Everest Base Camp Trek Packing List – Updated 2024

Hiking to Everest Base Camp is a lifetime experience for many people. Like any other adventure, it requires preparation and planning, including deciding what to pack for the trek. In this post, we discuss a complete packing list for the Everest Base Camp trek, including clothes, gear, electronics, and all sorts of nifty little extras from our personal experience doing this trek.

Want to see what you can eat on the Everest Base Camp trek?

Our Clothes on the EBC Trek

What clothes to pack? – Layering is key, this popular hiking jargon means wearing a couple of layers of clothing. Breathable clothing can help you to keep warm, dry, and comfortable in changing conditions by removing layers depending on how you feel and the conditions you’re in. Multiple thin layers will keep you warmer than a single thicker layer because warm air is trapped between the layers acting as an insulator.

Clothes are arranged in 3 layers from your skin outwards; a Base layer (underwear) that wicks (draws moisture away) sweat off your skin use a synthetic material that doesn’t absorb wetness. Middle layer (insulating): retains body heat protecting you from the cold. An Outer layer (the shell) waterproof and windproof.

The Shell

Outer Shell Rain Jacket – wind and waterproof jacket ladies or Outer Shell Rain Jacket for men with a hood in case of strong wind or rain. Walking EBC in April we walked most of the time in a hiking shirt and outer shell jacket, layering up with a fleece and thermal vest a handful of times when it was cold.

Rain poncho – On our last trip to EBC Alya left her rain jacket at home and took a light poncho that can fit over her and her backpack to make sure nothing gets wet. She wore a fleece or down jacket for the rest of the trip. We always pack ponchos when go traveling – they are small and light and are often quite handy. It rained a bit once or twice and she used the poncho.

Trekking pants – I had one pair of light fast dry hiking pants and I never zipped off the legs, on on very cold days I layer up with thermal underpants (you can take this off later in the day when it gets warmer). If you go hiking off-season when it is very cold it is nice to wear thicker waterproof pants. For women, I’d suggest packing trekking pants and stretchy workout tights. This is Alya´s hiking pants of choice, her stretchy, comfortable yoga pants, dries quickly if it gets wet and she layers up when it gets cold.

Insulating Later

Lightweight Down Puffer Jacket, These, soft, warm jackets are extremely comfortable and nice to walk in. Also nice to wear in the tea house at night. Light, small and very packable.

Fleece – Essential item. I wear a fleece under my outer shell on cold days and over a thermal vest in tea houses.  

A Fleece vest is great for extra heat layering,  ladies.

Base Layer

Hiking shirt – Wear breathable, moisture-wicking, quick-dry shirts. For men, I love hiking in Columbia shirts, does not absorb water so it dries quickly, and long sleeves are great for sun protection.

For Ladies, Alya packs a mix of long and short-sleeve running t-shirts.

Sports bras – For hiking and outdoor activities Alya prefers to wear sport bras . 

Thermal underwear – thermals (men’s models) are great for sleeping in or to usa as an extra layer for hiking on very cold days. Standard cotton socks also great to pack for sleeping in.

Underwear – two-three pairs depend how long you are hiking for, usually hand wash on the way.

Merino wool socks – Our hiking secret weapon.  merino wool socks work great; don’t absorb odors, protect your feet, dry quick and very durable. Darn Tough hiking socks excellent brand, good foot support and blister protection.  ladies’ models are colorful and funky.

Beanie – since I don’t have much hair I often wear a beanie. Even though she has a lot of hair, Alya sometimes wear a beanie when it is very cold, pack one.

Gloves – Wearing thin fleece gloves or no gloves was fine most of the time. My hands get cold very easy and I was happy that I packed a pair of winter ski gloves on one or two cold mornings, I specifically recall ascending Kalapathar warm gloves helped a lot!

Cap/hat – a cap, or hat is very important for sun protection on hikes. 

Sunglasses – sunglasses with proper UV protection important for hiking in the mountains I will recommend polarized lenses.  

EBC Trek -Suggested hiking clothes for women

Shell Rain jacket | Fleece |Running Shirt | Running T-shirt | Hiking pants | Yoga pants | Rain poncho | Fleece vest |Thermal underwear|Sport bras|Gloves|Beany | Cap | Sunglasses | Socks | Ski Gloves

• A thick, waterproof jacket down such as the North Face Nuptse Jacket, is and option for outercore in winter. We rented jackets like this when climbing Mount Elbrus in Russia. Ladies Nuptse Jacket

Multifunctional Headwear “Buff” great to protect your neck and face from sun, wind and weather.

Gaiters – Shoes Covers. Keep your shoes dry and keep snow, debris and dust out of your shoes while hiking in any terrain or weather.

Rock Dove Slippers – these super comfortable, warm, down slippers with soles are great for wearing in the tea-house when taking off your hiking boots Rock Dove Women’s down Slipper

Gear and Equipment – buying or renting?

There are many shops selling the necessary clothes and gear to trek to Everest Base Camp in Kathmandu. Mostly fakes of well-known brands like The North Face. Many people buy the fake gear, completing the trek successfully using this equipment. Obviously, the quality is inferior.

You can rent gear in Kathmandu, be careful it is often fake, I rented a The North Face sleeping bag that fell apart after 3 days of use. There are a handful of shops selling authentic branded equipment in Thamel, you can not miss them. We bought proper The North Face gear in Thamel, I would however recommend buying essential gear before your trip while you still have time to order and exchange sizes, colors, models, etc.

Knock-off trekking Gear in Kathmandu

There are hundreds of little trekking shops in Kathmandu and Pokhara selling good looking knock-off equipment from well-known brands.

You are not climbing Everest so you probably won’t die of cold in a fake jacket in summer. Having something that fits, lasts, and keeps the wind and rain out is just nicer and will improve your chances of finishing the trek successfully though it might significantly increase the cost of the EBC trek.

Season is an important consideration when buying gear, in summer the knock-off stuff is OK and might last for the duration of your trek. When we were trekking to EBC in late February it was a lot colder than when we did the same trek in April. I was glad we had proper gear, it was freezing. I wore my real down jacket most of the trek, even sleeping in it at Gorakshep, I would recommend taking a light packable down jacket with a hood. The fake jackets are not filled with goose down, but with synthetic material, it is heavier and not nearly as warm.

Insurance for the Everest Base Camp trek

EBC is a high altitude trek and altitude sickness is common. Since there are no roads in these mountains if you get seriously injured or sick you will have to be evacuated by helicopter which is very expensive. Travel insurance that states it covers you for hiking to an altitude of 6000m is a ‘yes’ for Everest Base Camp at 5364m. Insurance can be taken out for your whole trip or only for the duration of your trek.

World Nomads offers simple and flexible travel insurance. Buy at home or while traveling and claim online from anywhere in the world.

Best Backpacks for EBC

A quality and comfortable backpack is a very important piece of equipment. I will recommend a dedicated hiking backpack from a well-known brand.

Backpacks are expensive, buy a good quality pack like the Deuter Unisex – Adult’s Aircontact Lite 50+10 Trekking Backpack or Osprey Atmos AG50 for ladies. Alya and I are currently trekking with 60L and 40L backpacks respectively. A 40-50L backpack should be enough for this route. Everest Base Camp is a tea-house trek there is no need to bring any camping gear with you unlike for example when you pack for hiking in Patagonia.

Quality, but more budget options to consider is the MOUNTAINTOP 65L/55L Internal Frame Hiking Backpack (unisex)

We were traveling around Asia for about two years when the trekking bug bit and I was using a travel pack, these backpacks such as Osprey Far Point 55 Travel Backpack are great for traveling because they are not only top loading, you can open them in front for easy packing. Travel packs also have all sorts of straps, clips and zips and they are comfortable to carry, but a backpack designed for hiking is the number one choice for comfort.

Are you traveling long term and planning to do some serious hikes? for the best of both worlds go for a top-quality, well-designed hiking pack with easy access. Long term travel and serious hiking.

Osprey Ariel 65 Women’s Backpacking Backpack , Ceramic Blue

Travel Pack Features: With both top loading and Front Panel opening – easy access like a travel backpack

Top Hiking Pack Features: Adjustable Torso Length, Integrated & Detachable Rain Cover, 3D Suspended Back panel and Lumbar for perfect fit and comfort, a top hiking pack!

If you are using porters you can pack your clothing and gear in a duffel bag instead of a backpack, they will put it in a basket anyway or it will be carried by yaks/donkeys Malo’o Waterproof Dry Bag Duffel. Trekking to the top of the highest mountain in Africa, we had a guide and porters. Packing to climb Kilimanjaro many trekkers used duffel bags.

Packing Footwear for EBC Trek

Hiking boots/shoes – important qualities to check for

• good grip
• waterproof
• breathing
• good quality (quality brand)

Should you trek to Everest Base Camp in boots or shoes? Doing the hike in shoes is definitely possible, make sure they are waterproof. With a boot laced up to the top chances of water coming in from the top is much lower in rain and snow than with a shoe. If you do not have hiking experience I would go for a higher cut for some ankle support.  The porters often wear sneakers or even sandals. I will recommend to wear merino wool socks in waterproof hiking shoes.

We are both very happy with our Gortex Salomon X Ultra boots. Light and comfortable, 100% waterproof. Even after hiking for hours in snow and mud on the Annapurna Base Camp trek and our feet stayed dry! Ladies Salomon X Ultra Boots

Merrell Moab 2 Waterproof fantastic quality low cut shoe, Alya hiked more than 3000 km in her Moab 2 hiking shoes!  Salomon X Ultra Prime  another durable, waterproof, comfortable, low cut shoe.

Ladies Merrell Moab 2 Waterproof. Columbia Dakota Drifter lower price, but still a nice shoe.

Is a Sleeping Bag necessary on the EBC Trek?

It gets very cold inside the tea houses at night. Our water froze inside our bottles inside at night at the highest altitude! You do get blankets and can ask for extra, we however always carry a light summer sleeping bag that compresses for easy packing, it helps for warmth and we like sleeping in our ‘clean’ sleeping bags.

Everest Base Camp Trek Packing – Suggested Accessories

Trekking Poles – great to reduce the impact on your knees, very helpful on some icy descents on the EBC trek. TrailBuddy Hiking Sticks very well rated for durability, comfort, shock absorption, quality, and adjustability. Good value for money, aluminum trekking poles. Aluminum is strong and a bit heavier than carbon, worked fine for me! Top of the line Black Diamond Hiking poles.

Microfibre towels are light, pack small and dry quick.

Petzl is good quality headlamps, the electricity in the tea houses is not always on at night, a headlamp is handy Petzl Arctic 300 Lumen waterproof headlamp

Water is expensive and the higher you climb the higher the price. It is possible to sterilize tap water and save a lot. You have three options to sterilize tap water and drink

Life Straw filter, very efficient, great value for money, can also buy LifeStraw bottle we have one, works very well.

• Swiss knife Very handy, a sharp knife not always available in tea houses, the Swiss knife for cutting, opening cans etc. Important! Don’t forget if you fly only with hand luggage no knives will be allowed.
• Take a notebook 
• Travel wet wipes very high on our list, often use for washing if ‘shower’ cold or expensive.
• Hand sterilizer – tap not always available

First Aid Kit for EBC trek

Pack a good, basic, light first aid kit such as this one.

Add some

• pain killers paracetamol/aspirin/ibuprofen
• Imodium for an upset stomach
• rehydrate (isotonic drink) for when you are dehydrated
• Diamox. It’s used by many trekkers to prevent altitude sickness. At high altitude the air pressure is low and less oxygen available, Diamox prevents AMS by acting as a respiratory stimulant. Contraindications Diamox is a diuretic so you constantly have to urinate, not nice to go to the toilet if it is cold at night. Needles and pins (paraesthesia) in hands in feet.

Altitude RX Oxyboost Complex for Mountain Sickness – natural remedy against altitude sickness, we have never used it, but it has good reviews, check here for about 500 reviews, sound like it works to me!

Plasters – pack enough plasters if you get blister that you can replace them daily. There are special blister prevention patches for shoes as well.

Antiseptic/iodine.

Vaseline – you can use it for blister prevention put it every morning on your feet (some areas) before you start walking. It’ll help to reduce chafing.

Toiletries

• Toiletry bag
• Hairbrush
• Sunscreen
• Mosquito repellent
• Lip balm with SPF factor
• Toothpaste
• Deodorant
• Cream/body lotion
• Humid tissues
• Hand sanitizer
• Toilet paper (never needed)

We have done the EBC trek twice in different weather conditions; in winter and in spring. In the last 7 years of traveling the world and writing about trekking, we’ve done plenty of hikes including many routes in cold weather conditions such as high-altitude treks in Peru and Mount Kilimanjaro climb in Tanzania. Looking back at our EBC treks this is the packing list we recommend.

EBC Trek Permits and arrangements

Permits and Admin is not always the most fun part of packing, the permits are available in Lukla and Monjo so it can be paid on the way.

Everest Base Camp permits required 2023

• Local permit  cost NPR 2000 ($20)
• Sagarmatha National Park Entry Permit (USD 30 + 13% Govt. Tax)

Both permits can be bought during the trek at checkpoints at Lukla and Monjo. This is the easiest way to do it and you can not miss these checkpoints on the route.

Do you need a TIMS permit to trek to EBC?

TIMS ( Trekkers’ Information Management Systems) permits are required by the central government of Nepal to collect data of all individuals hiking in Nepal. There is a lot of conflicting information online regarding whether this permit is required or not for hiking EBC.

This permit used to be a requirement for trekking in the Everest region. The TIMS card is no longer required for the Everest Base Camp Trek it has been replaced by the local area permit. There are several trekking routes around Everest Base Camp. TIMS might be required for other regions such as Annapurna or Langtang

Best months for hiking Everest Base Camp trek

How cold and wet it plays a very important role in what you pack for your EBC trek. There are two distinct seasons for trekking to EBC. The best months to trek to Everest base camp are in the pre-monsoon season through March, April, and May, or in the post-monsoon season from late September, October, November. If you decide to trek on the border of the monsoon season keep in mind that sometimes the season starts earlier or finishes later and unexpected rainfalls might influence your Everest Base Camp trek itinerary. See our detailed article regarding the best time to trek to EBC.

Pre-monsoon (Feb-May) the weather should be largely stable and dry, great for trekking, but it can be very busy with many hikers. Trekking here in February/March it was dry but cold. I was wearing Columbia shirts, a down jacket, and North Face Trekking Pants more than 80% of the time, wearing an Outer Shell Rain Jacket over the down jacket when it was very cold. Hiking to EBC in April I wore only the shirt and rain jacket most of the time, layering up with a fleece under the rain jacket on cold days. Later in April and in May it is possible that there could be a lot of rain. We had a lot of rain at trekking here at lower altitudes later in April.

Post monsoon (late Sept-Nov) with less haze and clouds in this period it will normally provide better views of these spectacular mountains. This time is colder but a great time to hike to Gokyo Lakes.

Dec-Feb hiking is still possible but it gets very cold, up to -30C at night! Sometimes a lot of snow falls on the trail, passes might be closed. Avoid the crowds but bring proper equipment!

Book a place where you can store some luggage if you are arriving with more than you can carry. Check these places out, policies change so make sure before booking.

We’ve stayed at several hotels in Kathmandu in different parts of Thamel and finally found the best (at least for us) location Keshar Mahal Marang Street. A small and quiet dead-end street in Thamel with only hotels, hostels, restaurants, and coffee shops. The street is a 5-minutes walk from the main touristy area with hundreds of shops and agencies.

We enjoyed staying at Aryatara Kathmandu Hotel. It’s a very nice place, big rooms, comfortable beds, good breakfast (included), great hot shower, AC, wi-fi, TV, free airport pick-up (for international flights only). The staff is very helpful and friendly. We stored our extra luggage here every time we went hiking for free without any problem.

More options in the same street

• Budget | Shangri-la Boutique Hotel |
• Middle price | Oasis Kathmandu Hotel | Hotel Blue Horizon |
• Luxury | Fairfield by Marriott Kathmandu |

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