Mera Peak Packing: The Misses

To follow up on my last post about the things that proved indispensable on the trek, here are the things that I regret bringing and a few things that I wished I had.

1. Quick Dry Towel
   
   All towels are equal, but some are more equal than others. Sigh.
   
   Nick brought his REI camp towel on the trek...but I did not. I packed a super thin cotton towel from India since this is what I wanted for the rest of our round the world trip.
   
   I love these Indian towels because they dry in 10 mins in the sun, are really absorbent for their size, take up less room than Nick's travel towel and are big enough to wrap all the way around me. I have used my favourite towel on countless camping trips and international trips over the years and it has served me very well.
   
   This trek is the first time I found myself wishing I had a camp towel.
   
   
   The weather was almost unrelentingly damp and cold the first 5-6 days of our trek and my towel likewise remained damp and cold the entire time. So it was pretty much useless. It wasn't until we got much higher that we had a properly sunny day and it dried out. But by then, it was so cold that I couldn't face the thought of taking off all my layers for a sponge bath. So it didn't see much use.
   
   Some of our fellow trekkers had brought microfibre, quick-dry towels that were exactly like Nick's, but much larger and I was really wishing I had one too. Even if I don't use a microfibre towel for general international travel and weekend camping trips, I will certainly bring one the next time we do a multi-week trek in the Himalayas! Lesson learned.


2. Pee Bottle
   
   I know this entire topic is kinda gross and TMI...and I can hear myself harping on it, perhaps more than I should. However, this is something that I wish I had known before my first trek! None of the articles/posts I read talked about this aspect of trek life very much, or in any sort of detail.
   
   Many packing lists mentioned pee bottles or a funnel for women as an optional extra. Others joked about peeing a lot. But I didn't know that "a lot" meant 5 times a night! And at least as many times during the day. Nor did anyone mention that you might be peeing between 1 and 2L each night!
   
   Nick bought himself a cheap, 750 mL pee bottle in Lukla (making sure it didn't leak first!). But I didn't think I'd be able to use one successfully, and I wasn't about to buy a special device that I'd have to either ship home, lug around the world or throw out. But knowing what I do now, I'd totally bring a wide-mouthed, nalgene. Maybe this isn't such an important consideration if you're staying in tea houses or if you're only spending a day or two above 5000m. But for Mera Peak, I would say that a pee bottle is a must-have. Next time, Nick would also go for a bigger bottle. He was shocked by how quickly it was getting full! Fortunately for him, I emptied it every time I had to get up.
   
   Oh, and I hope this goes without saying...but remember to get a pee bottle that is a different colour or style than your other water bottles ;)
   


3. Nail Clippers
   
   I don't know about you, but I have never really kept track of how fast my nails grow. Every couple of weeks, when my climbing shoes start to get uncomfortable, or typing becomes trickier, I'll clip 'em. But it feels like I only do it every two months or so. Wanting to keep the weight of our gear down, and because it seemed silly to lug nail clippers to 5000m, I clipped both toes and fingers the night before our trek and figured I'd be fine for the next three weeks. Ha! Perhaps altitude stimulates nail growth?
   
   I think the last few days of the trek, especially Day 18 when we had more than 2000m of downhill, would have been more comfortable had I packed nail clippers.


4. Toothpaste
   
   You know what else we have no idea how often we do? Replace toothpaste. We totally underestimated the amount of toothpaste two people would use in 3 weeks, and we ran out with about 3 days left of trekking to go. Fortunately, our fellow trekkers had lots and were kind enough to share with us. They obviously knew what they were about. Although chocolate bars, tissues and toilet paper were easy to come by at the little stores along the trail, toothpaste was quite the commodity! We didn't see a single place that had any. So be smarter than we were, make sure you pack enough!


5. Fleece-Lined Soft Shell Pants
   
   I wore these just twice on the trip, and only at camp. I found that they just didn't breathe very well, so my legs got sweaty -- even when we were just sitting around having dinner! Maybe a pair of un-lined soft shell pants would have worked better, but personally, I just don't see the value of a soft-shell. If you want more warmth, add a baselayer. If you want waterproofing, go with Goretex. Having something that doesn't do either very well (warmth or waterproofing) just seems like a waste to me.
   
   That said, a few of the men on our trek really loved their soft-shells. Dom, our trip leader and Marco, the intrepid German trekker (who followed up a 3 week trek to Dhaulagiri with Mera Peak) wore theirs all the time after the first week. If soft-shells are worn as a replacement for regular trekking pants at higher altitudes, it kind of makes sense. They are a thicker material and more durable than normal hiking pants. But for me, I was just too cold to go with a single layer by that point. So perhaps it would be a better bet for someone who is better able to handle the cold than I am!