Things to Carry on Your EBC Trek

Hello everyone and I hope you all are doing great and been up-to-date on EBC Trek. This is the 5^th article on EBC Trek and is the last. From the next one, I’ll be taking you through my journey day by day. I’m sure you’ll find them more interesting as there’ll be some breath-taking pictures and videos. So if you’ve read the previous articles, I hope this will further help you do the last but not least bit of preparation in terms of what to carry.

Almost all of us have this problem of what to carry when preparing to go on a journey. In fact you should also ask the question “what not to carry?” as this is the trouble maker. Mind you, there’s a weight limit when doing the EBC Trek and flying to Lukla which is 15kg. If your total luggage exceeds 15kg at the domestic terminal, you’ll have to pay 100 NPR (US 1$) per kg. Also, your porter won’t carry more than 15kg (remember to agree on this prior to the journey either with the agent/guide or porter himself.

Ok, if you’re ready, let’s get down to the business and go through the items one by one. The below list consists of items I carried in the quantities suitable for me for a 15-Day Trek. You’ll have to change them according to your needs. Some of the items might not be needed at all for you but there could be things you’ll have to add. This list will give you a foundation to work on and do the adjustments where necessary.

I’ve separated the items into 9 separate categories for ease of arrangement. It’ll also help you not to forget anything. Let’s go take a look, shall we?

Note: You can buy almost all the Trekking Gear from Kathmandu at very reasonable rates. So if you don’t have any specialized items with you, have no fear coz you can get them in Kathmandu with no problem whatsoever. Further, leave anything you don’t need during the trek at the hotel in Kathmandu.

Category 1 - Documents Kit

• Your passport of course.
• 2-3 P/P Size Pics.
• Visa on Arrival. (SAARC Nationals – First Visit Free and afterwards 40 USD within a Year. If you’re not from SAARC Countries, do check the amount in advance)
• 2 Copies of the Passport.
• 2 Copies of the Travel Insurance (88 USD from World Nomads) – Keep one with you and the other with the Travel Agent back in Kathmandu.
• 2 Copies of the Itinerary on the Company Letterhead + 2 Copies of Invoices (If you use a Travel Agent/Guide).
• 1 Detailed Trekking Map – Sometimes this is provided by the Travel Agent for free.
• 2 Copies of Flight Tickets.
• List of Emergency Contact Numbers of Insurance, Travel Agent, Your Family, Colleagues, etc. – Keep one set with you and the other with the Travel Agent in Kathmandu.
• Copies of Trekking/National Park Permits – Usually carried by the Guide.

Note: Keep all these documents in a waterproof cover. If you can separate them into individual clear folders it’d also be easy to access.

Category 2 - Clothes Kit

• 1 Down Jacket (100% and/or 700-750 fill down) – Available for Rent (about 1-2 USD a day) as well as provided by the Travel Agent.
• 1 Fleece Jacket (for Day Use)
• 3 Pairs of Trekking Pants
• 2 Pairs of Thermal Suits – Synthetic (Moisture-wicking)
• 3-4 Long-Sleeved T-Shirts - Synthetic
• 4 Pairs of Underwear – Synthetic
• 1 Pair of Pants + T-Shirts for Night
• 1 Waterproof/Windproof Suit (Jacket and Trousers) – Lightweight and Insulated
• 2 Pairs of Gloves – One of them waterproof ideally.
• 1 Set of Clothes for in and out of Nepal. - Leave them at your hotel in Kathmandu.

Note: Use Zip-lock bags to separate these clothes as they’d keep the clothes dry and away from other dirty ones. I used different-sized bags to store my clothes, underwear and socks. Those Zip-lock bags are very lightweight but durable keeping the moisture away.

Category 3 - Headwear Kit

• 1 Wide-brimmed Hat
• 2 Woolen Caps (1 for Night + 1 for Day)
• 1-2 Caps
• 1-2 Buff/Scarf – Excellent and can be used in many ways. You can buy one for about US $1-$2 in Kathmandu.
• 1 Balaclava
• 1 Sherpa Hat – Excellent for keeping your Head, Ears & Neck warm. Watch the below Video and Pic where I’m wearing one. Costs around US $2-$4.
• 1 Pair of Polarized & UV-Protected Glasses. – If you’re wearing prescription glasses, it’s best to get this made to your correction as I’d got mine.

Category 4 - Footwear Kit

• 1 Pair of Hiking Boots – Ideally with Ankle Support but as lightweight as possible.
• 1 Pair of Normal Shoes – For use when not on the main trek or at nights. This can also act as your fallback option if the main pair breaks.
• 1 Pair of Sandals
• 4 Pairs of Trekking Socks
• 1 Pair of Woolen Socks for Night

Note: There are shoe repairing points at main villages such as Lukla and Namche. However it’d be not so easy to find a place on other locations. If you have the slightest repair, get them done at one of these villages as it’d be a very unpleasant experience having to walk with broken shoes or worse without them.

Category 5 - Camera Kit

• Your Camera + Mobile
• Lenses if necessary.
• Spare Batteries + External Charger.
• Camera Bag/Case with Silica Gel Packets
• Memory Cards – Take a couple of mid-range ones such as 32GB or 64GB coz if one goes corrupt, you’ll have a spare/back-up one.
• 1-2 Power Banks (20,000mA) & Data Cable – Don’t carry power banks in checked-in luggage as it’s prohibited by the airlines. But you can carry them in the cabin baggage.
• Solar-Powered Power Bank and/or Solar Panel – I used a small solar panel during the trek to charge my power bank and it worked like magic. I never had to pay for charging my phone or cameras thanks to that.
• 1 Waterproof Bag with Silica Gel Packets

Note: The best option for the camera is a Mirror-less as they’re lightweight and gives excellent image quality. Even a high-end Bridge Camera is good as it gives you all-around performance without having to carry multiple lenses and decent enough image quality. I had a Nikon B700 and a pocketable Sony HX80 for videos and selfies.

If you’re a DSLR or Mirrorless user, don’t carry all the heavy lenses you have coz you have to be mindful of the weight. A versatile lens like 18-140mm and maybe one or two special ones will do. Well I’m no expert of DSLR so I’ll leave you to decide on what to carry.

Keep the camera and batteries in their own case/bag and then put that case/bag inside a waterproof bag with some silica gel for moisture. Mind you, memory cards have a very bad habit of going corrupt in these extremely cold environments. So don’t take one massive card. Instead take 2-3 mid-range ones as you’ll always have a back-up. Plus if you can spare, take a small point-n-shoot with you as cameras too malfunction in these climates.

Charging costs around US $2-4 per hour or for a full charge. So it’s advisable to carry a high capacity power bank and an efficient solar panel like I did. That can save you a lot of money.

Category 6 - Toiletries

• 1 Small Tooth Paste
• 1 Toothbrush
• 1 Small Soap Bars in a separate Zip-Lock/Plastic Bag
• 2-3 Packets of Wet Wipes
• 1 or 2 Packets of Toilet Seat Covers
• 1 Disposable Razor (Optional)
• 1 Packet of 2-Ply Tissue (50 Sheets)
• 1 Toilet Paper Roll
• 1 Toiletry Bag
• 1 Regular Towel and/or 1 Small Face Towel
• Sun Cream (SPF 30-50)
• Lip Balm (with Sunscreen)

Category 7 - Snacks

• Some Chocos (I took 30 Medium Snickers + 40 Small Cadburrys)
• Some Cashew Nuts/Peanuts/Almonds (I took 750g of Cashew and 250g of Almonds)
• Trail Mix + Dried Fruits
• Chewing Gum – This is actually a good supplement for brushing teeth. I used chewing gum on very cold mornings where brushing teeth was simply out of the question and it served the purpose well.

Category 8 - Medicine Kit

• Refreshing Eye Drops – Good for dryness or redness due to dust and cold.
• Nose Drops for Bleeding/Drying – Good for dryness due to extreme cold.
• Some Blister Bandages
• 1 Crepe Bandage + 1 Adhesive Bandage
• Cotton Swabs + Gauze Pads
• Some Cream/Spray for Swelling/Muscle Pain
• 24 Tablets of Paracetamol
• 12 Tablets of Aspirin (500mg) – Take one every evening coz this helps thin your blood and better acclimatize. It can also help with any pains.
• 8 Voltaren Tablets (50mg) – This is a very fast painkiller but not recommended for usage unless it’s a last resort.
• 12 Cetirizine Tablets - Prevention of Cold/Allergies
• 6 Azithromycin Tablets (500mg) – For Severe Sore Throat (Take Once a Day for 3 Days)
• 12 Imodium Tablets – Good for Diarrhea/Lose Motion
• 12-24 Diamox Tablets (125mg) – You can use this from Kathmandu itself. Once daily and if you experience any symptoms for AMS, you can increase the dosage to 250mg.
• 20-30 Tablets of Vitamin C – Take one every morning.
• 6 Diagene
• 12-24 Hydration Packets such as ORS, Jeewani (Sri Lankan Brand), etc.
• 12-18 Packets of Flavored Powdered Drinks such as Tang
• 1 Box of Samahan and/or Lakpeyawa – This is a Sri Lankan Herbal Medicine and excellent for colds, flu and muscle pains. Take one packet mixed in hot water once/twice daily.
• 1 Tube of Cream for Rash or Infected Skin (Antiseptic) – E.g. Betadene
• 1 Small Pair of Scissors
• 1 Medicine Kit Bag – Ideally try and put the entire bag in a large Zip-Lock/Waterproof Bag to keep it moisture-proof.
• Any personal medicine you have.

Note: Please note that the above are a list of things I took with me. However you might want to take what’s available for you or something you prefer over what’s given here.

It’s strongly recommended that you speak to your family doctor before taking any medicine just to be sure that you’re not allergic to them or have any adverse effects.

You should also consider the quantities very carefully; as it all comes down to the weight ultimately. However don’t take too little either coz having a bit of extra is better than finding you don’t have something in an emergency.

And finally we come to things that don’t fit in any of the above 8 Categories. So we’re going to put them all in one place called Miscellaneous. Let’s see what goes in there.

Category 9 - Misc

• 1-2 Trekking Pole - Available for Rent (about 1-2 USD a day) as well as provided by the Travel Agent.
• 1 Sleeping Bag (graded up to -10 Celsius) - Available for Rent (about 1-2 USD a day) as well as provided by the Travel Agent.
• 1 Big Duffel Bag for the Porter with Rain Cover - Available for Rent (about 1-2 USD a day) as well as provided by the Travel Agent.
• 2 Water Bottles (1-litre each) – Don’t take or buy Mineral Water Bottles as the leftover plastic is a greater hazard for the environment. Your guide will show where to fill the bottles.
• 1 Packet of Purification/Iodine Tablets (I used Aquatabs) – About 50 Tablets
• 1 Headlamp with Batteries – Try to use AA or AAA Battery-powered or if it’s rechargeable, see if you can do so with the power bank. If not you’ll have to pay for charging it. Please bring back the used batteries as they are a greater hazard to the environment.
• 1 Small Flashlight with Batteries
• 1 Day Pack with Rain Cover or Waterproof – This is what you’ll be carrying with you.
• Zip-Lock Bags – These are just amazing things to keep your things separately and dry. I took various sized bags and they were extremely useful and durable.
• Few Karabiners
• 1 Duct Tape for Repairing Shoes
• 1-2 Ankle/Knee Support
• 1 Multi Socket
• 1 Swiss Knife
• Needle and Thread for small repair jobs for your clothes.
• Flag of your country.
• Anything else?

Well folks, I do hope that this long but comprehensive list of items has indeed been helpful for you if and when you plan your EBC Trek in the future. In fact, this list will help any of similar high altitude and long treks. I tried to generalize this list as best as I could so that it would be more beneficial.

So this is the end of my articles on EBC Trek but don’t worry coz as promised, I’m gonna hold your hand and take you very carefully all the way to EBC and Kalapaththar Summit. I’ll see you with the daily account from the next article which is gonna be more of a Story rather than a mere article.

This is Sri signing off for now and see you with my Story on EBC Trek. Until then stay safe and travel safe!

Sri Abeywickrema – Trek with Sri…

P.S. Do comment with your feedback and questions if you have any and I’ll try my level best to answer them.

Related Articles: Everest Base Camp Trek | Howto Plan Your EBC Trek | Detailed Itinerary for EBC | Useful Tips & Tricksfor Your EBC Trek

Future Plans: Now that our preparatory articles on EBC Trek are over, I’m going to take you with me on my trek from the day 1 till the end. It’s gonna be one roller-coaster journey, so stay tuned.

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