Nepal is open for the autumn season, and glad you are coming.
Everest, Annapurna and Thorong La are open. Langtang treks stay paused while the Rasuwa road is rebuilt; Mustang and Manang roads are still being repaired.
8things our guides put on the list for this route specifically — not a generic packing list.
See the trek itselfAbout the links on this page.Some go to Amazon, and as an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases — at no extra cost to you. It does not change what we recommend: every card here also says who the item is not for, and a few things we think you should simply rent in Kathmandu or Pokhara instead, which earns us nothing.
Best overallOutdoor Research Helium Rain Jacket
Light enough that you actually carry it, which is the only property that matters in a shell — the trade is a thin fabric that will not survive being dragged across rock.
Skip it ifMonsoon-season trekking where you will be in rain for hours daily. Take a heavier three-layer shell with pit zips.
Best overallRab Cirrus Insulated Jacket
Synthetic keeps insulating when it gets damp, which in a Himalayan spring matters more than the extra warmth-per-gram of down — it is noticeably less warm than a down jacket of the same weight, and that is the deal.
Skip it ifSub-zero evenings at 5,000 m as your only warm layer. This is the mid-layer under a down jacket, not a replacement for one.
Best overallMerrell Moab 3 (low)
Wide enough for feet that swell over a fortnight and comfortable from day one — the sole is soft, so it is the wrong shoe the moment you carry your own heavy pack.
Skip it ifYou are carrying 15 kg yourself, or you have rolled an ankle before. Take the boot.
Kindest out of the boxLowa Renegade GTX Mid
The most forgiving first week of any boot we see on the trail; the trade is a softer sole that flexes more than it should under a heavy load.
Skip it ifYou have wide feet. Try them on, or buy a boot with a wide fitting; no amount of lacing fixes a narrow last.
Best overallOsprey Talon 33
Thirty-three litres holds a day layer, water, snacks and a camera with room for the down jacket you take off at ten — it is a frameless-ish pack, so above about 9 kg it stops being comfortable.
Skip it ifIndependent trekkers carrying everything themselves. You want 50-65 litres and a real frame.
Best overallBlack Diamond Pursuit Adjustable Trekking Poles
Aluminium bends where carbon shatters, and a bent pole still walks you down; you carry about 100 g more per pair than carbon for that insurance, and cork grips beat foam once your hands sweat.
Skip it ifGram-counters. Take carbon and accept that a fall on rock can end the pole.
Better than a rain coverOsprey Ultralight Pack Liner
A rain cover fails the moment wind gets under it or water runs down your back; a liner does not — the cost is that you unpack through a roll-top every time you want anything.
Skip it ifDry-season Khumbu trekking, where it may never rain on you.
Cheapest useful insuranceWaterproof phone pouch (IPX8)
Costs almost nothing and saves the single most expensive item most trekkers carry — the touchscreen window works, but the camera through it does not, so you take it out for photographs anyway.
Skip it ifAutumn Khumbu trekking, where it will not rain on you once.
