Everest Base Camp has two packing constraints that other Nepal treks do not. The first is the Lukla flight allowance — 10 kg checked and 5 kg hand, total 15 kg — which is less than most people's idea of trekking luggage. The second is Gorak Shep at 5,160 m, where nights fall to -20 °C in an unheated plywood room.
Everything below is chosen against those two facts. Our general Nepal packing list covers the principles; this is the Khumbu-specific version.
The Weight Problem
| Bag | Carried by | Weight | Contents |
|---|---|---|---|
| Porter duffel | Porter, shared between two trekkers | Under 15 kg each | Sleeping bag, spare clothes, down jacket, toiletries |
| Daypack | You | 5–7 kg loaded | Water, waterproofs, camera, snacks, sunscreen, documents, one warm layer |
| Lukla allowance | — | 10 kg checked, 5 kg hand | The hard limit for both bags combined |
| Left in Kathmandu | Hotel storage, free | Anything | City clothes, valuables, the half you overpacked |
Two tricks that buy you several kilos: wear your boots and down jacket on the flight rather than packing them, and put heavy items in your hand baggage, where enforcement is gentler than at the checked scale.
Clothing
Layering from 2,651 m to 5,545 m, with a 35-degree swing between a sunny afternoon at Phakding and a pre-dawn start on Kala Patthar.
- 3 base layer tops — merino or synthetic, long sleeved. No cotton.
- 2 base layer bottoms — one lightweight, one thermal for the upper valley.
- 1 fleece or light insulated mid-layer.
- 1 expedition-weight down jacket — this is the item to get right. A light down sweater is not enough at Lobuche and Gorak Shep. Hire one in Kathmandu if you will not use it again.
- Waterproof shell jacket and over-trousers — breathable, with a hood.
- 2 pairs trekking trousers.
- 5 pairs wool socks plus one thick pair kept only for sleeping.
- Warm hat, sun hat, buff, liner gloves, insulated gloves or mittens.
- Underwear for 5 days — laundry is available up to Namche.
The buff is worth a mention of its own: above 4,000 m the dry, cold air gives almost everyone the Khumbu cough, and breathing through a buff is the most effective thing anyone has found to reduce it.
Sleeping and Footwear
| Item | Specification | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Sleeping bag | -20 °C comfort rating | Gorak Shep and Lobuche are -15 to -20 °C, and lodge blankets are not enough |
| Sleeping bag liner | Fleece or silk | Adds around 5 °C and keeps the bag clean for a fortnight |
| Trekking boots | Waterproof, mid or high cut, broken in | Stone, moraine, and occasional snow. Never new. |
| Camp shoes | Trainers or lightweight shoes | For lodges in the evening |
| Gaiters | Lightweight | Snow above Dingboche, and dust lower down |
| Microspikes | Optional | Useful on an icy trail section in winter or after snowfall |
On the sleeping bag: this is where people economise and regret it. A -10 °C bag works on most Nepal treks, but three nights at Lobuche and Gorak Shep are colder than that. A rated -20 °C bag with a liner, bought or hired, is the single most comfort-determining item on the list.
Everything Else
- Daypack 30–40 litres with a rain cover.
- Trekking poles — essential on the descent from Pheriche to Namche.
- Headlamp plus spare batteries — pre-dawn Kala Patthar starts, and lodges that cut power.
- 2 × 1 litre bottles, at least one wide-mouth so it doubles as a hot water bottle in your sleeping bag.
- Purification tablets or a filter — bottled water is banned above Lukla.
- Category 3 or 4 sunglasses with side protection, plus a spare pair.
- Factor 50 sunscreen and SPF lip balm — the sun at 5,000 m burns through cloud.
- Power bank, 15,000 mAh or more — charging costs NPR 200 to 700 and the cold flattens batteries overnight.
- Personal first aid — painkillers, blister kit, rehydration salts, throat lozenges, hand sanitiser, any prescription medication.
- Quick-dry towel, wet wipes, toilet paper, sealable bags for carrying out waste.
- Passport, permits, insurance copy, and cash in Nepali rupees — NPR 25,000 to 40,000 in small notes.
Buy, Hire, or Bring
| Item | Best source | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Boots | Home | Fit matters more than anything and needs 50 km of breaking in |
| Waterproof shell | Home | Hard to judge quality in Thamel |
| Base layers | Home | Cheap enough not to risk a copy |
| Down jacket | Hire in Kathmandu | A few dollars a day for expedition weight |
| Sleeping bag | Hire in Kathmandu | Same — and saves 1.5 kg of your Lukla allowance |
| Duffel bag | Buy in Thamel | Cheap, and we supply one if you prefer |
| Trekking poles | Buy in Thamel | Good value, and you can leave them behind |
| Gloves, hats, buffs, socks | Buy in Thamel | Genuine stock and copies side by side, at a fraction of home prices |
| Sunscreen and lip balm | Buy in Kathmandu | Saves weight and is widely available |
| Snacks | Buy in Kathmandu or Namche | Trail prices climb steeply above Namche |
What Trekkers Wish They Had Brought
From our own post-trek conversations, in order of frequency:
- A warmer sleeping bag. By a wide margin the most common regret.
- More snacks from Kathmandu. Appetite for meals falls at altitude while the craving for chocolate does not, and Gorak Shep charges NPR 500 a bar.
- A second pair of sunglasses. Broken or lost glasses on snow at 5,000 m is a genuine problem.
- Throat lozenges, in quantity. The Khumbu cough is universal and lasts for days.
- A bigger power bank. Charging is expensive, slow, and only available in the evening.
- Earplugs. Plywood partitions, and somebody in the next room has the cough too.
- More small-denomination rupees. Nobody at 5,000 m can change a 1,000 note at 6 a.m.
And what people wished they had left behind: a second book, a laptop, jeans, a full-size tripod, and roughly a third of the clothing they packed.
