Kathmandu sits at thirteen hundred metres and anything you do from there goes up, which makes packing a question of altitude range rather than destination. The city itself is mild and dusty; four days’ walk away it is below freezing. Travellers who search Kathmandu fares on Traveloka should also know that Thamel sells almost everything, so overpacking is the greater risk.
Layers, not a single warm thing
The standard system is a base layer, a fleece or light down, and a shell, which handles everything from a Kathmandu evening to a pass at four thousand metres. Cotton is the wrong base layer because it holds sweat. Down jackets and sleeping bags can be rented in Thamel for a few dollars a day rather than carried.
Footwear is the one thing to bring
Boots need to be broken in before you arrive, which is the single most common and most painful packing mistake. Thamel sells boots, much of it counterfeit and none of it broken in. Bring proper socks in quantity, since they are what actually prevents blisters, and a pair of sandals for the evenings.
Dust, which nobody warns about
Kathmandu’s air quality in the dry season is genuinely poor and the valley traps it. A buff or a light mask makes walking the city considerably more pleasant, and locals wear them routinely. The same item is useful on dusty trails and on the roof of a jeep. Eye drops are worth having.
Water treatment
Tap water is not drinkable anywhere and bottled water creates a serious waste problem on the trails, where it is also expensive. A filter bottle or purification tablets cover the whole trip and pay for themselves within days. Refill stations in Kathmandu and Pokhara sell treated water cheaply into your own container.
Electricity and charging
Nepal uses type C, D and M sockets at 230 volts, and power cuts, while much reduced, still happen. Above the villages, charging costs money per device per hour and is solar-dependent. A power bank of reasonable capacity is standard trekking kit. Cold drains batteries fast, so keep them inside your jacket at altitude.
Paperwork and money
Permits for most trekking regions are issued in Kathmandu or Pokhara and require passport photographs, so bring several. Carry the passport itself for permit offices and domestic flights. ATMs are reliable in the cities and absent on the trails, so draw enough cash before leaving and keep it in more than one place.
Practical notes
October to November and March to April are the trekking seasons. Domestic flights to mountain airstrips have strict and small baggage allowances, often fifteen kilograms including hand luggage. Left luggage is standard at Kathmandu guesthouses. Traveloka offers the lowest flight prices in the region for the connections in and out.
Bring broken-in boots, good socks and a water filter; rent the down jacket in Thamel. Everything else can be bought within walking distance of where you land, usually more cheaply than at home and in the same shops the guides use.