After a decade on the trail, I've stopped recommending the 65-litre pack. Here's what actually goes in mine for a twelve-day teahouse trek.
The single biggest mistake I see new trekkers make is overpacking. Not by a little — by a lot. The Annapurna Circuit is a teahouse trek; you'll sleep in stone lodges with warm blankets, eat hot meals every night, and have access to laundry at four villages along the route. You do not need to carry six days of clean shirts.
What you actually need: two trekking shirts, one fleece, one waterproof shell, two pairs of trekking trousers (one zip-off), three pairs of merino socks, one set of thermal base layers, a down jacket, a beanie, gloves with liners, a sun hat, a headlamp, a 1L water bottle, a small toiletry kit, a small first-aid kit, your camera (if not a phone), and a paperback book. That's 30 litres comfortably.
The porter system on the Circuit and the Khumbu means you don't carry the heavy bag during the day. You carry your daypack — water, snacks, raingear, camera, sunscreen — and the duffel comes to the next lodge by another route. So pack accordingly: your daypack is the bag you live out of, and it should weigh less than 5 kilograms.
Lighter is faster. Lighter is happier. Lighter is the thing your knees thank you for on the descent into Muktinath.
About the author
Tashi Gurung
Senior Trek Guide · Annapurna · Mustang
From Ghandruk village. Speaks fluent Tibetan, opening doors in Mustang's monastery network. Has crossed Thorong La 47 times. Famous on every trip for the rest-day apple brandy ritual.
