When I trekked to Everest Base Camp in October 2015 I made the decision to carry my own pack. As I’m a bit of a weakling it was imperative to keep this light and only take the essentials. When I hopped on the flight to Lukla my bag weighed in under 7kgs – phew!

Of course if you are hiring a porter (or are stronger than me) it is possible to take more but rather unnecessary. In fact even if you are hiring a porter I would still encourage you to take the bare minimum. Trekking porters often have to carry multiple packs (plus their own belongings) and unfortunately trekking companies have been known to turn a blind eye to the “10kg limit” per client.

Think of your porter when packing. If you wouldn’t want to carry it on the trek don’t make someone else!

This is what I took which was more than enough and a comfortable weight for me.

The Pack
36L Osprey Sirrus Backpack

Clothes
1x Merino wool short sleeve t-shirt
2x Long sleeved merino wool tops (one thick and one thin)
1x Trekking trousers
1x Light trousers (worn over long johns in the tea houses)
1x Long johns (merino wool)
2x Thick hiking socks
2x Merino wool liner socks
1x Liner gloves
1x Windproof gloves
1x Sports bra
3x Underwear
1x Buff
1x Scarf
1x Wool/fleece headband (bought in Namche)
1x Down Jacket
1x Rain Jacket
1x Lightweight fleece

Footwear
1x Light mid hiking boots
1x Teva sandals (to wear in the evenings)

Toiletries
Wet wipes (a lot cheaper than showers!)
Dry shampoo
Soap
Solid shampoo (used once)
Toothbrush
Toothpaste

Health
First aid kit
Water purification tablets
Throat lozenges
Painkillers
Rehydration salts
Suncream

Miscellaneous
iPhone
Kindle
Sunglasses
Money (enough to last the whole trek)
Down sleeping bag (4 seasons)
Head torch
Trekking pole
Flavour sachets (for water)
Tasty snacks (snickers, peanut bars etc)
2x Litre water bottles
Chargers
Tissues/toilet roll
Spare batteries

Optional Extras
(I didn’t take these but are recommended by others)
Extra socks for the evenings
Diamox (to aid acclimatisation – I prefer to let nature take its course)
Warm hat
Camera (I just used my iPhone for snaps but if you have a good camera definitely take it!)

The vast majority of trekking items listed above are available to buy/rent in Thamel (Kathmandu). Plus guesthouses and hotels are happy to look after any luggage you have which is not required for the trek.

Finally if you’re after some high quality trekking clothes I would suggest skipping the fakes in Thamel and head to a shop called ‘Sherpa’. This outdoor shop sells good quality trekking clothes at a reasonable price – check it out on Lal Durbar Marg.