The Inca Trail packing list is decided by regulation before your preferences get a say.
Two bags, two sets of constraints.
Your duffel goes with the porters and you’ll see it at camp in the evening. Operators typically cap this at around 15 lb (7 kg), though some run a stricter 11 lb (5 kg). That allowance is set by your operator, not by you, so confirm the number before you start buying anything.
Your daypack stays with you all day, and it’s the only thing you can reach between camps. Expect it to end up around 11 to 15 lb (5 to 7 kg) loaded, which is more than it sounds at 4,000 meters.
There’s also a size rule worth knowing: to enter the Machu Picchu citadel on day four, packs can’t be larger than 40 x 35 x 20 cm (16 x 14 x 8 inches), which is roughly a 25 liter daypack. Anything larger gets left in storage for a small fee. That’s a citadel rule rather than a trail rule, but since you’re carrying the same pack the whole way, it sets your daypack size.
In the daypack
- Water, 2 to 3 liters. Bladder, bottles, or both. Single-use plastic bottles are restricted in the sanctuary, so bring refillables.
- Rain jacket, always within reach. Andean weather turns fast in any season.
- Extra layer, since you’ll climb through significant altitude change each day.
- Sun protection. SPF 50 or higher, SPF lip balm, sun hat, sunglasses. The sun at this altitude is punishing even on cool days.
- Insect repellent with DEET. The lower, humid sections have sandflies, and their bites last weeks. This matters more here than on most treks.
- Snacks, whatever you’ll eat when tired.
- Passport. Checked at the trailhead, and again at Machu Picchu.
- Toilet paper, hand sanitiser, wet wipes.
- Headlamp, for early starts and camp.
- Trekking poles with rubber tips. The tips aren’t optional, and rangers do enforce it. Poles earn their place here more than almost anywhere, because day three is a long, steep descent on uneven Inca stone.
In the duffel
Everything in here has to fit inside your operator’s allowance, so weigh it at home.
- Sleeping bag. Nights at the high camps drop below freezing in dry season. Most operators rent bags, which is often the sensible call given the weight allowance. If you’re renting or the bag is provided, pack a sleeping bag liner instead.
- Sleeping pad, if not supplied. Ask first, most operators include one.
- Camp clothes. Something dry and warm to change into.
- Thermal base layers, top and bottom, doubling as sleepwear.
- Camp shoes. Getting out of boots at the end of the day is worth the ounces. Sandals work, sneakers work, but the Ascent Ready team is a particularly big fan of Crocs at camp.
- Quick dry towel, biodegradable soap, toothbrush, toothpaste.
- Battery pack. There’s no power on the trail.
- Dry bags or heavy plastic bags to line the duffel and separate wet from dry.
Clothing
For four days, keeping the total inside your allowance:
- 2 to 3 wicking t-shirts
- 1 to 2 long-sleeved sun shirts, UPF 50 if you can
- 2 pairs of hiking trousers
- 4 sets of underwear
- 4 pairs of hiking socks, wool or synthetic
- 1 fleece or synthetic mid layer
- 1 warm down or synthetic jacket for evenings
- Waterproof jacket and trousers
- Sun hat and warm hat
- Light gloves, water resistant
No cotton in the walking layers. It holds sweat, stops insulating, and takes days to dry in Andean humidity.
Footwear
Hiking boots or trail runners with genuine grip, broken in well before you fly. Waterproof is worth having in any season.
The Inca Trail is unusual in that a lot of it is original stone, which gets slick when wet and is hard underfoot for four days straight. Grip matters more than ankle height here, and whichever you choose, it needs to be something you’ve already walked a long descent in. Day three drops a long way on stone steps, and it’s where most people’s knees start complaining. Our piece on why the descent breaks people covers what’s actually happening there.
First aid and medication
Blister plasters and tape, painkillers, rehydration salts, personal medication.
Altitude is a real factor on this trek. The trail crosses Dead Woman’s Pass at roughly 4,215 meters, and Cusco itself sits around 3,400 meters. Arriving in Cusco a few days early to acclimatize before you start is the single most useful thing you can do, and it isn’t something you can pack.
Any altitude medication is a conversation with a doctor experienced in travel medicine, ideally weeks before you fly.
Documents and money
Your permit and your passport have to match exactly. Permits are booked months in advance, sell out, are non-transferable, and are issued against your passport number. If you renew your passport between booking and travelling, tell your operator immediately and carry the old one. People get turned away at the checkpoint for this.
Also bring:
- Travel insurance covering trekking at altitude
- Cash in soles and US dollars for tips. Tipping the porters, cook and guide is expected and it’s a meaningful amount. Your operator will suggest a figure, and there are no ATMs on the trail, so bring the cash from Cusco.
- A little cash for the bag storage at Machu Picchu and for anything in Aguas Calientes
What changes with the season
Dry season, roughly May to September. Clearer skies, colder nights, busiest permits. Prioritise warmth: the down jacket and thermals do real work, and camp temperatures at Dead Woman’s Pass side can drop below freezing.
Shoulder, April and October. Often the best compromise. Bring for both.
Wet season, November to March. Rain is likely rather than possible. Waterproof trousers stop being optional, dry bags become essential rather than tidy, the stone gets slippery, and you’ll want a second pair of dry socks in the duffel. Insect repellent matters more.
February: the trail is closed for maintenance. Machu Picchu itself stays open and the alternative treks run, but the classic Inca Trail doesn’t.
What people get wrong
Overpacking the duffel. The allowance exists because a person carries it. Coming in under it is the right instinct.
Overpacking the daypack. You carry every gram of this over a 4,215 metre pass. Anything you’re bringing “just in case” is being carried for four days on the chance of one use.
Buying boots late. The most common cause of a miserable day three.
Treating altitude as a fitness problem. It isn’t. Fitness makes the walking easier and gives you reserves. It doesn’t protect you from altitude, and arriving straight from sea level to start walking is the mistake, not being undertrained.
Gear sorts your comfort. Your legs sort the rest, and the Inca Trail asks a lot of them across four days of stone steps. If your training is still an open question, start with our honest fitness self-check or the 8-Week Trekking Fitness Plan.
For the wider picture on the route itself, see our Inca Trail preparation guide.
