What It Takes

Fresh off a first ascent of Chile's Avellano Towers, Dave Anderson of Lander, Wyo., will set out next month on a 4,000-mile trek across Asia. Inspired by Polish prisoner Slavomir Rawicz's 1941 escape from a Soviet labor camp, Anderson and three others plan to travel from Siberia through the Gobi Desert and the Himalayas to India. Here's what he'll bring.

GPS

Brunton Multi-Navigator ($359) brunton.com

We'll use the GPS mainly in the Gobi, where the terrain is featureless and there are few roads. This will give us a rough idea of where we are, especially if we go for a day hike to find an oasis and need to retrace our steps. This GPS runs on both satellites and compass, so you can turn the feature to the compass to save battery power.

SHOES

La Sportiva Trango Trek ($185) sportiva.com

GoreTex lined boots are great if you're going to Chile, where it rains every day, but pretty much everywhere else, you don't need them. Gore-Tex isn't breathable enough, so it makes my feet sweat, and then they get cold. These leather shoes wick away moisture and breathe really well. The Trango also has a speed lacing system that provides stability.

SOLAR BATTERY

Brunton SolarRoll ($399) brunton.com

The SolarRoll is a great way to recharge our sat phones, digital cameras and mini laptops. This charger is flexible and superlight, so we can throw it over our backpacks and let it recharge in the sun while we're walking. That's a huge plus because we won't have to sit around and waste daylight waiting for the solar charger.