I finished the 3 Passes Trek about a week ago.

It was truly a trip to remember for a lifetime - equal parts wonderful, horrible, and unforgettable.

I saw a lot of mistakes and made a lot of mistakes, and thought I would share some of the things I think I have learned.

Everyone's situation is different, so please take accordingly.

My Mistakes/Regrets:

1. Getting a guide. I landed in Kathmandu planning not to have a guide or a porter. Another trekker invited me to share a taxi and go to their hotel. As soon as I got there, I was approached by someone, who I later found was a very enterprising business-man. He offered me all sorts of warnings and advice as to why I needed a guide and a porter. Eventually, I gave in, and I paid him later that night. Note that I think a guide/porter is the right decision for most. Unless you are extremely strong, have some basic route-finding experience, and know your body can handle altitude, I wouldn't be comfortable going on something like the 3 Passes alone (EBC is another matter. That's legit crazy. It's like a parade. People *everywhere*. You are more likely to get trampled than to get lost.). But ... knowing what I know now, the experience would have been so much richer doing it on my own.
2. Much worse than #1, getting a guide from a business-man in Kathmandu. I found out later that most of what I paid was kept by the business-man. He called up his relative in Lukla who went around the city asking who wanted to go hiking - and they also took a cut. As nearly as I can tell, there was very little care about how prepared the person they found was to go trekking. My guide was so poor. He had no boots, no gloves, no spikes, no headlamp, no way to charge his phone. He ran out of money to buy food a few days into the trek. I think he had guided people a few times, but it was not his normal job. I am sure he didn't have insurance. He had to leave his wife and sick baby daughter to come on the trek. He was good, don't get me wrong. But I really regret that he was roped into this. If I were to get a guide, I would talk with the same person who was guiding me during the trek beforehand, confirm they are a licensed and insured, and ask the how many times they had been on the trek I was going on. And ask them their % successful completions.
3. Bringing too much. And I was pretty light already - maybe 21-22 pounds for a base weight. I left about 4-5 pounds of gear in Namche and in retrospect I could have left even more. I did carry my own gear for the whole trip, so I had reason to dump the extra. I was really glad I carried my own stuff. I feel like you are really missing out on the experience and accomplishment by hiring a porter. It was harder, but 1000% worth it, IMO. And it was a small way I could give back to my guide.
4. I wore trail-runners. Mostly because my feet had given me some problems before the hike, and I was worried about switching to boots. Plus my boots didn't fit great. I really wish I had boots - mainly because of the cold. My feet were freezing in the morning hours.

Mistakes I saw made:

1. Not considering the guides and porters around you. I feel like it is appropriate to say thank-you to them like 1000x a day. To share your snacks with them. To talk to them and learn about who they are and what their dreams are. To consider them when you are figuring out what will go in your (their) bag. To be as generous financially as your situation will allow.
2. Not being prepared physically. Even EBC, but especially 3 Passes, is challenging. As much physical training as you can handle. Increase your VO2 Max, strengthen your feet and legs.
3. Not doing acclimatization hikes and ascending too fast. I feel like this is a big reason I was able to do 3 Passes. I did 4 official ones - Nangkarthshen, Chhukhung Ri, Kala Patthar, and Gokyo Ri - and I always went out after I was done for the day and trekked a ways up a local path. Also, go up slowly. I think it is wise to try to go up maybe 300 meters a day, and never more than 500, and every 1000 meters, have a rest day. Your body is magnificent in what it can do, but it needs time to adjust.
4. Not having some kind of medication to help them get over bumps in the acclimatization process. This could be Diamox, but even an anti-inflammatory like Ibuprofen or Curcumin makes a big difference. I took both starting in Kathmandu.
5. Negotiating prices in the lodges. Please don't do this. Odds are, if you are reading this, you are a comparatively rich westerner, and while it is tempting to feel smart and money conscious, the truth is that the money you might save by negotiating is better off in the pocket of a Sherpa than it is in yours. If you need to save money, consider not buying something.
6. Inadequate sun protection. OMG, I saw some people who looked like they had spent a week trapped in a tanning bed. Please take a buff to cover your face, pants, and a long sleeve shirt, sun gloves, and sunscreen. And please bring sunglasses.
7. No personal locator beacon. I heard of at least one girl on the trail who had been missing for 3 days after she crossed Cho-La pass. If you are hiking alone or in a small group not on EBC circuit, you NEED a PLB. It's not a luxury, it is a requirement. If you are lost, even in the best situation, you are forcing a bunch of Sherpa people to come get you. Don't make them search for days. There are a few places where the trail is not obvious. And in a few places, the trail changes every year. If you go alone, get GPS tracks of someone who has hiked in the past month or two.
8. No water purification tabs. You can probably afford to buy water, but please don't. It generates a massive amount of garbage
9. Nothing to moisten/warm the air. A buff for your face makes you look ugly, but besides the sun protection, it also moistens and warms the air. If you don't have this, you will get the infamous Khumbu cough, and likely a few bloody noses. The air in the mountains is cold, thin, and dry. I think most of what people think is chest infection is actually just the cold air drying out their lungs.
10. Not bringing enough money. This is probably only an issue if you are not with an organization that is arranging your lodging and meals. I survived I think on around $35/day all in - includes lodging, food, charging power bank, hot water. It was tight for me.
11. Have extra days planned in. You have no idea how the weather will be getting to and from Lukla, and you might need some rest days. I would add probably 3-4 days on top of whatever you think your trek will take should everything go perfectly. You can always adjust your return flight from Lukla and have some extra time to explore Kathmandu. Super easy to do. I saw people who had to take all sorts of risks and cut their trip short because of delays getting to and from Lukla.

What I actually kept:

1. Two pairs underwear
2. Two base layer shirts (32 Degrees)
3. Two pairs of wool socks (Darn Tuff)
4. One hiking shirt (with hood for sun protection)
5. One pair of hiking pants (Prana Zion)
6. Rain pants and rain shell and one pair of no show socks. These were what I wore when I was washing my clothes
7. One pair of sun gloves. 10000% recommend these - provided just enough warmth most of the time, and protected my hands from the sun
8. One coolnet UV buff. Lifesaver for sun protection and avoiding Khumbu cough and bloody noses
9. Sunglasses - good ones
10. Thermals (Cuddle Duds)
11. One pair of light-weight gloves. Combined with my sun gloves, this was about all I needed.
12. Trekking poles (so glad I had these)
13. Microspikes. I needed in the worst way these for all of the 3 Passes
14. Toothbrush and toothpaste
15. One wet wipe for each day
16. Water purification tabs
17. Power bank (many people needed to use mine)
18. A bit of leukotape on plastic for blisters
19. Diamox
20. Anti-inflammatory, Anti-Diarrhea meds
21. Comb, hair ties
22. Sleeping bag (Katabatic Sawatch 15F comfort). I would have froze without this. For me, teahouse blankets were not even close to enough.
23. Down coat (REI Stormhenge)
24. Puffy Jacket, Decathlon
25. Lightweight and comfortable bag (Durston Kakwa 55)
26. Trekking poles
27. Chapstick. Please take this.
28. Breath strips
29. Sunscreen (3oz)
30. Hand sanitizer (1oz)
31. Headlamp (Nitecore)
32. Phone with lots of audiobooks and music and movies loaded on it
33. Bluetooth earbuds
34. Thermals (Cuddle Duds). SO GLAD I had these. I wore them constantly starting in Dingboche.
35. Nalgene 1 Liter and Smart Water Bottle 1 Liter
36. Toilet Paper. I used less than 1 roll, and about 70% of it was for blowing my nose
37. Few quart Ziploc bags for various things like trash
38. Garmin InReach Mini 2 - expensive, but very much worth it.
39. Emergency blanket. I was able to cut this up and line my feet before putting my shoes on. It saved me during the cold morning hours before the sun came up