Annapurna Base Camp Trek Packing List: What to Bring, What We Lend, What to Leave

Last updated 5 October 2026.

We are The Everest Holiday, a family company registered on 8 April 2016. If you are joining our Annapurna Base Camp trek, here is the short answer. Pack layers for a trek that climbs from 820 metres in Pokhara to 4,130 metres at base camp. Keep your main trek bag to 10 kg per trekker, because one porter carries 20 kg for two trekkers. A sleeping bag and down jacket are lent free if you ask us before the trek, at the online briefing or at the arrival briefing in Kathmandu. Extra bags can be left free at our Kathmandu store. Read on for the full list, the cold by month and stop, and what each tier carries.

What do you really need to pack for Annapurna Base Camp?

You need the same layering system as on other Nepal teahouse treks, cut for this route. Our Annapurna Base Camp trek runs 9 days from Pokhara at 820 metres through Ghandruk at 1,940 metres and Chomrong at 2,170 metres to Deurali at 3,174 metres and base camp at 4,130 metres, then back down through Bamboo at 2,310 metres and Jhinu Danda at 1,780 metres to Pokhara, with a drive to Kathmandu. That is a climb of more than 3,300 metres from Pokhara to base camp, so the nights run from mild low down to well below freezing at the top in the cold months.

The difference from lower treks is simple. You sleep above 2,000 metres on four nights and above 3,000 metres on two. You need a real cold layer set, a warm sleeping bag, waterproof boots with ankle support, gloves, a beanie and sun protection. For route context, read our Annapurna Base Camp trek guide and how difficult is Annapurna Base Camp trek. For teahouses and food on this route, see Annapurna Base Camp teahouses and food.

For the general system behind this list, see Nepal trekking packing list, what to wear trekking in Nepal and Nepal trek packing checklist. If warmth at night worries you, read how to stay warm in Nepal teahouses and do I need a sleeping bag for Nepal trekking.

How cold does it get at each stop, and what does that mean for what you pack?

The table below shows typical night lows in C at three stops for seven months, averaged over 2015 to 2024 at each height. A teahouse wall, wind, cloud and your room position change what you feel, and any single night can be colder or milder. Use the table to choose layers, not to predict the exact night you will get.

Typical daytime highs at ABC are January minus 5, March minus 2, May 5, August 10, October 4, November 2 and December minus 1. So even in October you can walk in sun at 4 degrees and sleep near minus 1. In January you can walk below minus 5 and sleep near minus 14. That spread is why layers matter more than one heavy item.

Temperature drops about 6 C per 1,000 m. Our stops fit that pattern. From Chomrong at 2,170 m to ABC at 4,130 m is close to 2,000 m of height, and the table drops by about 11 to 13 degrees in most months. A published study of winter 1999 to 2000 (Putkonen, 2004) recorded air temperatures of minus 4.65 to minus 6.06 C at 4,400 m. That is a similar cold band to the winter daytime figures at base camp.

What this means for packing is plain. For October, November, March and December, bring the full cold set below: thermal base layer, fleece plus down jacket, insulated trousers or thermal leggings, beanie, insulated gloves, warm socks and a sleeping bag rated for below freezing. For May and August, you still need rain layers and a warm layer for the nights at ABC, plus sun cover. For season detail, see Annapurna Base Camp in October, Annapurna Base Camp November December winter and Annapurna Base Camp in spring.

What is the full packing list?

This table is our equipment list. Where we lend an item, we say so. If there is no note, you bring it.

The method is layers, not bulk. A thermal base layer, a fleece, a down jacket and a windproof shell make the core set for the upper body, thermals and trekking trousers for the legs, and insulated gloves with waterproof gloves for the hands. For how to wear them, see layering system.

What do we lend, and what does each tier carry?

We lend a sleeping bag and a down jacket on request on every tier. If you do not have your own, please inform us either at your online briefing or after the arrival briefing in Kathmandu before your trek so we can provide you with one for your use during the trek. The bag we lend is rated to minus 15.

The rule is plain. Only pack what is needed for the trek to travel light and comfortably. You can store your excess luggage at The Everest Holiday for free. Porters will carry your main trekking bag, but the weight limit is 10 kg for each trekker. Since one porter carries the luggage for two people, we suggest that you and a trekking partner share one large duffel bag over 60 litres.

Tiers change who carries. Budget means no porter. You carry your own bag, rooms are shared, trek meals are not included, and transport is local. Standard means one porter for every two trekkers at 20 kg per porter, private rooms, and all trek meals. Luxury means one dedicated porter per trekker, private deluxe rooms with attached bathroom where available, and all meals plus fruit and nuts and unlimited soft drinks. Duffel supply follows the porter. Standard gets one duffel per two trekkers. Luxury gets one each. Budget gets none as there is no porter.

Two cases need care. Budget trekkers carry everything themselves, so pack to what you can carry in comfort for 9 days on stone steps. A solo Standard trekker has no porter. The guide carries up to 10 kg. Excess luggage can be stored free at our store, so leave the city clothes and the spare shoes with us and walk light.

What footwear and poles suit the stone steps and the cold?

Bring waterproof hiking boots with ankle support and excellent traction. The trail is stone steps, and gaiters help in snow and scree. Ankle support steadies you on uneven steps and good tread grips wet stone.

Add gaiters for ankle protection in snow and scree, and sandals for camp use or river crossings.

Bring adjustable lightweight collapsible poles. The Chomrong staircase has about 2,500 stone steps. Poles take some of that load off your knees. Collapsible ones pack away when you do not need them. Break your boots in at home before a 9-day trek.

How do you protect yourself from the sun and altitude?

Pack sunglasses category 3 or 4, sunscreen SPF 50 plus for every 2 hours above 2,500 m, lip balm SPF 30 plus, a wide-brimmed hat or cap with neck cover, and a buff or bandana. A buff or bandana also protects your face in wind.

The CDC Yellow Book, High-Altitude Travel and Altitude Illness, updated 23 April 2025, says high-altitude environments mean cold, low humidity and increased ultraviolet radiation. That is why the list has sunscreen, lip balm and a hat with neck cover as well as warm layers.

The same CDC source advises ascent of no more than 500 m per night sleeping altitude above 3,000 m. Our two biggest sleeping-height gains, Chomrong to Deurali (+1,004 m) and Deurali to ABC (+956 m), are over that guideline, which is why we say tell your guide about every headache. The nights are set out in our teahouses post. For symptoms, prevention steps and when to descend, read altitude sickness prevention.

The CDC also says acetazolamide prophylaxis is not indicated for low-risk travellers but they should carry it for treatment, and that its use is worth considering for medium-risk travellers. Talk to your own doctor before travel. We do not prescribe. Diamox is on the list, and our guides carry a first aid kit including an oximeter on every tier. If you feel headache, nausea, poor sleep or unusual fatigue above 3,000 m, tell your guide at once. The guide has final say on safety.

What about water, snacks, charging and mobile data?

Bring a reusable bottle or 2-litre bladder, and for cold nights a bottle with a protective cover for cold. Bring water purification tablets, a filter bottle or a UV filter. For background on safe choices, see safe drinking water on Nepal treks. Bottled water is sold in shops along the route, and a purification method cuts cost and plastic.

Bring energy bars and snacks, with more needed above Chomrong where shop options narrow. An insulated mug is useful for hot tea, and a spork is optional.

Bring a two-pin charging plug and a portable charger or battery pack. Charge when you can and carry a reserve. We arrange a SIM card on arrival in Kathmandu, but mobile data is not reliable above Chomrong. For costs, plugs and what works where, see wifi electricity and phone charging on Nepal treks.

What documents and money should you pack?

Pack passport photocopies, a few passport photos and your personal medications. Keep medications in your daypack, not in the porter load.

Buy insurance at home before you travel. ABC needs helicopter rescue and evacuation cover to 5,000 m. Check in writing that the policy covers trekking to that height and helicopter rescue and evacuation. For what good cover looks like, see Nepal travel insurance.

The balance is paid on arrival in Kathmandu in USD or EUR, cash or by card. Card carries a 3.5 per cent charge. Cash in Kathmandu carries none. We do not take Nepali rupees from foreign clients. For total trip math, see Annapurna Base Camp trek cost 2026.

What can you leave at home?

Leave the second large bag at home, or leave it with us. You need one duffel over 60 litres for the porter load on Standard and Luxury, shared one per two trekkers on Standard and one each on Luxury, plus a 20 to 30 litre daypack. A second large bag adds weight without adding comfort. Store excess luggage free at our store and walk with the 10 kg limit.

Do not buy a sleeping bag or down jacket just for this trek if you ask us in time. We lend both free on request on every tier when you inform us at the online briefing or after the arrival briefing in Kathmandu. If you own a bag you love and it packs small, bring it. If not, save the money and the baggage fees. Tell us early so we reserve your size.

Where do you buy or hire last-minute gear?

Start with our general packing posts, so you buy to a list: Nepal trekking packing list, the printable checklist, the layering system and the sleeping bag guide. They cover Kathmandu gear shops and rentals. For this trek, the two items most people ask about, the sleeping bag and the down jacket, we lend.

Sources

Equipment, duffel, weight limit, free storage and sleeping bag and down jacket loan terms are those of our 9 day Annapurna Base Camp trek. Temperatures are typical values for 2015 to 2024 at the stated heights. The drop of about 6 C per 1,000 m is from the Nepal Tourism Board climate page, ntb.gov.np/en/plan-your-trip/about-nepal/climate. Winter air temperatures at 4,400 m are from Putkonen, 2004, Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research. CDC Yellow Book, High-Altitude Travel and Altitude Illness, updated 23 April 2025, for cold and ultraviolet risk, 500 m sleeping ascent rule above 3,000 m, and acetazolamide guidance. Talk to your own doctor on medicines. Our price for 9 days is USD 499 Budget, USD 799 Standard and USD 1,400 Luxury per person, and a licensed guide walks with you on every trek.

Written by Shreejan Simkhada, CEO of The Everest Holiday, from a family of three generations of family guides. TAAN Member #1586. WhatsApp +977 9810351300.