There are many gear lists out there for what you need to take on a 6000 meter climb. But what you pack depends on a few factors:
- Are you climbing expedition or alpine style (camping multiple times on the mountain - or going fast to the summit)
- Will you be on an expedition with a cook?
- Likewise, will there be tents set up for you already?
- Where and when are you climbing?
In this ultimate guide on what equipment you need, I'll cover what gear you have to take for your specific climbing conditions.
I'll also cover what gear is essential, and what equipment is just a nice to have - and why, so you can decide.
This gear list is good for six thousand to seven thousand meter (i.e. 20,000 - 23,000 ft) peaks in the Himalayas (Nepal, India, and Pakistan) and South America (Argentina, Chile, Peru, Bolivia, and Ecuador).
I've broken down the equipment list into sections (for what part of the climb, and conditional things like whether it's an expedition or alpine style climb).
Each section has optional items, which are explained so that you know whether you need (or want) them yourself for your climb.
Summit day
- Double boots
- Crampons
- Socks:
- 1 decent pair of everyday socks
- 1 pair of summit socks
- Optional: 1 pair of liner socks
- Thermal legs
- Trousers (ie hardshell)
- Underwear (wicking ideally - as there'll be two layers over it)
- Sport shirt
- Mid layer / jumper / fleece
- One of these options depending on how cold it is:
- 1 light down jacket and 1 outer wind layer / rain jacket (or buy a triclimate jacket which is designed to be combined)
- 1 very warm down jacket / parka - expedition style, 800 fill
- Warm hat / beanie *
- Buff
- Optional: trekking ax **
- Optional: walking stick, optionally 2 ***
- Small pack (or if your main pack is not too big - use this) ****
- Head torch + a complete set of spare batteries (or recharging capacity - cable / charged powerbank)
- Thermos
- Small water bottle (inside pack)
- Optional: water bottle sleeve / parka *****
- Altitude sun glasses (higher UV protection)
- Suncream: SPF 50+
- Lipbalm suncream
- Shell gloves to wear on top of liners ******
- Outer mits
- Optional: gaiters (depends on conditions/time of year, and your boots)
- Optional: small summit pack (or use your walk in pack if it was medium)
* Note: if route(s) require a helmet, then make sure these can be worn together comfortably
** Some routes are non technical and with minimal snow and don't require a trekking ax at all.
*** Before the snow line, and even after it on non-technical routes walking sticks (1 or 2) are a great help. Not everyone chooses to use them however, so it's up to you if you find the support, stability, and extra strength from your arms useful. If you use them, get adjustable poles, so that you can have them shorter on the way up (when on an incline) and longer on the descent (when the ground in front of you is further away - and stopping yourself is more important).
**** You'll want to take a small pack to the summit, for snacks water/thermos, camera, extra gloves, crampons, suncream/sunglasses, etc. Either you can take a separate small summit pack just for this purpose, or if your main pack is not too big just use that. 20-25 liters is ample, 30-35 is more than enough. 50+ liter packs are just going to give you more weight to carry that you don't need.
***** a water bottle above 5000m on summit night without a sleeve/parka and on the outside of your jacket will freeze quickly. if you don't have a sleeve/parka for the bottle: fill with boiled water and place in your bag (not outside) to keep it drinkable/liquid longer.
****** you need three pairs of gloves ultimately, layering them as you go. one pair of very thin (liner gloves), which are useful in camp and on the walk in. Then when summiting you'll wear a shell pair of outer gloves on top. Then lastly as you get high (5500m+) you'll put a third pair of insulated mits on the outside. Alternatively if your route is more technical a pair of guide gloves instead of mits - so that you can still use an ax or any gear (jumar/8) effectively.
Climbing equipment (optional if technical)
If your route is technical you will need climbing gear. How much depends on the difficulty and on the state of the mountain. For example in South America you'll typically just rope up with your guide. Whereas in Nepal it's typical to have fixed lines on the route - which you'll use a jumar for ascending and 8 for descending.
Similarly a trekking ax is used on most snowy/ice routes, but on more technical routes you'll need a climbing ax or even two. Consider your specific route and check with the guide for how you'll be climbing.
- Harness
- Rope (optional - guide may have this) *
- Carabiner
- Helmet (be sure your hat/helmet fit together comfortably)
- Optional, if on a route with fixed lines:
- Ascender/jumar (for ascending fixed lines) + locking carabiner + tape sling
- ATC / figure 8 (for descending fixed lines) + locking carabiner + tape sling
- 1 or 2 regular carabiners (if you need to secure anything to your harness/pack - like your water bottle which you don't want to fall out as you bend over to adjust your crampons)
- Prusick cord
- Optional: 1/2 climbing axes **
* typically your guide would always carry this.
** Depending on how technical - if at all - your specific route is you may need either no axes, one trekking ax, a trekking ax and a climbing ax, or two climbing axes.
Walk in
- 1 underwear
- 1 socks
- 1 trousers *
- 1 sport shirt **
- 1 fleece / jumper
- 1 sunhat / cap (with neck cover ideally ie legionnaire hat / safari hat)
- Sunglasses ***
- Walking sticks ****
- Minimal/liner gloves
- Boots / hiking shoes *****
- Medium/big pack
- Optional: rain jacket if your walk in has that climate
* ideally these are the same as you'll wear on summit day to reduce the amount of gear you need to carry
** I just wear a short sleeved running shirt, usually with a sunhoodie over it - or a tonne of sun cream. Otherwise a long sleeve shirt may be smarter - the sun up high is twice as powerful as at sea level.
*** you can also just use the high altitude pair and save carrying two, although some may find the high altitude pair a little restrictive and want an everyday pair - also to have a spare in case one gets crushed/broken
**** as noted above they're not for everyone but I highly recommend. They weigh nothing and make carrying anything easier on your body (which you want in top condition for the summit push - and descent). I see them as an investment in my knees at old age...
***** whatever is comfortable for you to walk in, given the terrain you'll be in and the climate. It may be wet / dry, dusty / slippery, etc. Trainers or basic hiking boots are generally fine. And the more minimal then the better they'll double as comfortable camp shoes.
Camping Equipment
This is all optional and depends on the trip you've booked. Often guided expeditions will include a tent, and if not the sleeping bag/mat will offer that for a little extra. Similarly, guides will take care of the kitchen/cooking/food and water gathering/melting. Check ahead and pack accordingly.
Some restrict their camp equipment, opting (understandably) to take ultralight everything. Bear in mind, that the more comfortable you are in your tent - the better you'll sleep rest and recharge. This in turn has an outsized affect on your summit night/day, so in my opinion is a hugely important section of gear which you don't want to skimp on.
- Tent
- Inflatable sleeping mat
- Optional: foam sleeping mat (esp if camp is on snow) *
- Sleeping bag (rated for -20c/-30c) **
- Optional: sleeping bag liner ***
- Pillow ****
- Optional: kitchen / eating stuff *****
- Fork
- Mug
- Bowl
- Stove / gas / lighter ******
- [hot] water bottle *******
- Optional: pee bottle ********
* A foam mat under your comfortable inflatable mattress will provide insulation. I generally skip this but consider if you'll be camping on snow, in very cold or windy places, if you're generally a cold person, etc. Like many things on this list, if you have porters it's easy to justify taking, whereas if carrying all your gear this may just be a luxury you can skip or offset by having a hot water bottle in your sleeping bag instead.
** -20c to -30c will cover basically call cases, but is not needed for many others (eg take a -20/-30 for Nepal and for 6500+ peaks in south america with a high camp) and will just burn your wallet. 0c to -10c is probably fine for most other 6000-6500m climbs which have only a base camp (no high camp). As noted elsewhere, a hot water bottle can largely bridge this gap.
*** gives a little extra warmth, and helps maintain the sleeping bag. You can clean the liner instead of trying to figure out how to wash down (and doing it without damaging it). Likewise it will prolong your down back, preventing the slow accumulation of oil from the skin which overtime collates and clogs the down stopping it from working to insulate you.
**** for some this is optional, as you could use your summit down jacket instead. But often you might want to fall asleep in that. When you can get inflatable (eg lightweight / small) pillows, I think it's a no brainer - just take it and get as best nights sleep as possible before your summit. The return on value, of being well rested to how you'll enjoy your summit night/day is unquestionable in my opinion.
***** your guide will likely have all this stuff, but check ahead.
****** if you're taking a stove with a built in sparker, take a lighter anyway. I've had the built in sparker fail at 5200m, to then realise I couldn't light the stove and had to do a two day trip on just pringles/biscuits: still possible, but completely avoidable with just a few grams of extra weight.
******* the same water bottle you use on the walk in and summit day. Fill with boiled water before you go to bed, and optionally wrap in a sock or sleeve (for your comfort), and place in the bottom of your sleeping bag. Does wonders.
******** Sounds super weird, but once you've done it once you'll not look back. Above 5000 meters when it's frozen and windy outside, it's nicer not to have to put on your boots etc and freeze in the elements for a midnight ...
Nice to have
Some comforts, and some practical (albeit not critical) items.
- Headphones *
- Battery pack + charging cables
- Phone (with music, podcasts, maps, etc already downloaded) / ebook
- Toiletries: toothbrush / toothpaste / anti-perspirant
- Bathroom: toilet paper / wet wipes
- Camera?
- Totally optional: camp footwear (crocs or down booties) **
- Waterproof stuff sacks 2/3 for organising gear
- Sport watch with altimeter ***
- Optional: filter + water purification tablets ****
- Optional: hand/feet warmers *****
- Optional: bin bag for trash
- Optional: bin bag for collecting ice/snow to melt
- Optional: blister plasters ******
- Optional: tape (to repair anything made with down if/when torn)
- Optional: ear plugs *******
- Optional: sleeping t-shirt ********
* airpod sized, so they fit comfortably with any hat/helmet etc
** if I have porters I take them, otherwise I just use my walk in shoes (but with laces loose)
*** probably you need to recalibrate it for every 1000m of altitude change to be effective
**** guides generally take care of water, but if you want to 'help yourself' to streams etc throughout the day then this may be for you.
***** get some experience out in the cold before your first 6k to find out whether you're an especially cold person who may benefit from these - for most, layered clothes/gloves and correct boots are more than enough.
****** more useful if there's a long walk in (eg Nepal). Consider also how much, realistically, you normally walk - and if you do it in the boots you're using on this trip. Fresh feet/boots will blister, those well trodden - not so much.
******* camps can be noisy with tent walls being practically non-existent, same for the the wind. If you're a light sleeper, these will help you get a restorative sleep - something that makes a huge difference to your enjoyment of the climb.
******** for some, sleeping in synthetic clothing doesn't feel great. For longer trips (3 nights plus) I pack a cotton t-shirt.
Consider if on an expedition style trip
If you're on an expedition style trip (eg 2-3 weeks in Nepal, where you'll both walk in/out and climb) then you'll spend around two weeks just getting to and from the mountain, staying in tea houses or camping. And so have different needs and likely different infrastructure (porters/mules/yaks/etc). In this case you might
- Duffel bag large: to carry all your gear apart from your day back
- Duffle bag small/medium: something to leave your non-climbing travel gear in - at your hotel in the town you fly into (eg Kathmandu)
- Gear bags for high camps: if your climb has high camps and you have porters for them (eg Ama Dablam / Aconcagua) then having separate small/medium duffel bags (which you'd pass on to the porter for a specific camp) to arrange gear can help a lot.
- Travel adapter for charging: for use in tea houses along the way. I use a multi-socket thing that plugs into anything, and use it to charge my power bank, from which I have the usb cables to charge all my other gadgets (kindle, phone, torch, airpods, camera, etc).
- Playing cards or other fun things. Especially relevant if you're in a group and have hours each day/evening to spend. Simple games without a need for shared language work well.
Food
Probably food is largely taken care of (check with your guide), the three core meals and water anyway. But your favourite snacks are yours to figure out and find. Aside from what tastes nice, I recommend testing snacks out while climbing, as what's a nice mid morning coffee break snack at work might not be what you crave five hours into a midnight summit push. Trading quirky snacks with other climbers from respective home countries is always nice :)
- Three meals a day
- Snacks: chocolate, biscuits, energy bars.
- Optional: hard/cough/sucking sweets are good in especially dry/dusty climates *
- Optional: tea / coffee
- Optional: electrolyte powder
* Some say having these to suck on is good for acclimatisation too. I have no idea if that's placebo, but I like them. Especially nice at altitude in dry thin air (eg Khumbu region, Nepal), or in dusty places (eg Sajama region, Bolivia).
Some thoughts and considerations
- Before you go - put on EVERYTHING at home. Check your crampons fit your boots, and your boots fit you (with all the socks you'll wear).
- In some places, like Leh India and Kathmandu Nepal you can find all kinds of gear. Similarly in some base camps you can rent most things. This could save you carrying lots of stuff or allow for getting things cheap - but it's a gamble. It also doesn't allow you to break in gear before your trip. I recommend only planning to buy gear at the destination if you know it is available or if intentionally want to rent so as to try before you buy.
- Consider the access to your mountain when planning what you need to pack. For example in Nepal most routes require a long walk in (even with a micro-flight) whereas in South America you can typically drive to most base camps - which changes everything, especially for peaks with a base camp summit push.
- Don't wear cotton for activities. It doesn't breathe well, and will chaff. Merino/wool is best, or if you're on a budget wear synthetic (polys) materials (but be aware, you'll smell more).
- Hat / Helmet / Hood. You'll have these on all at once, and so you want to pick each with consideration of the other. The hat should fit under the helmet without pushing it up too much and stopping it from protecting you. Likewise you don't want a hat which when a helmet squashes it on to you starts to feel itchy. Lastly, your hood should very comfortably fit over the helmet - if it doesn't then it will slide off and you'll get cold.
- Trousers / hardshell pants: Find a winter lined pair, ie with a warm/cosy liner compared to the quick dry tough outer material.
- A lot of people over pack for a trip, not knowing exactly what to take. That's normal until you're more experienced, but aside from being tiring carrying extra gear it's also costly - as mountaineering equipment is super expensive. I recommend renting everything at first, or if buying - buy fake gear in Nepal or similar. Slowly refine your gear and once you've learnt your needs only then buy the better version of those items.
- Back packs: it's not just the length of trip that affects this. If you're the type that takes a big camera (or drone?), ebooks, journals, etc, get a bigger bag than needed. And be mindful when trying it on that the waste straps are a good fit for your height and the load you'll have in it. It's better to have a big bag with space than a smaller bag crammed full, as the bigger bag is designed to spread that weight ergonomically on your body, whereas a small bag with stuff clipped all over will just pull more on your shoulders/neck - not pleasant over several days.
- Trekking poles: get adjustable poles, when going up / down mountains the change incline means fixed length sticks won't suffice. You'll be glad on the descent to be able to further extend the poles in front of you.
- Guides: Check with your guide what they will carry, as usually they'll cover the heavy technical gear (rope, ice screws / snow pickets) and the kitchen/food.
- Acclimatisation in different regions. Where you climb will affect your acclimatisation 'strategy'. In Nepal for example, you'll typically trek in for 7-10 days to your mountain, whereas in South America you may base yourself in La Paz Bolivia or Cusco Peru - and then just drive to the peak. This of course changes how many comforts you'll take on the climb and your needs for bigger bags/porters.
What you don't need
Lastly, some things I've seen on other gear lists which in my opinion you probably don't need.
- Goggles: at 6-7k probably if the weather is so bad as to justify them, you would not be climbing. Above 7k, okay fair enough - but that's another gear list.
- Paperwork: Passport photos, flight itineraries, etc. Common sense prevails here. For some mountains you do need a permit (either you must get this, or likely your guide would have done so and hold it for you). For some specific peaks requiring a national park ticket they may rarely want to see an ID card in order to check you're the person for the permit - that's about it.
More resources on gear and packing
A really thorough breakdown on what gear to take, and what to consider when selecting equipment that is comfortable for you on your climb:
Lastly, some past packing setups
Sajama
Sajama, Bolivia. I walked from town to base camp, slept there, then the next day high camp. That night I summited. It's an area famous for wind so I packed for the cold. I needed full camp/cooking gear and three days of food.
Ama Dablam
Ama Dablam is well served from base camp, but I used two of high camps (1 & 2 - skipping high camp and camp 3). My guide took care of food (after a fashion), and we used tents / mats already left in camp 1 and 2. This meant just carrying clothing (heavy down gear), climbing gear but no axes - and poles only to camp 1, snacks, and a sleeping bag. I used a medium to large pack, with boots/crampons outside and sleeping bag / down gear inside along with a small pack for summiting.
Huayna Potosi
Huayna Potosi was my first climb in Bolivia, and not knowing how the weather would be I carried a lot of down gear up to high camp, and decided in the night before setting off what to wear based on conditions. As such I used a 55 liter bag, with a small summit bag stashed within.
Illimani
When climbing Illimani, I had already climbed nearby Huayna Potosi the week before but was expecting a far colder forecast. So I took a heavy down jacket. I packed 18kg (including my tent at 2kg / camping gear). We had a porter that would take the tent, crampons, and boots to high camp - so I got by with just a 35 liter pack.
Ampato
For Ampato I didn't know if there'd be water/ice at base camp, so carried a lot of water. This is largely responsible for a 27kg pack. Fortunately I could drive (my motorbike) to base camp, and from there carry far less.
Chachani
Chachani was my first climb in Peru while acclimatising. I carried and wore too heavy down clothing.
Past gear packing conclusions
- Know the weather, and take clothing accordingly
- Know whether there'll be water, and carry (or ideally - don't) accordingly
- Plan camping on a necessity basis - share a tent when possible