Aconcagua Gear List: Everything You Need for Summit Success

Aconcagua Gear List: Everything You Need for Summit Success

Our complete Aconcagua gear list includes everything you need to climb the highest mountain in the Western and Southern Hemispheres

At 6,961 m (22,837 ft), Aconcagua in Argentina is the highest mountain in South America and one of the Seven Summits (the seven peaks that form the highest point on each continent).

I recently returned from climbing Aconcagua with Acomara Aconcagua Expeditions. A good trekking company will give you a detailed equipment list, but I always like to see what other people have used.

So I thought it would be helpful to share my complete Aconcagua gear list for future climbers to reference.

Read more about Aconcagua: Climbing Aconcagua: my third seven peaks How to climb Aconcagua Climbing the seven peaks: a route to the top 24 interesting facts about Aconcagua Argentina's best hiking destinations

Contents of the Aconcagua equipment list

• SPEZIALAUSRÜSTUNG
• VOLLSTÄNDIGE AUSRÜSTUNGSLISTE
  • AUSRÜSTUNG
  • KLEIDUNG
  • KÖRPERPRODUKTE & MEDIKAMENTE
  • ELEKTRONIK
  • DOKUMENTATION

Special equipment

I had most of the equipment beforehand, but there were some specialty items that I needed. I buy almost all of my outdoor gear from Cotswold Outdoor. It is by far the best outdoor store in the UK.

Mountain and hiking boots are required for Aconcagua

For a mountain of this height, double or plastic mountain boots (consisting of a hard plastic shell on the outside and a soft liner) and suitable crampons are required.

Regular hiking boots can be worn for march-ins, acclimatization hikes, and between lower camps - I wore my lightweight Keen Innates. But higher up, especially on summit day, double boots are essential.

Atlas & BootsOn the summit of Aconcagua in my down jacket

Warm clothing is also important. From base layers to down jackets, it's worth investing in the right gear for the right environment. For summit day, a 700+ fill power down jacket is essential along with waterproof tops and bottoms.

Wool underwear is ideal, especially merino wool. Merino offers excellent breathability and moisture wicking and generally handles odor better than polyester or nylon alternatives.

I picked up several wool products from Smartwool and some hiking socks from 1000Mile. Read our article on how to layer clothes for more information.

Atlas & BootsMy Smartwool kit

I took four pairs of Black Diamond gloves to Aconcagua, including a liner, a wool midlayer liner, a waterproof glove, and mountain gloves. I used the wool linings in the middle layer most days, the rain jackets in the higher camps, and the mittens and linings for summit day.

Atlas & BootsMy Black Diamond wool mittens and midlayer

Other essentials include an all-season sleeping bag, a comfortable camping mattress, ski goggles (I recommend Bloc for glasses and sunglasses), a helmet, thick mountaineering socks, at least three Nalgene bottles (two for water and one for pee) and trekking poles.

Ski goggles from Bloc

Finally, you need something to fit everything into. I used a Jack Wolfskin 100L holdall as checked luggage on my flight. During the expedition it was loaded onto mules and taken to base camp.

I used a Jack Wolfskin 100l duffel bag and an Osprey 85l backpack

On the mountain I used an 85l Osprey expedition backpack. This was large and comfortable enough for high camp carry and could easily be packed up and used as a daypack for the remainder of the climb. The removable lid also means it can be further compressed and used as carry-on luggage during flights.

I picked up a few luxury items for the climb, including a pair of Haglöfs moccasin slippers (aka down ankle boots) to wear around camp. It was a real treat to change into something comfortable, yet warm, in the evening after a long day on the trail.

My down ankle boots were a real luxury when I wasn't trekking

I carry a lot of electronics with me on hikes and climbs, including two cameras and a smartphone. All of this needs juice, so a reliable power bank and solar charger make life easier. I packed a Powergorilla charger and a Falcon 21 foldable solar charger from PowerTraveller.

Both still work in cold temperatures. The Powergorilla can charge devices with up to 24 volts (e.g. a laptop). I used the solar charger most days as it was reliable enough to charge my smaller devices.

I used a power bank and solar charger from PowerTraveller

Complete Aconcagua equipment list

The following Aconcagua gear list includes everything I packed for the climb. Some of the electronics and toiletries are optional, but most items are essential unless otherwise noted. Where possible, I have included links to the gear I packed.

It is possible to rent most of the items on my Aconcagua gear list upon arrival in Mendoza. However, it is cheaper in the long run to buy your own equipment and, especially when it comes to shoes and clothing, it is better to have tested everything beforehand.

equipment

• 1 x Rucksack (80 l+) – lesen Sie unseren Leitfaden zur Auswahl eines Rucksacks
• 1 x Seesack/Reisetasche (100l)
• 1 x Schlafsack (Ganzjahreszeit / ausgelegt bis -10°C / 14°F)
• 1 x aufblasbares Kissen
• 1 x Schaumstoffmatte
• 1 x Campingmatratze
• 1 x Trekkingstöcke
• 1x Steigeisen
• 1 * Gamaschen
• 1 x Helm
• 1 x wasserdichte Rucksackabdeckung
• 1 x Trinkrucksack oder Trinkblase (optional, aber ich empfehle definitiv, einen zu nehmen)
• 3 x 1lt Nalgene Wasserflasche
• 1 x Thermoskanne (1l)
• 8 x Handwärmer
• Wasserdichte Einlagen / Trockensäcke
• Pfeife
• Ersatzschnürsenkel
• Schüssel, Becher, Messer, Gabel und Löffel
• Kompass & Karte

Clothing

• 1 x Wanderschuhe (häufig vor der Abreise getragen)
• 1 x Bergsteiger-Doppelschichtstiefel
• 1 x Daunenstiefel (für rund ums Lager)
• 4-5 x atmungsaktive Unterwäsche
• 2 x Einlegesocken
• 4-5 x Trekkingsocken
• 2 x schwere Bergsteigersocken
• 2 x Baselayer-Unterteile
• 2-3 x Wanderhose
• 1 x Softshellhose
• 1 x wasserdichte Hose
• 2 x Unterhemden
• 2 x langärmlige Mittelschichten
• 1 x langärmlige Außenschicht
• 1 x leichte Daunenjacke
• 1 x Daunenjacke – lesen Sie unseren Leitfaden zur Auswahl einer Daunenjacke
• 1 x wasserdichte Jacke/Shell – lesen Sie unseren Leitfaden zur Auswahl einer wasserdichten Jacke
• 1 x Mütze oder Sonnenhut
• 1 x Halspolster
• 1 x Fleecekragen col
• 1 x Sturmhaube
• 1 x Mütze oder warme Mütze
• 1x Skibrille
• 1 x Sonnenbrille
• 1 x Unterziehhandschuh
• 1 x mittelschwerer Allzweckhandschuh
• 1 x warme Handschuhe (idealerweise wasserdicht/Bergsteigen)
• 1 x Bergsteigerfäustlinge
• Nachtwäsche (ich trug wollene Unterwäsche)

Toiletries & Medicines

Every climber should always have a personal first aid kit with them. Try to use biodegradable toiletries in the mountains.

• Energiegel und/oder Snacks
• Sonnencreme (LSF 40+)
• Lippenbalsam (LSF 30+)
• Seife (biologisch abbaubar)
• Münztaschentücher
• Leichtes Reisehandtuch
• Zahnbürste und Zahnpasta
• Roll-on Deo
• Toilettenpapier/Toilettenpapier
• Antibakterielle Tücher (biologisch abbaubar)
• Hand-Desinfektionsmittel
• Imodium (oder ein ähnliches Medikament gegen Durchfall)
• Ibuprofen
• Paracetamol
• Antiseptische Creme
• Pflaster / Pflaster
• Compeed (Blasenbehandlung)
• Elektrolyttabletten
• Diamox – gegen Höhenkrankheit (optional – ich verwende es lieber nicht, aber viele tun es)
• Wasserreinigungstabletten (50l+)
• Alle zusätzlichen verschreibungspflichtigen Medikamente, die Sie möglicherweise einnehmen

electronics

All of these except the headlamp are optional. Everyone I climbed with had at least a smartphone with them to take their summit photos.

• Stirnlampe
• Smartphone und Ladegerät
• Powerbank
• Solar-Ladegerät
• USB- und Stromkabel
• DSLR-Kamera mit Ersatzbatterien
• GoPro Hero7 und Ersatzbatterien
• Leichtes Mini-Stativ

documentation

• Reisepass + Fotokopien
• Ersatz-Passfotos
• Versicherungsschein und Details
• Fluginformationen
• Visa-Informationen, falls erforderlich
• Geld ausgeben (erlauben Sie $100 USD für Trinkgeld)

Cicerone’s Trekking Aconcagua and the Southern Andes is the best guide available. The book covers two popular trekking routes: the Normal Route and the Polish Glacier Route. However, if you are climbing Aconcagua without a guide, the more detailed Aconcagua climbing map is essential.

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