What to pack for the Everest Base Camp trek: a complete packing list for 2026

Highlander Trekking has been guiding clients to Everest Base Camp for 35 years. The packing mistakes we see are the same ones, season after season.

New boots worn for the first time on arrival day. Down jackets bought off Thamel street that fail above 4,500m. A power bank left behind to save weight, then paid for at $4 per charge above Namche. A daypack packed so light on day one that the trekker stops the porter mid-trail three times before lunch.

This list is built from what that experience looks like on the ground, from Lukla to Base Camp and back.

The two bags: getting the split right

Every trekker carries two bags. The split between them determines how much friction the first three days cost you.

Duffel bag (porter carries this):

Everything you do not need access to between 6am and 3pm. Sleeping bag, spare clothes, extra layers, toiletries, anything for the evening or next morning. Weight limit: 12-15kg. Above that, you are shifting load onto the porter without additional pay — a detail experienced operators notice.

Daypack (you carry this):

Everything needed on the trail. Hydration, snacks, first aid, sun protection, rain cover, trekking poles, camera, phone, extra warm layer, headlamp, documents. Aim for 6-8kg loaded.

The most common mistake: trekkers underpack the daypack and overload the duffel. They spend the first two days stopping the porter to retrieve items they need mid-trail. On steep ascents, this slows everyone.

Clothing

Base layers

Moisture-wicking long-sleeve t-shirts: 2. Moisture-wicking short-sleeve t-shirt: 1. Thermal base layer top and bottoms: 1 each. Merino wool is worth the price. It manages odour across multiple days, which matters when laundry is only practical in Namche (day 3-4) and Dingboche (day 7). Synthetic dries faster but smells faster.

A note on tank tops: they cause serious shoulder and upper-back chafing from backpack straps on full trekking days. Short or long-sleeve base layers only.

Mid layers

Fleece jacket: 1. Insulated jacket (down, 700+ fill): 1. The down jacket gets worn from Tengboche onwards, sometimes most of the day. Synthetic down from a Thamel street stall uses 200-fill material. At 4,500m at night, 200-fill synthetic is not sufficient. This is the single item worth paying full price for or renting from a verified Kathmandu supplier — Highlander can arrange rental from vetted sources before departure.

Outer layers

Waterproof and windproof jacket: 1. Waterproof trousers: 1. Afternoon rain above 3,000m is common from May through November. The descent from Namche to Lukla, particularly the exposed section above Phakding, can arrive without warning. A jacket that packs to fist-size is the right choice over something heavier you delay putting on.

Lower body

Trekking trousers: 2. Warm leggings or soft shell trousers for evenings and acclimatisation rest days: 1. Gaiters: 1 pair. Gaiters matter most on the return descent when snowmelt makes lower trail sections wet and slippery.

Footwear

Waterproof trekking boots with ankle support: essential. Camp sandals or lightweight shoes: 1 pair. Break in the boots. Not on Thamel streets — on loaded hikes at home, on stairs, on rough ground, for at least three to four weeks before Nepal. Boot blisters are the most common reason guides see trekkers consider turning back before Namche. The descent into Namche on day two, where the path drops steeply from Phakding, is where new boots fail first. One guide put it plainly: trekkers have turned back at Phakding — before even the first major acclimatisation stop — because of blisters that started on day one.

Headwear and accessories

Warm hat: 1. Sun hat or cap: 1. Sunglasses (UV400 minimum): 1 pair. Lightweight gloves: 1 pair. Thicker gloves or mittens for above Lobuche: 1 pair. Buff or neck gaiter: 1-2.

The buff earns its place differently than most trekkers expect. The Khumbu cough is a persistent dry-air cough that develops above 4,000m and affects most trekkers to some degree. It makes nights miserable and affects more people than altitude sickness itself. Wearing the buff over your mouth and nose on cold morning sections reduces the dry air your airway takes in. Bring throat lozenges too.

Socks

Wool trekking socks (thick): 3 pairs minimum. One pair per day of trekking between laundry stops. Dry socks at night, every night — moisture inside the boot for a full day degrades both.

Sleep

Tea houses provide blankets. They do not provide a temperature-appropriate sleeping environment above 4,000m.

Sleeping bag rated to -10C to -15C (comfort rating, not limit): 1. Sleeping bag liner: 1. The sleeping bag is not an optional comfort item. In October, water froze inside water bottles placed inside an unheated tea house room at Gorakshep (5,164m). The sleeping bag is what you sleep in. The blankets supplement it. A liner adds 3-5 degrees of warmth and keeps the interior clean.

Tea house walls are thin plywood. Earplugs are essential, not optional. Sleep quality directly affects acclimatisation. A bad night at 4,400m compounds on the next day’s ascent in ways that do not resolve easily.

Trekking poles

Bring them, or hire them in Kathmandu before departure. Poles are primarily useful on descent. The long descent from Namche back to Lukla generates significant knee stress, particularly for trekkers without regular elevation-change hiking in their training. Poles reduce impact loading on the knee by roughly 25% on steep downhill sections. More than a few trekkers who considered them unnecessary on the way up were wishing for them by the second day of descent.

Electronics and power

Power availability decreases and charging costs increase as you gain altitude. Below Namche: charging typically included or nominal. Above 4,000m: $3-5 USD per device per hour.

For a 14-day trek using a phone, camera, and headlamp: a 20,000mAh power bank is essential. This handles 4-5 full phone charges and keeps you independent of pay-per-hour sockets above Namche. Cold temperatures drain batteries faster than at sea level — keep the power bank in an inner pocket overnight.

Camera batteries: carry two and rotate them. A battery at 60% before dinner may read 15% at 6am.

Water and hydration

Water purification tablets or a filtered bottle (LifeStraw, Sawyer): carry one. Hard-side water bottles (1-litre): 2. Hydration bladders are popular in theory but fail in practice on this trail. The heavily trafficked dusty sections between Namche and Tengboche clog bite valves reliably. Hard-side bottles with purification tablets are more reliable. Fill at any tea house tap and treat.

Above 4,000m, acclimatisation depends heavily on hydration. The guideline is 3-4 litres per day – below that, symptoms develop faster.

First aid and medication

Diamox (acetazolamide): discuss with a doctor before departure. It is preventive, not curative once symptoms develop. Paracetamol and ibuprofen. Oral rehydration salts. Blister kit (Compeed, medical tape, needle). Throat lozenges for the Khumbu cough. Stomach medication and basic antidiarrheals. Altitude sickness symptom reference card.

Know the warning signs before you arrive. Headache and mild fatigue are normal at altitude. Loss of coordination, confusion, or fluid in the lungs are HACE and HAPE — conditions requiring immediate descent, not rest. No medication replaces descending.

Snacks

Tea house food is filling but calorie-insufficient for 6-8 hour trekking days. Pack high-calorie, lightweight snacks: trail mix, energy bars, nut butter sachets, dried fruit. One trekker summed it up directly: unless you eat a lot of dal bhat, you will rarely eat enough to replace what you are burning. Above Namche, buying snacks at tea houses costs 2-4x Kathmandu prices. A week of snacks packed from Kathmandu saves money and ensures you have fuel between meals.

Hygiene and toiletries

The shower situation above Namche: pay-per-use, inconsistent water temperature, decreasing availability above Tengboche. Wet wipes: pack more than you think you need. Many experienced trekkers take 4-5 wet-wipe showers across the full trek above Namche. They work. Sunscreen SPF 50+: essential – UV intensity at 5,000m is dramatically higher than at sea level. Lip balm with SPF. Biodegradable soap for lower lodges. Hand sanitiser. Microfibre travel towel.

For female trekkers: above Namche, disposal options for menstrual products are limited. High-altitude exertion and altitude itself affect cycles unpredictably — cycles can arrive early, late, or not at all. A menstrual cup is worth considering for the practical advantage of not depending on disposal infrastructure.

Repair kit

Gaffer tape (10cm wrapped around a water bottle saves the space of a full roll): fixes torn waterproofs, separated boot soles, strap hardware. Spare shoelaces: 1 pair. Small sewing kit: minimal weight, genuine use when something fails mid-route.

Documents and money

Passport (original). Two passport photos for permits. TIMS card and Sagarmatha National Park permit, arranged in Kathmandu. USD cash for tipping and purchases above Namche where cards are unreliable. Small-denomination Nepali rupees for tea houses – preferred over USD above Namche.

What to rent in Kathmandu

Not everything needs to come from home. Highlander can arrange rental of: sleeping bag, down jacket, duffel bag, trekking poles, crampons (relevant from late November). Rental from a verified source matters for sleeping bags and down jackets – the rental bag from a reputable Thamel gear shop has a known fill rating. The one from an anonymous counter may not.

What to leave behind

Jeans, heavy cotton t-shirts, full-size towels, more than one pair of camp shoes, hair dryers, more than 3-4 books. Weight compounds over 14 days. A full-size towel adds 600g for no practical reason above what a microfibre provides. Everything that does not earn its weight on the trail does not belong in the bag.