Packing for Everest Base Camp

Before we left for Nepal I spent hours online looking for the perfect packing list. For a, you must take this otherwise you will die list – you know what I mean? I wanted someone to say what was useful and what wasn’t. Im not going to lie I couldn’t really find anything detailed enough. I relied on friends that had already visited Nepal and I loosely based my list off the G Adventures packing list I blogged about here.

When you book with a company such as G Adventures you will get a weight limit, ours was 10kg. The night before our trek we were handed a black duffle bag, this was our trekking bag that we were to pack and hand to the Sherpas every day. In here goes everything you need for the trek including your sleeping bag, be aware that a porter will be carrying your bag and the key to packing is to eliminate any unnecessary items. Trust me by day 3 you have lost all care and consideration for what you look like and if you need to wear the same clothes twice, you will. For example, during the top three days of the trek, that’s the day before base camp, base camp day and the day after down to Periche, I literally didn’t take my base layers off (I mean I changed my underwear) but that’s as far as it got. I had no desire to expose my skin for any period of time in that cold. Also, forget taking a towel and showering, items such as shampoo and soap can stay behind. One if you shower, you’re crazy, it is so cold and there’s no way to adequately dry your hair, two, its that cold you will struggle to warm up again, three, everyone is in the same boat… just take some decent deodorant!

Now, everyone will be different and it’s important to remember that, but here is a list of everything I packed in my bag with links to the products kindly gifted to me, that way you can choose them for yourself or draw inspiration for your own packing list.

Sophie

Pack rain cover V2 Size Medium Orange

Peak Design – Everyday sling bag 

KMD Core Long sleeve top- Black
Thermo twin pack socks V4 S/M – Forest Brown
Drink bottle, BPA free, 1 liter
Polypro gloves – black
Robin head torch
Pocket rain jacket 

Lowa Maurina boots 
Nike Trainers for in the tea houses
Some people took sandals but I wanted trainers for walking around on the days we didn’t have to hike, I also get cold toes so sandals and socks wouldn’t cut it for me.

Minus 20 Sleeping bag hired from Kathmandu (Thamel)
Up to date Trekking shop Thamel, seven corner, Kathmandu
Email uptodatetrekking@gmail.com

 

Robbie

Altum Goretex men’s raincoat V2 Black

Katabatic Pack V4 28L Chilli pepper/black

Pack rain cover V2 Size Small

KMD Core Long Johns Black

KMD Core Long sleeve top Black

Mens Zeolite leggings Black

Drink bottle BPA free, 1 liter

Thermo twin pack socks V4 M/L – Black

Kathmandu Mornington Men’s NGX boots – Male

Trespass Digby Packable Hooded Down Jacket 

Trespass Blackford Mens pull over fleece

Trespass Packup adult pack away waterproof pants 

Waterproof gloves x 1 from Kathmandu(Thamel)

Mons Royale Beanie

Mons Royale neck warmer

3 x shorts

2 x breathable t-shirts

1 x Merino base layer

2 x long sleeve tops

Clothes to sleep in – base layer, soft cotton pants, socks, long sleeve, and a jumper.

Underwear

Socks – different thickness for cold

Cap – for the sunny lower days

Minus 20 Sleeping bag – Hired from Kathmandu Up to date Trekking shop
Thamel, seven corner, Kathmandu – email uptodatetrekking@gmail.com

Toiletries

First aid kit
Suncream
Hand sanitizer
Baby wipes
Loo roll
Hairbrush
Lip Balm
Concealer
Aqua tabs

In my day bag

This was one of the hardest things to pack, especially for me, due to my insane amount of  gear BUT saying that if you’re not taking cameras and extra cameras then you should be sweet (as everyone else was on our trip) Your day pack can only weigh 7kg because of the flight into Lukla, however, this is a plane collective weight so if yours is a little over – don’t panic. Top tip, don’t fill your water on the check-in side of the airport – that will save you a little bit of weight. It’s also important to remember that you will be carrying this weight for the whole trip, if you are not used to carrying heavy packs then don’t overfill it, just leave the extra snacks behind.

Day pack contents

2 x water bottles

Trekking pole – in the side pocket

Journal, pen, trip documents, money wallet

Peak Design – Everyday sling bag 

Contents – Nikon D750, 24-120mm, 16-35mm, 50mm

Spare Batteries, Memory card, dual charger, leads, plug

iPhone Charger

Go Pro Hero 7

Instax SQ6

50 Pack of film

Wet weather gear

Gloves, pants, jacket,

Long sleeve layer,

Beanie

Rain cover

Head Torch

A personal little bag with concealer, essential oil, lock, also doubled as a place to store my polaroids & sunnies.

OSM snacks & 2 bottles of water in the outer pockets.

Robbie’s day bag 

Wet weather gear

Pants, jacket, gloves, hat

Sunnies

First aid kit / Suncream

2 x water bottles

Snacks

Aqua Tabs

Rain cover

Torch

As Robbie only had clothes in his we did some shuffling every day and distributed the weight between us, which was a life saver. My bag was still considerably heavier but im used to carrying 7kg of camera & laptop gear around with me on the daily. My pack was also amazing! It was so comfortable, big enough on the inside that I could arrange everything and I never felt like I was shoving stuff in there. I did opt for a 50L pack, the recommended is a 30L day pack but I wanted to make sure that I had enough room for my gear. Robbie’s pack was only 28L and if you only have a compact camera or a normal sized camera then this would be plenty big enough.

I can honestly say that everything I took with me gear wise was incredible. I used and needed all of the items above and everything performed exactly how it should. I felt the cold, of course, it was -17 degree’s at the top but my down jacket, beanies, and trusty merino base layers did the job of keeping me toasty warm.

The only thing I wish I had packed was more snacks, I got a little envious when I saw people pulling out the Haribo’s – I mean they shared but this little fatty wanted more than the polite offering of one or two. We did buy Mars Bars and some other treats along the way and to be honest we didn’t even look at the price, you also kinda get over how ‘expensive’ things are closer to the top when you see how they are transported up there. Just pay the $4 for the chocolate and enjoy every bite.

Hopefully, this page will help if you are planning to go to Everest Base Camp or other surrounding hikes. If you have any other questions, don’t hesitate to send them through to me here & I will do my best to answer them.

 

Kathmandu gear testing in Mount Cook NZ before we left