Machu Picchu Travel Forum

HI again, I've been trawling through various trekking sites and found interminable lists of 'essential' pieces of equipment - everything from gaffer tape through Swiss Army knives to gps kit. As I'm going on a fairly organised Inca Trail trek, with porters etc., any advice as to what is actually 'essential' (apart from toilet paper, of course !). I don't intend hand to hand combat with a spectacled bear, and I wont be taking too many bottles of wine, so the knife might just be redundant. Thanks for any help
Gary

Hi

You will be surprised at how much the porters can carry! They'll have almost everything you need (you can rent sleeping bag & mat). During my trek, we were provided with subtancial meals, snacks for the day, warm water & soap to wash our hands before meals, coca tea etc...

So really you need to be thinking at: clothes that you can put on & off in onion layer fashion, good walking boots, water bottle (essential!), mosquito spray, a head lamp to read in your tent and see were you are going at night, swiss army knife, & toiletries kit. The rest is up to you: camera, binocular, books...
Enjoy!
A
PS: there was even a toast holder at breakfast for my group!!!!

I would really recommend a set of good treking poles. The trail goes up then down then up then down and these are substantial ups and downs. The trekking poles will help you with balance, going up/down steep steps and reduce the strain on your knees. Make sure you have rubber tips for the poles as the metal tips can do some damage and are not allowed inside Machu Picchu itself. Make sure you have a good sun hat - it is amazing how the sun can beat down on you at this elevation and I would recommend some sun screen as well. A bad sunburn would not be pleasant while hiking. I would never head out without some light-weight rain protection - it can pour even in the "dry" season.

Trekking agencies who are aware about porter welfare disallow unnecessary items and actually weigh your items in before it is carried by porters. I had hired my own porter to carry my rented sleeping bag & mat as well as a couple of changing clothes/socks and toiletries, which were all weighed at the trekking agency's office. The "essentials" that you need to carry with you are those things that you truly need on a daily basis (i.e., kleenex/toilet paper, a couple of snack bars, camera, water bottle, raincoat/poncho, lip balm, insect repellent, sunblock, hand sanitizer, hat/cap, sunglass, a tiny "medi-kit") along with the clothes on your body and extra fleece/parka or windbreaker. You can put the headlamps along with the rest of the items for your porter to carry and get it at the end of the day in the camp to aid you at nights as you roam around in the dark (i.e., go to the bathrooms, walk around the camp site), but make sure to bring it with you on your last day as you depart the camp site at dawn.

Goodluck & enjoy your trekking adventure!

That's right, I forgot about the weight restriction. I think ours was 5kgs max for the porter to carry, I cannot remember if this included the sleeping bag or not.

The porters will work hard and do a lot for you during the trek and will deserve th etip you'll give them. Check that they are well looked after by your trekking company (i.e. a tent to sleep in & decent clothes/shoes or sandals). Comapnies who charges less than others for the trek will often cut corners with the porters and not feed them properly or even treat their injuries. Our guide had a fairly comprehensive medical kit and used it to treat the seeping sore on the leg of a porter from a different company. I was shocked when the guide explained to me that some companies refuse to use their medical kit on their porters and simply dismiss them if they are too ill to work! You can report mistreatment to teh association looking after porters in Cusco. I'm sorry I cannot recall teh name but I believe they have leaflets in hotes and restaurants.

As ever Marissa, a very useful and comprehensive answer. I'm still not sure what I'd want the swiss army knife for though ! On thing that seems ot divide people in this and answers I have had to other questions is walking poles - what's your view ? I've been told that the steep downhill steps you get on some stages can be a strain on the joints, but some people seem to think they're essential, while others almost dismiss their usage. Really, I just don't want to carry anything I don't need to.
Thanks for your time in replying
Cheers
Gary

I just got back from Machu Picchu and I used a single walking pole to help with balance. From my perspective it is essential.

You're quite welcome Gary! I never listed the Swiss Army knife as an "essential" item. I, personally, do not think there's any use for it. As to the issue of walking poles, I really think you need to have one with you as it helps with balance overall and it aids in lessening the impact on joints/knees as you descend down the mountain. As already suggested here by "kathymof," the Inca Trail regulations only allow rubber-tipped poles. Please check my general Peru pages for more info on usage of "walking poles" via the Inca Trail. With regard to weight restrictions, I believe that trekking agencies who deeply care about porter welfare adhere to set restrictions (25 kg.) mandated by the "porter law." This includes 5 total kg. of personal items/beddings and 20 kg. of load from the agency. As I recall, our agency gave each of our porters a total of 20 kg. maximum load including the 5 kg. for our personal items. So, "adeline," you're right about this personal item weight restriction.

Goodluck & enjoy!

By the way, do bring your money/valuables and passport with you at all times.

Let me make the issue of weight restrictions more clear based on my personal experience. As I had hired my own porter, he was not required by our agency to carry any extra items from them except to attend to my things (5 kg. worth of 2 sets of changing clothes, 3 pairs of socks, and toiletries) along with my sleeping bag and mat. In the end, I was more than generous with my porter tip as he tremendously helped me during my Inca Trail adventure. And to this day, we still keep in touch by e-mail.

Again, goodluck & happy travels!

This is the pole I use http://www.rei.com/product/745687
It is the only pole I have ever seen that comes in 4 sections - this makes it collapse so small that it will fit into a carryon, at least it did before all the TSA restrictions went into place.

I for myself would skip the poles unless you are prone to knee problems. I did the trail without and had not too many problems inspite ruined knees from a trip before. The swiss knife will not be essential, but a water bottle plus some water desinfection tablets, medical kid, torch/headlamp, toilet paper (no hand desinfection lotion necessary I think), toothbrush etc, sunscreen, hat, some leightweight clothes to change (don't forget a warm jumper, it will be chilly at night). I found an energy bar or some peanuts really helpful to regain some energy between the breaks.
A tip: Do not forget to stretch your legs before sitting down to enjoy the break or the end of the day. It will safe you some bad muscle aches.
If you have problems with the altitude pack some aspirin or chew coca leaves (they are leagal in Peru and have no stronger effect than caffeine but work against altitude sickness; you might get some tea of them anyway).