Everest Base Camp Trek Packing List: Complete Gear Checklist

Packing Principles

Because EBC is a teahouse trek, you sleep in lodges and eat cooked meals, so there is no tent, stove or food to carry. But the altitude makes warmth matter far more than on lower treks. The two rules:

• Layer, don't bulk. Temperatures swing from warm forest near Lukla to far below freezing at Gorak Shep and on the Kala Patthar dawn. Several thin layers beat one thick one.
• Keep it light. If a porter carries your duffel, aim for under 10–12 kg; your daypack holds water, warm layers, camera and valuables.

Clothing (the layering system)

Footwear & Gear

• Broken-in trekking boots with ankle support, the single most important item.
• Camp shoes/sandals for evenings in the lodge.
• Trekking poles, strongly recommended for the long rocky descents.
• Daypack (30–40 L) with a rain cover.
• Duffel/kit bag if using a porter.
• Sleeping bag rated to about −15 °C for the bitterly cold high nights (lodges provide blankets, but a warm bag is essential up high).
• Headlamp + spare batteries, for the pre-dawn Kala Patthar climb.
• Water bottles/bladder (2–3 L) + purification (filter, tablets or SteriPen); insulated bottles resist freezing high up.
• Power bank, charging costs money and is scarce and slow at altitude.

Documents, Toiletries & Medical Kit

Documents

• Passport + photocopies, Sagarmatha & Khumbu permits (see permits guide), passport photos, travel insurance with helicopter-evacuation cover to at least 5,600 m, cash in Nepali rupees.

Toiletries

• High-SPF sunscreen and SPF lip balm (UV is fierce at altitude), quick-dry towel, biodegradable soap, hand sanitiser, wet wipes, toilet paper, personal hygiene items.

Medical kit

• Blister plasters, painkillers, rehydration salts, anti-diarrhoea and broad-spectrum antibiotics (consult your doctor), throat lozenges for the dry "Khumbu cough", any personal medication.
• Acetazolamide (Diamox) if your doctor advises it, important on EBC given the altitude, see the altitude sickness guide.

What to Rent in Kathmandu (and Seasonal Tweaks)

You do not need to buy everything. Kathmandu's Thamel trekking shops rent the bulky, expensive items cheaply, typically NPR 100–200/day each:

• Down jacket and −15 °C sleeping bag, the two best things to rent if you don't own them.
• Trekking poles and duffel bags are also widely available.

Thamel is also the place to buy last-minute socks, sunscreen, snacks and (genuine or otherwise) gear at lower prices than home. Namche Bazaar has gear shops too, a useful backstop, but prices rise with altitude.

Seasonal adjustments

• Winter (Dec–Feb): add an even warmer sleeping bag, extra thermals, heavier gloves, gaiters and microspikes for snow.
• Spring (Mar–May): standard list, but add sun protection for the strengthening high-altitude sun and lighter layers for warm lower stages.
• Autumn (late Sep–Nov): the standard list above is ideal; nights are very cold high up, so do not skimp on the down jacket and sleeping bag.