Our packs were very light for our 2013 Everest Base Camp Independent trek. My pack was 5.5 kilos and the trainer’s was 6 kilos. For the 2015 Everest Base Camp Independent trek the porter carried 15 kilos which was our combined gear plus we both carried day packs weighing 2 or 3 kilos.

My EQUIPMENT AND gear Packing CHECKList

• Last updated 18 January 2026

Arrival at Tribhuvan International Airport

• Passport and visa – Visa on entry if you don’t mind standing in a queue. Getting a visa processed at Tribhuvan International Airport wasn’t too bad, but we have not been through this process in peak trekking season.There were photo machines there in 2018, in case you did not have a passport photo.
• Passport photos – for your Visa
• Nepalese rupees – including some small notes for arrival are helpful

Clothes for Kathmandu

Lighter clothes including sandals for Kathmandu – the weather was warmer, check the Kathmandu weather for when you are there. On our first trip we travelled to subtropical Chitwan as well as in the Khumbu, so we needed light clothes for the area. We trekked in September/October and November/December.

Trekking Equipment

• Large duffle bag for our porter to carry some of our gear
• Day packs for 2015 bought a female specific Osprey Women’s Pack https://www.osprey.com/
• Padlocks for backpack
• 2 Waterproof stuff packs. Great for organising your stuff and for keeping them dry
• Packing cubes (to make packing and unpacking easier)
• Trekking poles (I switched to lighter telescopic poles for 2015 and 2018)
• Down sleeping bag (for the times of the year, and sleeping in lodges we didn’t need the highest rating sleeping bag) Lodges provided blankets as well

Trekking Gear

• Boots and extra laces – worn in for at least 3 months prior
• Socks, woollen
• Plastic clogs (or flip flops) – for showers and using shared toilets at night
• Warm jacket with a hood
• Waterproof jacket with a hood – for the wind and rain
• Pants, long trekking 2 pairs
• Long sleeve tee-shirts, merino wool, 2
• Long sleeve polo neck tee-shirt, merino wool
• Long leggings, merino wool, 2
• Fleecy zip up wind-cheater – purchased in Namche Bazaar
• Tee-shirts, one merino wool and one polyester running type
• Underwear – 2 sport bras and 5 pairs of wool knickers
• Handkerchiefs – just a few
• A WHISTLE – I have a whistle attached to the inside of my jacket. There is also one incorporated into the chest strap of my Osprey backpack.

Finding Your Way

• A Guide or Porter/Guide
• Map – purchased in Kathmandu
• Small Torch – for night toilet trips and night time in room.
• Small batteries, 2 dozen for the torches
• Guide Book – we bought Trekking in Nepal Everest by Partha S. Banerjee a Milestone Himalayan Series bought in Melbourne.

Recording the Journey

• Camera and charger – Canon G16
• Two prong adapter
• Notebook, very light and a pens
• Mobile phone for camera (and charger)

Keeping in Contact

• Mobile phone for Facebook
• An extra mobile phone purchased in Kathmandu with a Nepalese SIM card for cheap calls home and in Kathmandu and in the Khumbu area.

First Aid Kit

• Water purification tablets
• Band aids and bandages
• Medicine (personal)
• Medicine – broad spectrum antibiotics, something for dysentery
• Travelan – a diarrhea preventative
• Paracetamol
• Something for stomach aches
• Something for diarrhea

The medicine and first aid were packed in zip lock bags. Tablets were removed from packaging and only one side of the card box taken with the instructions.

Keep Sun Safe and Hydrated

• Lip balm – buy your favourite from home
• Sunscreen
• Hat for the sun – one which squashes down to nothing
• Water purification tablets
• Sunglasses
• Prescription glasses
• 2 Water bottles, plastic –
• Steri pen – if we trek a fourth time we will purchase one of these. They are worth the investment and would pay for themselves, especially for two people.

Toiletries

• Shampoo, soap, toothpaste, toothbrush, comb
• Dry shampoo is a good idea for people with long hair
• Sports towel – fast drying and small
• Baby wipes
  • Hand sanitizer, small bottle
• Toilet paper and tissues
• A double layer of gauze sewn together to use as a towel to wipe off excess water because it dries quickly.

Keeping Warm

• Beanie type wool hat. Also a “head sock” which I wore under the woolen beanie.
• Headband, fleece
• Neck-warmer, fleece
• Gloves, woolen. I plan to invest in really good gloves before our next trek.
• Buffs, 2 – purchased in Namche Bazaar.
• Thai Silk scarf, long – I found these scarves to be quite warm

Fix it Kit

• Ziplock bags
• Super glue (to fix boots etc)
• Rubber bands
• Sticky tape
• Plumbers tape – a small amount not the whole roll
• String
• Swiss Army knife
• Sewing kit – make up one of your own is best
• Plastic bags – always handy to have

Miscellaneous

Museli bars and a few chocolate bars.

Plastic lightweight clogs to wear in the evening to change out of your boots
Flip flops, jandals or thongs for showering, and for night toilets visits

What NOT TO take

• Hair dryer – most rooms don’t have power points
• An extra pair of walking shoes are on some trekking lists. I used my plastic clogs when we arrived at our lodge.
• A book to read – I was always too exhausted to read
• Liniment – we didn’t need it as we had trained well. It is still a good idea.
• Cream for rashes – definitely

New on the list for Trek 3 in 2018

 A small mirror – or an app on my phone but a mirror is easier

Make a packing list in advance.

We weighed everything and cut off excess weight where we could.
We took our packs in the suitcase to Nepal and left the suitcase in Kathmandu with the clothes we had worn around Kathmandu and flying to Nepal.