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Published: 12.04.21

I am choosing outfit and equipment for trekking along the Great Himalayan Trail. Among the important elements of the outfit are knee-high waterproof socks with a membrane. With such socks, Nepalese forest leeches are not scary, and in such socks it will be comfortable in any weather in the mountains.

The problem may seem far-fetched, but it is not. Hikers who find themselves on Nepalese trails during the rainy season will almost certainly receive several leeches a day in addition to wet shoes. It is not dangerous (it may even be good for health), but it is uncomfortable - after a ...

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Published: 30.12.20

Today I tried on the balcony the second one, a downy sleeping bag and a foamless inflator.

Firstly, the presence-absence of inflatable under the rug is felt. Anyway, if you sleep on concrete flor. Last time it was really warm from below. This time - not cold, but not warm either.

Secondly, I realized that the temperature limit of the sleeping bag is really the limit of the comfort temperature. The new Gold Kazoo the North Face downy sleeping bag has a lower comfort temperature of -1C. Today on my balcony the temperature with the w...

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Published: 13.12.20

I keep thinking about nights in the mountains. In different articles they write about a significantly higher level of comfort when using inflatable mats. I decided to try it on myself and bought an inflatable mat Mauntain Equipment Aerostat Synthetic 7.0.

It's -10C outside today. And I spend the night on the balcony on a new mat and in a system of two sleeping bags at + 5C.

Result: sleeping on an inflatable is fundamentally more comfortable. Just super comfortable compared to regular foam mat. Warm and soft. It takes a relatively long time to inflate it even with a speci...

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Published: 06.08.20

By plan I will spend nights during the trip mostly in the homes of local people. However, there is a parts of the route where no one lives. Therefore, the tent is definitely needed and because you have to carry it on yourself, I would like its weight to be within reasonable limits.

So I've bought the Big Agnes tent. At first impression - a wonderful option. Weight - 2.4 kg. Placed quickly, spacious inside. According to the description, it should be warm enough at the heights of the r...

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Published: 09.02.20

Today I met the norm for the duration of the jogging in preparation for the May trip to the Himalayas. I planned to run 22 km by May, and in February I managed to run as many as 24 km. All thanks to the wonderful winter weather - running is much easier than I thought, because there is still no snow.

For 2.5 hours of running, you can think over various moments of travel. I thought about how to cook my own food during autonomous parts of trek. Judging by t...

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Published: 13.11.19

Returning to the question of solar panels ... The experiment showed that solving the problem of providing youself with electricity with the help of solar panels only is not an easy task.

Since the purchase of the first solar battery, there has not been a single clear day. The first battery in three days did not increase the battery charge by a single gram. I suggested that the battery just didn't work and bought a second one. The second battery also added exactly zero to the battery level per day. And then I decided to read the documentation.

On a clear day, an A4-format ...

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Published: 03.11.19

I've bought a solar battery in an online store. Made by SunPower.

It has arrived just in ordinary cardboard box, without instructions, without guarantees and all that. And it looks like a dummy made of polyvinyl chloride with a picture of a solar battery printed on it in black ink.

I called the store. They explained to me very confidently that modern batteries no longer look like silicon wafers with a meta...

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Published: 26.10.19

Since I expect long periods of full autonomy during the trek, the question of the weight of the backpack becomes very important. You’ll have to think about how much each, even a very small item is needed. For example, toothpaste. I never wondered how much would I need for a month. I’ll have to find out experimentally - measure how many days one tube of paste lasts....

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