What temperature to prepare for on Everest base camp trek?
I'm doing the popular tourist trek from Lukla to Everest base camp in late April / early May. I know the minimum temperature is on average -1 Celsius (30.2 Fahrenheit) in the Khumbu region at this time but am wondering what temperature to prepare for in terms of buying kit.
I want to ensure I am comfortable in the later, higher, stages of the trek and if the weather takes a nasty turn. I am planning to use lodges and tea houses but do not want be complacent either.
So basically, what's the lowest extreme of temperature am likely to encounter?
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I did this trek in early April (of 2004), flying to Lukla and walking to Kala Patar and the base camp. However, I didn't sleep at Gorakshep (the highest point at which it was possible to sleep in a lodge) but at Lobuche (4900 m). I purchased a -10 degrees Celsius (14F) sleeping bag in Kathmandu, which was fine for me. At Lobuche my water bottle froze during the night. I came to Nepal with a thermal top and bottom, but purchased a fleece jacket and wind/rain coat in Kathmandu as well.
What I was told (then) is that other than thermal clothing and shoes, decent equipment is easy to find and inexpensive in Kathmandu. I found this to be true, but would add tents to the list of equipment that shouldn't be bought there.
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I would add that I did Jiri to EBC in Feb 1992 (the coldest time of year?) and found it to be cold (4 season sleeping bag) but manageable. I am just re-reading my diary from the time - and the noticeable thing is that the cold is mentioned quite a lot - but my 'whining about the cold' is ALWAYS related to wind. So make sure you have windproof gear handy to put on top of your layers.
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