Finally taking that long-distance trekking trip? Here are some tips on essential items you might need to pack for a multi-day trek.
Your Pack: Adventure-worthy packs must be tough enough to survive more than beatings from airport conveyor belts; it should thwart the elements atop rusty buses, endure inadvertent stompings by curious locals, and welcome myriad abuses by fare-hungry cabbies—all while keeping your precious belongings safe and sound. For a trekking trip, you’ll probably want one solid backpacking bag, one tough enough so that you can trust it any situation, but also one that will be lightweight. No one wants to trek the 12 days to Everest Base Camp with an unnecessarily heavy pack.
Clothes: Today’s travel and expedition clothes are not just pieces of tough material: your clothes are sunscreen, bug repellant, and a cooler for your core. They should have moisture wicking properties and be able to be worn to dinner, the office, or on a steaming jungle trek. No travel kit is complete without lightweight clothes. It’s highly recommended for long-distance treks that you pack a small number of clothes that can be worn across multiple days. Quality over quantity!
Footwear: The footwear you bring on trekking trips should be durable and comfortable, preferably high-top hiking boots that can be worn for long-distances. In recent years, however, many long-distance hiking aficionados have taken to more pared down footwear. It’s not an uncommon sight to see someone hiking the PCT in a pair of performance hiking shoes that don’t go any higher than their ankle. Whatever you choose, make sure you’ll feel comfortable trekking many miles over multiple days with your chosen footwear. Pro-tip: Pack moleskin pads and duct tape. These will save your life if blisters start to arise.
Sleeping: These are often highly trip specific, but chances are if you’re going on a multi-day trek, you’ll be doing it in the warmer months. This means you’ll want to bring a lightweight sleeping bag and sleeping pad, and depending on if you’re on a guided adventure or not, a tent. It’s important that these items pack down tightly. You don’t want to lug around that huge hand-me-down sleeping bag you use for car camping on a long-distance trek.
Accessories: Many of these will often be specific to your trip, but the essential trekking accessories range from bear spray to band-aids. Whatever your trip may be, we recommend you thoroughly research what exactly you’ll need on the trek. More often than not, you’ll want a headlamp, a water bottle, and a pocket knife. As far as extraneous accessories, you might want to bring a book or Kindle: no one likes being tent bound for a day with nothing to do but twiddle your thumbs.