Everest Base Camp Trek Gear
If you have a bucket list to trek Everest Base Camp (EBC). Awesome!
To pack or not to pack ?! Packing for one of the most famous mountaineer treks in the world can be overwhelming. Here we have summed up a checklist for you.
Not only for the EBC trek, but this checklist is also applicable for other trek such as the Annapurna Loop and Langtang Valley but not limited to.
We have gathered a list of equipments which we believe has the best value. We frequently receive feedback from readers and experienced local hikers who provide excellent insights and first hand experiences.
Where to buy and rent trekking gears?
There are numerous outdoor gear shops in Kathmandu offering a wide range of trekking gears.
However, you just have to be cautious while selecting the reliable ones.
Often times tourists end up with counterfeit items only to get damaged after few uses. Though, many tourists have successfully completed the trek with replicas, but it’s not without its risk. It is advisable to only consider cheaper replicas for non essential items.
Renting gear is a money saving option, if you feel uncomfortable purchasing everything brand new. Please do not hesitate to ask your trekking guide for help in picking reputable gear rental shops and be sure to take the time to inspect your equipments. For your convenience, we also offer equipment rental , such as sleeping bags, down jacket etc.
Everest Base Camp Trek Packing List – Exactly What You Need To Bring
Clothing:
The main concept you have to keep in mind while hiking to Everest Base Camp is stratification. The principle of stratification is to allow moisture to pass from one layer to another.
It means the clothes you wear should be breathable which keeps you warm and comfortable. It’s better to have multiple thin layers than one single thick layer.
Therefore, each layer you use should be made up of pluggable fabric and support the plugging process. It helps to hem in heat between the multiple layers of clothes which keeps you warm.
Weather breakdowns adequately, when you ascend or descend to altitudes, so the ability to layer up or down is important.
At EBC, you’ll trek 2800m from Lucca to 5554m from Kalapatthar. The altitude differs from low altitude to higher altitude. So, depending on the condition you can remove or add up multiple clothes on how you feel or condition you’re in.
Seasons change are also the main consideration in your clothing choices. There are four distinctive seasons in Nepal. (Spring, Autumn, winter, summer). The peak season from March to May and September to November usually has good weather.
But at downstream there may be rainfall and snowfall at any altitude in the Khumbu area. Attributable to temperature for the first few days of a long journey, the day can be ranging from moderate to warm, however, temperature drops significantly when you reach Namche.
If you love snow and used to travelling multi-day in cold, then only we recommend you to join hiking in the winter season(December to February). We strongly advise you to avoid the summer season(June to August).
From the above explanation hope you understood the concept of layering. The layer of clothes you have to carry are listed below.
Breathable Panties:
You have to be sure that you have breathable underwear. You will be trekking on average 4 -7 hrs a day. In order to stay fresh, we highly recommend you to bring at least 6 changes of underwear.
Base Layer:
The base layer is designed to stay next to the skin which wicks moisture away from your body. It is composed of highly hydroscopic materials that allow moisture to get away. We recommend you to get a 2x top layer and 1x bottom layer.
Hiking shirt:
The hiking shirt should to long and short sleeve. We advocate you to bring 4-6 trekking T-shirt. Long-sleeve T-shirt protects from sunburn. This T-shirt should be breathable, moisture wicking.
NOTE: Make sure that the shirt is made of high-fiber materials, such as merino wool, which can be used for several days. Steer away from cotton as it absorbs moisture and stays damp for longer period of time.
Hiking Pants and Shorts:
The hiking pants and shorts are for the lower. It should be stretchable and breathable yet keeping you warm. We recommend you bring at least 2 pairs of hiking pants and shorts. We suggests brands: Craghoppers, O’Neills, or Columbia.
Wool Jacket:
A wool jacket is the second layer, or insulation layer, which lays on top of your base layer. We recommend Polartec 200 wool jacket, which is a lightweight jacket, provides good warmth and release moisture (or breathability) on your body. These are probably made up of wool or micro-wool materials.
Softshells:
The third layer which consists of a warm and waterproof jacket and trousers. It is the outer cover layer, which is used in the upper reaches of Everest Base Camp hiking.
This is the most important piece of clothing for the EBC trek which is a lifetime investment because this jacket lasts for many years.
Other suitable jackets for EBC trek are Arc’teryx Atom, RAB microlight, and Mountain Hardware. Synthetic alternatives are good, but make sure that it has good heat-to-weight ratio.
For pants, you should look for warm, flexible, and breathable with fleece lining. We recommend brands: Invasion, Hayley Hansen or O’Neills.
Jacket Shell:
This jacket is especially used in rain. If you plan hiking in the rainy season (June-September) you should bring a waterproof hardshell jacket and also a pair of waterproof outer pants, preferably made of gore-tex material. Considering, rain on the pursue is always a risk.
Sun protection hat:
A hiking hat that can prevent you from getting sunburn is essential. It should be lightweight, packable with a wide brim that offers good coverage of your face and neck from the sun.
Fleece hat or turban:
It may not be true that we lose 45 percent of body heat through the head. However, fleece hat or turban will keep you headache free.
Temperature drops drastically early in the morning and in the late afternoon, especially when you are approaching EBC. The North Face and Berghaus make great beanies to keep your head and ears toasty.
Magic Scarf:
A scarf or neck gaiter is a great piece of clothing that keeps your face and neck warm. The temperature can get cold and the air is usually very dry, which can cause the infamous kelp cough.
It helps to prevent particles from entering your throat when you breathe. It is lightweight and easy to carry. We endorse you to bring a towel if you plan on traveling in the off-season winter months (December to February).
Gloves:
Just like clothes and underwear, you need to bring them on a normal hike to keep you warm and protect your hand from sunburn. There are 2 kinds of gloves you must bring.
One is inner gloves which are light weighted, fast-drying used when the temperature is moderate.
Another one is outer gloves which need to be super warm, waterproof, durable. They should keep your hand warm in sub-zero temperatures. We advocate you Gore-Tex gloves from Dakine, Black Diamond, North Face.
Shoes:
Footwear is the most important gear you need to get. You should get comfortable trekking boots considering no one wants to experience aches and blisters on the foot.
So, spend a bit of money and buy comfortable shoes. Also, branded shoes don’t matter but the comfort does. We focus on 5 pieces of footwear and equipment that you should carry with you when hiking to Everest Base Camp.
Hiking Shoes:
Good shoes take you to good adventures. Your feet are the main to arrive and return to base camp. Boots of the wrong size can cause painful blisters, peeling nails, and soreness. .
Also, you won’t be able to enjoy your trip to the full potential. Make sure your boots fit. Look for light weight hiking boots that provide good ankle support.
As rule of thumb to picking the right size, you should be able to fit just one finger behind your heel. If there is too much space means too big and not enough space means too small. We recommend reliable brands: Salomon, Scarpa, Karrimor, Berghaus, and Hi-Tec.
Sports Shoes(Hiking shoes)
We recommend bringing an extra pair of lightweight and comfortable shoes for roaming around tea house after a long day of trekking.
Hiking Socks:
You should bring 4-6 pairs of hiking socks. Coolmax hiking socks or Smartwool and Bridgedale socks are some of the best choices.
Merino wool socks are great because they allow your feet to breathe. Cotton socks is a big no, as they absorb moisture and smells funky a lot sooner.
Warm Socks:
Thermal socks provide good cushioning and warmth for the feet, because it is slightly thicker than normal trekking socks. These socks are used for colder conditions near the Base camp.
We recommend 1 pair of Smartwool thermal socks which keep your feet warm and comfortable. For other valuable brands includes Bridgedale and Wigwam.
Snow cover:
The cover is made of waterproof nylon and wears like a leg warmer extend from the bottom of the boots all the way to your calves. They are used to prevent water, mud, dust, stones, and anything else entering the boots. Though they are not actually necessary for trekking. There are different types of snow cover on the market which seems to do same thing.
Packing equipment for EBC trekking:
Duffel bag (Camel bag):
The bag is made of waterproof laminate material, with sturdy zippers and easy-to-access hand and shoulder. Duffel bags are specially designed for multi-day treks like EBC trekking.
If you join our clan, we will arrange a porter and we’ll provide you a 120-150L duffel bag.
Backpack:
If you are hiking alone or without a porter on your trek, then you need a backpack that is 45-60L which is open at the top. The open-top hiking backpack style is the best. The Gregorian backpack is recommended.
If a porter or yak is carrying your luggage or backpack then you can take a lightweight backpack to carry necessities such as snacks, sunscreen, a camera, personal items (passport, money, other important documents), and a hat.
The ideal backpack should comes with compression straps to reduce weight pressure on the back and side pockets and facilitate the retrieval of your water bottle. Kelty is our preferred backpack which is 22L perfect.
Your backpack should be waterproof or comes with rain cover. If you decide to use Kitty Hawk, then make sure you have an Osprey backpack raincoat in a waterproof bag.
Sleeping bag:
A warm sleeping bag is one of the essential gear while trekking to EBC. Teahouse provides sleeping facilities but they are not necessarily well managed. When you reach higher altitude the temperature drops below zero. So, we recommend duck down/goose down fill sleeping bag.
Alternatively, there are other good-quality synthetic options too. It should be applied to 4-season and has a temperature rating scale of at least -10 degrees. We suggest groundhog (blanket), North face (snow leopard), or mountain hardener (thin plate or phantom).
Lastly, if you are not going to stay at the lodge but want to go to business or camping in the wild then a light sleeping pad is worth it.
Trekking poles:
The use of trekking poles is recommended as they reduce the impact on knees and other leg joints by 20%. It is especially beneficial when the load on your joints increases.
We recommend you buy adjustable light trekking poles (about 350 grams per pair), which is easy to store, durable, and versatile.
If you have previously experienced poles but don’t like the adventure then you can avoid it. The black diamond trekking poles are great (our favourite is the black diamond Alps). Amazon has great options.
Sunglasses:
The UV ray intensity in the Himalayas is relatively high, due to height and snow glare. Make sure that you brought 100% UV protection and at least 80% light-reduction glasses.
Julbo’s mountain sunglasses we recommend. Their Monte Bianco Mountains are very cool!
Headlamp:
Headlamps are used for getting around teashops early morning or in the evening. Many of the teahouses are poorly lighted. You will need a headlamp to navigate the tea house at night or if you want to do star gazing.
Petzl Tikka is a leading headlight brand. Make sure to bring spare batteries.
Water bottle or water bag:
Proper hydration is key on the trek. Dehydration is a common problem at high altitudes. You should aim to drink 2-3 liters of water a day. You can carry a CamelBak Bottle of 2-3L water bottle or a water bladder if you have extra space in your backpack.
Personal products and medicines:
Medium or small-sized towels are useful for drying yourself after every wash. “Discovery” or “Life jacket” provide good, quick drying towels.
Small-lock:
It is used to secure your valuable things, duffle bags, or backpacks.
Camera/ camcorder:
We can’t explain in words, how beautiful the country Nepal is and the Himalayas. You definitely want to shoot your hiking story and remember your time in the Himalayas.
If you don’t have a decent camera right now, it’s time to invest and then regretting later. DSLR cameras are recommended. The camera should be lightweight but still capture high-quality images. As far as the camera is concerned, we are GoPro fans.
E-book/Kindle:
If you are a book lover you can carry a Kindle because the books are heavy and unwieldy. During the long journey of the EBC trek, there is a time to rest at that time you can read your Kindle.
Playing Cards:
Without playing cards, no trekking trips are complete. You can entertain yourself and your surrounding by playing cards. It’s just for a fun game for you and other hikes at night.
Notebook/ diary and pen:
It is for those who want to record hiking experiences. There will be lots of time for remembering and writing about the hiking experience.
Portable battery charger:
If you plan to use electronic devices such as mobile phones, e-readers, or cameras/GoPro, then you need to make sure that you can charge these devices anytime.
Most inns have sockets, but you have to pay. We recommend you bring a USB portable battery charger. This usually applies to 5-6 recharges before it needs to be recharged by itself first.
Water purification pills:
You need to treat your water in Nepal. Be sure you add the correct number of water treatment tablets based on the volume of the water purifier.
We recommend the SteriPEN Adventure Optimized Mini package UV water purifier.
Please do not buy bottled water, as this will increase the waste problem in the Nepal trekking industry.
Instant granules:
This is a good addition to your drink and helps replace electrolytes and improve energy levels, and water absorption. An antidepressant is a high-altitude medicine for acute altitude sickness (AMS)or altitude sickness. It cannot cure AMS nor should it be used as a drop substitute.
Please seek appropriate medical advice before taking ascorbic acid.
Add General medicine to your EBC Trek Equipment List :
We recommend you take paracetamol to treat headaches(a common symptom of altitude sickness) and diarrhea (another common problem because the food preparation area may be a bit unhygienic).
Basic first aid kit:
Our guide usually carries first aid kit but it is for your best to have one in case you fall behind during trekking.
sunscreen/lip balm:
When you are out for a trek then you will get sunburn so you should carry one sunscreen. Due to cold your lips may get dry and crack so lip balm is needed to keep your lips moist.
Baby wipes:
Baby wipes are handy for a quick freshen up when fresh water is not available.
Toiletries:
All the necessary toiletries and toothpaste are used every day. Use filtered water to wash your teeth and 2 rolls of toilet paper, you can buy along the trail but the quality is usually poor.
Hand sanitizer:
It is very useful for a quick wash without water before eating. You can buy it on the trail.
Oximeter:
Oximeters show how altitude affects your body and how you adapt. It provides oxygen saturation and your heartbeat rate on the spot. Our team will provide it.