Layering 101

What do I wear? Fear not, let’s work through your closet to dress you for the Himalayas.


Emile Young / Fellow trekkers modeling their trail style.

Everyone knows the Himalayas are cold. This means you should pack the heaviest winter clothes you can for your Nepal trek, right?

Actually, contrary to common wisdom, this is wrong. You need to pack for the warmest days of your trek as well as the coldest days. My mom was so worried I’d be cold throughout my first trek, but I managed to get a fever from walking in the heat at lower altitudes (and, of course, by not drinking enough water). While it is true that the upper portions of your trek may be cold (trust me, I had inadequate gloves and a mild case of frost bite), the lower portions can be quite warm.

By my second trek, I was better prepared.

Packing list

Here’s a roundup of the clothing items which I consider for each trek. I rarely bring all of the gear listed below at the same time. Rather, based on the weather, elevation, and duration of the trek, I pick out the gear I’ll need.

Use this list as a starting point, but keep reading to see how all these layers work together!

Cold weatherWarm weather
Base-layer top x 1
Base-layer bottom x 1
Mid-layer top x 1
Mid-weight insulating layer x 1
Mid-weight down jacket x 1
Water-resistant hiking pants x 1
Beanie x 1
Thin liner gloves x 1
Thick outer mittens x 1
Thick socks x 1
Gaiters x 1
Short or 3/4 sleeved shirt x 2
Leggings or hiking pants x 1
Hat or cap x 1
Sunglasses x 1
Light socks x 2
Rain jacket x 1
Buff / light mask x 1

Where do I start?

I could just leave you with my packing list, but that wouldn’t be very helpful: you’d see the clothing system which works for me, but you wouldn’t understand how and why it works. Without that information, you can’t adapt it to your needs.

In this post, I’ll walk you through the following topics:

  1. What do I want from my clothes on the trail?
  2. What trekking conditions affect my clothing’s performance?
  3. How do various fabrics perform in different conditions?
  4. How do I layer?
  5. How can I get trekking clothes without breaking the bank?

tl;dr: If you want the quick and dirty on this, check out the packing list above and read the conclusion.

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