Remember: Do not wear cotton! It doesn’t easily dry at high altitudes and can chafe. Wear fabric this is breathable, synthetic, and moisture-wicking.

Below are suggested types of gear to include in your packing list.

Base Layers

• Moisture-wicking long sleeve tee-shirts (2)
• Moisture-wicking tee-shirts (2)
• Moisture-wicking sports bra tank – two-in-one is a space saver! (1)
• Moisture-wicking sports bra (1)
• Long underwear pants (1)
• Underwear (3 total, 2 that are moisture-wicking)

Middle & Outer Layers

• Mid-weight, moisture-wicking smart wool long sleeve shirt (1).
• Sweatshirt for warmer sleeping (1) (optional).
• Fleece jacket (1).
• Waterproof hard shell jacket with hood (1): breathable and water-resistant.
• Fleece pants (1): Only wear these on the summit night – over long underwear and under waterproof pants.
• Convertible shorts-to-pants hiking pants (1): you will wear these everyday.
• Waterproof pants (1): worn over fleece pants on summit night.
• Gloves or mittens: warm, waterproof recommended.
• Medium gloves: something warmer than glove liners, but not as heavy as summit gloves.
• Glove liners: thin and synthetic, to be worn under gloves for added warm and protection from frostbite.
• Knit hat (that covers ears).
• Balaclava.
• Sun hat with brim or bandana
• Sunglasses are very important as the UV intensity is very high up; while the snow reflects the rays that may cause damage to naked eyes.
• Headlamp for night trekking especially during the summit

Footwear

• Ankle high supportive hiking boots: break these in before the climb
• Shoes for lounging around camp: you’ll want to give your feet a break from the boots, I used Keens because they were easy to slip on over socks
• Spare plastic bag to hold your dirty camp shoes
• Hiking socks (3) pairs: Smart wool suggested
• Sock liners (2) pairs: pack thin, synthetic—they stretch and cause blisters if too small

Sleeping & Carrying Equipment

• Medium sized daypack (25-30 liters):  used to carry essentials needed during the day like clothes, water, raincoat, warm clothing, camera, and food
• Daypack rain shield cover: some daypacks already come with one
• Sleeping bag liner
• Waterproof dry bags: e.g. any of 4L, 8L, 16L, and 32L Sea to Summit bags to stay organized, or you can use plastic bags to protect equipment from rain.

Drinking

Do not carry any water on the outside of your pack on summit night, it will freeze. Protect it with insulation or under clothing.

• Platypus water bag: ideal so you don’t have to stop to drink
• Backup water bottle e.g. Camelback 32 oz water bottle
• Water filtering iodine chemical tablets

First Aid Items

• Advil: this helps with Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS), I took two every morning and never ached or got sick
• Mini first-aid kit that includes ace-bandages, blister kit (tape, Neosporin and Band-Aids), antibacterial cream, antibiotics for travelers’ diarrhea, antihistamines, cold and flu medications, throat lozenges, and altitude medications. (I wrapped the ace bandage over the Bandaids; this was a savior)
• Back-up emergency meds: Ciprofloxacin (travelers diarrhea & bladder infection) and Azithromycin (aka z-pack), Imodium for anti-diarrhea, Pepto-Bismol
• Malaria tablets e.g. generic Malarone
• Diamox (Acetazolamide): This prevents and combats altitude sickness, I took the generic brand and showed no symptoms of AMS. The only person in my group who got sick summit night was the one who did not take Diamox. Note: It is a diuretic—To avoid needing to pee during the bitter cold night, I hydrated enough during the day so I could cut myself off from drinking water at 6pm. *hydration is crucial so do not limit water intake if you have not drank enough yet.

Personals & Toileteries

• Basic toiletries: soap, deodorant, tooth brush, cotton Q-tips, floss, hairbrush, toothpaste, etc…
• Bug spray: Deet 25-50%
• Toilet paper: you can buy travel packs from Target or take the cardboard out of a roll and store in plastic zip lock bag
• Feminine hygiene cleansing wipes
• Wet wipes: used for “showering” and cleaning hands and face—bring more than you think you need, and then some (inexpensive drugstore ones work fine)
• Anti-itch cream for bug bites: the mosquitoes are only in the rain forest and are enormous
• Face cleanser: I found it easiest to use Neutragena face wipes
• Sun screen and lip protection, SPF 30+
• Contact solution & case
• Dry shampoo (optional)
• Nalgene bottle to pee in: the last thing I wanted to do was leave the warmness of the tent in the frigid night air to go to the toilet tent
• Go Girl or a pee funnel: for use with the Nalgene pee bottle (didn’t wind up needing either, but glad I had it)
• You are climbing a mountain, not entering a beauty contest. No need to bring makeup.
• Panty liners to keep underwear fresher longer