Essential kit for a trekking adventure

Guest    Travel Gear, Trekking Gear, trekkingholidays     camping gear, trekking, Trekking clothing, trekking gear, trekking holidays, Walking boots, walking gear

If you’re embarking on a trek, the number one thing you’ll need to have organised is your kit. While the route can be changed and you can plan for unpredictable weather, decent kit (including a tent, cooking equipment, and suitable clothing) is essential to see you through pretty much anything, especially if you’re heading out alone or on an unfamiliar route.

Good equipment always helps Photo:Flickr/stevecadman

You’ll need to consider equipment that is particularly suited for the environment you’ll be in. In cold and windy climates, a sturdy tent is a necessity, as is a thick groundsheet and an air mattress to keep you as warm as possible. Ask staff at your local store for tips, and take your time picking the right products. A tent sale is a great way of meeting fellow camping enthusiasts, so if you’re feeling confident, ask them for their top picks.

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Top 10 Treks in Nepal: the best routes in the Himalayas

Sophie Nicholson    Top 10s, trekkingholidays     Hiking, Himalayas, Nepal, Trek, Treking in Nepal, trekking, trekking holidays

For any true mountain lover, trekking in the Himalayas in nothing less than a rite of passage: the ultimate trekking destination. Each year, thousands of trekkers and mountaineers make their way to Nepal to see its awe-inspiring mountains first-hand and to immerse themselves in this sacred and culturally diverse land.

Trekking in Nepal. Image: Flickr/mckaysavage

Nepal is blessed with a rich and demanding landscape of lush green forests, high shining mountains, hilly foot trails, and beautiful lakes and springs. With such an abundance of trekking holidays on offer, it can be difficult to know where to start when planning a trip to Nepal.

This guide hopes to help point you in the direction so that you can find the trek best suited to you. Trekking in Nepal may be a once in a lifetime holiday, so we want to make sure you get it right, right  from the beginning….

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Snowshoe beats boot for winter walking

Sophie Nicholson    trekkingholidays     Iceland, snowshoe, snowshoeing, trekking, Trekking in Iceland, Walking, winter sports

For some, the onset of winter cannot come soon enough. Most skiers, snowboarders, ice climbers and snow leopards spend all year impatiently waiting for temperatures to fall and for snow to start falling on them there hills.

Sometimes boots just aren't enough. Image: Photos: Ragnar Th. Sigurðsson

However, not all outdoor enthusiasts are made of the same stuff, and for many of us average hill walkers, the arrival of winter can actually put paid to any trekking holidays we’ve planned – and be a bit of a pain in the icicle.

If you are not versed in the world of crampons and the art of self-arrest, a hard winter can kind of put paid to any of those fabulously relaxing and invigorating winter walking days out on the hill.

But don’t pack away your trekking gear just yet…

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Walking gear : how getting your kit off keeps you warm

Mark Pawlak    ash, Travel Gear     clothing, Nepal, trekking, trekking gear, Trekking in Nepal, Walking clothing, walking gear, Walking kit

Sounds crazy? But that’s right, the best way to keep warm is to get your walking gear off  – well, as much of it as possible…

We all keep on far too many clothes when it warms up, leaving us with little else to put on when the temperature drops again – no wonder we still feel cold when mummified in winter jackets and fleeces.

Layer up when you need to, kit off when you don't. Image: Flickr/thedanphotos

The same applies when we come in from the cold or shelter for a while when out walking. Basically , we play the layer game when the temperature drops but don’t like to reduce layers when it rises again.

The key to getting your layers right is to not judge temperature by what’s outside, but on how warm you feel inside.

Some of these skills come with experience, but arguably you can learn them walking to the shops: you don’t need to be trekking in Nepal to apply the onion-skin approach to layers.

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Trekking Machu Picchu:should we trek on sacred ground?

Jonathan Tait    trekkingholidays     Colombia, Machu Picchu, trekking, trekking holidays, Trekking in Colombia, Trekking in Peru

Ciudad Perdida, Machu Picchu, Roraima.  All sacred places and all top trekking holidays for thousands of tourists every year. But is it right for us to walk free over this holy ground? Does our modern impact anger the gods?  And if we are trekking Machu Picchu and other sites of religious significance, can we ever balance our needs with those of the places we visit?

The view onto Machu Picchu Image: Flickr/Active Steve

Roraima, the great tepuy of Venezuela’s Gran Sabana and inspiration for Arthur Conan Doyle’s The Lost World, is a sacred link between earth and sky for the native Indians of the area. It’s their Mount Olympus, and with its endemic life forms and constantly shifting weather systems, it’s a mystical wonder even to an avid agnostic.

A telling sign of the lasting importance of Roraima’s spirituality is the necessity of all treks to be accompanied by at least one native Indian. It is his duty to offer a blessing to the 1800-metre rock face, and request divine permission to scale its heights. Whilst it may seem phoney to the western tourist, it’s no effort to respect these beliefs and be glad that there is a job that no one can be more qualified for than a native.

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5 reasons why you need travel, not Christmas

Mark Pawlak    ash     camping, kitesurfing, Kitesurfing Egypt, New Zealand, RTW, Spain, Travel, trekking, Walking, Xmas

If you’ve a travelling gene, every holiday is a chance to get away and Christmas is no exception. Now, if you’re living in the UK or northern Europe, it’s likely you’ve been waiting all year for that skiing or snowboarding holiday.

Can you spot Santa?

But, if you’ve needed thawing out since October and are dreaming of feeling the sun on your neck, you’ll be teasing yourself with trekking somewhere warm – or just going ‘random’ and rocking up at departures with half-baked plan and a dream…

So, here are 5 reasons why you need travel, not Christmas.

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Winter walking: what you’ll need

Mark Pawlak    Trekking Gear, trekkingholidays     camping, outdoor activity, trekking, trekking gear, trekking holidays, Walking, walking gear, winter, winter walking

During the colder months, it’s all too easy to find excuses to avoid the great outdoors, wrapping up warm and staying in with yet another hearty (and fattening) meal. However, as tempting as it is, staying indoors during winter can be a mistake as nature gears up for a spectacular display of her powers and begins to bless us with some of the most fabulous views you’ll see all year.

Winter Walking with good gear. Image: Flickr/Nick Bramhall

Winter walking is a wonderful way of getting out and enjoying these views, as well as learning to appreciate nature and the frozen ground under your feet. It’s also a great way of keeping fit and active during the cold season, as good food and excess layers of clothing make it easier to pile on the pounds.

But winter walking is a little different from the walks that you’re used to completing in the summer and you need to prepare for them accordingly. Staying warm is your first priority, as lower temperatures can cause problems: look out for clothing designed to deal with cold weather. Companies such as The North Face are especially good for this, with many of their items specially designed to trap body heat and repel water during bad-weather walks.

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