Packing List for 4 Days Huemul Circuit Patagonia

Here is the packing list for the Huemul Circuit and the necessary items to get permission to go on the trail.


Introduction to the Huemul Circuit

The Huemul Circuit is a four days trek around the Huemul mountain and starts and ends in El Chalten. The trek allows magnificent views of the Southern Patagonian Icefield – the third largest on earth! If you want to read more about this trek, read the post here.

For further information on the food we ate during the four days check out this post about hiking foods.

For this trail it is necessary to prepare well and a packing list comes in handy. Therefore, I put all the gear in this list that me and my friend Philippe carried. If you find this information helpful, consider sharing it.

The food we packed and here is the gear list
The food we packed and here is the gear list

Packing list for the Huemul Circuit

– Backpack (Osprey Aether 65l)

Sunscreen 50 

Insect repellent


Mandatory items:

– stove (Optimus Vega Gas Stove)

– 2 carbiners per person (1 steel carabiner per group)

– 1 Harness per person (Black Diamond Momentum Harness)

– 30m rope to retrieve the slider on the zipline (read this post and make 35m)

– 2 Straps to attach harness to carabiner

– Topographic map of the region

! All of these items can be rented in El Chalten, though pretty expensive and subject to availability !


Sleeping

MSR Freelite 2 Tent

Sea to Summit Spark II Sleeping Bag

Meru Inlay Sleeping Bag Silk

Thermarest Neoair Xlite Sleeping Pad


Clothes includes what I wore on day 1

3 Sport T-shirts (dry fast)

Sweater by Under Armour 1

long underwear by Odlo (top and bottom) 1

undershirt Odlo 1

3 hiking socks

1 Patagonia Down Jacket

Wind- and waterproof rainjacket 1

– Trouser that can be shortened 1

– 4 underpants

– pair of sturdy hiking boots

footwear for the evenings (although crocs would have been more suitable to cross rivers I opted for flip flops)

– hat

beanie

pair of gloves


Food/Cooking

For a full list of food suitable for hiking and what we used click here

– stove (Optimus Vega Gas Stove)

gas bottle (not allowed on airplanes!)

– Lighter

MSR pot with lid

spork by Light my Fire

rag/towel

biodegradable detergent


Additional items:

Headlamp (instead of a handheld one)

First-Aid Kit with stuff to fix blisters

– Toothbrush (Cut the brush and a few cm to hold onto it – that’s enough)

– Toothpaste grab a product sample at your dentist

– Contact lenses container (filled with plenty of Eye Solution so you can leave the bottle at home)

Water bottle

Water Filter (the rangers say it is unnecessary but better be safe)

– Mobile phone with offline maps of the region

Compass

– Emergency contacts

– Hiking Poles


Photography

Camera (in a dry sac, unless it is waterproof)

Batteries (I carried 6 and used 5)

Sigma 16mm f1.4

Tamron 18-200mm f4.5-5.6

Sony 10-18mm f4

ND Filter

Polarisation Filter

Tiny tripod

Peak Design Capture Pro


Tips for the 4 Days Huemul Trek in El Chalten

This packing list provides information on some mandatory items to carry during your trek. However, there are as well items on this packing list which are not necessary as the camera equipment. As pointed out above this is my personal list and you can adapt it to your needs.

What came apparent after the Huemul trek is that less is more. Try to cut down as much weight as possible you will be able to enjoy the outdoor experience much more. Furthermore, it helps a lot to hike together with someone in order to spread the weight of item you both need: tent, cooking, but maybe not the sleeping bag.

Spread the word if you found this helpful and if you have any questions let me know in the comment section below.

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