007.so i have time to learn. i'm thinking of getting some books etc but i dont know much bout kit. not very expensive though because i have to raise the money to pay for everything including kit and the flights etc so i cant spend to much on kit.

 

[The Joker]

what equipment will i need for a 1 month expedition to the himalayas. i dont really know much about hiking kit etc. i'm really interested in bushcraft and i'm hoping to learn as much as i can before i go. so any ideas or skills you'd care to share i'd be very grateful. i'm going in july of 2007.so i have time to learn. i'm thinking of getting some books etc but i dont know much bout kit. not very expensive though because i have to raise the money to pay for everything including kit and the flights etc so i cant spend to much on kit.

Yeti repellent spray.

Sounds like a great trip.
You should try and get some sponsors (free kit).
Send a pm to outdoorcode, he would be able to tell you about kit.

 

[JonnyP]

Hi Darren.........Sounds like fun........... Most important is a good pair of boots if you are going to do any distance. If you can get to them Peglers 'below the knee' at arundel have good boots and a superb fitting service. Find out how far you are going to travel each day as to what size of rucksack to get,( I use low alpine, which I find perfect, but there are many good makers) and also how much kit you will need, do you need to carry a tent and sleeping bag. Let us know as much detail as poss for advise.
Hope this helps
I'm into hiking and would be glat to help, though I have not been to the Himalaya.
All the best...............Jon

 

[darren]

i've been googling yeti repellent for bout a week now with no luck. i'm just gunna take a camera and practise my runnin and tree climbing. ow and my yelling for help. we're hiking for 2 weeks and doing 1 week of charity rebuilding homes etc. we'll have guides but i want to learn some bushcraft skills because then i can get up in the morning make my own small fire cook my own pine needle tea. yum yum sounds good. maybe have some sweet chesnuts, brought from home, and laugh at everyone else whos run out of gas in their heaters.

 

[Razorstrop]

not really a bushcraft pre requisite but if your going on a months expedition to the Himalayas, the first piece of kit you need is a fit and healthy body. NO good having all the most useful kit if you are too knackered to use it

Other then that I could write you a list of what I would take , but thats no good seeing as you are going lol.

However I'll start the ball rolling..............a silk liner for your sleeping bag.

Expensive ( £30.00 unless you make your own) but worth every penny.

Happy hiking
Garry

 

[The Joker]

i've been googling yeti repellent for bout a week now with no luck. i'm just gunna take a camera and practise my runnin and tree climbing. ow and my yelling for help. we're hiking for 2 weeks and doing 1 week of charity rebuilding homes etc. we'll have guides but i want to learn some bushcraft skills because then i can get up in the morning make my own small fire cook my own pine needle tea. yum yum sounds good. maybe have some sweet chesnuts, brought from home, and laugh at everyone else whos run out of gas in their heaters.

Try and get your self along to a few meets, you'll learn loads when every one can show you, and then you can put it to practise as well

 

[darren]

Hi Darren.........Sounds like fun........... Most important is a good pair of boots if you are going to do any distance. If you can get to them Peglers 'below the knee' at arundel have good boots and a superb fitting service. Find out how far you are going to travel each day as to what size of rucksack to get,( I use low alpine, which I find perfect, but there are many good makers) and also how much kit you will need, do you need to carry a tent and sleeping bag. Let us know as much detail as poss for advise.
Hope this helps
I'm into hiking and would be glat to help, though I have not been to the Himalaya.
All the best...............Jon

thxs. i'm not sure on the distance we'll be doing or the height etc but i dont think i'll need to carry a tent but i do need to carry a sleeping bag. i've got a 400 arctic style sleeping abg at the moment but i have a feeling it will be too thick for the location but it could get cold at night. even when packed the bag is about 30cm diameter 12inches. its a large bag but i've got a smaller 250 which is half the thickness and can get quite cold.

 

[JonnyP]

Try to get as much info as poss on where you are going....type where you are going to into google and find out the night time temps etc, so you will know which bag to take......A down bag would be best out there, being warmer and lighter and as already mentioned a silk liner..........their lovely.
.............................Jon

 

[Graham_S]

it's better to have a sleeping bag that's too warm than one that is not warm enough.
you can always open it up.
but i think the most important thing is comfortable, well broken in boots that you are used to walking in.

 

[Carcajou Garou]

Get a good pack and load it with some weights and climb as many stairs as you can increase the weight and stairs as you get in shape. Learn to pace even when it is good at elevation it is nessecary. As far as Yeti repellent bring along a scientist from what I gather they have never been there when a Yeti was pesent

 

[Razorstrop]

I agree with the above, shame your not from up North, as you could venture the steps at Mallham Cove. Anyone one whos been there will know exactely what I mean


Out of breath thinking about those monsters
Garry

 

[Longstrider]

Darren, you are a lucky so-and-so. My partner and I were in the Himalaya and Hindu Kush earlier this year. It's a wonderful, magical place with the most incredible people. Apart from the stated well broken-in boots and a good sleeping bag you will need a good kip-mat.The best advice I can give is that you research the people of the area you are going to, and try to learn a little of the language. No-one out there does not know the meaning of "Hello", but a warm "Salaam Alekuum" will open far more doors to you and be greeted with warmer smiles. (Assuming they speak Urdu of course!) Second is that you take LOTS of medication for gyppy tummy. It can go either way so take stoppers and goers. Rehydration salts are a good idea too.Take a Sigg water bottle and fill it only from purchased SEALED bottles of water. If you have the chance, chill it overnight in the Sigg, coz it will be hot during the day and you'll be glad of a cold drink you can trust. You will need plenty of sun cream too, not only will it be hot, the sun is more fierce at altitude. Unless you are happy doing things "the arab way" take some loo roll, it doesn't exist outside the hotels more used to westerners. Be ready to eat the local food (even if you have seen the way the meat is butchered!) and enjoy the green tea (Lovely stuff!) PM me if you want more in-depth info. A Swiss Army Knife like the Ranger will prove invaluable, even if only for opening bottles of Pepsi. Take one you don't mind coming home without, you'll find there are plenty of folks you will be glad to leave it with as a gift when you leave. (Mine is doing the rounds in a jeep somewhere in the NW Frontier Province these days) The same applies to most of your kit really. There will be people who can really use whatever you can leave behind, sleeping bag, kip mat, fleece top, anything. Oh, and don't rely on a jet flame lighter above 10,000 feet, they don't like it up there. An ordinary disposable lighter or matches might not be as efficient in the wind, but at least they'll light.
Truth is, I'm really jealous of you being able to make the trip, and I'll help where I can.

 

[darren]

Get a good pack and load it with some weights and climb as many stairs as you can increase the weight and stairs as you get in shape. Learn to pace even when it is good at elevation it is nessecary. As far as Yeti repellent bring along a scientist from what I gather they have never been there when a Yeti was pesent

no way! i'm not going to share my nice yeti discovery with some scientists. my yeti.

 

[darren]

Darren, you are a lucky so-and-so. My partner and I were in the Himalaya and Hindu Kush earlier this year. It's a wonderful, magical place with the most incredible people. Apart from the stated well broken-in boots and a good sleeping bag you will need a good kip-mat.The best advice I can give is that you research the people of the area you are going to, and try to learn a little of the language. No-one out there does not know the meaning of "Hello", but a warm "Salaam Alekuum" will open far more doors to you and be greeted with warmer smiles. (Assuming they speak Urdu of course!) Second is that you take LOTS of medication for gyppy tummy. It can go either way so take stoppers and goers. Rehydration salts are a good idea too.Take a Sigg water bottle and fill it only from purchased SEALED bottles of water. If you have the chance, chill it overnight in the Sigg, coz it will be hot during the day and you'll be glad of a cold drink you can trust. You will need plenty of sun cream too, not only will it be hot, the sun is more fierce at altitude. Unless you are happy doing things "the arab way" take some loo roll, it doesn't exist outside the hotels more used to westerners. Be ready to eat the local food (even if you have seen the way the meat is butchered!) and enjoy the green tea (Lovely stuff!) PM me if you want more in-depth info. A Swiss Army Knife like the Ranger will prove invaluable, even if only for opening bottles of Pepsi. Take one you don't mind coming home without, you'll find there are plenty of folks you will be glad to leave it with as a gift when you leave. (Mine is doing the rounds in a jeep somewhere in the NW Frontier Province these days) The same applies to most of your kit really. There will be people who can really use whatever you can leave behind, sleeping bag, kip mat, fleece top, anything. Oh, and don't rely on a jet flame lighter above 10,000 feet, they don't like it up there. An ordinary disposable lighter or matches might not be as efficient in the wind, but at least they'll light.
Truth is, I'm really jealous of you being able to make the trip, and I'll help where I can.

thanks strider. i was hoping to learn some of the language because i'm a budding linguist. i speak spanish and french and english but i doubt any of those will be spoken there. is there anything i could make like this, http://www.bushcraftuk.com/content/articles.php?action=show&showarticle=61, thanks to mad dave for this. i think we'll be sharing tents so i might have to carry it occasionally but it'll be like a 3 or 4 man tent. i'm really looking forward to it but i'm bit nervous. Theres bears down there and my current knife isnt too good against a big bear.

 

[Longstrider]

A little stove like that might well come in handy for warming a billy and getting a brew on if you are in the wilds, but around any sort of habitation you'll probably find no shortage of offers of excellent green tea. If you take the stove, don't forget that you can use just about any fat or oil in something like this, it just might prove to be a little more smelly than candle wax.
As for bears, thers not a blade I've ever seen that I'd be happy tackling a bear with. (Oh for the days when I still had my .454 Casull...) Best policy is to shout "Hi bear!" and let him know you are there so you don't startle him and then keep well out of his way.

Whereabouts are you heading to? The Himalaya stretch a loooong way.....

 

[darren]

A little stove like that might well come in handy for warming a billy and getting a brew on if you are in the wilds, but around any sort of habitation you'll probably find no shortage of offers of excellent green tea. If you take the stove, don't forget that you can use just about any fat or oil in something like this, it just might prove to be a little more smelly than candle wax.
As for bears, thers not a blade I've ever seen that I'd be happy tackling a bear with. (Oh for the days when I still had my .454 Casull...) Best policy is to shout "Hi bear!" and let him know you are there so you don't startle him and then keep well out of his way.

Whereabouts are you heading to? The Himalaya stretch a loooong way.....

we're probably going to the border of china but thats our final destination, we're doing a weeks work with a school of chineese refugees, hoping that the chineese feds dont turn up and get angry. whats the best sort of knife to get. at the moment i'm using my diving knife and its ok but not best for bushcraft. how do i start a fire then because i havnt a clue. i tried to make an eygptian bowdrill but it failed misserable. am i better off getting a flint and using my knife on it? i'll prob end up using my pocket stove which i'm hoping to make a small test one 2morrow or later on this week. i made a hiking stick from a cut branch from my garden, its soft wood but its dried out a bit and not so soft any more. my knifes reasonably sharpe and i found it fairly hard to cut. the bark came off fairly easily.

ow and yelling 'hi bear' doe that work? they dont understand english but surely yelling hi bear would startle it?

 

[The Joker]

Dont forget what ever knife you get you prob wont be able to take it out of the uk

 

[darren]

Dont forget what ever knife you get you prob wont be able to take it out of the uk

very true. if i were to put it in my oack i might be able to if i declare it and tell them why i have it. otherwise i might have to barter when i'm out there.
if i speak very nice to the person at the customs etc they might let me through.

 

[arctic hobo]

very true. if i were to put it in my oack i might be able to if i declare it and tell them why i have it. otherwise i might have to barter when i'm out there.
if i speak very nice to the person at the customs etc they might let me through.

My (very limited) experience of that is that they will either take it off you, fine you, or not even let you in at all. Best to get something while you're there, or post it to yourself.

 

[bambodoggy]

Do you know where exactly you are going? I worked as a Climbing Instructor and Rafting Guide in Nepal for a while and know the Pokora area fairly well.

Forget about pine needle tea, there's not many tree's about...lol...and I wouldn't bother with the sweet chestnuts.

Read everyting you can about the climate and area before you go and get used to camping over here before you go. Listen to Longstrider, if he's been to the same area you're going to then he knows what he's talking about and his advice sounds spot on from what I remember when I was that way about 10 years ago

Apart from that the very best advise I can give you is to watch, talk to and listen to the local guides you have with you....to you it will be bushcraft, to them it will be everyday life and you will learn more from them in a few weeks than from books in a lifetime.

Have a good trip Mate

Bam.