PB Nepal runs on reader support, not brand money. That is what pays for retail boots and down jackets, teahouse beds along the Annapurna and Langtang routes, permits, and the buses that get a reviewer to the trailhead. Supporters get the same long-form notes as everyone else, because there are no rankings to unlock.
Support is what pays for boots bought at retail, teahouse beds on the Langtang and Annapurna routes, and the permits that let us walk a route instead of reading about it. Pick the shape that fits how you use the notes.
Occasional reader
Full run of the seasonal gear index and route-by-route notes, updated after each monsoon and winter block. Nothing is held back behind a tier — this is the same material everyone reads.
Planning a trek
Your contribution goes toward the field costs behind a specific route: transport to the trailhead, lodge stays, and the retail price of whatever jacket or boot is under test that season.
Ongoing support
A standing contribution keeps the desk independent through the quiet months, when gear is bought, repaired, and re-tested before the next season opens. No brand pays for a place in the notes.
A few definitions we use consistently across the packages page, so there is no confusion about what reader support covers and what it does not.
When we say the desk is reader-supported, we mean the field work is paid for by readers. Boots and down jackets are bought at retail, teahouse stays along the Annapurna and Langtang routes are paid in full, and permits and transport come out of the same pool. No gear brand pays for a place in the notes.
We do not publish scored lists, tiered verdicts, or "best of" tables. Supporters do not get better verdicts or early access to results, because there is nothing to rank. Everyone reads the same long-form field notes at the same time.
A write-up only appears after we have walked the route or carried the item through a monsoon or winter season. If a jacket leaked or a teahouse kitchen fell short, that goes in the notes. We do not accept payment to include, exclude, or soften a mention.
Support is not a subscription to private advice, a booking service, or a guarantee about conditions on the trail. Weather, permits, and lodge availability change season to season. We describe what we found on the ground, and you plan your own trip from there.
Questions about how a specific note was funded or how a test was carried out can go to info@pbanepal.com. We answer reader mail directly, without a support tier in between.