How to Pack for 12 Months of Climbing Mountains Around the World

Bring the Right Bag

You want a bag that’s tough but light. My Granite Gear Blaze 60 has held up to being strapped on the back of a donkey in Ladakh, tied on the roof of a van in Nepal, and nearly falling out of a long boat in the Andaman sea in Thailand.

The first step is to pick the right bag to carry your belongings. The ideal bag can work as a backpacking backpack for treks and mountaineering trips, fit in an overhead bin as a carry-on, and hold up to being checked as well. I went with the Blaze 60 from Granite Gear (they donated it for my trip— thank you!!) and I’ve loved it. Osprey also has some great options like the Fairpoint, which unzips fully like a suitcase.

You’ll also want a packable day-pack for trips around town, day hikes, and for trekking if you are on a guided trip with porters. I brought my Osprey Mutant 22 (donated by Osprey— thank you!) which was excellent as a crag bag in Thailand and for trekking the Annapurna Circuit in Nepal. A more packable option like the Slacker Packer Drysack is probably a better option if you don’t think you’ll be using it for a porter-assisted trek.

Organize Your Bag with Packing Cubes

I cannot recommend this enough— invest in packing cubes! Packing cubes are little pouches of various sizes that you can use to organize your belongings. I’ve got packing cubes for my clothes, underwear and socks, tech accessories, notebooks and pens, snacks, and literally everything else in my pack. I’d recommend cubes that are light weight and slightly see-through so you can tell what’s in each, and get one in each color so it’s easy to find the right pouch in your bag. There are lots of different types with fancy purposes like this one with a clean and dirty side for your clothes! My favorites are the Air Zipsacks. Pro tip: if the inside of your bag is black, don’t get black packing cubes— you won’t be able to find anything!

Don’t Overpack On Clothing and Shoes

You don’t need as much clothing as you think you do! Bring what you’d pack for a five-day backpacking trip, plus one outfit to wear while washing your trekking clothes and one dress in case you end up going to something fancy. I’d recommend a merino wool dress that’s reversible like the Wool& Brooklyn because you can also use it as a nightgown while camping. The wool regulates temperatures and is remarkably odor resistant even after weeks of wear. Oh and don’t forget quality socks that won’t get holes. My favorites are from Darn Tough Vermont. Then add a pair of sandals that you can also use as basecamp shoes and some hiking boots. That’s all you really need.

Be Thoughtful about the Tech you Pack

I brought my laptop because I knew I’d have a lot of typing to do during my trip. But if you don’t absolutely need one, don’t bring it!

Do you really need to bring a laptop? Can you get by with a smaller mirrorless camera rather than a DSLR? Tech equipment is expensive to replace, easy to get stolen, and often heavy. There are a few items you should definitely bring though. Get a charger with multiple ports (perfect for when you’re fighting for that one outlet in the Nepali tea house) and a broad voltage input range so you don’t risk harming your electronics when you charge in multiple countries. I use this one from Satechi. Don’t forget to pack a converter so you can charge your devices and pack two battery packs so you can keep your audiobooks going for 18 hour bus rides.

Bring What you Need to Feel Comfy Anywhere

I always travel with an inflatable pillow because I know I can be comfy anywhere with it. Bring what you know will make you able to survive in even the worst situation. A tiny travel towel, travel body wipes, a water filter, a headlamp with extra batteries, and lots of snacks can keep me feeling safe and secure camping in a limestone cave in Thailand or coping with a 20 hour bus ride across India.

Rent What you Can

In places like Tonsai, Thailand, you can easily rent everything you need for a day of epic Limestone climbing on the beach for about $15 a day. Or you can get your friends to bring their gear from home (which is what I did).

You don’t need to have all your equipment from home with you. In most popular trekking or climbing destinations, you can easily rent gear like crampons, ice axe, sleeping bag, mittens, etc.

Bring the gear with you that’s harder to rent (like glacier glasses or your specific size of climbing shoe) and rent the rest on location. It’ll end up being cheaper than checking a bag each time you fly, and you’ll be glad to not have to try to explain that trekking poles are not weapons to airport security for the third time.

Get Re-Supplies from Friends

I met up with my friend Eddie in Delhi and made him bring some souvenirs home for me. Thanks Eddie!

If you’re meeting up with anyone during your trip, ask them to help you re-supply or change out gear! This works especially well if you’re doing any guided trips with other clients from your home country. Ask them ahead of time if they can leave room in their suitcase to bring you a shirt you’ve been wanting, some dark chocolate from home, or a piece of gear you need for that trip but haven’t had to use so far. Remember to say thank you a million times!

Pack Copies of Important Documents

Nothing ruins a good day faster than being stopped from passing a security check-point because you don’t have a scanned copy of your passport or losing your wallet and needing to head to an embassy. Make life easy on yourself by keeping a folder with several scanned copies of your passport, health insurance card, credit card numbers (written backwards or in some other special way so that your $$ is secure) and copies of your visas. Keep a secure Dropbox folder with all this information as well and keep a photo of your passport on your phone so you can access it even without internet. And definitely get travel insurance! You never know when you might get pneumonia in China or lose your wallet in LA.

Bring Any Medications you Need and Get Vaccines

Don’t spend your whole trip squatting in one of these! Come prepared with all the meds you'll need.

Go to a travel doctor before you leave and get their recommendations for what vaccines you need. Sometimes you need to get them far in advance, so plan ahead! I didn’t get the rabies vaccine ahead of time and ended up getting bit by a stray dog in India— don’t be like me and be proactive. I’d also recommend bringing any vitamins you take at home and any medications that you commonly need to take (I get bronchitis often and so I always travel with Prednisone and an inhaler just in case). You should definitely bring charcoal pills, Imodium, pepto, and a common antibiotic for the inevitable stomach issues!

Be prepared for the Emotional Strains

Traveling long-term is an incredible opportunity that will push your boundaries and help you grow in ways that you never predicted. But extreme growth comes with growing pains and travel isn’t always sipping cocktails on the beach or admiring beautiful mountain vistas. Moving constantly, relying only on yourself, is really damn difficult. I wrote another post on coping with loneliness while traveling that may be helpful. Be prepared to not be having fun all the time and build yourself a support network of friends along the way who you can reach out to when you’re feeling sad, lonely, or just a little lost.