Your Backpack Is Incomplete Without These 12 Trekking Essentials

Before you start reading this, pick your favorite from these best destinations for trekking in India for a clearer idea where you're heading to - Get Your Backpack Ready To Conquer The Best Trekking Destinations In India.Now that you've picked a destination, we've also curated a guide to know - How To Pack For Trekking. 

Trekking in India is worth an experience to get out of your comfort zone and explore the most beautiful destinations with your naked eye. Some of the best trekking places in India includes the Uttrakhand, Leh, Ladakh and The Himalayas. One of the most famous trek destinations also includes Triund And Spiti Valley. Before you start packing, here are the list of trekking essentials you've got to keep in mind before packing as each one of them holds separate importance and are crucially necessary.  You may think that trekking is a cool sport and packing for it is not a great deal, but there is something you should keep in mind that your backpack can make your trek or break your trek so make sure you've got these trekking essentials sorted.

1. Navigation Essentials - Map And Compass

If you're travelling solo or even in groups having a compass and map is essentials as nobody knows how complicated a trek can get. You might end up losing tracks and get lost, so it's always better to be prepared and know your routes well. Make sure you know how to read maps and make the right use of a compass because phone's DIE!

2. Headlamp and Flashlight For Illumination

A Headlamp or a Flashlight or for that matter a torch is a MUST-HAVE and very important essential for trekking, you never know about at what time you will reach your destination, so yeah a light resource is a must to keep with you as an essential. Be it an overnight journey or not, it always important to keep a flashlight along, there's always a chance of reaching late or facing obstacles.

3. First Aid - Safety Comes First

Trekking is a difficult adventure sport and the routes can be very rough and it's not surprising to get several cuts and bruises during the trek. So keep a first aid kit ready as you can never neglect such an important trekking essential. Always remember to carry your first aid kit with you - It's better to be safe than sorry. Not every part plant you touch or animal you encounter will ever have will be safe enough to get away with easily. A trekking environment can be very dangerous at times.

4. Extra Clothing For Unpredictable Weather

An obvious essential, at least two pairs of suitable clothes for yourself and if you want you can keep an extra pair of shoes as well. It is always better to have fresh clothes to change when possible during the trekking as journeys can be long. Keep that aside unpredictable weather is a nightmare it can get wet, windy or chilly any time so one should always be prepared to undergo such circumstances.

5. Sun Protection Is Necessary

A sunscreen and sunglasses are must-haves to protect your skin from sunburns and harsh radiations. UVB rays can be extremely dangerous and you've got prevent yourself from the same as it harms your skin to a great extent as it can burn your skin in a similar away it can also have an harmful effect on your eyesight. A trek is a hard way to go and you shouldn't leave behind any essential to protect yourself on the way. 

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6. Enough Food Supplies For Survival

You should never rely on street vendors for food essentials while on a trek, there can be times that there will be nothing on the way to provide food, so you should essentially keep extra food supplies like chips, biscuits, glucose and other small food items. Keep these food supplies in an easily accessible pocket on your backpack as these items should be easily accessible when hungry.

7. Water Is Essential 

Water is a very essential part, you won't be able to survive without water so always keep extra bottles of water with you so that you don't run short of it while trekking. Trekking can get very tiring and surviving without water can lead to dehydration and you would definitely not want that so be prepared with extra bottles of water. Nothing can keep your energy levels high as much as food supplies and water does.

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8. Emergency Shelter 

Keep a portable tent with you for unfavorable conditions, sometimes you do not get proper shelter for staying back while trekking so having one your own is the best way out of that situation. One could have either of them - ultralight tarp, a bivy sack or an emergency space blanket each of them are good options to keep in mind.

9. Fire Starters

Keep things like lighter and matches with you for emergency fire illumination while trekking. Keep in mind that these fire supplies are waterproof for staying on the safer side in case of heavy rainfall. It's also important for signaling when in danger so make sure you have either water-proof matches or flint fire starter. There are multiple uses for the same - be it for food preparation or signalling when in danger.

10. Handy Tools

Keep a knife for safety in case of any wild animal attack not only this knife helps you out in various situations like cutting your way through a leafy forest or chopping down small wood for camp fire. One can choose between keeping a flathead screwdriver, A Knife or scissors - you can carry a couple of these to make surviving easier even a can opener and duct tape can be considered as essentials. Keeping these sharp tools handy will help with preparation of food, safety purposes and a lot more.

11. Rain Cover

This is a very important thing to carry if you are trekking in the rainy season for it will protect your bag and things it is carrying to get damp in heavy rainfall. A must have because you never know when the weather changes. It's better to be safe than sorry, you can't miss out on an important item like this one, weather changes get worse and can become totally unpredictable, be wise and make sure you carry a cover to keep your essentials safe.

12. Walking Stick

You might see this one essential for the weaklings, but that's not true, it's essential to carry a walking stick as it supports you throughout the trek through thick and in as you end up transferring your weight on to it. They are great to lean on when you want to take a breather. One can also use it as a safety weapon when in danger in case of self-defense. It's also useful to get rid of spider webs - trust me! It's the most important essential you can't miss out on when trekking in India. They are easy to carry and foldable which means it hardly giving any extra weight to your backpack.

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FAQ

Q: Which are the most difficult treks in India?

A: Stok Kangri, Chadar Trek, Hamta Pass, Markha River

Q: Which are the easiest treks in India?

A: Dodital Trek, Dzongri Trek, Chopta, Valley Of Flowers