Annapurna Circuit Packing List

Each ounce of weight counts when you’re hiking at 4000+ masl. But you also need to ensure that you have all your required items for a hike, because you don’t want to be in a remote area only to realize you’ve forgotten something. Hence, it is a delicate balance, and hope you can pick up something from my experience.

Here are all the items I’ve brought (links are Amazon affiliate links).

1. Women’s Full Pack, 45L+10. This is the full pack I have and I bring in all my hikes, including the Annapurna Circuit.
2. Full Pack raincover, assuming your fullpack does not have a raincover attached to it.
3. Toothpaste.
4. Toothbrush.
5. Deodorant.
6. Sunblock.
7. Alcohol/Sanitizer. I lost this in the middle of the hike, and bought another one in Manang for about NPR150.
8. Soap. For showers.
9. Shampoo bottle. For showers. In hindsight, just bring sachets.
10. Conditioner bottle. For showers. In hindsight, just bring sachets.
11. Facial wash. For showers.
12. Toilet Paper. We keep one on hand, and buy one when we ran out. It’s easy to buy new rolls as most teahouses have them. Some at NPR100 though if I remember correctly.
13. Wet wipes. I want to say that this is an unnecessary weight, but once we hit 3,000meters, I didn’t have a shower and only had a “wet wipe bath”, so I think i’ll bring some again.
14. Small towel. I use the microfiber ones, which are little and yet absorbent.
15. SOL survival bivy. On winter hikes, I ALWAYS bring an emergency blanket, but when a friend recommended this, I added this in my emergency kit, and have only brought this one for the AC trek.
16. Powerbank. They generally have sockets up until Manang, and then at High Camp you can pay by the hour to plug your phone in. Having a powerbank is definitely a good investment.
17. Powerbank cable.
18. Adapter. I have a one-adapter-fits-all one that I bring whenever I travel.
19. Solar Panel. It’s a good idea, but I regret bringing this. It is light, but after a while every ounce/gram counts.
20. Pen. I try to bring a pen everywhere I travel.
21. Sleeping bag. Bring one that can survive at 0F, or -10C. The teahouses will provide blankets – which I highly doubt are ever washed.
22. Thermal base layer – 3pcs. I change my shirt every night, and having only two will mean I have to wash clothes every night. I think 3pcs is a decent number.
23. (Women only) Sports Bra. 3 pcs. Same rationale as Thermal base layer.
24. Underpants. 5pcs. I should have had brought 3pcs, same rationale as above.
25. Thermal leggings – 2 pcs. I never washed this and only wear it at night. I only wore it during a hike when I actually crossed Throng La Pass. In hindsight, I would have had changed it to 1pc.
26. Trekking pants – 2pcs. This one I am not sure. I want to say just bring one, but I also liked being able to wash my pants.
27. Extra socks – 6pairs. Make sure four of them are wool/thermal, and the other two normal (for when you are in lower elevation)
28. Down Jacket – 1 pc. I only wore this once – upon crossing Thorong La Pass and boy was it worth it.
29. Fleece Jacket – 1 pc. My default every day jacket.
30. Light Jacket – 1 pc. My default every day jacket. I basically wore my thermal base, my light jacket and fleece jacket everyday, supplemented by the puffer jacket when it got cold(er).
31. Puffer Jacket – 1 pc. I can NOT overstate how important this is. I have tried a couple of jackets, and this is the best one I’ve got, hands down. DO NOT skimp or mess up on selecting your puffer jacket.
32. Polarized shades – 1pc. Make sure it is polarized and high quality. The heat of the sun gets painful the higher you get.
33. Hat for the sun. Also needed.
34. Beanie. You need a wool cover for your head.
35. Winter Buff . For your neck and if need be, nose!
36. Gloves (wool). For daily use.
37. Gloves (heavy duty). For once you hit 5000meters. Definitely needed. DO NOT skimp on this.
38. Bladder. I prefer drinking from a hose, but nalgene (as long as the total is 2 liters) will do. At 5000m, my bladder froze and we could not take a sip. In hindsight, I probably would have just brought a nalgene.
39. Nalgene (with holder) – 1L pc. Should have had left the bladder and brought the Nalgene.
40. Winter hiking shoes/boots.
41. Trekking poles – 1 pair. Definitely needed when descending from Thorong La Pass.
42. Spikes. Not crampons. I used something like this. I don’t think crampons are necessary for the Annapurna Circuit, and we went on winter (December, 2019).
43. Slippers – 1 pair. I use crocs. Haha.
44. String – to hand your clothes in. I hanged them on my pack while trekking.
45. Safety pins – I used them to pin my clothes into place.
46. Carabiner – 2pcs. Pretty handy. Make sure you get the one that locks.
47. Laundry soap – small. Get the small one! You won’t need much, and when you run out you can easily replenish.
48. Medicine
49. Imodium – 8pcs. Definitely needed.
50. Paracetamol
51. Aspirin – I did not bring this, and I regret it!
52. Painkillers -Definitely needed.
53. Antibiotics – I did not take some, but others say I should. Honestly, I am not comfortable taking antibiotics without a doctor’s go signal, so I would still not bring it.
54. Moleskin – for blisters.
55. Band aids – 20pcs. For blisters. I brought a lot and I’m glad I did.
56. Diamox – 10pcs. For altitude sickness.
57. Nail clippers – 1pc. You’ll be there a while, you’ll need this.
58. Tweezers – 1pc. Just in case.
59. Zip lock bags – 10pcs?. I brought a lot because they said to put permits and passports in a bag, just to be safe.
60. Water purifying system. A water purifying system is needed, and bring at least two.
61. MSR Guardian. A good water filter but can be bulky. It pumps water quickly and doesn’t freeze, so an unfortunate necessity we believe.
62. Steripen.
63. Cookset + Food. Now, this is optional depending on how much you are trying to save.
64. Jetboil Minimo. Both for boiling water and cooking noodles.
65. Gas canister – One 450 gram pc. We bought this in Kathmandu, and in hindsight, should have bought a smaller one (225 gram).
66. Lighter. Also bought in Kathmandu.
67. Coffee Sachets – 20pcs. The ones in Kathmandu are awful. Bring your favorite ones.
68. Coffee cup.
69. Thermos. It came in handy at one point, but should have had left it.
70. Noodle packets – 5pcs. Kathmandu ones are awful (or just not to my taste haha). I’d say bring your favorite ones from home.

Aaaand that’s it! Wow, that was quite a lot wasn’t it? I think others have way lighter bags and mainly used day packs as opposed to full packs, but I have no idea how they survived. As I plan to go back for Everest Base Camp, feedback will be much appreciated!