Everest Base Camp Trek
Equipment List

The following is a list of equipment for the Everest Base Camp Trek. Our philosophy is to prepare for the worst, and hope for the best. We may encounter a variety of weather conditions throughout our trek, including rain, wind, snow, sleet, and extreme heat. Skimping on equipment can jeopardize your safety and success, so we want you to think carefully about any changes or substitutions you are considering.

Most of the required equipment is available for rent or purchase from Whittaker Mountaineering in Ashford or online. RMI participants receive a 10 percent discount on new clothing and equipment items ordered from Whittaker Mountaineering (excluding sale items). The Discount Code is RMI 2008 for internet orders. For more information or questions regarding clothing and equipment items, call 800-238-5756 or click below.

PACK & BAG

[  ] BACKPACK: A 3,000+ cubic inch pack is the recommended size for this trek.
Guides' Pick: JanSport Whittaker Alpine

[  ] SLEEPING BAG: A bag rated -10° to 0°F will keep you warm.
Guides' Pick: Mountain Hardwear Lamina 0°

[  ] SLEEPING PAD: Full length inflatable pad. We recommend bringing a patch kit / valve repair kit.
Guides' Pick: Therm-A-Rest Prolite 4

[  ] COMPRESSION STUFF SACK: A slightly oversized compression stuff sack can hold far more than just a sleeping bag when push comes to stuff.
Guides' Pick: Sea to Summit eVent®Compression Dry Sack XL

[  ] PACK COVER: Protects your pack from rain while on the trail.

TECHNICAL GEAR

[  ] TREKKING POLES: We recommend a lightweight, collapsible pair of trekking poles.
Guides' Pick: Leki Ultralite or Black Diamond Spire

HEAD

[  ] WARM HAT: A wool or synthetic hat.
Guides' Pick: Mountain Hardwear Micro Dome or SmartWool

[  ] BALL CAP and BANDANA: A lightweight ball cap with bandana or a sun hat works very well.
Guides' Pick: RMI Ice Axe Hat

[  ] GLACIER GLASSES: A pair of dark-lensed sunglasses with side shields or full wrap-type sunglasses is required.
Guides' Pick: Julbo Dolgan

[  ] CONTACT LENSES: Bring extra contact lenses and solution.

[  ] HEADLAMP: We strongly recommend Lithium batteries as they perform well in a cold environment. We also recommend that you bring an extra set of batteries. A smaller headlamp for reading at night is a nice option.
Guides' Pick: Petzl MYO XP

HANDS

A good glove / mitten combination is important because of the variety of weather conditions experienced throughout your climb. Below are some recommendations. Your glove combination should include three separate layers that work well together.

[  ] LIGHT WEIGHT GLOVE: One pair of fleece or wool gloves.
Guides' Pick: Mountain Hardwear Kahiltna Glove

[  ] MEDIUM WEIGHT INSULATED GLOVE: One or two pairs of wind/water resistant ski gloves.
Guides' Pick: Marmot Randonee Glove

[  ] HEAVY WEIGHT INSULATED GLOVE or MITTEN: One pair of wind/water resistant, insulated gloves or mittens for protection against wind, snow and cold. These also serve as emergency back-ups if you drop or lose a glove.
Guides' Pick: Mountain Hardwear Absolute Zero Mitten

UPPER BODY

[  ] QUICK-DRYING SHIRTS: One or two.
Guides' Pick: Mountain Hardwear Wicked T

[  ] BASE LAYER: One long-sleeve, light or medium weight top will be used as your base layer. Light colored tops are ideal, since dark colors absorb heat from the sun, and neck zippers will provide extra ventilation.
Guides' Pick: SmartWool Next-to-Skin Lightweight Zip-T: Men | Women or Patagonia Capilene 3 Men | Women

[  ] INSULATING LAYERS: A variety of insulating layers work well. Your choice of garment (fleece, soft-shell, etc) and the number of garments (one or two) should be based on how well you do in the cold. Generally speaking, we recommend two layers that work in combination with each other.
Guides' Pick: Mountain Hardwear Dragon Jacket; Mountain Hardwear Alchemy Jacket; Patagonia R.5 Top; Mountain Hardwear Ozone Jacket

[  ] SHELL JACKET: You will need a jacket made of rain/wind resistant material with an attached hood.
Guides' Pick: Mountain Hardwear Pinnacle Jacket

[  ] INSULATED PARKA: The parka may be either goose down or synthetic fill and should have at least two inches of insulation thickness.
Guides' Pick: Mountain Hardwear Sub Zero SL Parka

LOWER BODY

[  ] BRIEFS: Bring several pair.
Guides’ Pick: SmartWool or Patagonia

[  ] TREKKING PANT: A lightweight synthetic pair of pants is a good option for the approach trek.
Guides’ Pick: Mountain Hardwear Trekking Pant

[  ] BASE LAYER: One pair light or medium weight bottoms will be used as your next-to-skin layer.
Guides' Pick: SmartWool Microweight Bottom or Patagonia Capilene 3

[  ] CLIMBING PANTS: Synthetic climbing pants offer a wide range of versatility. You can wear them alone on hot days, or in combination with the base layer on cold days. The thickness (insulation quality) should be based on how well you do in the cold.
Guides' Pick: Mountain Hardwear Windstopper Tech Pant or Mountain Hardwear Makalu Pant

[  ] SHELL PANT: A pant made of rain/wind resistant material will be needed for the climb. Full-length side zippers are required for facilitating quick clothing adjustments over boots and crampons.
Guides' Pick: Mountain Hardwear GTX 2.5 Pant

[  ] DOWN OR SYNTHETIC INSULATED PANTS: This is an optional piece of equipment that many people find useful at BC and ABC.
Guides' Pick: Mountain Hardwear Compressor Pant

FEET

[  ] TREKKING BOOTS: Get a tough pair that are waterproof, comfortable, and give good support.
Guides' Pick: Timberland Cadion

[  ] GAITERS: A knee-length pair of gaiters, large enough to fit over your trekking boots, will be needed. This will protect you from snow and mud.
Guides' Pick: Outdoor Research Expedition Crocodiles

[  ] SOCKS: Four to six pair, either wool or synthetic.
Guides' Pick: SmartWool Mountaineering or Adrenaline Heavy Crew

MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS

[  ] CASUAL CLOTHES: For travel, hotels and restaurants. Include shorts and a bathing suit.

[  ] PERSONAL MEDICAL KIT: keep it light but include at least the following items:

[  ] Band-Aids	[  ] Moleskin or blister kit	[  ] Antacids
[  ] Aspirin / Ibuprofen	[  ] Imodium	[  ] Pepto-Bismol
[  ] Small roll of adhesive tape

[  ] PRESCRIPTION MEDICATIONS: We recommend that you talk with your personal physician about obtaining the following for your personal medical kit.
[  ] Antibiotics for traveler’s diarrhea
[  ] Acetazolamide for altitude illness (250 mg. tabs)
[  ] Tylenol 3 for pain

[  ] SUNSCREEN and LIP PROTECTION:
Guides' Pick: Coppertone Sport SPF 30

UTENSILS:
[  ] Bowl
[  ] Insulated mug with lid
[  ] 2 Spoons
[  ] Lighter
[  ] Pocketknife
Guides' Pick: Buck Whittaker Lumina

[  ] CHEMICAL HAND WARMERS

[  ] 2 WIDE MOUTH WATER BOTTLES WITH INSULATED COVERS: Write you names on your bottles.
Guides' Pick: Nalgene water bottles and Outdoor Research Water Bottle Parka

[  ] POTABLE AQUA

[  ] THERMOS: We recommend a high quality, lightweight, unbreakable ½ to 1 quart thermos.

[  ] 5 LARGE GARBAGE BAGS: We recommend lining your backpack and sleeping bag stuff sack with garbage bags to keep items in your backpack completely dry.

TOILET ARTICLES:
[  ] Toothbrush
[  ] Toothpaste
[  ] Baby wipes
[  ] Small container of waterless hand sanitizer

[  ] TOILET PAPER: 2 rolls

[  ] PEE BOTTLE: 1 to 1½ quart size

[  ] EAR PLUGS for sleeping

[  ] CAMERA

[  ] WATCH with alarm and light: Altimeter models are popular.

[  ] READING / LISTENING MATERIALS

[  ] SEVERAL STUFF SACKS
Guides’ Pick: Sea to Summit Sn240 Siliconised Nylon Stuff Sacks

[  ] 3 DUFFEL BAGS: 2 extra large duffel bags with name tags and small locks. These will be carried by porters and need to be of good construction and waterproof. One small duffel is needed to store gear in Kathmandu while on the climb.
Guides’ Pick: Sea to Summit Duffel L or Gregory Long Haul XL or XXL and Gregory Alpaca

[  ] PASSPORT valid for 6 months beyond your return date. The following items can be of aid if you lose your passport, airline ticket or luggage.

• [  ] Photocopy of your passport
• [  ] Photocopy of your flight schedule
• [  ] Photocopy of your airline ticket receipt
• [  ] Photocopy of personal equipment inventory
• [  ] 2 extra identical passport photos

[  ] SECURITY/MONEY POUCH: and money, credit cards, etc. We recommend taking $500 along as travel money.

[  ] MEALS: You will need lunch snacks while on the trek. Bring drink mixes, snacks and items you will enjoy at altitude. Two or three pounds will be plenty. See Food Recommendations for suggestions and number of meals needed.

PROVIDED EQUIPMENT

RMI provides the following group equipment and technical hardware for your climb: tents, upper mountain community sleeping bags and pads, stoves and cooking equipment, climbing and fixed ropes, climbing anchors, shovels, route wands, radios for on-mountain communication, and comprehensive first aid and repair kits.

Climbing oxygen will be provided as follows: 1800L at C3, 3600L at the South Col, and 1800L at the Balcony. We will also supply a limited amount of “extra” oxygen at Camp 3 for “practice” during the C3 acclimatization cycle prior to the summit bids.

GENERAL PACKING INFORMATION

• Duffel bags made of tough material and with a rugged zipper are preferable over suitcases.
• Make sure everything fits comfortably in the bag and that all sharp points are covered. Crampon cases, point protectors and duct tape work well to cover sharp objects.
• Protect your clothing, sleeping bag, insulated parka, etc from water by placing them in plastic trash bags inside your duffel on the airline and throughout the trip.
• Two lighter or smaller duffels are easier to manage than one large duffel.
• Write your name on the inside and outside of your duffel bag and inventory the contents. Keep this inventory list with your important papers.
• Stuff Sacks are a great way to help organize all of your gear.

PRE-TRIP CHECKLIST

[  ] Purchase trip insurance

[  ] Return the Registration Packet to the RMI Office

[  ] Reserve rental equipment

[  ] Arrange flight to Kathmandu

[  ] Be in the best shape of my life!