Introduction
Packing properly is a tough thing to do. And while we pack our bags, we all ask ourselves “should I take this”, “shouldn’t I take that”?
One thing is sure, is that you want to enjoy your Tour du Mont blanc and carrying an overloaded bag is not the right call to do.
The heavier you pack will be, the harder it will be and the more tired you going to be.
We most certainly made mistakes while packing our bags and that is why we are now writing this Tour du Mont Blanc Packing list article.
Table of Contents
Type of hiker
There are lots of options on the TMB and mostly hikers will either be:
- Only camping
- Camping + Refuge
- Only refuge
Based on that, your pack load will be slightly different. Someone camping will have to carry its tent and will most probably also bring all its cooking set. Someone that mix, will also have its tents but will certainly avoid bringing the cooking set to bring down the weight of the packs and someone going to refuge will have the lighter pack.
Gears
Footwear - Shoes
Make sure that you have great footwear for your TMB. For such a trail, hiking boots or hiking shoes are a great choice. Keep in mind that you will go through mountain lands and will face dirt trails, snow trails, rocky paths, and cross rivers.
Be sure, that you have enough space in front of your toes. Often a hiking shoes are bigger than your regular footwear. The reason is that while going downhill your feet will move in the shoes. If there is not enough space, your nails will touch the shoe and with time you going to loose them.
Light or heavy boots? For example, a light boots will be the Salomon X Ultra Trek GTX or X Ultra Mid GTX while a heavy ones will be Tecnica Forge GTX. For longer trail you will prefer heavy boots because they will last longer. A 10-days trek can damage lighter shoes.
I (Alex) have hiking boots Tecnica Forge GTX and Tina has hiking shoes the Salomon x Ultra 3 GTX and now that we finished it, I was much better in mine. I could cross river without thinking much or even walk on snow for longer time. My feet were never wet while Tina’s were most of time under those trail conditions.
To finish with the shoes, be sure that you use them for at least 70km before going on such a trail. This way, the shoes will fit you perfectly.
Footwear - Sandals
Sandals are a great footwear for the end of the day. Yes, it will add an extra weight but once you reach the end of the trail or are near the end, switching to them feels amazing. Be sure to opt for sandals that are open but still hold your feet.
- I am using Columbia Santiam 3 Straps and Tina Meindl Capri 3 Straps
Footwear – Socks
Good socks are also important, especially if you get easily blisters or sweat a lot. For that Merino shocks are the best. Comfortable, breathable, and dry quickly.
Backpack
Most probably the most important after the shoes. You will have it on the back all day long with some 7 to 13kg in it. A good backpack will make the difference. Professional packs are made for extended use and are more resistant. Don’t forget the rain cover!
What size of backpack should I bring?
- Campers will have between 50L and 70L
- People staying in refuge will have around 40L
In the past, we were using Quechua Forclaz bags, but we switched to Osprey Atmos/Aura 65L. It’s a game changer as the bag also rest on our hips releasing a bit our shoulders.
Trekking Pole
Long and extended hike are prone to injuries and fatigues. Your body will be under pressure of carrying the pack weight plus hiking up and down. Trekking pole will relieve you from some weight and potential problem. We hiked in the past without them and over time our knees got injured or painful. With the pole our whole body is more balance.
- We are using Black Diamond Alpine Carbon Cork
Legs wear
Nothing beat a hiking pants. We are in love with them as they are light and stretchable. In addition, most of them offer the possibility to turn pants into shorts of a 2/3 pants.
And do not forget to get a belt as overtime your pants might get loosen.
- For Men: 1 Hiking Pant (Salomon) and 1 Hybrid Pant/Short (The North Face)
- For Women: 1 Hiking Pant (The north face), 1 Legging (Prana)
Chest wear – T-Shirt
While hiking you want to layer up. Your mid layer should either be a down jacket or a hybrid one. This way you will keep warm at night and early in the morning and will not be bother by the weight during the day.
- We are using a Ternua Hybrid or Patagonia
Chest wear – Rain jacket
Here, you will have two options. Either a hard-shell or a soft-shell rain jacket. Nowadays both have great protection against the rain. Often a hard-shell will still offer a better protection has the jacket is heavier. Instead the soft-shell will give quicker a wet feeling but will be much lighter.
- We are using Patagonia torrentshell 3l as hard-shell rain jacket
Head gear
As any hiker most probably have have, a cap and sunglasses are almost mandatory to bring. In the Alps, the sun can be very strong, and you will need to protect you head to avoid getting sunburns or feeling dizzy during the day.
Specific Gears
Mostly, you can recharge your mobile phone along the way but if you plan on taking pictures with it, it would be better to bring a power bank with you. This way you are sure you will always have your phone charged and won’t miss a great picture.
We brough with one that has solar panel to recharge it during the day.
Maps & Guidebook
That is an extra but a cool one. Along the trail you will not have any information on what you are looking at. A guidebook will provide you will lots of useful information and at least you will know which mountain is that or what is this glacier.
Refuges specific gears
Sleeping in refuge along the TMB does not mean you will be in a 5* hotel. You will still need to bring some gears with you. While you won’t need as much as a camper, you will still need to bring a microfiber towel and a sleeping bag or at least a sleeping liner.
After you may also want to add ear plugs or a sleeping mask if you stay in dormitory.
Camping specific gears
If you are camping or mixing it, you will have a bunch of additional gears. We would recommend mixing things up and to do some camping along the way. Some spots are absolutely amazing and nowadays camping gears are super light and convenient.
We got ourselves:
- Sleeping bag Valendré GRASSHOPPER 400 DUVET
- Sleeping mat Sea to Summit Ultralight insulted orange
- Sleeping Pillow Sea to summit Aeros Ultralight Pillow Regular
- Liner Sea to summit Silk/Cotton Travel Liner Traveller
- Tent MSR Mutha hubba nx 3
Yes, we opted for a 3 people tent. The MSR tents are great backpacking tent are a 1-person weight 1.1kg, two people 1.5kg and a 2-people 2.1kg. With this tent we have lots of space as a couple and in case of heavy rain we can put all our gear inside.
Cooking specific gears
If you plan on cooking some of your own meal, you are looking at even more gears. You will need a burner, gas bottle, pots, pants, glasses, cutleries…
- Cooking Set: Sea to summit Xset 31 5Pc: (1 pot 2.8L, 2 bowls, 2 mugs)
- Cutlery: Sea to summit Camp Cutlery Set 3 Pieces
- Bruner and Gas: MSR Pocketrocket Deluxe
Other Gears
In addition, don’t forget to bring with you soap and shampoo, we usually bring dry ones that are lighter and better for such trip. Your toothbrush and toothpaste, sun cream (we use 50+), toilet paper (you never know what can happen. We always bring one or two rolls with us.
While hiking there are additional items that you may consider carrying with you:
- Headlamp
- Swim short for him to chill during the evening
- Swiss Army knife
- Travel Tripods
- Compression bags
- 3L Water pouch
- Flexible water bottles
There is no such thing as bad weather, only inappropriate clothing – Sir Rannulph Fiennes
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