Have you ever faced that moment when you begin a Himalayan trek full of excitement, wanting to take photos and videos, only to realise within an hour that your phone battery has dropped to one percent? This happens with almost any electronic item you carry, whether it is your phone, camera or even your power bank. Because of the low temperatures, all of them work at a much lower capacity, so it feels like they are draining very quickly. This is something all of us have experienced.

We have put together a few tips that we have tried over the past six or seven years, which actually help elongate battery life and protect electronic items on a trek.

We have also made a YouTube video on these tips.

The mantra behind protecting electronics is the same as the mantra you use for yourself on any high-altitude or cold trek. One is to keep them dry and the other is to keep them warm. These are the same things you want for yourself. So we will share tips according to these two aspects.

1. Use a Ziploc Packet to Keep Your Electronics Dry

Our first tip to keep your electronic items dry is to use a ziploc packet. These are available anywhere, they're reusable so you can use it on multiple treks and what you do is keep your phone in the ziploc bag when you're not using it or keep your camera batteries, your power bank all of those in a ziploc bag. Many times if you're somebody who's a professional photographer you can even use silica gel packets further inside the ziploc bags because they'll absorb more of the moisture. The idea of a ziploc bag is to remove any moisture content, keep it away from your electronic items so that it's in an airtight bag and inside your backpack.

2. Use a Waterproof or Snowproof Phone Pouch

Our second tip especially for your phone is to use these waterproof or snowproof pouches that you get. They are usually transparent pouches in which you can put your phone and lock it up so it's airtight and doesn't allow any moisture inside. Even if it is raining or snowing you can have your phone in your pocket and it will not get wet.

We have recently introduced this in our rental store and every trekker is loving it.

3. iNaturalist

Next on the list is iNaturalist — a nature identification app we’ve also come to love. It helps you identify any natural element around you — plants, fungi, insects, anything.

All you need to do is take a picture and upload it as an observation. The app then gives you an idea of the species or family you're looking at, along with detailed information.

One limitation: It doesn’t work offline. So, you’ll need to make your observations and recordings on the trail and refer to them later when you’re back in a network area.

It’s available on both Android and Apple, and is free to use.

• Available on: Android and iOS
• Offline functionality: No
• Pricing: Free basic version
• Recommended sister app: Seek

4. Gaia GPS

The fourth app is Gaia GPS, which many of you may already be familiar with. It’s a trail navigation app, and excellent for recording trails during explorations.

We use Gaia extensively for our exploration treks. We also share GPX files with trekkers and recommend using Gaia to follow those files.

Here’s how it works:
Say you’re doing the Kuari Pass trek. Download the GPX file from our website, load it into the app, and you’ll be able to follow the trail offline, just like Google Maps, but for the trekking world.

• Available on: Android and iOS
• Offline functionality: Yes (with downloaded maps)
• Pricing: Free for basic version. Premium subscription approximately ₹6,000 per year

5. Stellarium

My final recommendation is for all night sky lovers — and who isn’t fascinated by the stars?

Stellarium is an app that replicates the night sky on your phone. Just point your phone at the sky, and it tells you exactly which stars or planets you’re looking at — along with detailed information about them.

It’s a deeply informative app, offering insights into the significance and history of stars, planets, and constellations.

It’s free, available on both Android and Apple, and works offline too — perfect for treks, where the sky is clear and free from light pollution.

• Available on: Android and iOS
• Offline functionality: Yes
• Pricing: Free version available. Stellarium PLUS costs approximately ₹1500 on Android and approximately ₹2000 on iOS

So, those are the five apps I’d recommend to every trekker, whether you're trekking in India or anywhere else in the world.

And just to clarify, this is not a paid promotion. These are simply apps we’ve loved using, and we genuinely believe they’ll help you bring your trek to life.

If you’ve used any other apps that you’ve found useful during your treks, I’d love to hear about them. Drop a comment below and tell us how they helped you experience your trek better.