Equipment for Aconcagua has to work in two quite different modes. On the approach to Plaza de Mulas it can be comparatively warm and dry, while at the high camps you need protection from strong wind, frost and snow. You cannot put a kit together from photographs of the summit alone, or from a trekking list alone.
What follows explains the thinking behind the list for the current 17-day Mountain Guide programme. Before every trip, open the tour page and check the current version: the actual conditions may change the recommendations on crampons, ice axe, footwear and insulation.
The main categories of equipment
Documents and critical personal items
- Passport and tickets.
- An insurance policy with suitable altitude cover.
- Your own medication and medical information.
- Mountaineering boots, tested in advance.
- Sunglasses, goggles and sun protection for your skin.
- A head torch and spare power for it.
Carry the critical items in such a way that one delayed bag does not leave you without boots, medication and documents. Check the rules on hand luggage and on carrying technical equipment with your airline.
Pack, sleeping bag and mat
The list for the 17-day programme specifies a 50-60 litre pack. It has to hold your personal kit for a high-altitude stage and sit comfortably over several layers of clothing. A large duffel bag is not a substitute for a working pack: its job is to carry freight on the approach, not to be worn above base camp.
For sleeping, the list specifies a warm sleeping bag and a mat. Match the temperature range against the programme’s recommendation and against how sensitive you are to cold. The mat is part of the insulation: a very warm sleeping bag will not compensate for poor protection from cold ground.
Boots, crampons and ice axe
For the upper part of the route the programme requires double or triple mountaineering boots, crampons and a classic ice axe. The particular models have to work together: no play in the crampons, the heel locks down, the straps can be adjusted in gloves. Checking in the shop is not enough.
| Item | What to check before you fly |
|---|---|
| High-altitude boots | The size with a warm sock, the fit and the absence of pressure points |
| Trekking boots | Comfort on the approach, and after several hours |
| Crampons | Compatibility, the binding, adjustment in gloves |
| Ice axe | The right length, and basic self-belay skills |
| Helmet | The fit with a hat, a hood and goggles |
| Gaiters | Compatibility with your boots and trousers |
The clothing system
The kit is built in layers. Base layers move moisture away, fleece gives adjustable insulation, an outer waterproof layer protects against wind and precipitation, and a warm down jacket goes on at stops and in the cold upper section. If you move too warmly dressed, your clothing gets damp from the inside and works less well once you stop.
- Base layer, top and bottom.
- A fleece insulating layer.
- A waterproof jacket and trousers.
- A warm down jacket with a hood.
- Liner, working and warm gloves or mitts.
- A hat, face protection and a sun bandana.
- Warm, tested socks for summit day.
Eyes, face and sun
At altitude you need sunglasses, ski goggles, sun cream and lip protection. Goggles are useful in strong wind and blowing snow, and your sunglasses have to shield your eyes reliably from ultraviolet. Test all of it together with your hood, helmet and face mask.
Light, drinking and small personal items
The current list includes a head torch with enough running time, a one-litre flask, personal utensils and a first-aid kit. Batteries lose capacity in the cold, so you need spares and a known place to keep them. A push-button flask lid can be awkward and unreliable in the cold.
Checking the kit
- Sort the programme’s list into categories.
- Fit your crampons to your high-altitude boots.
- Do a training session with the full working pack.
- Put your layers, helmet, goggles and gloves on all together.
- Pack your things in the dark using a head torch.
- Weigh the duffel bag and the pack separately.
- Sort out hire and any replacements well before you fly.
The exact programme and the current list are on the page for the 17-day ascent. See also our articles on preparation, summit day, how the load is distributed and weather on Aconcagua.
What you carry at each stage
On the approach, your day pack holds clothing, water, food, documents and personal items until your duffel arrives. The main load, within the programme’s limits, goes on mules to Plaza de Mulas. Above base camp you carry your high-altitude kit yourself, or use a porter booked in advance.
| Stage | Critical items |
|---|---|
| The approach | Water, sun protection, a windproof layer, a torch |
| Base camp | Sleeping bag, mat, spare clothing, washkit |
| The high-altitude stage | Warm layers, and your share of the camp kit |
| Summit day | High-altitude boots, crampons, ice axe, eyewear, mitts |
| The descent | Poles, food, light and reserve insulation |
Buy or hire?
Hiring can make sense for expensive items you rarely use, but critical compatibility cannot be left to the last day. Your boots have to fit your feet, your crampons your boots, and your sleeping bag the conditions and your own sensitivity to cold. Confirm the model, the size, the condition and the terms for replacement in writing.
- Your own boots and socks need the longest testing.
- Crampons can only be hired once compatibility has been checked.
- A helmet and an ice axe have to be the right size and the right type.
- Judge the sleeping bag together with the mat.
- Adjust the pack for the weight and for warm clothing.
Common packing mistakes
Taking too much increases the load, while a minimalism with no spare gloves or batteries creates a direct risk. A frequent mistake is putting something you will need before Plaza de Mulas into the duffel. Taking a new item that has never been used outdoors is no less dangerous.
How the weight is distributed is set out in detail in our article on the load, and the conditions at the camps in the description of the route point by point.
Putting your kit together? Open our full guide to mountain equipment: clothing, footwear, technical items, hire and route-by-route lists.
How the kit changes through the stages of Aconcagua
The same item can be essential on only part of the route, but that does not make it secondary. On the approach, sun, water and being able to adjust your clothing easily are what matter. Above Plaza de Mulas the priority shifts to wind, cold, sleeping out and carrying your own kit.
| Stage | The system that works | The mistake |
|---|---|---|
| Mendoza and the transfer | Documents, medication and boots with you | Checking everything critical into the hold |
| The approach via Confluencia | Trekking boots, sun protection, water and light layers | Walking in clothing that is too warm |
| Plaza de Mulas | A full check of the high-altitude kit | Finding an incompatibility before you go higher |
| The high camps | Warm footwear, insulation, sleeping bag and a working pack | Mixing what you need now with things meant for base |
| Summit day | Crampons, ice axe and clothing for the actual conditions | Choosing your kit from someone else’s photograph |
Two footwear systems
A trekking pair is for the approach and the lower part; high-altitude boots are for the cold camps and the upper route. Do the whole thing in heavy high-altitude boots and you raise the risk of rubbing and overheating; stay in the light pair too long and your feet may not have time to adapt to the heavy ones.
Test both pairs going up and coming down. In a high-altitude boot your toes should not hit the front on the descent, and a thick sock should not create excessive pressure. An extra sock does not correct the wrong size.
Crampons for the actual conditions
The state of the Normal Route changes, so the decision about using crampons and an ice axe is taken by the team according to the conditions of the day. You still bring them if they are on the current programme list. The absence of snow in one trip report is no reason to leave an item behind.
Before you fly, fit your crampons to the specific high-altitude boots, mark the adjustment and check the straps in gloves. After a short walk, inspect the binding again: it should not have loosened or shifted.
The system for your hands
One pair of gloves will not work in every mode. A liner lets you do fiddly tasks, a working pair protects you while you are moving, and warm mitts are needed in severe cold and at stops. The spare pair is kept dry.
- Every layer goes on without constricting your hand
- You can hold poles and an ice axe without extra effort
- Zips and buckles are usable in the working pair
- The mitts work with the cuffs of your jacket
- The spare pair is in a known place
How to pack a high-altitude rucksack
A list of items and a packing plan are two different things. Heavy items sit stably and close to your back, insulation and windproofs stay accessible, and getting at your water does not mean unpacking everything. Crampons travel so that the points cannot damage the fabric or your sleeping bag.
In training, pack in the same order you will use on the route. Once you have your down jacket on, check the strap length and the hip belt. A fit set up over thin clothing may not work over high-altitude layers.
Sleeping bag and mat as one system
The comfort temperature, the state of the fill, your own sensitivity to cold and the insulation from the ground are all judged together. The extreme rating on the label is not meant for planning a normal night’s sleep. Someone tired and short of sleep recovers less well between stages.
Protect your sleeping bag from damp inside your transport system, and check your mat for damage and for a valve that holds. The repair kit has to match the specific model, not be a random collection of tape.
Sun and wind: making face, eyewear and hood work together
Test your sunglasses, ski goggles, neck gaiter, sun cream, hat, helmet and hood at the same time. A face mask should not leave skin exposed, and your breath should not be fogging your lenses constantly. Keep spare glasses protected from scratches.
Sun cream belongs in an accessible pocket, not in the duffel. Reapply it according to the product’s instructions and the conditions of the day. Your lips and the underside of your face take ultraviolet reflected off the snow.
Water, flask and food
Check your containers for leaks and for how easy they are in gloves. Know in advance what you are carrying on a given day and how you are protecting your liquid from freezing. A complicated valve or a drinking tube can work less well in the cold.
Divide your snacks into small portions and practise opening them in gloves. Food you cannot reach without a long stop does not, in practice, solve the problem of summit day.
Electronics in the cold
Phones, watches, cameras and batteries all lose charge faster. Keep them somewhere protected, spread your reserve of power across independent devices and switch off what you do not need. A power bank does not replace spare batteries for your torch, if your torch takes them.
Label your cables and check them before you set off. Photographic gear should not be crowding insulation, water, light or compulsory technical equipment out of your pack.
A personal repair kit
Build the kit around your own equipment: a mat repair product, suitable tape, a spare crampon binding component, glasses, laces and small parts. It does not turn into a heavy workshop.
After every stage, inspect your crampons, boots, buckles and pack in good light. Fix a small problem before an early start, and show any damage to a critical item to the guide straight away.
Buying, hiring and confirming the model
| Question | Buying matters more | Hire is possible provided |
|---|---|---|
| Personal fit | Boots, socks, gloves | There is a fitting and a replacement |
| Compatibility | The kit has already been tested | The exact model and size are named |
| Condition | You know the item’s history | It is inspected before departure |
| Collection | The item is used in training beforehand | There is still time to change it |
A verbal promise that «the equipment will be there» is not enough for a critical item. Record the item, the model or the specification, the size, where it is issued, the cost, the deposit and how a replacement works.
If your checked baggage is delayed
Where the airline’s rules allow, spread your passport, medication, insurance, high-altitude boots, eyewear and a basic kit for the first few days between bags. Ice axes, knives and other restricted items travel only in the permitted way.
Photograph your baggage before you fly and keep the inventory. If it is delayed, tell the operator immediately: buying a replacement on your own initiative may not suit the route or the rules on compensation.
Trekking poles and stability on the descent
Adjust your poles for your height, the terrain and your gloves. The sections should not collapse on their own, the wrist loop should not stop you freeing your hand quickly, and the baskets should not come off. In training, practise the quick adjustment between going up and coming down.
Poles help spread the load, but they do not correct poor technique and they do not replace an ice axe where the team requires one. Before a technical section, stow them in a way that does not interfere with your pack or your protection.
Camp life and hygiene without extra weight
Your personal hygiene has to work with limited water and in low temperatures. What you need is small sealed packages, skin protection, toiletries and any individual items on the current list. Aerosols and liquids travel under the airline’s rules.
All waste and sanitation are handled under the park’s rules and the team’s instructions. Do not leave packaging or used items in a shared tent, and know in advance where to keep them until they can be disposed of.
How to check the weight before you fly
Weigh the duffel bag, the day pack and the high-altitude kit separately. The airline’s limits, the mules’ limits and the limits of any porter you have booked are three different figures, so a single total explains nothing.
| Check | What it prevents |
|---|---|
| Every bag weighed separately | An unexpected repack at the airport or at the park entrance |
| Group items confirmed item by item | Duplicating the tent and kitchen equipment |
| Your personal high-altitude weight assembled in full | Underestimating the load above base |
| A photograph of the contents kept | An argument about something lost or forgotten |
What to check on equipment you have already used
Something familiar is not necessarily serviceable. Inspect the seams, the zips, the membrane, the buckles, the sole, the welts of your boots, the crampon bindings, the mat valve and the state of the fill. After a serious impact, assess a helmet or other protective item according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
The history of soft equipment matters even when it looks fine. If there is damage you cannot account for, or if you are in any doubt, show the item to a specialist or replace it. A repair you have done yourself must not hide a defect from the guide.
Questions for the operator before you finally buy
- Which list applies to the date and length you have chosen?
- What does the programme provide, and what do you bring yourself?
- What working weight is expected above Plaza de Mulas?
- Which items can be hired, and when are they issued?
- Which models of boot and crampon have to be agreed in advance?
- How is the shared tent equipment distributed?
- What limits apply to baggage and to porters?
Get the answers before you pay for hire or make non-refundable purchases. A list from another Aconcagua programme can differ because of its length, its services and how the load is distributed.
What usually creates surplus weight
Duplicate fleeces, several heavy batteries with no charging plan, a large washbag, town clothes in a high-altitude pack and a stray tool all add load without adding reliability. Every item should have a stage, a function and a place.
Nor should you strip things out purely for the figure on the scales. Spare gloves, light, compulsory insulation, water, food and your own medication are matters of safety. Start with duplicates and unsuitable packaging, not with critical systems.
Do not leave group equipment out on your own initiative. If you believe an item is shared or already provided, get explicit confirmation from the operator. Otherwise saving a few hundred grams can leave a gap for a whole tent.
Once you have cut things back, pack the whole kit again and weigh it. A table without physical packing does not show you the volume, the awkward shape of items or the real load in the working pack.
Keep the final version of the list on your phone and as an offline copy, so that you can open it without a signal at the airport, in Mendoza and at base camp.
A final check against three lists
- The programme’s list: what is compulsory for the dates and format you have chosen.
- Your personal list: sizes, medication, documents and your own insulation.
- The transport plan: what goes in hand luggage, the duffel, the day pack and the high-altitude pack.
After that check, every item should have a purpose, a stage and a place. If a single item is being counted on for several critical functions at once, you need a clear backup.
The kit belongs to a specific programme. Before you buy or hire, open the 17-day Aconcagua programme and check your personal equipment, the services and how the load is distributed.
Fact-checked: 17 August 2026. The final list is checked against the product page of the programme chosen.
Official sources
Rules on access, permits, insurance and the operation of the services can change. Check the conditions for the date of your route before you travel.