My Gear and Equipment

This year the equipment and gear will be very similar to last year - but with a few minor upgrades.

Clothing
	Down suit	One of the most important pieces of equipment, these single piece Eider Articheski down suits provide good protection from cold. I'll be using mine above camp 2. They have full side and rear zips, and plenty of internal pockets for keeping batteries and drinks warm. High wear points on the shoulders, arms and legs are reinforced with Kevlar. There is an internal polar fleece jacket and hood sewn into the suit, which adds warmth and helps keep it sitting on your upper body without compressing the down. Weight is about 2 Kg.
	Down jackets and vests	For when its slightly less cold, we both have Mont high altitude down jackets and vests as well. These are extremely light-weight and compress into tiny bags. We'll both use these at basecamp and then I'll use mine with my down suit up higher sometimes.
	Gortex over-pants	Until I'm wearing the down suit, I'll be wearing my Macpac Mountain Bibs when climbing. We've always used an overall style, helping to keep you warm around the mid-section
	Gortex jackets	For rain while we're trekking in and snow protection up higher when we're not wearing our down suits
	Fleece jackets	For warmth up to base camp and will be used under down suits. We each have a couple of these
	Fleece pants	Worn on their own down low, and under other garments up high
	Thermals	Lots of under-layers ranging in thickness
	Synthetic walking pants	For hiking into base camp, these dry fast if they get wet. Some also have zip off sections, allowing them to be worn as shorts
	Synthetic T-shirts	Again, fast-drying fabrics are essential (otherwise the sweat from your body quickly gets very cold as soon as you stop)
	Jet Heat Vests *NEW	Jett have supplied both of us with battery-powered heat vests to use on this expedition. Paul will wear it under his down suit above C3. This product has won many awards, but it hasn’t been tested in the extreme cold of high altitude mountaineering, so we are interested to see how it performs.
Footwear
	High altitude climbing boots	Boots like these eliminate the need for gaiters, and are said to provide the best protection from the cold. Fiona has the Everest One Sports which she used on last year on Everest and Paul has Millet Everest 3 boots. These will be used from base camp onwards.
	Crampons	These are essential for walking on steep snow or any ice. I'll have them on from base camp onwards.
	Hiking boots	To hike from Lukla to base camp we'll use our regular hiking boots
	Sandals	For using around base camp and during the trek in to base - most probably will be achieving that ever so stylish look of wearing them with thick socks underneath
	Thick socks	Most of the time we will be using normal hiking, explorer type socks
	High-tech socks	We will also have a couple of pairs of super-expensive Lorpen TEPA Polar-Stretch socks for using very high up. These are made from a fleece like fabric and we could only purchase them from Europe
	Thin socks	To use in combination with the thick or high-tech socks, these help with warmth and comfort
	Electric foot warmers	Since experiencing frostbite, we are taking no chances with our feet and have invested in a set of Hotronic battery operated foot warmers. These are like a mini-electric blanket with heat coming through an element mounted in a custom insole. The battery can either clip onto the back of your boot, or using special extension leads which run up your legs inside your down suit, they can sit in your chest pockets. This is also where you control the heat setting. There are 3 settings - the lowest has a temperature of 32 degrees C and battery life of 17 hours and the highest is 72 degrees. We should be able to recharge the batteries at base camp and have purchased additional batteries for when we're away from base camp for a long time
	Chemical toe warmers	We have plenty of these which warm when they are opened from their packaging and stick onto your toes. They go between the liner sock and the outer sock.
	Plastic freezer bags	That's right. This household item will be used between our thin socks and thick socks to provide a water-proof barrier, keeping our warm perspiration close to our feet and not into our outer socks. This helps keep your feet warmer
Head and Hand Wear
	Fleece hats	For warmth in tent, while walking, etc
	Neck warmers	Better than scarves because they don't come off - keep your ears warm too
	Balaclavas	For use up high
	Ski goggles	For use when its cold - provide warmth and protect the eyes from the very harsh UV which can cause snow-blindness
	Glacier sun glasses	When its a bit warmer, we'll be using something like these to protect from UV
	Sun hats	During the trek in and on some sections of the climb, its likely to be warm with harsh UV. A sun hat with a neck covering is essential
	Fleece gloves	Around camp and on lower parts of the trek we'll generally be wearing fleece gloves
	Inner gloves	We'll be using polar tech OR gloves underneath our down mitts when climbing high
	Down mitts	We have new OR Alti Mitts which we'll wear while climbing most of the time. These are regarded as the best mittens available
	Chemical hand warmers	We have plenty of chemical hand warmers (the type that warm for about 8 hours when exposed to the air). We'll be using them inside our mitts and especially making sure that we put them inside our thumb socket this time
Climbing Gear
	Helmet	To protect from falling ice and rocks - especially when climbing in sections where other climbers are ahead
	Climbing harness	Used so that we can use ropes (rope to each other or clip into fixed ropes). Mine is a Black Diamond Alpine Bod that can be put on while standing up after your boots and crampons are already on. The leg loops are adjustable to take into account your thick down suit.
	Ice axe	These will be clipped into my harness at all times. On flatter sections, we'll be using them like a walking stick for balance (holding on where the blade meets the handle) and on steep sections we'll be holding the handle and swinging it above our heads to dig into the ice we're climbing. However, the main purpose of the ice axe is that if you fall and are sliding down the slope, you "self-arrest" by digging the blade into the ice as a brake
	Climbing rope	For roping up to each other while climbing
	Carabiners	For clipping into fixed ropes, and attaching ropes in general. I have both locking and snap-lock versions
	Figure 8	For abseiling down steep sections
	Ascender / Jumar	Used for climbing fixed rope - they slide upwards but not downwards, allowing you to pull yourself up on the rope
	Head lamp	For climbing at night, a strong head torch with a long-life battery will be used.
	Oxygen Mask & Tanks	Once I'm on my summit push, I'll be using supplemental oxygen. The TopOut mask we both used last year seem to perform very well so I've now purchased my own mask for this trip. (Oxygen tanks also accompany the mask and regulator shown here.)
Camping and Carrying Gear
	Hiking packs	We will be using normal hiking packs on the trek into base camp, and further up the mountain. On summit day, the oxygen tanks go into my pack
	Tents	Tents like these will be used above base camp. At base camp they're slightly bigger, less robust versions
	Stove	Above base camp, we'll be using a stove like this to cook our dinner and importantly, to melt water
	Ski poles	We find them handy for trekking and walking in snow (in conjunction with our ice axe)
	Huge duffle bags	These will contain all my gear and will be flown into base camp
Sleeping Gear
	Down sleeping bag - heavy	These bags will be used for camps 2, 3 and 4. They are enormous!!!
	Down sleeping bag - light	These ones will be used at base camp and camp 1. These are similar to what many people would have for hiking in winter
	Silk sleeping bag liners	These are supposed to increase the body temperature by 5 degrees
	Luxury Lite Camp Beds	To give us a bit more comfort, Fiona and I also have these low-profile camp beds to use at basecamp
	Therma-rests	These provide the most comfortable night's sleep when camping - but can be a bit cold so will probably only be used at lower camps
	Foam Mats	Not as comfortable but much warmer for high camps - will possibly use in combination with the therm-a-rests at lower camps for extra comfort
	Pee-bottles	If its very cold or we're camped on a steep site, the idea is not to leave your tent at night!
Miscellaneous Items
	Water bottles	For the hike in
	Thermoses	For water up high - otherwise it freezes
	Camel back	System for having water inside a cask that you can suck from without having to worry about taking a pack off, undoing lids etc. Hydration is really important at altitude so this is a necessity
	Altitude watches	Shows how high we are using the air pressure. These also let us monitor our heart rates
	Cameras	I'll be taking a digital camera as well as a disposable camera with no batteries. Last year Fiona was only able to get 2 photos from the summit as it was too cold for the batteries (even when carried inside the down suit)
	Satellite phone	We'll be accessing a satellite phone to use the internet and communicate with home
	PDA	The mini-computer we'll be using to update this website. We'll also be accessing email using this
	MP3 Players	Can't be without some tunes!
	Pocket knife	Miscellaneous uses
	First aid kit	Blister tape, paracetamol, asprin, Ibuprofin (aches and pains), Imodium (diarrhea), anti-biotics, bandages, Iodine (for purifying water), sunscreen, lipbalm, etc
	Spare batteries	For everything - cameras, MP3 players, torches, etc
	Books	We'll both be spending a fair bit of time at base camp so these will come in handy - last year we did more reading on this trip than we'd done in the previous 2 years in total!
	Toiletries	Wet ones, face wipes, toothbrushes, soap, hair brush, shavers, towels, etc