Twelve kilograms is the number that governs almost every decision about what to bring on a Himalayan lodge trek. It is roughly half of what a porter should carry, it is close to the checked baggage allowance on the small aircraft that fly into Lukla, and it is the point beyond which a duffel stops being a convenience and becomes a burden for somebody else. After many treks we have settled on a packing method that fits comfortably inside that limit with room to spare. What follows is not a shopping list but a way of thinking about weight, warmth and the two bags you will actually carry.
Two bags, two jobs
The duffel goes on the porter’s back in the morning and reappears at the lodge in the afternoon. You will not see it during the day, so everything you might need between breakfast and dinner lives in a day pack of 25 to 35 litres that you carry yourself. That means water, snacks, sun protection, a warm layer, a waterproof shell, camera, documents, cash, medication and a headlamp. The day pack should weigh five to seven kilograms with two litres of water, which is enough to notice on a 900 m climb but not enough to slow you down.
The duffel itself should be soft, without wheels or a frame, so it can be lashed to a basket or strapped against a second bag. A 60 to 80 litre bag is plenty. Line it with a large plastic sack or a dry bag, because rain covers slide off duffels and porters walk through weather you would rather not.
Layers, not garments
The Himalaya in October or April can offer a shirt-sleeve morning at 2,800 m and minus 15 degrees at a lodge at 5,000 m two days later, and the way to cover that range without carrying a wardrobe is a layering system. Next to the skin, one or two synthetic or merino base layers, long-sleeved on top. Over that, a light fleece or grid fleece for walking in the cold. A down or synthetic insulated jacket for lodges, evenings and the pre-dawn start on a viewpoint; this is the single most important item in the bag and the one place not to economise on warmth. A waterproof and windproof shell jacket, and lightweight waterproof trousers that pack small.
For the legs, one pair of stretch trekking trousers and one pair of thermal leggings cover every day. Two or three pairs of walking socks, washed in rotation, plus a thick pair kept dry for sleeping. A warm hat, a sun hat, a buff, liner gloves and a warmer pair of gloves or mitts. That is the entire clothing list, and on most treks half of it is worn at once by the last three days.
Sleeping and washing
Lodge bedrooms are unheated, and above 4,000 m the temperature inside falls well below freezing in the peak seasons. A sleeping bag with a comfort rating of at least minus 10 degrees is the second heaviest item after the boots on your feet, and worth every gram. A liner adds warmth and keeps the bag usable for years. Lodges provide a blanket, which goes over the bag on the coldest nights.
Washing kit shrinks to a toothbrush, a small tube of toothpaste, a bar of soap, a quick-drying towel the size of a tea towel, a small bottle of hand sanitiser and a roll of toilet paper in a plastic bag. Wet wipes are useful where hot water is scarce but must be carried out. Sunscreen of factor 50 and a lip balm with sun protection are non-negotiable, since the sun at 5,000 m burns in minutes and reflects off snow.
The kit that earns its weight
Beyond clothing and sleeping, a short list of equipment makes the difference between a comfortable trek and a miserable one:
- Broken-in boots with ankle support, and a pair of light shoes or sandals for lodges
- Trekking poles, which save the knees on descents of 1,000 m or more
- A headlamp with spare batteries, because lodge corridors and toilets are dark
- Category 3 or 4 sunglasses, with a spare cheap pair in the duffel
- Two one-litre bottles or a bottle and a bladder, plus a filter or purification tablets
- A power bank of 10,000 to 20,000 mAh and the cables for every device
- A basic first aid kit with blister care, painkillers, rehydration salts and any altitude medication agreed with a doctor
Microspikes belong in the duffel for treks that cross high passes in late autumn or winter, when the northern sides hold hard snow. For the Everest and Annapurna trails in October and April they are usually unnecessary, but a pass such as the Thorong La at 5,416 m or the Cho La at 5,420 m can carry ice at any time of year.
What we leave at home
The mistakes are always the same. A second pair of boots. Jeans, which never dry. A full-size towel. Books, when a phone holds a library. A pillow. A laptop. Three changes of clothes for the evening, when everyone in the dining room is wearing the same down jacket they walked in. A large camera with several lenses, unless photography is the reason for the trip. Cosmetics. A tent, on a trail with a lodge every hour. Each of these is reasonable on its own and together they turn a 12 kg duffel into a 20 kg one.
The weight of the duffel, weighed on a bathroom scale with the sleeping bag inside, is the only test that matters. If it comes in at 12 kg or under, the porter carries a fair load, the airline check-in goes smoothly and the trip becomes about the mountains rather than about the bag.
A note on the flight
On flights into Lukla and other mountain airstrips in Nepal, the standard allowance is around 15 kg per passenger, typically split as 10 kg of checked baggage and 5 kg in the cabin. Excess is charged per kilogram and can be refused when the aircraft is full or the air is thin. A city bag with clean clothes for the return can be left with your hotel or trekking agent, and the duffel and day pack that go on the plane should be the two bags that walk up the valley. Weigh them the night before, and the number will be one less thing to think about on a nervous morning at the airport.