travel guide

Trek to Khopra Ridge trek is one of the amazing off–beaten trails for trek lovers around the world. This trek becomes the golden opportunity to admire the wonders of Nepal’s Himalayas offering cherishable memories if you plan the trip with the exact knowledge about the types of clothing you need to wear.

A little ignorance or a kind of unpreparedness can badly affect your health ruining the whole Himalayan experience.  Himalayan Masters leave no stone unturned to help you plan the trip in an outstanding manner so that you can be blessed with each and every moment of your travel.

This article briefly tells you about the kinds of gear (especially the clothing) you require during your Khopra Danda trek. The types of clothes you require to wear especially at the lower altitude depend on the season of your visit. The trail above 3000 meters is usually very cold throughout the year requiring extremely warm clothing in the mornings and evenings.

You need to take warm clothes regardless of the season as the final destination, Khopra Danda (Ridge), lies at an altitude of 3640 meters. If you still extend your trek up to Kayer Lake at 4660 meters, you must be prepared accordingly as the temperature might go below zero degrees. The clothing you require for the Khopra Ridge trek is described below in five different categories:

Headwear

• Beanie
• Hat
• Sunglasses/snow goggles
• Balaclava

The Head is the most sensitive part of the human body. Most sicknesses during travel in the Himalayas begin to appear in the head. Headache, nausea, etc. are the symptoms of cold and altitude sickness. Thus, the head must be protected from the chilling cold in the higher elevation and probably from scorching sunlight in the lower elevation in the daytime.

Sunhat can be the best while hiking on a sunny day to prevent the face and neck from getting sunburned. A Woollen or fleece cap and a beanie are essential for keeping the whole head warm in the Himalayas. Most mornings and evenings require beanies in the Khopra Ridge trek. Similarly to protect the neck balaclava is an amazing option.

Sunglasses or snow goggles are useful for protecting your eyes from scorching sunlight and extremely cold conditions respectively. Some parts of the trail might be full of dust and windy. In such areas, your eyes can be safe using sunglasses.

Handwear

All the mornings above 3000 meters require gloves for you to keep your hands and fingers warm. If you are planning your trip in the winter season, be prepared to wear warm gloves from the beginning of your trek. There are different kinds of gloves in the market but we suggest you choose the ones having multi-layered gloves having fur inside which produces warmth and a water/airproof layer outside. Woollen, synthetic or waterproof gloves are the best options. The combination of woolen and synthetic gloves can be the best to keep away from extremely cold.

Upper/Top Wear

The clothing you require above the waist and below the neck is known as upper or top wear. You must be very careful to protect your body from the cold in the Himalayas. The best way to keep the body warm is to wear multi-layers of clothes. While hiking in higher altitudes, especially above 3500 meters, you need at least three layers of clothes.  The base, the mid, and the outer layer are the three basic layers you need to wear to maintain the proper temperature for your body.

The Base

The base layer is attached to your skin. It is supposed to be comfortably fit with your body. The clothes you wear as a base layer should be made up of materials that wick the sweat preventing you from catching a cold. Merino wool is highly recommended as it contains odour-resistant properties. You better carry an extra base layer for a weeklong trip.

Mid Layer

As the body produces heat, the base layer helps to make extra heat and the mid-layer protects that providing enough warmth to the body. So it is also an important insulator. The clothing for the mid-layer is supposed to be light, breathable, and stretchable.

Outer Layer

The outer layer is so much important for hiking in the Himalayas. The outer layer is supposed to be windproof and waterproof as it has to protect your body from outer conditions like snowfall, rainfall, and wind. The down jacket contains fantastic insulator-like fluffs creating lots of small air pockets that trap the warm air and retain heat keeping your body warm even in extreme cold. Besides, the fleece jacket, raincoats, and most importantly the Gore-Tex are the best options to choose for the outer layer.

Lower/Bottom Wear

• trekking pants
• wind/water resistant pants
• Gore-Tex pants

The clothing you require to cover from the waist to your ankles is called lower wear. As the base layer for your lower body, underwear is the most important one. It might sound silly to talk about underwear. But in fact, it might cause great harm if you cannot choose the right underwear for your hike.

While having a long walk you are likely to get a chafe causing much discomfort and pain if you wear ordinary underwear. The cotton seems to be okay only for a few hours walk but if you walk for long hours, cotton surely leads to severe chafing. So, we suggest you not use cotton. Instead, you can use synthetic underwear that properly wicks moisture away from the skin and keep you comfortable for hours.

The shorts or half-length trousers are suitable for hiking in the lower elevations, especially during the daytime. The spring and autumn days in the lower altitudes of the Khopra Danda trail are significantly warm that you do not require warm trousers or fleece pants. But as you go higher, the mornings and the evenings get colder and colder so you need to have fleece pants and warm trousers. The regions above 3500 meters require warm fleece pants for the whole day.

As we know, there is wild temperature fluctuation even on a single day in the Himalayas. You might feel extremely hot for an hour and extremely cold for the next hour. So, the best way to cope with such conditions is to wear clothes in layers so that you can easily remove and add the layer(s) of clothes depending on the situation.

Gore-Tex pants are amazing as it allows you to sit on the snow without soaking your behind.

Foot Wear

A little discomfort in your legs affects the success of your trek and it might result in the cancellation of your trip. So, you are required to choose the right footwear that is made up of the materials which make your walk cozy. The KhopraDanda trails require trekking boots as it passes through some of the rough sections with stony path and snowy trail.

Most importantly do not forget to choose light boots otherwise you may have to be obsessed with the weight of your boots. The trekking boots are also supposed to be water-repellant. You may have to walk in the rain in the lower elevations and on the snow in higher elevations. Besides having a pair of hiking boots, you are likely to carry a pair of running shoes which can be great to make any sightseeing during the trip.

For example, if you like to spend a day acclimatization before hiking to an extremely higher altitude, you probably do not want to end up the full day in bed! You make a short hike around the area for a few hours. Although it is not mandatory, you can also have a pair of sandals for strolling around the teahouse or in the hotel, especially in the evenings and in the mornings.

Along with the shoes, you require some pairs of socks. It is better to have a pair of socks for each day of your trek. Normal fabric socks are enough for lower elevations whereas you might require the woollen warm socks in the higher altitude.