The Ultimate Peru Packing List • What to Wear in Peru
Heading to Peru and in need of a Peru packing list? Since it’s a climatically diverse country, thinking about what to pack for Peru always leaves travelers baffled. Depending on where in Peru you’re going and during what season, you might need either nothing but swimwear and shorts or all of the thermals you can find!
Lima is the capital and the annual average temperature ranges from 12 to 28 degrees. Cusco has a subtropical highland climate with a wet and dry season and cold nights. Iquitos, the gateway to the Amazon, ranges between 21 and 33 degrees year-round and Northern Mancora stays a steady 23-27 degrees.
And then, if you want to trek in the Andes, you could be looking at mornings and evenings of zero degrees at any time of the year. So, unless you’re just going to one place in Peru, you’re going to want to pack layers and a variation of clothing.
I thought it would be best to split the Peru packing list into several different sections.
Inca Trail Peru Packing ListPeru is one of the most diverse countries in the world with a wide range of climates that stretches across the country. From its beautiful coastline to the Andes and arid deserts to the Amazon rainforests you’ll find no shortage of climates in Peru.
In recent years one of the most popular draws for tourists in Peru is the awe-inspiring Andes and the valley that provide fantastic hiking opportunities that include the Inca Trail. For this part, you’ll find what we like to bring on a hiking trip and some of our favorite products to match.
- Sports Underwear
- Thermals
- Performance Shirt
- Technical Shirt
- Mid Layer Sweater
- Shell Jacket
- Down Jacket
- Hiking Shorts
- Hiking Pants
- Wool Socks
- Hiking Shoes
- Hiking Boots
- Travel Towel
- Buff Headwear
- Sunglasses
- Beanie
- Gloves
- Hiking Poles
- Grayl Ultralight Water Bottle
- Headlamp
- Sleeping Bag
- Sleeping Pad
- Pillow
- Dry Bag
- Water Bladder
- Self Supported Hiking Backpack
- Porter Assisted Hiking Backpack
You should try to pack several pairs of sports underwear. On a hiking trip, I recommend packing two-three pairs and handwashing pairs whenever you get the chance. In general for a typical trip, we’ll pack five to seven pairs of underwear.
For men, I’m officially a convert and have bought several pairs of Saxx Underwear. If you’re unfamiliar with Saxx it’s the underwear that has a small pouch for your business. After, extended use I can say it’s a phenomenal feature that works perfectly. There is no need for adjustments when putting them on and off. The result is exceptional comfort that does an effective job of pulling away moisture and heat.
For women, it’s all about personal preference, but it’s best to not wear your typical cheap cotton undies. Women’s hygiene is important so undies that are antimicrobial on long hikes is a lifesaver. You have two options underwear material synthetic or wool. Our suggestion is the merino wool pair from Icebreaker called the Siren. You have the option between bikini or thong and that’s all personal preference.
Thermal Layers
Underlayers are the closest layer to your body and maintain your body heat. When we reference thermals this includes long-sleeved thermals and underwear. I always wear quality baselayers when active in cold temperatures. It’s an essential item if you’re in alpine conditions while hiking, snowboarding, scrambling, or camping.
We’ve tried a few different brands but recently settled on Kora as our favorite pair of thermals. It may be best for us as we need something technical when we snowboard or climb mountains to wick away moisture from our bodies. Kora makes high-performance technical clothing out of quality Yak Wool from the Himalayas — warning they are high priced.
For base layers we recommend they fit snug are made from a non-cotton material like nylon or wool. We’ve had a lot of baselayer, but our favorites are wool based layers from Helly Hansen, Smartwool, Black Diamond, and the yak wool from Kora.
Performance Shirts
Any Peru packing list needs a performance shirt on it! I love to wear a comfortable shirt on hot days. It’s best to opt for shirts that are made from a performance fabric that handles sweat and the sun. A good number of tee shirts to pack for Peru is around three and at least one technical shirts like the one below. You should look for a fabric that is lightweight, breathable and has quick-dry qualities such as merino wool, nylon, or polyester.
The more expensive option would be to bring a hiking shirt that has active panels that are designed to move with your body and hold up to the wear from a backpack. We’ve spent a lot of time hiking in the mountains
Technical Shirt
A technical long-sleeve hiking shirt looks great and is typically well constructed. You should look for a nice blend of synthetic materials that allow for quick drying. A long sleeve shirt like this allows for greater comfort moving from chilly mornings into warm days.
It’s a great travel shirt as it avoids wrinkles, resists stains, and looks better than a relaxed tee. The other option is always a classic flannel, while it’s not a technical shirt and can be a little bulky we still love them.
Mid Layer Sweater
When you’re on the trails you often come across cold temperatures in the mountains. A comfortable sweater is a great way to remain warm in the mornings and evenings. You can use a variety of hiking clothes, but any warm fleece jacket or sweater will work on the Inca Trail.
Our Patagonia Better Sweaters are perfect fleece sweaters, especially for mid-layers. It’s a slim cut fleece with a soft lining that is slim cut and moves well with your body while the outer material feels tough and shows little to no wear. We’ve both had one for years and it looks like they’ll last another decade.
In our eyes, you can excuse the high price tag as they’ll last for years. The quarter-zip is our favorite as it’s effective at protecting your neck and remains close to your body for when you’re active on trails. As a plus, the slim fit allows for it to fit under a down or shell jacket. It’s also great for sleeping on cold nights or relaxing in camp.
Shell Jacket
A great item to have on the trails is a shell jacket that is designed to protect you from the wind and rain. This is not about wearing a winter jacket, but a jacket that will break the wind and protect you from the elements.
When it comes to hiking clothes the best investment you can make is in a quality shell jacket. They’re tremendous at protection from the elements like rain, wind, sleet, and even snow.
I have several shell jacket that I cycle throughout the year, but the one I reach for the most is my Arc’teryx Zeta LT Jacket. The LT line from Arc’teryx is the lightweight line and it packs down well in my backpack.
The Arc’teryx is waterproof, windproof, and breathable and made with Goretex Pro. It’s not just good for traveling and rainstorms but is a protective shell against all levels of weather. I can even wear it in the winter as a waterproof shell over my down jacket. If you want more help we have a post on our favorite hiking jackets.
Down Jacket
There are only a few travel items we recommend everyone has and that’s a down jacket. A down jacket is a staple for travel and outdoor activities as it’s tremendously versatile.
We always recommend you bring a great packable down jacket on just about any extended trip. When you’re dealing with the mountains and wide temperature shifts it’s a great way to keep warm without eating up too much space in your hiking backpack.
If you need a warm jacket it’s not possible to do better in terms of weight vs warmth than Feathered Friends EOS Down Jacket. This down jacket features 2.8 ounces of 900-fill down with a down hood and an insulated draft tube behind the zipper.
When it comes down to packability it comes with a nylon stuff sack that is about the size of a large water bottle. The stuff sack is great for packing attaching the bag to the outside of a hiking backpack.
Hiking Shorts
A great pair of shorts is self-explanatory for keeping yourself cool on a hot hiking day at lower elevations and warmer weather days we love a pair of hiking shorts.
Of course, it all depends on the terrain and landscape as sometimes a pair of hiking pants can remain cool while protecting your legs from thick brush or rocks when scrambling up a trail. prAna makes some tremendous lightweight hiking shorts that are both comfortable and affordable.
Hiking Pants
Lightweight pants that are made from synthetic material are tremendous to have in your pack. It’s what we wear most days when hiking as they’re comfortable, antibacterial, and protect our legs from mosquitos and branches.
We recommend neutral-colored pants as they’re great at hiding dirt and can match most shirt colors. What’s great is they’re useful beyond Peru as they are a travel staple and we pack a pair everywhere we travel.
There are two different hiking pants that we love to wear on our travels the Keb Trouser from Fjallraven and prAna’s Stretch Zion Pant/Halle Pant. The most versatile would have to be prAna pants that are lightweight, look great, and extremely comfortable.
Fjallraven’s Keb pants are a mountaineering staple, but they are heavyweight and not great for quick dry properties yet extremely durable. We love our Keb pants as the paneled construction is extremely comfortable and they look awesome. If you really want to mix it up you can opt for hiking tights — Tasha loves those!
Wool Socks
We’ve learned to love our feet with a good pair of socks. You will want to keep your feet nice and dry while you walk around. Most importantly wool socks stay fresh for several days as they have natural antimicrobial properties.
We travel with a couple pairs of the Darn Tough Merino socks and our feet have never felt cold or wet. As a bonus, they’re produced in Vermont!
Trail Running Shoes
If you are traveling with only outdoor adventure on your mind, then these Salomon Ultra GTX 3s may be just what you need. Often voted one of the top hiking shoes on the market, these are built with only the rocky trail in mind. Salomon has strong name recognition and there is a good reason for that.
I would recommend you look at the weather and your shoe preference before you pick either a nice hiking boot/shoe or trail running shoe. In the cooler temperatures we appreciate the added insulation in hiking shoes, but in the warmer months prefer the breathability and lightweight nature of trail running shoes.
Hiking Boots
Peru has become a trekking capital and you’ll find a wide network of backpackers and trails. In more fashionable destinations with day hikes we like to recommend leather boots, but when it comes to multiday hikes it’s tough to beat purpose-built synthetic boots as they are lightweight, breathable, quick-drying, and often waterproof.
When hiking in the mountains loose rocks are a real threat hiking on the trails and it’s a good idea to wear decent hiking boots or shoes. There has been a long debate on whether you need high top or low cut shoes to protect your ankles. Truthfully we own both types and like to wear high tops on muddy trails or areas with thick vegetation and shoes in warm and dry destinations.
I’d say wear what you’re comfortable with, but if you have plans to head to the Amazon it would be a good idea to bring a pair of high ankle boots. Seriously, bring proper footwear because there are a lot of critters roaming around. I still have nightmares about getting attacked by fierce jungle ants when I mistakenly walked on a trail in my flip-flops. We also saw multiple venomous snakes on trails so the added layer of protection was much appreciated.
A good pair of hiking boots will come in handy if you have plans to explore. We love the Merrel Moabs II that come in both women’s and men’s versions in addition to high and low cut versions.
Travel Towel
We always recommend bringing a travel towel when you’re on the road, Peru is no exception. If you plan on multiday hike like the Inca Trail you’ll need to carry your own towel and you don’t want to lug around a big fluffy space-consuming cotton bath towel from home.
The biggest complaint about travel towels is that they often feel nothing like the plush cotton towels we are accustomed to at home and in hotels. However, with the PackTowl you can forget about all of that because they set out to create a towel that mimics its cotton counterparts with the technical features of a travel towel.
* This article was originally published here
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