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.
7things 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 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.
Best valueMerrell Moab 3 Mid Waterproof
Covers every lodge trek below 5,000 m for a fraction of the money — the sole is softer and the upper wears out faster, which is fine if this is a one-trip boot.
Skip it ifYou are carrying your own load over a 5,000 m pass, or you expect this to be your boot for years. Buy once, properly, instead.
Best valueColumbia Silver Ridge Convertible Pant
The zip-off is genuinely useful when you leave a 25 °C valley and arrive somewhere freezing; the zips sit right where a pack hip-belt or a knee bends, and some people never stop noticing.
Skip it ifCold treks that never get hot. Buy a single warm pair instead of a compromise.
Best syntheticUnder Armour Tech 2.0 Long-Sleeve
Dries in an hour and costs a fraction of merino, which makes it the better buy on a short trek — it will smell by day three and nothing you do changes that.
Skip it ifA fortnight without laundry. That is exactly the case merino is for.
Lightest linerSea to Summit Silk Blend Liner
Half the weight of a thermal liner and far nicer against skin, at the cost of adding essentially no warmth — the right choice for lower-altitude treks and hot lodges.
Skip it ifA cold trek where you were hoping the liner would close a warmth gap. Take the Reactor.
Best valueGoodr OG Polarised
Genuinely good optics at a price where losing them off a suspension bridge is annoying rather than expensive; the frames are plastic and they will not survive being sat on.
Skip it ifAnything above the snowline. This is a low-altitude and spare-pair recommendation, nothing more.
Best budgetOsprey Daylite Plus 20
Light, cheap and fine for a five-day trek where you carry a jacket and two litres of water — the hip belt is a strap rather than a belt, so it will not carry weight.
Skip it ifA high-altitude trek where you carry a down jacket, three litres of water and a camera. You will run out of space by Namche.
