What to pack for a trek in China (and what to leave at home)

Chinese trekking operators provide more than most foreign travellers expect: tents, cooking equipment, group shelter, usually a duffel for the horses. What they do not provide is anything that touches your body, and that is where the packing list lives.

The three things people forget

1. A sleep system rated for below zero at 4,000 m. Nights on the plateau drop to −5 °C in summer and −15 °C in October. A three-season bag from a tropical home country will not do it. Rent or buy in Chengdu if you must.
2. Cash in small notes. Village shops, toilet fees, tips and the noodle stall at the trailhead all want cash. ¥500–800 in ¥20s and ¥50s solves a week of small problems.
3. A power bank and a Chinese plug adapter. Cold kills battery capacity fast. Two 10,000 mAh banks is not excessive for an eight-day trip.

Clothing, layered

The plateau does four seasons in a day: sun at noon, hail at four, frost at dawn. Layering beats a single heavy jacket.

• Base layer — two merino or synthetic tops. Not cotton; cotton at altitude is a hypothermia risk.
• Mid layer — fleece or light down jacket. This is the layer you live in at camp.
• Shell — waterproof and windproof, with a hood. Gore-Tex or equivalent.
• Down jacket — a proper one, rated to −10 °C, for camp and pre-dawn starts.
• Trekking trousers — two pairs, one softshell. Skip zip-off shorts; the sun is brutal and the scrub is worse.
• Underwear and socks — merino, three to four pairs. Sock rotation is the whole game for blister prevention.
• Hat and gloves — a wide-brim sun hat, a warm beanie, liner gloves and insulated gloves.

Footwear

Boots with ankle support and a break-in period before you fly. Trail runners work on the gentler lodge-based routes (South Taihang, Ailao Shan) and are a bad idea on scree and moraine. Bring camp shoes or sandals — after eight hours in boots, your feet will thank you.

The kit list

Carried by you, daily:

• 25–35 L daypack with a rain cover
• Water bottles, 2 L capacity minimum (insulated is worth it)
• Sunscreen SPF 50, lip balm with SPF
• Sunglasses, category 3 or 4 — glacier glare is real
• Headtorch plus spare batteries
• Snacks, personal medication, blister kit
• Insulation layer and shell, always, even on a sunny morning

In your duffel, carried by horse or porter:

• Sleeping bag in a dry bag, plus inflatable mat if you prefer your own
• Spare clothes, one set of clean town clothes
• Toiletries, microfibre towel, wet wipes
• Sandals, dry sack for laundry

Documents and admin:

• Passport, China visa or visa-free proof, printed copies
• Travel insurance certificate including trekking and your maximum altitude
• Passport photos, two spare
• Emergency contact card in Chinese characters

What to rent or buy locally

Chengdu and Lijiang both have good outdoor shops and rental outfits. Realistic rentals: down jackets, sleeping bags, trekking poles, crampons and ice axes for summit trips. Prices are reasonable and quality varies — inspect before you pay.

If you are flying in via Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok or Singapore, buy your boots and sleeping bag at home. Rental bags at 4,000 m are the wrong place to discover a limit.

What not to bring

• A drone. Permits, restrictions near monasteries, and weight. Leave it.
• A large hard suitcase. It cannot go on a horse and you will be carrying it up a hill.
• Too many clothes. Everyone overpacks. Two of everything, one of the rest.
• Water purification gadgets you have not tested. Boiled water is provided; a filter bottle is a nice backup, not a plan.

One last thing

Pack for the trip you booked, not the trip you imagined. A lodge-based week in the Taihang needs a daypack and trainers. A 5,600 m kora needs the full list. Every trek page on this site states the maximum altitude and the style — read it, then pack to that.