…and other useful items with side notes about obtaining them.

Version 1.0 – Dec. 10, 2008

Items are listed in no particular order.

• Swiss Army pocket knife – a life saver and a given for all travelers (just don’t forget to check it in with your luggage).
• Electrical Plug Adapters – Targus, Nexxen (the source), and if you feel like splurging, Kensington have excellent all-in-one-multi-adapters for all types of electrical items (especially laptops). In Nepal’s infamous tech-haven New Road, none of the dozen or so merchants had items like this so it would be best if you brought a dependable one from home.Side note: for electrical appliances as a whole, no need to bring any (although I would be surprised if you had the room available in your luggage) as you can easily get them here with the right plug and for a much cheaper price as compared to back home.
• Toilet paper (1 or 2 rolls) – cause you never know when you would need it. Don’t expect washrooms to have any (actually, go in thinking that every time).
• A bar of soap – for those travelers who run out or forgot to bring toilet paper. Hand sanitizer gel is great as well.
• A portable/small drying towel – TBA
• A few good quality clothes – Bring a few good quality and durable clothing for trekking or outdoor activities. For example: 2 good trekking pants, 1 pair of shorts, 2 t-shirts and 2 long sleeve shorts (good quality, moisture, etc.), a few underwear and socks and you are good to go. After that, you can easily get more daily types of clothing easily in Kathmandu. For one-stop shopping, visit any Blue Bird chain stores or head to Bhat Bhatini for those yearning for a Winners/Wall-Mart type of shopping experience (a large grocery store is even located at the bottom level.Side note: I love Northface apparel. However everybody seems to be wearing Northface or wearing related knock-off items here.
• Sleeping bag – If you have the space and if you are particular about it (the filling contents, colour, temperature specs. etc.) then definitely bring your own. However for a bargain, you can easily get a good western one in the Thamel Market for a minimum of about 4000 rupiya ($66 CDN). We were able to find a locally made sleeping bag for about 1350 rp ($16 CDN).Side note: regarding trekking gear as a whole – again if you are not particular about your gear then get your trekking gear in the Thamel Market. There are many trekking stores with high-quality goods that you could easily buy or rent for a far better price than you would get back home.

This is an on-going list of items that this Canadian author has found useful based on his experience living and traveling in Nepal from 2008 to 2010.