What to actually pack, season by season
The same trek needs different bags in March and December. Four lists, and the items people consistently bring for nothing.
By Sabina Adhikari · 6 min read · Updated 1 August 2026
I pack and unpack other people's duffels for a living, which is how I know that most visitors bring roughly a third more than they use and are missing two things that matter.
The porter cap is 9 kg per trekker, two trekkers per porter, so weight is a real constraint rather than a suggestion. Every kilo you leave in your suitcase is a kilo somebody does not carry up the Chhomrong stairs.
Here is what changes with the season, and what does not.
The core list, every season
Boots you have already walked fifty kilometres in, including downhill. Four pairs of good socks. Two pairs of trekking trousers. A base layer, a fleece, a waterproof shell.
Headtorch with spare batteries. Power bank — charging is per device per hour on the trail and expensive high up. Sun hat, warm hat, sunglasses that block real UV.
High-factor sun cream and lip balm with SPF. A filter bottle or purification tablets. Blister plasters, ibuprofen and rehydration salts in your own pocket rather than only in the guide's kit.
Two passport photos and a photocopy of your passport page, brought from home. Permits need them and the alternative is a photo-shop queue on the morning you wanted to be walking.
Spring, March to May
Warm days, cool nights, and increasing afternoon cloud as May approaches. This is the most forgiving season to pack for.
Add: a light windproof layer for ridges, and something for afternoon rain from late April onward.
Skip: the heaviest gloves. You will want thin liners rather than expedition mitts unless you are crossing a high pass.
Spring is hazier than autumn, so if photographs matter, this is the season to bring a lens cloth and lower expectations about long-distance clarity.
Monsoon, June to August
Warm, wet, humid. The mistake is packing for cold; you will be soaked from the inside of a sealed jacket regardless.
Add: a properly waterproof shell rather than a showerproof one, quick-dry everything, sandals for the evening because your boots will not dry, a dry bag for electronics, and salt for leeches.
Skip: the down jacket, unless you are going high. Most monsoon walking is warm.
Two pairs of boots is a luxury nobody can carry, so accept damp feet and change socks often.
Autumn, late September to November
The classic season and the widest temperature range — hot in the valleys, well below freezing at altitude before dawn.
Add: the full layering system, proper gloves and a warm hat, and a four-season sleeping bag if you are going above 3,500 m. Late November nights at Annapurna Base Camp are cold.
This is the season people under-pack for warmth because they judge by the afternoon in Pokhara. Rooms are unheated everywhere; the dining-room stove goes out at nine.
Winter, December to February
Clear, quiet, cold. Low routes are close to perfect; high routes need real equipment.
Add: a −20 °C bag, a proper down jacket, insulated gloves, thermal base layers top and bottom, and microspikes if any high viewpoint or pass is in the plan.
A hot water bottle from the lodge kitchen for a few rupees is the best cold-night trick in Nepal and nobody tells you about it.
Batteries flatten fast in cold — sleep with your phone, camera batteries and power bank inside your sleeping bag.
What people bring and never use
A second pair of shoes beyond camp sandals. A towel larger than a hand towel. Jeans. A book they never open because they are asleep by eight. Three days of spare clothes for a two-week trek — you will wear the same two shirts and stop caring by day four.
Large first-aid kits duplicating what the guide carries. Ask us what is in ours and pack the gaps rather than a second one.
Water bladders in winter, which freeze in the tube. A bottle inside your jacket is more reliable.
Walk it with us
Private departures on your dates, guided by the people who wrote this page.
Questions we get asked
How heavy should my duffel be?
Under 9 kg. That is the cap per trekker and it is not a target to aim at — most people manage comfortably under it once they stop packing spare clothes.
What do I carry myself?
A daypack with water, layers, camera, sun cream, snacks and anything you need during the day. Your duffel goes ahead with the porter and you will not see it until evening — so keep your warm layer with you.
Should I buy or rent a sleeping bag?
Rent, unless you trek regularly at home. A −20 °C bag costs a couple of dollars a day here and several hundred to buy.
Can I do laundry on trek?
Lower down, yes, and it dries. Above about 3,000 m it will not dry overnight in autumn or winter. Pack accordingly and accept it.
What about a sleeping bag liner?
Worth its tiny weight — it adds a few degrees, keeps the rental bag clean and doubles as a sheet in basic lodges.
Read next
Still deciding?
Tell us your dates and how much walking you have actually done, and we will tell you honestly whether this trek is the right one for you.
Ask a guide