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Myanmar Trek  
Gear List

IMG Myanmar Trek Gear List

This equipment list is meant to help you compile your personal gear for the Myanmar trekking trip. Most items are required. Please consider each item carefully and be sure you understand the function of each piece of equipment before you substitute or delete items from your duffle. Keep in mind that this list has been carefully compiled by Eric Simonson, the expedition organizer. Don't cut corners on the quality of your gear.

Travel Items
[  ]Duffel Bags: One duffle will accompany you on the trek. Less is more…please pack carefully and do not bring the "kitchen sink"! You will also store some travel clothes at the hotel in Yangon while trekking, so a smaller additional bag with a lock might be handy. Tip: Bring 5 large plastic garbage bags to pack gear inside duffels to protect gear from rain.
[  ]Daypack: Large daypack or bag with a shoulder strap, so you don't have to set it down while doing the duffle shuffle or handling travel documents while going through passport control and customs at the airport. It needs to be big enough to hold everything you'll need for an overnight stop.
[  ]Locks: You'll want padlocks in Myanmar, but for flying out of the USA, it might be better to use plastic zip ties which can be cut by TSA staff if necessary (bring extra zip ties) or TSA approved locks.
[  ]Travel Wallet: Important for carrying your important documents including passport, extra photos, duffel inventory list, and money. We suggest that you use a travel wallet that you can hang around your neck and place inside your shirt, or around your waist tucked under your shirt or trousers.
[  ]Passport (valid for at least 6 months after the trip ends with sufficient extra pages for visa stamps and in same name as airline ticket (or with endorsement-for women who changed name w/ marriage).
[  ]Good quality photocopy of your passport (first 2 pages) and several additional passport photos.

Trekking Gear
[  ]Trekking Poles: Poles come in handy for balance and easing impact to your knees. Get collapsible poles that can attach to your backpack.
[  ]Backpack: The travel pack may be big enough for the trek. You will want a pack big enough for carrying your sleeping bag and pad (if necessary).
[  ]Pack Cover: Waterproof rain cover for your pack.
[  ]Sleeping Bag: Rated to freezing.
[  ]Lightweight sleeping pad
[  ]Folding umbrella

Footwear
[  ]Lightweight Shoes: Running/tennis shoes and sandals for camp, around town, etc.
[  ]Hiking Boots: Medium-weight hiking boots, waterproofed and broken-in.
[  ]Socks: 3 complete changes of socks, in a combination that you have used and know works for you. Make sure your boots are roomy enough for the sock combination you intend to use.

Clothing
[  ]Base Layer: 1 pair synthetic long johns
[  ]Mid Layers: One additional warm layer (wool sweater, another fleece jacket, shelled vest, etc, that can be worn in conjunction to the other layers).
[  ]Shell Jacket: Waterproof/breathable jacket with hood.
[  ]Shell Pants: Waterproof/breathable pants (full side zips are best).
[  ]Trekking Clothes: Light hiking pants and / or hiking shorts for warm weather down low- NOT cotton. Shirts for hiking on nice days (t-shirts OK, quick-drying synthetic fabric far better). Look for construction that provides freedom of movement and/or stretch materials. Fabric should be a breathable synthetic that preferably holds up to abrasion and dries quickly. You can wear them over longjohns if it is chilly (it should not get too cold)!
[  ]Casual Clothes: For travel/meals in dining rooms. You'll want a shirt or two with a collar to wear on flights and for restaurants. A sweatshirt or light jacket might be nice in the evening.
[  ]Bathing Suit: Some of the hotels may have pools

Clothing Accessories
[  ]Gloves: Light gloves for hiking.
[  ]Hats: Warm wool or heavy fleece hat, sun hat and bandana.
[  ]A "Buff" or light balaclava to breathe through in the cold dry air. Good for preventing "Khumbu cough"

Camp Accessories
[  ]Headlamp: With several sets of extra batteries.
[  ]Water Bottles: 2 water bottles with foam insulation shells. Bring a Pee bottle too.
[  ]Water Treatment: Iodine tablets (Potable Aqua or similar) or iodine crystals (Polar Pure).
[  ]Camera: With spare batteries, film and memory cards.
[  ]Pocket Knife.

Personal Accessories
[  ]Wrist Watch: With alarm and light for reading in the dark. We like the Suunto ones.
[  ]Eyewear: Bring good sunglasses. For contact lens wearers, ski goggles with light color lenses (for use at night) might be useful in windy conditions that cause blowing dust.
[  ]Vision correction: Bring extra prescription eyeglasses or contact lenses if you wear them. Lens solutions are not widely available, so bring enough.
[  ]Skin Care: Maximum SPF sunscreen and lip balm.
[  ]Basic First Aid and personal: Bring plenty of hand sanitizer (Purell). Also you'll want moleskin, tape, aspirin (many climbers take an 81mg aspirin every day to prevent stroke), ibuprofen / acetaminophen, Imodium and Pepto Bismol for diarrhea, Band-Aids, antacid, insect repellant, ear plugs, several rolls of toilet paper, small towel, soap/shampoo, a few disposable dust masks, hand cream (for chapped hands).
[  ]Prescription Medications:
  1. Antibiotic for respiratory and GI problems (azithromycin "Z-Pak")
  2. Sleeping pills for jet lag
  3. Malaria Chemophrophylaxis, if needed based on travel plans
  4. Asthma medication, if any history.
[  ]Cold medicine (Sudafed, etc), Chloroseptic or Tessalon Perles throat lozenges.
[  ]Personal Snack Food: Approximately 5 pounds of personal snacks, also some drink mixes if you like these (add drink mix to your water bottle after giving iodine tablets 30 minutes of contact time).
[  ]Books/videos/magazines. Plan on sharing among your team members.
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