15kg for your porter, 5-8kg on your back. Here's exactly what to pack, what to leave in Kathmandu, and how to weigh everything before you fly to Lukla.
Here's the scene. You're standing in your living room the night before your flight to Kathmandu, staring at a pile of gear that would make a Sherpa weep. Two jackets, three fleeces, a sleeping bag you've never tested, hiking boots that still have the tags on, and a toiletry bag that weighs more than some people's entire daypack.
You're not alone. Nearly every trekker we've guided over the past decade has had this exact moment of panic. The good news: Nepal trek luggage rules are simple once somebody explains them properly. The bad news: nobody ever does, which is why half the trekkers who arrive in Kathmandu end up stuffing clothes into hotel storage lockers at the last minute.
My name is Shreejan, and I run The Everest Holiday. I've watched thousands of trekkers pack, repack, and then pack again. Here's the honest, practical guide I wish someone had written years ago.
15 kilograms in your duffel bag, carried by your porter. 5 to 8 kilograms in your daypack, carried by you. That's the whole system.
Your porter carries a maximum of 30kg total, split between two trekkers. So your share of the porter load is 15kg. This isn't a guideline or a suggestion. It's a hard limit enforced at the trailhead, and on domestic flights to Lukla it's enforced even more strictly at the airport check-in counter.
Your daypack sits on your own back all day, every day, for however many days your trek lasts. If you load it with 10kg because you "might need" that extra layer, your knees and shoulders will be screaming by lunchtime on Day 2. Keep it light. Five to eight kilograms covers everything you'll actually need between teahouses.
One of our senior guides, Manoj, tells every group the same thing on the morning of Day 1: "If you haven't touched it by Day 3, you don't need it." He's right every single time.
Not all treks are equal when it comes to luggage. A 5-day walk to Poon Hill has different demands than a 20-day expedition around Manaslu. Here's how it breaks down:
| Trek Type | Duration | Porter Duffel Limit | Daypack (You Carry) | Total Per Person |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Short teahouse treks (Poon Hill, Mardi Himal) | 4-7 days | 10-12 kg | 5-6 kg | 15-18 kg |
| Classic teahouse treks (EBC 12-day, ABC, Langtang) | 8-14 days | 15 kg | 5-8 kg | 20-23 kg |
| Long circuit treks (Annapurna Circuit, Manaslu) | 14-21 days | 15 kg | 6-8 kg | 21-23 kg |
| High-altitude expeditions (Three Passes, Island Peak) | 16-22 days | 15 kg | 7-8 kg | 22-23 kg |
| Restricted region treks (Upper Mustang, Kanchenjunga) | 14-25 days | 15 kg | 6-8 kg | 21-23 kg |
Notice something? The porter duffel limit stays at 15kg regardless of whether you're trekking for 5 days or 25. The difference is what goes inside it. Longer treks don't mean more clothes. They mean smarter choices.
Your duffel bag is your main luggage. It stays at the teahouse each night while you walk with just your daypack. Your porter picks it up each morning and carries it to the next stop. You won't see it again until late afternoon.
This means everything in the duffel needs to be stuff you can live without during the walking day. Here's what belongs inside:
Pack everything inside dry bags or heavy-duty bin liners within the duffel. Rain happens. River crossings happen. If your sleeping bag gets soaked at 4,800 metres, you're in for a miserable night.
Soft-sided, 65 to 80 litres, with no rigid frame. Porters carry duffels on their backs using a traditional headstrap and tumpline system. Hard-shell suitcases are impossible to balance and will be refused at the trailhead. A good duffel with lockable zips costs $30-50 in Kathmandu's Thamel district if you don't already own one.
Your daypack is everything you need while walking. Think of it as your survival kit for the 5-7 hours between leaving one teahouse and arriving at the next.
A 30 to 35 litre daypack with a proper hip belt is ideal. The hip belt transfers weight off your shoulders and onto your hips, which makes an enormous difference by Day 6 or 7 when fatigue starts to build.
If your trek starts with a flight to Lukla , which applies to the classic EBC trek, Three Passes, and Island Peak , you need to know about domestic airline weight limits.
Flights from Kathmandu (Tribhuvan) or Manthali (Ramechhap) to Lukla Tenzing-Hillary Airport allow:
They weigh your bags at check-in. Every time. The small Twin Otter and Dornier aircraft that fly to Lukla have strict payload limits because of the short runway and mountain terrain. Excess baggage fees run NPR 200-300 per kilogram (roughly $1.50-2.25 USD), and if the flight is at maximum capacity, your extra bag simply won't go on.
This is the number one reason trekkers end up leaving luggage at their Kathmandu hotel. If your total is over 20kg, you need to trim it before you reach the airport.
If you'd rather avoid the Lukla flight entirely, our Everest Base Camp by Road trip reaches the same trailhead by jeep. No weight limits, no flight delays, no Lukla stress.
Most hotels in Thamel offer free luggage storage for trekkers. We arrange this for every group. Anything you don't need on the trail stays safely locked at your hotel until you return.
Leave behind:
I've seen trekkers store everything from hair straighteners to camping chairs. There's no judgement. But the trekkers who enjoy themselves most are always the ones who packed least.
Buy a cheap luggage scale. They cost under $10 and they'll save you a panicked repacking session at Kathmandu airport at five in the morning.
Here's the method our guides recommend:
The Everest Base Camp trek and short trek to Namche Bazaar both involve the Lukla flight, so the 20kg total limit applies. Temperatures above 4,000m can drop to -20°C before dawn, so your sleeping bag and down jacket are non-negotiable weight. Budget the rest around those items.
The Annapurna Circuit and Annapurna Base Camp trek start from Pokhara or nearby road heads, so there's no flight weight restriction. You still want to keep your duffel at 15kg for porter welfare, but there's more flexibility in getting extra gear to the trailhead. The lower starting altitudes mean you can pack lighter warm layers for the first few days and add rental gear in Pokhara if needed.
The Manaslu Circuit, Upper Mustang, Kanchenjunga, and even the Langtang Valley trek in its more remote northern sections are longer, more remote treks. Teahouses are more basic, and resupply points are fewer. Bring a complete set of warm gear from Day 1 because you won't find rental shops along the trail. A good sleeping bag liner is especially important here, as blankets in remote teahouses have seen better days.
For the Poon Hill trek or Mardi Himal trek, you can often get away with a single 40-50 litre backpack and no porter at all. Maximum altitude is lower, duration is shorter, and teahouses are well-equipped. That said, hiring a porter for $15-20 a day lets you walk with a featherweight daypack, and the difference in enjoyment is massive.
Kathmandu's Thamel district has hundreds of trekking shops selling everything from sleeping bags to trekking poles to thermal underwear. Namche Bazaar, three days into the Everest trek, has another dozen shops. You can buy or rent almost anything you've forgotten. The quality of Thamel gear has improved hugely in recent years, and for items you'll only use once, it makes more financial sense than buying premium brands at home.
It's rare, but it happens. Your duffel goes on the same small aircraft as you, and the flight is only 25 minutes, so the logistics are simple. But as a precaution, always keep your essential medication, passport, phone, power bank, and one warm layer in your daypack (carry-on). If your duffel is delayed by a flight, you'll survive the night with what's on your back.
This is why you weigh at home. But if you arrive at Ramechhap or Tribhuvan over the limit, you have two options: pay the excess fee (roughly $1.50-2.25 per kilo) or leave the extra weight with your hotel driver, who will store it until you return. We always have a vehicle at the airport for exactly this reason.
Yes. You're not packing for a holiday where you need different outfits every day. You're trekking. You'll wear the same walking clothes most days, wash them on rest days, and rotate through two or three sets. Every experienced trekker will tell you the same thing: you pack too much on your first trek and half as much on your second.
No. Hard-shell suitcases cannot be carried by porters, who balance loads using a headstrap and tumpline system. Soft-sided duffel bags are the only practical option. You can buy one in Kathmandu for $30-50 if you don't own one.
On the trek, no. Trekking poles are carried in hand, not packed. On domestic flights, they must go in checked baggage (your duffel) and count towards the 15kg limit. Collapsible poles that fit inside a duffel are ideal.
Yes. An additional porter costs around $15-25 per day depending on the region. But honestly, if you need an extra porter, you've packed too much. We've guided trekkers on 20-day expeditions with a single 15kg duffel. It's always enough.
Camera gear goes in your daypack where you can access it and protect it. A mirrorless camera with one lens adds about 1-1.5kg. Drones are technically legal in most trekking areas but require a permit from the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal. The permit process takes time and costs money, so plan ahead. Drone batteries count towards your flight weight limit.
If you're trekking above 4,000m, a good sleeping bag is essential. Our Standard and Premium packages include a sleeping bag rated to -15°C. Budget trekkers can rent one in Kathmandu (NPR 100-150 per day, roughly $0.75-1.10 USD). Buying a quality bag at home is the best option if you plan to trek again in future.
Pack for the trek, not for the trip. Your Kathmandu days need almost nothing. Your walking days need even less than you think. And every extra kilogram you carry above 4,000 metres feels like three.
If you're still unsure what to bring for your specific trek, send me a message. I've packed for every route in Nepal and I'm happy to look at your gear list and tell you what stays and what goes.
The Everest Holiday has guided trekkers through the Himalayas for over a decade with a near-perfect five-star rating across 320+ reviews on TripAdvisor, Google, and Trustpilot.
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