Porter bags

[Steve83]

I am leaving for Nepal in two days and a thought suddenly just occured to me...when using porters is there any particular type of bag people generally give them to carry? It may sounds like an odd question but Im having all sorts of thoughts flash through my mind in these final days of preparation!

I ask because I've seen a few mentions of duffel bags on here (and other sites, some linked to here) and as I'm travelling for three months all I'll have with me is my 70l bag and a smaller day sack. My intention is too pass the 70l bag onto a porter and keep any essentials for the day in my day pack. Is this likely to cause any problems? What if there are two of us with similar plans? Would we require two porters? Is there any sort of etiquette involved?!

If this is indeed a silly question, which I suspect it might be, feel free to tell me so.

This site has been an invaluable resource of information over the past couple of months while i've been planning my trip. I'll look foward to returning and posting up my reports, experiences and some (hopefully half decent!) photos for your reading and viewing pleasure :)

[yakshaver]

Customarily a porter will carry max 20kg. Usually this is enough to carry for 2-3 tourists.

I have seen porters carry their loads in all sorts of fashions, even carrying client's backpack with a tumpline.

But most of the time they like the load to be put in a duffel bag. I don't think they will be very comfortable carrying two 70 litre bags... And watch the weight. If you have more than 20 kg for a porter you may need 2 porters. Or you need to pay your porter a lot more... Though that would be a silly. Despite all the legends circulating about how awesome porters are and how much they can carry, they get just as tired and find it almost as difficult as you do on the steep trails at altitude. I guess the difference is the fact that they have done it a lot of times before and know what to expect...


I suggest you put all your stuff in one duffel bag, which should be about 15-18 kg max for 2 people. If you take more than 8 -9 kg per person for a lodge trek, either you took your samsonite toiletry bag with you (some people need to have proper make up at all times... understandable) or you don't know what too pack. I have done Gokyo some years ago with my wife and son with one porter, and we did not give the porter more than 20 kg between the three of us.

[Steve83]

Thanks Yak.

I have a couple of extra large stuff sacks I was going to bring. Do you think they'll suffice? If not I presume duffel bags can be purhcased relatively cheaply in Thamel.

One more question. If I am to leave a bag at a hotel/guesthouse whilst im out on the trail is there any need to secure it? If so how??

Edit :

Hell I may as well tag one final question on the end as Im in the midst of my packing and had a quick look at peoples equipment lists. Im not taking a down jacket but I am planning on doing ABC. Is this foolish? I am however taking three long sleeve tops (two of which are thermal) and an insulated rain jacket along with all other necessary cold weather clothes (hat, gloves, decent trousers and a couple of t - shirts). WIll I be warm enough?? At what height does a down jacket become absolutely necessary and is there anything that is a reasonable substitute?? Im only not taking it as it seems to bulky to lug around for three months when I will be spending a fair amount of time in sub tropical India.

[julia]

What ever you give the porter to carry, make sure it is either in a waterproof bag or the items in the bag are protected, say with a waterproof liner. Not so nice sleeping in a wet sleeping bag etc. :( You might not have any rain, but just in case!

We left a decent bag at the hotel with the added security of a small padlock, but they are kept in a locked room at most hotels.

[Landfall38]

We've see a lot of porter-guides carrying their client's pack on their back (with the porter-guide's own stuff in small daypack either on top of the backpack or carrried on their front).

Our one experience is that our duffel bags our porters carried subsequently took us months to get that "special" body smell out (that was way back in 1996 -- since then we've carried our own bags -- but we would still likely not give our good backpacks to a porter, electing to put our stuff in easy-to-wash duffels with good handle straps that are like shoulder straps).

[Lars]

If I am to leave a bag at a hotel/guesthouse
whilst im out on the trail is there any need to secure it? If so how??

.. down jacket .. Im only not taking it as it seems to bulky to lug around for
three months when I will be spending a fair amount of time in sub tropical India.
The lodge owner will not nick any of your stuff. It would be disastrous to his
reputation should anything go missing from a tourists pack. Therefore *you
owe it to him*, or her, to lock up your pack enough so that it will be very
obvious if it is returned to you in the same condition as you left it.
No need to make a fort of it, but you must certainly have it padlocked one
way or the other.

Nepalis, and Indians, are often horrified at how we leave valuable stuff like
cameras and ipods etc lying around unattended. They "know" that should
something disappear on their premises they will suffer for it, by tainted
reputation, police beating them up, or the almighty Karma.

I have done several Nepal/India combinations. I use to rent a down jacket in
Ktmndu or Pokhara for the trek, sleeping bag too. Better than compromising
with being warm enough. And you don't have to carry any of it to India.
Expect to pay abt one € per day for each.

[a1jbg]

Landfall38, I think your comment about porter`s "special body smells" being difficult to remove from your backpacks, is one of the worst, most distasteful comments I have ever read on this message board.
Do you smell like a bed of roses when you trek? I know I don`t after a hard days trekking, and neither do my fellow trekkers.
You should be ashamed of yourself for that insulting remark.

[Landfall38]

Landfall38, I think your comment about porter`s "special body smells" being difficult to remove from your backpacks, is one of the worst, most distasteful comments I have ever read on this message board.
Do you smell like a bed of roses when you trek? I know I don`t after a hard days trekking, and neither do my fellow trekkers.
You should be ashamed of yourself for that insulting remark.


a1jbg: I in no way meant to be distasteful or insulting. As someone who returns to Nepal time after time, I love Nepal and especially Nepalis (indeed, they are the main reason I return). My point was not to disparage porters -- I have always held them in awe.

As a westerner, I am certainly too used-to/stuck-up on personal cleanliness. However, I am not sure if I deserve to be chided so strongly for this. I am not alone in this on the trail....

You are correct though that after a hard day of trekking/hiking I am not so rosy smelling. When backpacking here in the mountains of B.C. I try for at least a facecloth wash but more often a full wash (with our icy cold water). When trekking I try for a (solar-heated, hopefully) shower.

Sorry you were so offended by my suggestion -- perhaps we've had different experiences.

[a1jbg]

Landfall38

Sorry if my criticism was too strongly worded, but like yourself, I also love Nepal and the Nepalese people and do hold the porters in awe and admiration.

That is why I responded as I did. I would not hesitate to lend or give, items of clothing to poorly equiped porters, as I often have, and would not think twice about wearing it afterwards.

[Petrus]

I have used only duffel bags, porters like to carry those with a tumpline, 1 or 2 or 3 bags tied together. Ergonomically better than 2 backpacks tied together.

Where does this 20 kg max come from? Average non-tourist porter load starting from Jiri is 80.5 kg. What I have read tourist porter weight limit is 30 kg below 5 km, 20 kg above 5 km. That seems to apply only to "private" porters, agency porters carry normal 50 kg+ loads. These 20 kg limits, I think, are set only to make trekkers to hire more porters, those guys can easily carry much more, but we westerners have totally lost touch with the true capabilities of manual labourers. Our trekking porters have always carried about 25-35 kg, also to EBC/Gokyo/over Thorong La. And they earn more than guys hauling 80-120 kg.

For Everest expeditions standard approach load is 30 kg, porters take always two loads to make twice the money. Even three. That should tell something.