Machu Picchu

Kmagic

Hey guys and gals. I am looking to go to Peru and Trek to Machu Picchu in November [start of the rainy season, I know] and I am looking for advice on equipment. I have never done any hiking so I dont know anything about boots, poles, clothing etc. Most sites on the net seem to be pushing a particular brand for commission, and I went to a local outdoor equipment shop and he seemed to think it was enough to tell me "Bear Grylls wears this stuff" so I am looking for advice for you lovely folks on boards.

Thanks in advance.

Sev

The first thing to know about outdoor clothing, is that it can be very expensive. There are a number of popular outdoor retailers in Ireland, e.g. Great outdoors, the outdoor adventure store, snow and rock, 53 degrees north. These shops generally sell top end stuff: big brands like the North Face, Mountain Hardwear, Alpine Lowe etc.

You can spend 250e on a rain jacket here, or 130e on a pair of pants. I don't see much reason to justify these crazy prices, except that you're paying for a brand. Yes, in many cases the quality of these clothes will exceed that of cheaper brands, but is the price disparity really reflective of the quality difference? I doubt it. You'll have to make your own judgement call here.

You can find cheaper outdoor gear on the likes of Mary St. and Capel St. in Dublin in shops like Rambler's way and Army Bargains. Also, although Millets (of Mary St.) sells some high end gear (e.g. Berghaus), I find their prices are generally a little more reasonable and practical than some of the other more fashionable outdoor chains

Probably the most important thing you need is good footwear, a pair of good waterproof boots. Doesn't really matter what brand, etc. as long as their comfortable and waterproof. It's in this area, footwear, because it's quite important, that I would be worried about going with the cheaper brand.

The other golden rule about hiking is not to wear cotton if avoidable. Cotton t-shirts for example are fantastic for absorbing sweat and soaking up the rain, when they get wet, they get heavy and then take hours to dry and you'll be shivering the entire time.

Try to wear synthetic clothing, e.g. pants and t-shirts/base layers made of polyester/polypropylene/nylon or other synthetic fibres, just not cotton (wool is good). These materials don't absorb half as much water, and they dry faster. This will be generally helpful for the rest of your travels around south america, since when you say, wash your clothes in your hostel, they'll dry reasonably well just hanging up beside the fan in your bedroom.

When I did the Inca trail, I picked up a couple of pairs of regatta? lightweight synthetic hiking pants in Rambler's way on Mary St. They're very lightweight (useful for the warmer weather in the valley) and compress to nothing in your bag, they dry fast and you can zip away the lower legs to turn them into shorts which is a nice bonus. Best of all they were cheap.

For the upper body underlayer , I'd pick up base layers if I could. Take a look in the Patagonia store on Wicklow St., for these, M&S also sell them for good prices too, and I think now again you see very cheap base layer deals from the likes of LIDL and ALDI. Also take a look in TK max, you might find deals on baselayer/synthetic/outdoor t-shirts and clothing.

For your general mid-insulation layer, I'd just wear something like a fleece or soft-shell jacket if possible (soft-shell jackets are again cheap in Rambler's way). I would also bring a lightweight rain jacket to keep me that bit drier in torrential downpours. Whether I would bring waterproof leggings with me I'm not sure, I'm used to wearing softshell pants these days, I don't like carrying a lot, I don't really care that much if my legs get wet and those lightweight synthetic pants do dry fast.

I would also probably bring my down jacket with me for sitting around at night or for when I get cold. This, however is an expensive specialist piece of kit, and bringing a second fleece will probably make do here.

P.S. It rained quite heavily for 3 of the 4 days that I hiked the Inca trail, it cleared up and was sunny and glorious on the last.

Also, one guy in our group did the entire thing in a pair of big baggy jeans. He looked ridiculous sloshing around in his soaked wet jeans carrying more water with him than cotton, but he made it there OK, just not very comfortably. Another guy didn't have any hiking boots at all, and did the entire thing in a pair of trainers, he was just constantly sloshing in soaked trainers, again, he made it there fine, just not very comfortable. I guess my point here is, even if you don't have any of the recommended hiking gear, it's not going to stop you doing the Inca trail... I'm sure many of the porters just do it in sandles.

Some reading material:
http://www.andy-kirkpatrick.com/articles/view/the_truth_about_breathable_waterproofs
http://www.andy-kirkpatrick.com/articles/view/the_best_softshell_in_the_world
http://www.andy-kirkpatrick.com/articles/view/a_short_history_of_man_made_fabrics
http://www.andy-kirkpatrick.com/articles/view/the_comfort_game

Oh yeah: Re: trekking poles. A huge number of hikers use these, I don't know their reasons, I don't know if they know either. Trekking poles are useful for a number of things, e.g.

1. Taking the weight off your knees. They provide extra support for your knees when moving up and down steps and steep terrain. If you have weak knees or knee joint trouble then they'll save a lot of wear and pain on your knees. It is my theory also, that since you transfer some of the muscular effort of hiking uphill to your arms you'll be able to keep plodding steeply uphill for longer.
2. Stability, the poles provide a general helping hand to keep your balance on complex broken terrain, or can be useful for say crossing rivers.

But... if you're knees are in fine order and are steady on your feet, I don't see much reason to carry trekking poles, they're just an extra thing to have to carry, so I'd leave them behind.

Kmagic

That is the exact kind of advice I was looking for. If anyone has any more or can build on this, let me know

Sev

I also have a shirt like this that I picked up in a rainforest resort once:

http://www.magellans.com/store/Clothing___Men___ShirtsMT029

It's made of nylon, lightweight, seems to dry quick. So it seems like a good choice for an Inca trail trek or general south america travelling.

sheesh

don't forget a good hat to keep the sun off your head

solerina

I have done the Inca trail, I bought no special clothes at all. I wore runners (I find my hiking boots quite uncomfortable), tracksuit and hoodie. I also had a rain jacket and a back pack. Sun glasses are a good idea. I found it quite warm during the day while hiking but if you stopped at all you cooled down quite quickly. I di the trail in August and it got dark about 6pm and once the sun went doen it got very cold very fast so bring a decent fleece or warm coat ( i had my north face jacket) and a wollie hat. I rented a sleeping bag + therma rest mat in Cuzco for $ 10 and i also rented hiking poles for $ 5 dollars. Dont bother bringing any with you they will only take up luggage space and the ones I rented were perfect. Would love to be heading off again !!

I almost forgot...bring your your camera !!!

Kmagic

Thanks sheesh and solerina.

Keep it coming!!!

partyguinness

Not sure if you are doing the 5 day trek or the 1 day trek.

I did the 1 day trek. Left at 8am and was up there around 3pm. I went up in sandles (not flip flops), shorts and t-shirt and back pack with the usual provision. The weather was pleasant.

No need for any mad purchasing of gear. I was with people on the trip who bought all the gear and never used it. I just had Regatta trousers (which could be turned into shorts), hat, sunglasses, pack a fleece/waterproof.

I picked up all my stuff in TK Maxx 6 years ago and it was served me well in Egypt, Peru and 4 weeks around Cambodia and Borneo (where I climbed Mt Kota Kinabalu). And not to mention a few Irish mountains.


I thought Machu Picchu would be a massise anti-climax but it wasnt...when you come via the Sun Gate it just appears in front of you like the postcard pic...very special. I have also done the pyramids, Ankor Wat but Machu PIcchu was the best.

Enjoy...it is very special...:)

Sev

partyguinness wrote: »

I have also done the pyramids, Ankor Wat but Machu PIcchu was the best.

I've done the three too, and I also agree. Angkor wat is pretty amazing though, but lacks amazing backdrop of mountains. I'm visiting South America again in two months time. Gonna see Macchu Picchu again, although I think I'll take a more interesting route there this time:

http://www.skyhighandes.com/salkantay-extreme-mountaineer.php#buttons-area

Kmagic

I am picking up some stuff on the clerance rails of TK maxx too. Its the only way to do it. I'm doing a 4 day trek, and its my first time doing any kind of hiking so I am starting from scratch and want advice from people who've actually done it and dont have an agenda i.e. pushing a product that they make the most money on.

Merch

what people are saying here makes sense

I didnt do the Inca trail but was at M picchu and around that area,
The wicking t-shirts are great, dry out quick.
My jacket was a cheap enough peter storm and was on sale, but it has been one of the best jackets I ever had, totally waterproof and plenty of pockets (few zip ones), more hard wearing than a North Face one I use now, basically I wore a t-shirt under it when walking, and had a fleece to put on when stopped (one someone was given at their job and passed on to me as it was too big for them).
I had a pair of regatta trousers and a pair of columbia ones, both were synthetic and good at drying out if they got a bit wet.
Boots I got a cheaply priced good brand that said they were waterproof and were (on capel st) they are almost worn out now after years but still waterproof, I wouldn't go too snug for the fit, go with a pair of heavy socks for trying stuff on but not too loose a fit either.
I had cheap waterproof leggings but never really used them, the wide brimmed hat (got cheap in a market there) better than a peaked cap and a pair of sunglasses and sunblock.

Try your gear out before you go, and if you have new boots wear them a good bit before you go to break them in, I dont believe that the most expensive gear makes a huge difference to most people, some is lighter and better quality/longer lasting and that might help on a long haul way off the beaten track. I also had some good stuff that was supposed to be waterproof but wasn't.

eyescreamcone

We did the trek in january.
We were very sick during the trek (vomiting, diahorrea etc)
Not nice.

I wonder about the cleanliness and hygiene of the porters kitchens.
The toilets at the campsites were filthy.
Bring plenty of meds.
Immodium is a waste of time - go heavy duty.

We finished it but I reckon if we had had an option to quit half way we would have seriously considered it.

Got there though and Machu P was worth the hassle.

Kmagic

Thanks Merch and eyescreamcone. Its that stuff info I'm looking for

solerina

eyescreamcone wrote: »

We did the trek in january.
We were very sick during the trek (vomiting, diahorrea etc)
Not nice.

I wonder about the cleanliness and hygiene of the porters kitchens.
The toilets at the campsites were filthy.
Bring plenty of meds.
Immodium is a waste of time - go heavy duty.

We finished it but I reckon if we had had an option to quit half way we would have seriously considered it.

Got there though and Machu P was worth the hassle.

Yuck, you poor thing, Id say you were probably unlucky, noone in my group got sick, the toilets (well squats) were always of a decent standard too. The only people I saw that were sick seemed to be those who tried to walk too quickly or hadnt given themselves enough time to get used to teh altitude. I had been at altitude for about 5 days, I am reasonably fit but I have never gooten out of breath so much in my life.
OP I forgot to say bring a head torch, it was very handy when getting about after dark...it got dark at 6pm ish when we were there in August so washing teeth, going to the toilet etc was much easier with a head torch (no footpaths etc, your on top of a mountain) Bring some toilet paper. On the last night of the 4 days we camped at a place called winay wiyna (stunning ruins) that had showers (after 3 full days without a shower it was heaven, cost about 1 euro-bring a small towel and small bottles of shampoo etc)...there was also a pub there !!!

Ellis Dee

I went there about 8 years ago and it really is well worth travelling half way around the world to see. I didn't do the trek, though, as I'm getting on. I took the train to Aquas Calientes and a bus from there to Machu Picchu. Even so, I was badly bitten by small black insects and people I met who had trekked there had suffered from them as well, so I recommend you take along plenty of repellent and some Tiger Balm to ease the stinging.:)

eyescreamcone

The showers at the 3rd camp were not working last January
The trail closes in February so maybe these might be fixed
Don't bank on that shower

Kmagic

Keep the info coming guys