Tomás Riquelme
Guía de montaña
February 18, 20265 min read
Light luggage accounts for much of a trek's success. A real checklist, based on four seasons of guiding this route.
The classic Inca Trail is four days of walking, with porters who carry part of the gear, but there is a maximum weight (around 6 kg per person). Packing well is not a detail: it defines how you feel in the mountains.
Essentials
- A -5°C sleeping bag (in May-August). The nights at Wiñay Wayna are cold.
- Trekking shoes that are already broken in. Wearing new ones on the trail is a bad idea.
- Telescopic trekking poles. They reduce the impact on your knees by 25%.
- Rain cover (a long poncho or a waterproof jacket).
- Thermal layers: a merino wool base layer, a mid-layer fleece, a windproof shell.
- Headlamp with spare batteries.
- Personal first-aid kit: ibuprofen, blister patches, oral rehydration salts.
Things you can skip
- Jeans (they are heavy and do not dry).
- More than two changes of technical underwear.
- Large towels (one microfiber towel is enough).
- Drone (the regulations change and it is often not allowed).
Packing tricks
Rolling your clothes instead of folding them saves space. Compression bags help, but they create waste: ideally, use reusable bags. Your personal daypack should weigh less than 4 kg with water, snacks and a rain layer.
If you go in the rainy season (December-March), add a pack cover and keep all electronics inside zip bags.
Camino IncaEquipoTrekking