Mongolia is three journeys wearing one name. The steppe is wind and sudden evening cold. The Gobi is heat that turns to frost by midnight. The mountains are simply honest about winter, whatever the month says.
Packing for all three is not about more; it is about layers that do more than one job. This is the list our own team carries.
The base
An everyday knit you will wear most days: light enough for the vehicle, warm enough for the lookout stop. One is enough if it is good.
The middle
Yak, not down, for the wind. A zip layer goes on and off twenty times a day between the van and the weather; the zip earns its keep by lunchtime.
The shell and the night
A field jacket that shrugs off dust, and the sleeping bag. Ger stoves die at 3 a.m.; that is not a complaint, it is a schedule. The bag turns it into a detail.
The small things that are not small
A scarf that is also a pillow, a blanket, and a windbreak. Gloves you can hold reins in. Mittens for the morning you did not believe would be that cold.
Everything on this list ships to your door before you fly, duties included, so the duffel is packed before the trip begins.
