Have you dreamed of visiting the lost village of the Incas? Machu Picchu is a magical place that has captivated the imaginations of people since its discovery a century ago. The best way to experience the wonder of Machu Picchu and the true marvels of the Inca civilization is to arrive on foot by hiking the Camino del Inca.
To make your adventure more enjoyable, this Inca Trail Packing List will let you know what you absolutely need and what to leave at home. When you’re getting serious about undertaking the adventure of a lifetime, knowing what to pack for the Inca Trail will give you confidence you’re going to love it.
If you’re unsure whether or not hiking the Camino del Inca is for you, make sure to read this post about hiking to Machu Picchu. It will answer your questions! Than come back here to find out what you need to pack for the Inca Trail.
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Do I have to carry everything myself?
Depending on the company you trek with (we used and LOVED Alpaca Expeditions), you may or may not have a company-supplied bag to give some of your items to a porter, leaving you only with a daypack. We had 7KG each of items we could give the porter, so we were really careful before we left about separating out items before we left the US so we wouldn’t have to deal with reshuffling items in Peru, or even worse, at the weigh in.
How to pack for the Classic Inca Trail
I knew that staying organized would be key to being able to find what we wanted, when we wanted it, in the limited space we would be working with. My husband and I put individual outfits/days of clothes into gallon zipper bags and sleeping clothes in another bag.
Having everything already sorted made it easy to get dressed in the tent each morning. I was glad to know that my clothes were coming out of the zipper bags still smelling clean and fresh.
Once we could see everything parceled out, we could better determine how much we could offload to the porters and how much we would need to carry ourselves. We wanted to carry only what we would need during the hiking hours.
We put these packed zipper bags of our clothes plus most of our toiletries, extra shoes, and headlamps into the porter’s bags. The sleeping bags and air mats we rented and pillows we were loaned (more on those items later) also went in the porter’s bag.
What size backpack should I use?
In our daypacks, we had rain gear, cameras, bug repellent, sunscreen, hand sanitizer, toilet paper (in a small baggie), lip balm, passports, a small bit of money, a few energy bars, gloves, arm sleeves, and hats. I very quickly figured out a system to tie my fleece jacket to the outside of my daypack so I could take it off and put it back on as the weather changed (which it did quite frequently).
I wore a 12L daypack, and that size is the bare minimum I’d recommend. A 16L would have been more comfortable and accommodating. My husband wore a 40L pack, which he felt was big enough to carry all of his items but not so big he was tempted to overload it. Both of our backpacks had padded straps on the shoulders and chest as well as waist straps. I definitely recommend using a daypack with padded support straps. Your pack should never compromise your enjoyment of hiking and all that it offers.
Men’s 40L Daypack:
To make it really easy for you to pack for your adventure, here’s the whole list of everything we took for our four days on the Camino del Inca.
The Ultimate Inca Trail Packing List
- 1-2 pair zip off/convertible hiking pants like these (I took 1 pair, husband took 2 so he could have a clean pair for Machu Picchu day)
- 4 s/s shirts (tech fabric so they don’t get stinky)
- 1 l/s shirt (to layer)
- rain jacket/pants– Frog Toggs are awesome!
- waterproof gloves
- arm sleeves (I wore mine, husband didn’t– you can buy cute ones or just DIY some)
- thin gloves
- fleece jacket
- PJs– fleece sweatpants, a l/s tee, clean/dry wool socks
- wool hat or beanie
- sun hat or ballcap (something with a visor)
- sunglasses
- 4 pr good hiking socks (like Smart Wool)
- headlamp
- waterproof hiking shoes or boots– I wore these shoes and never felt like I wished I had boots instead
- extra shoes (nice to have, but not totally necessary)- we wore keens around camp to give our feet a break from hiking shoes
- bug repellent
- sunscreen
- toilet paper
- hand sanitizer (especially useful if it clips to your backpack)
- lip balm
- baby wipes or body wipes, for getting the grit and stink off your body at lunch and at the end of the day
- a deck of cards or a book for tent time in the evenings– if you haven’t read Turn Right at Machu Picchu, it’s the perfect trail read
What you do NOT need to pack for hiking the Camino del Inca:
- binoculars– unless you are really into birding
- clean pants for MP (I didn’t, husband did)
- camelbak– refillable water bottle works just fine
- excessive snacks if your tour company provides them– Alpaca gave us two snacks each day
- camping towel (unless you plan to use the nasty showers on Day 3; I didn’t, husband did)
Other items you’ll be glad to have
Depending on which trail guiding agency you hire, you will likely be provided a few extra items that will likely come in useful on your hike. Our tour company provided (at no extra charge):
- sleeping bag liner
- daypack rain cover
- big poncho (we had rain jacket & pants so didn’t use this)
- pillow
- hand towel
- portable toilet with tp
Also depending on your tour company, you might be able to rent items for your trek. Even if you own these items at home, renting them in Cusco is a nominal fee which saves you baggage fees if you were to bring them from home. We rented the following items from Alpaca Expeditions:
- sleeping bags
- air mat
- hiking poles
The sleeping bags were exceptionally clean, and once we used the liners (also provided by Alpaca) we felt confident we’d have a cozy and sanitary sleep. The air mat might be something people who camp regularly could skip. But since we are not frequent campers and this would be my husband’s first time EVER sleeping in a tent, the air mats were a welcome added luxury at the end of each day.
What is the single-most important thing to pack for the Inca Trail?
If you take only ONE thing away from my suggestions for having and enjoyable Inca Trail trek, please let it be this: RENT HIKING POLES. You will be so glad you did. If you have any fear of heights or exposure, hiking poles will really help you in the steep downhill sections of the trail (of which there are many). And even if you have no such fears, your legs will thank you for letting your arms, shoulders, and chest take some of the load.
I won’t even bother to tell you to have fun. You’re going to love it. Not totally convinced? Read about the sensual feast that is hiking the Camino del Inca.
