5 Essential Things to Pack for Mount Everest
Written by Tracy Rodriguez
Thinking about what to pack for a trip such as Mount Everest can be overwhelming, for some of you it may be the first trip, or for those who have already hiked to the top of Mount Everest, it can simply be a long list of items that you have to remember. Well, here at Run On History, we want to make the experience of packing for your trip up Mount Everest much simpler for you. At the end of this post, not only will you gain knowledge of some of the essential things to pack for Mount Everest, but you will also be provided with one of our FREE resource checklists, to make sure that you definitely don’t forget your other items to pack.
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Duffel Bag and Day Pack
If you plan to have a guide on your expedition, then you can hire a porter who will assist you with your hiking gear by carrying your equipment along the way, in addition to any other important items you may have. Next, it’s essential to also carry a day pack. A day pack will mostly be for yourself. This bag allows you to carry some items such as: your personal information, clothing, money, as well as food and water. However, there are tea houses you can visit on the trek. If you’re unsure of what tea houses are, teahouses are hotel-like lodges where you can pay to sleep more comfortably, eat warm meals, and shower. On the other hand, if you are confident enough not to hire a porter then you must remember that you will be carrying loads of items and other gear on your back, which could exhaust you trying to do this journey independently. |

3 Important Documents
In order to climb Mount Everest, you will need documentation. The first documents that you’re going to need to obtain are your passport and visa. Mount Everest lies on the border of China, anyone who does not reside in the area that decides to visit Tibet must have both their passport and visa. In addition, you must also have the following: a Frontier Pass, a Travel Permit, and lastly, a mountaineering license.
In order to climb Mount Everest, you will need documentation. The first documents that you’re going to need to obtain are your passport and visa. Mount Everest lies on the border of China, anyone who does not reside in the area that decides to visit Tibet must have both their passport and visa. In addition, you must also have the following: a Frontier Pass, a Travel Permit, and lastly, a mountaineering license.
1. Frontier Pass
The Frontier Pass applies to everyone, even if you’re from China. If you plan to take a tour to the surrounding countries around Tibet, such as Nepal, which is on the southern side of Mount Everest. To obtain this pass, you can apply through the Armed Police Tibet Frontier Corps, which is located in Lhasa.
2. Travel Permit
Next, it’s important to have your traveler’s permit. The travel permit can be issued to you by the Public Security Bureau. Without this permit, you won’t be allowed inside the base camp located in Tibet. This would be a great inconvenience, especially if you traveled all the way from Nepal into Tibet.
3. Mountaineering License
Most importantly, you also need to also have a mountaineering license if you plan to travel to Mount Everest. On average, people climb Mount Everest beginning with the base camp from the southern region of the mountain, which is Nepal. The cost of a climbing permit is typically around $11,000.
A One-Piece Thermal Suit
It’s not an obligation for you to wear a thermal suit, but for your knowledge, it’s best to put it on anyway. By wearing a thermal suit, you limit the amount of cold that touches your skin, which is essentially what you would want to accomplish when hiking Mount Everest. Temperatures can drop as low as -76F, so it’s important to try to stay as warm as possible and reserve a lot of heat.
The Frontier Pass applies to everyone, even if you’re from China. If you plan to take a tour to the surrounding countries around Tibet, such as Nepal, which is on the southern side of Mount Everest. To obtain this pass, you can apply through the Armed Police Tibet Frontier Corps, which is located in Lhasa.
2. Travel Permit
Next, it’s important to have your traveler’s permit. The travel permit can be issued to you by the Public Security Bureau. Without this permit, you won’t be allowed inside the base camp located in Tibet. This would be a great inconvenience, especially if you traveled all the way from Nepal into Tibet.
3. Mountaineering License
Most importantly, you also need to also have a mountaineering license if you plan to travel to Mount Everest. On average, people climb Mount Everest beginning with the base camp from the southern region of the mountain, which is Nepal. The cost of a climbing permit is typically around $11,000.
A One-Piece Thermal Suit
It’s not an obligation for you to wear a thermal suit, but for your knowledge, it’s best to put it on anyway. By wearing a thermal suit, you limit the amount of cold that touches your skin, which is essentially what you would want to accomplish when hiking Mount Everest. Temperatures can drop as low as -76F, so it’s important to try to stay as warm as possible and reserve a lot of heat.
Sleeping Bag
The higher you trek, the colder it begins to get, and the more energy you have spent to climb Mount Everest. It’s important that you get a good warm sleep to reach the summit. As mentioned before, the temperatures on Mount Everest can get extremely cold, so researching and purchasing a good sleeping bag beforehand is something you need to know. There is also the option of renting a sleeping bag in case you want to avoid taking too many items. At the Mount Everest base camps there are stores that give you the option to rent a sleeping bag as well as a tent. However, the prices do vary, and they’re likely not going to be up to par, but it is still an option. On the other hand, we recommend purchasing your own sleeping bag that suits you the best. |

First Aid Kit
Anything can happen on your journey to the summit, so we recommend packing your own first aid kit. Most of you are probably going with other people, but the more first aid kits you have, the better. Having small medical equipment at hand has assisted and saved people on their returns from a challenging expedition. Although being able to reach the top of Mount Everest would be a dream for anyone, it’s still a very dangerous journey and we want to assure our readers that are thinking of doing this, do it with the mindset of keeping themselves and others safe as best as they can.
Now that you have read our 5 essential things to pack for Mount Everest, we hope that we have made it easier for you to consider the extra things to pack for yourself on this expedition. However, like we mentioned before, we have a FREE checklist that you have access to, so you don’t have to stress about forgetting all the things you have to pack for this expedition. By clicking here, you can obtain the PDF version of our packing list for Mount Everest. The checklist includes all the items you need from various categories to ensure that you go and feel well prepared.
To learn more about the history of climbing Everest, sign up for Run on History’s Everest Trail.
Anything can happen on your journey to the summit, so we recommend packing your own first aid kit. Most of you are probably going with other people, but the more first aid kits you have, the better. Having small medical equipment at hand has assisted and saved people on their returns from a challenging expedition. Although being able to reach the top of Mount Everest would be a dream for anyone, it’s still a very dangerous journey and we want to assure our readers that are thinking of doing this, do it with the mindset of keeping themselves and others safe as best as they can.
Now that you have read our 5 essential things to pack for Mount Everest, we hope that we have made it easier for you to consider the extra things to pack for yourself on this expedition. However, like we mentioned before, we have a FREE checklist that you have access to, so you don’t have to stress about forgetting all the things you have to pack for this expedition. By clicking here, you can obtain the PDF version of our packing list for Mount Everest. The checklist includes all the items you need from various categories to ensure that you go and feel well prepared.
To learn more about the history of climbing Everest, sign up for Run on History’s Everest Trail.