Most gear guides for trekking are written by gear companies. This one is not. These are the boots I’ve actually walked in, the pack I’ve actually carried, the water systems I’ve actually used in the field. If something isn’t here, it’s because I haven’t tested it or I don’t trust it.
Boots.
Three recommendations, because there are three different trekker profiles and one boot does not solve all of them.
Salomon X Ultra 4 GTX · the mileage boot. This is the boot I default to for any cultural trekking trip where the trail is well-maintained and the days are four to six hours. Camino. Kumano Kodo. Druk Path. The X Ultra 4 is technically a mid-cut hiker, not a full boot. It’s light. It drains and dries fast. The Contagrip sole holds well on wet stone and packed dirt. Gore-Tex membrane keeps water out for the first two seasons of use. After that, the membrane wears and you treat them as fair-weather boots. Roughly 500 to 700 miles per pair if you take care of them. The trade-off: low ankle support. If your ankles roll easily, skip this one.
La Sportiva TX5 GTX · the technical boot. This is the boot for the harder routes. Salkantay. Markha Valley. Annapurna Circuit. Anywhere with real scree, real pass crossings, or real exposure to weather. The TX5 is full leather, full ankle support, Vibram Megagrip sole, and it weighs more than the Salomon because it has to. The leather upper will outlast the Salomon by years if you wax it. The break-in is real — wear them around the house for two weeks before you walk a single trail in them. Painful early, beloved later.
Hoka Anacapa Mid GTX · the comfort-first boot. Some people, no matter what we tell them, will not love a stiff boot. The Anacapa is the answer. It’s a mid-cut waterproof with the Hoka maximum-cushion midsole, which means it feels like walking on a memory foam mattress. People with knee or hip issues swear by it. Athletes with strong feet sometimes find it too soft. Use case: long flat days on the Camino del Norte, road sections on the Annapurna Circuit, anyone whose feet have a long history of complaint.
For all three: size up a half size from your street shoe. Wear them with the actual sock you’ll trek in. Walk a hundred miles before the trip.
Packs.
Osprey Atmos AG 65. This is the pack I recommend for almost everyone doing teahouse or village-supported treks (Annapurna, Kumano, Camino, Druk). 65 liters is enough for two weeks. The Anti-Gravity suspension system means the pack rides off your back, which keeps your shirt drier and your hips happier. The hip belt fits a real range of body shapes. The lid converts to a daypack, which matters more than you’d think for the rest days when you want to walk into a village with just a wallet and a water bottle.
Gregory Baltoro 65. The other strong option, slightly stiffer build, more padding on the hip belt. The fit is the difference. Go to a shop, try both with weight in them, see which one your hips actually like. Don’t buy by review. Buy by fit.
For lodge-to-lodge trips where porters carry the main bag (Salkantay with Mountain Lodges of Peru, Markha homestays, etc.), you only need a 25-to-30-liter daypack. Osprey Talon 22 or Talon 33 is the right size. Your full pack rides on a mule or in a porter’s load.
The layer system.
Three layers. That’s it. Don’t overthink this.
Base layer: merino wool. Smartwool 150-weight or 200-weight, depending on the trip. Merino regulates temperature, breathes, and — this is the actual differentiator — it does not stink. You can wear a merino base layer for seven days straight and it’ll smell better than a polyester shirt you sweated in for one day. Bring two. Rotate. Wash one in the sink, dry it on the pack, swap the next morning. The cult around merino is justified.
Mid layer: softshell. A light fleece or a synthetic insulated jacket. Patagonia Nano Puff, Arc’teryx Atom LT, or a basic R1 fleece. This layer is for the cold mornings and the cold evenings. You’ll have it on at breakfast, in your pack by 10am, on again at dinner.
Outer layer: hardshell. A real rain jacket. Arc’teryx Beta AR if you want the lifetime piece. Patagonia Torrentshell for the budget option that still works. Skip the ponchos and the lightweight wind shells. When the weather turns on a Himalayan pass, you want the actual jacket.
Pants. Convertible nylon trekking pants — Prana Stretch Zion, Patagonia Quandary. One pair to wear, one in the pack. Don’t bring jeans. Don’t bring cotton.
Socks. Darn Tough wool socks, three pairs. Lifetime warranty. They will outlast your boots.
Water.
Two systems, both lightweight, both proven.
Sawyer Squeeze. A hollow-fiber filter that screws onto a bladder. Fast, simple, removes bacteria and protozoa. Two-ounce weight. You can fill from any clear running stream and drink within seconds. Doesn’t kill viruses, which matters only in a few specific regions (some Himalayan streams below villages, for instance). For most of the trails on our list, the Sawyer is enough.
SteriPen Adventurer Opti. UV light purification. Kills viruses, bacteria, protozoa. Battery-powered, lightweight. Use case: water sources where animal or human contamination is likely. Annapurna lower villages, parts of Salkantay. I carry both on those trips — Sawyer for the easy filling, SteriPen for the high-risk sources.
Carry tablets (Aquatabs or Potable Aqua) as a backup. They taste bad but they work and they weigh nothing.
Hydration capacity: a 2-liter bladder in the pack plus a 1-liter Nalgene or hard bottle on the hip belt. Total carrying capacity 3 liters. Drink throughout the day, not all at once.
Trekking poles. Non-negotiable past day three.
I used to be a pole skeptic. I thought poles were for older trekkers or for people with knee problems. Then I did a hard six-day trip without them. By day four my quads were destroyed. The descent on day five was punishment. I bought poles before my next trip and the difference was immediate.
Poles unload roughly 20 to 25 percent of the descending load from your knees and quads. On a six-day trip that compounds. You arrive at day six with legs that work instead of legs that quit.
Black Diamond Pursuit FLZ. Foldable, three-section, cork grips, flick lock. Light. Fits in a checked bag. This is the pole. Use them every day, especially on the descents. Plant the pole, weight it, step down past it. It becomes muscle memory by day three.
The list you actually pack.
Boots (worn). Three pairs of socks. Two merino base layers. Mid layer. Hardshell. Two trekking pants. Sleep clothes. Underwear (three days, washed and rotated). Down jacket (light, packable — Patagonia Down Sweater) for the cold evenings. Beanie. Lightweight gloves. Sun hat. Buff. Sunglasses (real ones, polarized). Sunscreen. Lip balm with SPF. Toothbrush, paste, soap, ibuprofen, blister kit (moleskin, leukotape, scissors), prescription meds. Headlamp (Petzl Tikka, with fresh batteries plus spares). Phone charger plus power bank (Anker 10,000 mAh). Camera if you bring one. Notebook and pen. Passport, cash, cards.
That’s the kit. It fits in 65 liters with room to spare. Most people overpack on their first trip. By the third trip they’re carrying less than this.
Want a packing list customized for a specific trek? hello@thebespoketraveler.co.
