Lots of trekking gear can be bought or rented in Kathmandu and Pokhara, so you needn't carry everything from home. Here is what's worth packing and a few rules that affect your bags.
The essentials
Please bring boots that already fit you and are broken in.
Down jackets, sleeping bags and poles can be bought or rented in Thamel and Lakeside, but quality varies and many brand names are copies.
Tara Air, which flies to Lukla, allows 10 kg of checked baggage plus 5 kg of hand luggage (as of November 2026).
Teahouse rooms are unheated and have no bedding, so you'll want a warm sleeping bag even on a lodge trek.
A refillable bottle and a way to treat water save money and plastic.
Please don't pack a drone unless you have arranged permission; unauthorised drones have been seized.
Worth bringing from home
Comfortable boots, broken in before you arrive. Wikivoyage suggests other gear can be bought in Nepal, but to break in your footwear first.
Your usual medicines for the whole trip. The US CDC suggests checking with Nepal's embassy that they are allowed.
Blister plasters. Altitude medicine is sold in Nepali pharmacies, but please ask your doctor before you travel whether it suits you. It doesn't replace climbing slowly.
A head torch, which Wikivoyage advises always carrying.
Sunscreen (the CDC suggests SPF 15 or more) and a hat.
A power bank: on the Everest trek, lodges charge around NPR 100–300 an hour for charging.
Buying or renting in Thamel and Lakeside
Thamel and Pokhara's Lakeside have many shops selling and renting down jackets, sleeping bags and poles.
Many brand-name items are copies. Wikivoyage says they are often poor quality but fine for one trip; its Pokhara page warns cheap gear sometimes doesn't survive a single trek.
Renting suits a one-off trek. It's worth checking zips and seams before you pay.
We couldn't find reliable current prices, so please compare a few shops.
Snacks and toilet paper are sold on popular trails, but prices rise with altitude.
Layers for the cold
Wikivoyage suggests thermals, gloves, a warm hat, a warm inner jacket and a windproof, waterproof outer jacket.
Thin layers you can add or remove beat one heavy coat.
Above Tengboche on the Everest trek, Wikivoyage advises a high-quality sleeping bag.
For seasons by month, please see each trek on our Nepal treks page.
Flights, porters and spare luggage
Tara Air allows children under 12 just 7 kg. We couldn't confirm other Lukla airlines' limits, so please check.
Buddha Air bans gas and fuel in all bags; lighters may go in checked bags only. Its weight limits are in our getting-around guide.
On a guided trek, a porter carries your main bag, so please keep it light.
Sources differ on a fair load: the International Porter Protection Group says 30 kg in Nepal, Responsible Travel 25 kg. Porters often carry far more.
It's kind to ask your agency whether porters have warm clothing, shelter and insurance. Afterwards, you can give warm clothes to KEEP's porters' clothing bank in Thamel.
Many Kathmandu hotels keep spare luggage while you trek; please ask about any fee.
Water without the plastic
Please don't drink untreated water. Wikivoyage suggests tablets, a filter or a UV pen, ideally two methods together.
Safe drinking water stations on some trails refill bottles for a small fee.
Bottled water on the Everest trek has cost NPR 250–450, and trails have no rubbish collection.
Rules for your bags
Drones: in 2019, flying one needed permission from the Department of Tourism, the Home Ministry and the Civil Aviation Authority, plus Sagarmatha National Park near Everest, which seized six drones that spring. Please check current rules first.
The UK Foreign Office says to declare anything that may be prohibited or taxed, and cash over US$5,000.
Gold jewellery is limited to 50 g and silver to 100 g.
Not trekking?
For temples, please pack clothes that cover shoulders and knees.
Slip-on shoes help, as you take them off at temples, homes and some shops, including the Maya Devi Temple in Lumbini.
Kathmandu's air is often polluted, so a dust mask is worth buying; our safety guide says when it's worst.
General guidance from the sources listed, not a guarantee. Rules, fees and trail conditions change; confirm with the official source or a registered trekking agency before you go.