Sleeping Bag

It can get pretty chilly camping at altitude, especially if you’re trekking outside of peak summer time. We had 3 season Rab down sleeping bags, comfort rated to 1.5 degrees celsius. Del wasn’t cold at any point, I was a bit cold at Dushakha Lake (and definitely cold when camping in September in Kyrgyzstan’s mountains). I’ve since upgraded to this sleeping bag and can highly recommend it. Down sleeping bags offer the best warmth to weight ratio, and can really pack down small. Using a compression sack will save even more space in your backpack.

Silk Liner

This will add extra warmth to your sleeping bag, or if it’s freakishly warm use it on its own.

Pillow

Some people roll up a fleece or such like. Personally I need a proper pillow to get a good night’s sleep. A blow up one like this saves space.

InReach Explorer or Similar

The Fann Mountains are remote, wild, and located in an area prone to earthquakes, landslides and other natural disasters. There is no established mountain rescue service. Trekking here, as is the case anywhere, comes with a degree of risk and as such an emergency satellite communication device is highly recommended.

We debated long and hard over whether to buy an InReach Explorer or not as it’s pretty expensive, but in the end our safety is more important to us than our bank balance. This SOS emergency device is capable of two-way messaging via the Iridium satellite network, providing us with a lifeline to a 24/7 emergency response team.

There’s no mobile network coverage in the Fann Mountains, outside of a few select villages or base camps, so having something like this is your only way of communicating with the outside world. The only times we had phone signal were in Zimtut and at Alplager Base Camp near Artuch (we had T-Cell SIM cards). We also used our InReach to message family to reassure them we were safe, to get accurate weather reports, and as an extra GPS tracking device. Del planned out all our routes in advance via the Earthmate app, a third map source for us. You have to have an active contract to use the InReach, with monthly and annual options available. If you travel in remote areas regularly it’s a good investment.

Stove

We use a simple screw-on burner like this, however something like the MSR Whisperlite Universal is far more versatile given the issues you’ll encounter sourcing fuel in this part of the world (see below).

Gas

You can’t fly with gas canisters so you’ll need to pick them up in Tajikistan (or elsewhere if travelling overland). In Dushanbe you can usually buy them at Green House Hostel (also our recommended place to stay), but they can and do run out of stock! They import Kovea canisters (like the one in this picture) from Korea, charging 65 somoni for small (240g) and 95 somoni for large (450g). They were out of stock the second time we tried to buy gas. Fortunately we got a half-used canister from another backpacker who was flying that day. It’s not a bad idea to email them in advance and ask them to put stock aside for you if you have an exact arrival date. You’ll have a hard time finding screw on type gas anywhere else, hence why a multifuel stove is handy.

Cooking Pot

We’re loving our collapsible Sea to Summit cook set. It’s easy to clean and pack, and as lightweight as we’re likely to get. We also use the Sea to Summit kettle to boil water and X-Brew for making drip coffee every morning.

Bowl & Cup

Ours stack into our cooking pot as part of the above set.

Cutlery

A cheap spork might be all you need. Ours have always broken though, so we’re using these instead which are more durable.

Dish Scrubber & Suds

Scrubber and biodegradable dish soap for washing your dishes. We have a Sea to Summit kitchen sink, which is good for doing dishes (and washing hair in!). You could also just fill the big pot from your cook set and use that as a basin.

Mat/Poncho

For putting all your stuff on and sitting on when it’s wet/dusty/dirty.