Planning a trek in Nepal and unsure whether to buy your gear in Nepal or at home? Here’s our two cents on the best place to shop for your equipment.
When trekking in Nepal, it’s essential to have high-quality gear that ensures a safe and comfortable experience. This means bringing clothing and equipment that will keep you warm, dry, and protected from harsh winds. While there’s plenty of online advice about what to pack for trekking in Nepal, this article focuses on where to buy your gear – whether in Nepal or elsewhere.
Coming from a Western country it is no problem buying 100% suitable and professional gear for trekking in Nepal. The quality will be high and as a customer you will normally be able to choose from a variety of different brands, picking exactly the equipment that fits your personal image and preference. The downside, however, is that the equipment is likely to be expensive, irrespective of what Western country you’re from, at least compared with Nepal.
Let’s get it out there – Nepal is a great place to buy your trekking equipment. The country has exorbitantly many trekking equipment brands, high-end and expensive, as well as low-end and cheap. No matter what kind of equipment quality you are looking for you’ll therefore be able to find it in Nepal, often at reasonable prices. There are many reasons as to why Nepal is a mekka for trekking equipment, some of them being:
- The country is sandwiched in between China and India, the world’s two largest manufacturing countries, including trekking equipment
- Every year 150,000 tourists visit Nepal just to do trekking in Nepal. Despite some of these having bought some trekking equipment at home, many need some extra bits and pieces, if not all equipment
- The country has thousands of trekking equipment suppliers, e.g. in Thamel, helping to push prices down
Summing up, a couple of great reasons for buying your trekking equipment in Nepal is thus abundance of supply and good prices. Another great reason is that when arriving in Nepal and speaking with the local trekking experts they’ll be able to advise you on exactly what you need – nothing more, nothing less.