Most gear lists you find online are written by people selling gear. This one is not.

After 4 years of Himalayan trekking — from Triund to Kedarkantha to Goecha La — here’s the exact 12-item kit that’s earned a permanent spot in our packs. Plus the buy-vs-rent-vs-borrow guide that saves first-timers thousands of rupees.

The non-negotiable 12

  • Trekking shoes — Quechua MH500 or above, broken in for 50km minimum
  • Backpack 55L — Decathlon Forclaz or Wildcraft, with rain cover
  • Down jacket — rated to the lowest expected temperature
  • 3 base layers — merino wool if budget, polyester otherwise
  • Trek pants — quick-dry, NOT jeans
  • 2 pairs wool socks + 1 pair sock liners
  • Headlamp — Petzl Tikkina, with spare batteries
  • Water bottle — 1L Nalgene or insulated steel
  • Sun protection — SPF 50+ sunscreen, lip balm, glacier glasses
  • Trekking poles — single carbon pole is fine for most treks
  • First aid kit — including Diamox for high altitude
  • Power bank — 10,000 mAh minimum

Buy vs rent vs borrow

Not everything in the list above is worth buying outright. Here’s how we split it for first-timers.

Buy

Shoes, base layers, water bottle, headlamp, sunglasses. These need to fit you specifically and you will use them again on every trip after. Total: ~₹6,000–8,000.

Rent

Down jacket, sleeping bag, trekking poles. Most basecamps in Uttarakhand have rental shops with reasonable quality. Total: ~₹400/day for the full set.

Borrow

Backpack from a trekker friend for your first trip. See if you like the sport before buying a 55L bag.

Money saver Decathlon’s MH100 and MH500 lines cover 90% of what you need. Ignore the marketing on Salomon and Lowa unless you’re planning treks above 5,000m.