Packing for The W
Why Is Packing So Hard?!
Ian and I stressed like heck about what to pack for the W. We did okay! But we did overpack in some areas and have to scramble in others. Here’s the final list so you do a little better than we did.
If you take away anything from this post, here are my 3 top tips:
Pack AS LIGHT AS POSSIBLE
Trekking poles are your new best friend(s?)
Pack more moleskin than you think you need
Clothing
The name of the game is PACKING LIGHT, but also packing enough clothes so that you are prepared for the 4 seasons in one day phenomenon. Merino wool is notably fantastic for hiking, as it’s breathable and can work at many temperatures. It also takes a lot for it to smell. 1 long sleeve wool shirt can easily replace several synthetic or god forbid cotton shirts in your pack.
Sorry vegans, I do apologize for recommending wool. You can of course wear synthetic clothing, but the wool stuff is simply better. A few ideas if you ethically object to wool: 1) buy wool gear secondhand on Poshmark, Ebay, Mercari, etc. 2) borrow wool gear from someone you know 3) buy the wool, recognize that you’ll use it a LOT and won’t have to replace it often (I have not replaced any of my wool gear since purchasing it in ~2018), and make a donation to an animal charity of your choice.
For information on how to choose gear such as boots and socks, check out my gear post.
Hiking Boots: This trek is not a joke, and you should not just try to do it in your trail runners or tennis shoes. You’ll be carrying a heavy pack even if you’re staying in refugios, and you need a boot that can support you carrying that weight.
40L Hiking Backpack:
Small foldable day pack: On certain days, some of your hike will be an “out and back” route, meaning that you’ll traverse it both ways. Therefore, you can ditch your heavy backpack at the base of the out and back and just take a small bag with your hiking essentials - lunch, sunscreen, water, some outerwear layers, camera, and a couple granola bars for the out and backs. Ditch your toiletries, extra food, shower shoes, PJs, chargers, etc.. Some giant 60L backpacks will come with one of these, but you should make sure you have one, regardless. You’re hiking an average of 10 mi per day, and some of it is massively uphill; your shoulders will thank you for the breaks!
Rain covers for both backpacks: Have I mentioned that it rains unpredictably in Patagonia? We used ours quite a lot. You will need one for the big bag and one for your day pack; when you ditch your big bag for an out and back, you should put your rain cover on it if it’s outside so you don’t come back to a 100% soaked bag. And you should bring the little bag’s rain cover with you, just in case.
Hiking Socks: 1-2 pairs. For the W, I would go with the Darn Tough midweight micro crew or the lightweight micro crew if you run hot. I own both.
How many pairs should you bring? Well, if your socks get wet, you will not want to hike in them, and that could happen given the torrential rain that sometimes hits, so I’d bring 2 pairs. That said, we met a guy on the W who had been backpacking across South America for 4 months, and he had only brought one pair of Darn Toughs, because he wanted to use the lifetime warranty - but to his dismay (?) they were still in perfect condition!
Warm fuzzy socks: 1 pair. At night in the refugios, it gets chilly, and you’ll want clean, comfy, warm socks. 1 pair is plenty as these won’t get dirty or wet.
Shower shoes: 1 pair. Bring a pair of plastic slides that can be worn with socks so you can also use them in the evening around the refugio or campsite. You don’t want to be stuck in your boots in the evening! I didn’t think this through and brought flip flops, and it was not ideal.
Rain coat: 1 coat. Goretex is the best material for repelling water while still being breathable, but it’s also the most expensive. I did invest in an REI brand goretex jacket for this trip. In general, opt for light, waist length, and packable. Cinchable wrists and hood are plusses. Pit zips (zippers under the armpits) are also a nice feature that helps breathability, but mine doesn’t have those.
Rain pants: 1 pair. Similar advice: get Goretex if you can. My husband cheaped out here, and he said it was like “wearing garbage bags” - all of his sweat stayed on his legs, and it basically felt like it was raining in there anyway. He has since upgraded his rain pants. Ideally, you want ankle zips so that you can pull these pants on over some other layer with your boots already on.
Waterproof gloves: 1 pair. These can double as somewhat-warmth-inducing and functional in the rain. In a pinch, you could probably live without them, but it’s really nice to be able to get some hand warmth when it’s raining.
Wool base layer leggings: 1 pair. I initially didn’t bring these, but I panicked in Punta Arenas when the forecast said 32F at Las Torres and spent ~$150 on a pair of merino wool base layer leggings. You can get them for cheaper if you do it here! In the end, I didn’t strictly need these, as I would have been warm enough with what I brought. But if it had been a little colder - and it often does get colder, even in the summer, unpredictably - they would have been essential. If I were going again, I would bring these with me.
Wool base layer short sleeve top: 1 shirt.
Wool base layer long sleeve top: 1 shirt.
Athletic synthetic tank top: 1-2 shirts.
Athletic leggings or hiking pants: 1 pair.
Sports bra: I only wore one the whole trip, but if yours get stinky quickly, bringing 2 isn’t crazy. I’m not going to put my bra size on the public internet, but let’s say I need a really REALLY good bra to keep the girls in place and my back happy.
Comfy bralette: You won’t want to be wearing your sweaty bra in the refugios at night! The girls deserve a rest, too. Also, you may not want to be wearing no bra at night, as these are public spaces. Hence a comfy bralette.
Underwear: 5 pair. You can get away with one pair per day if you use your clean nighttime underwear as your next day’s hiking underwear, but I will leave you to solve this one on your own. Obviously, don’t bring anything that chafes easily or that will show through your leggings, if that makes you uncomfortable.
Pajamas: 1 set. It is on the chilly side in the refugios at night; I’d bring long pants and a long sleeve shirt. You might also pack a t-shirt in case I run colder than you do.
Other Gear
Trekking Poles: Prior to doing the W, I had never used trekking poles, but Ian had because he had a bad knee. Reasoning that my knees are fine, I resisted the trekking poles. I am SO very glad that Ian convinced me to get a set. Hiking with a 40L backpack full of stuff for 41 miles is a VERY different experience from day hiking. Your knees will really thank you for it - you’ll lessen the impact on them throughout. I would honestly categorize these as a “must have” for the W.
3L Water Reservoir: There are actually water sources all over Torres, so you have an option here to chronically use a water filter to fill a smaller water container. However, reservoirs are the most ergonomic way to carry water, and you don’t have to fill it all the way when you use it. So I like to have a larger 3L reservoir so I have the option of carrying more or less.
Water Filter (technically optional): You can drink the tap water at the refugios and campsites without filtering it. Officially, you can also drink the water in Torres and it’s very clean as it’s coming straight from a glacier - that you can actually see! However, there are animals in the park, and they do pee and poop, sometimes close to water sources. I read a couple blog posts where folks think they got giardia from drinking unfiltered water in Torres del Paine, so we erred on the side of caution and brought a filter. Most days, we didn’t need to use it, as our reservoirs were 3L. But on the middle day heading up the French Valley, we did refill at least once if not more using the filter.
Sunscreen: Chilean Patagonia sometimes gets a visit from the infamous Antarctic hole in the ozone layer! While trends are looking positive that the Ozone depletion is recovering, Chile does sometimes experience a very high UV index during the summer. In the Atacama desert in the north, it can go up to 20 in some spots (11+ is rated Extreme; safe is 2). If you do not sunscreen, you will FRY. I don’t care how dark your skin is or how much you usually burn. Going to Patagonia without sunscreen is a recipe for becoming a lobster and probably getting skin cancer. SUNSCREEN YOURSELF! Do your face 2-3x per day! If your shoulders are exposed (tank top), re-up there too. Wear a baseball cap for extra protection. We saw some extremely fried people on this trek. Don’t be those people. Sunscreen!!! I think I’m ready for my Jewish Mom title now.
Baseball cap: Extra protection from the sun! I am not a big baseball cap stan in general, but I did wear one for this whole trek.
Sunglasses: Even more protection from the sun! Also, you’ll be happier!
Toiletries: Only you can fill in this section. My skincare routine has approximately 1000 steps.
Granola bars: We only ate a few of these beyond the provided meals, but it’s always important to have some snacks!
First Aid Kit: Get a small one from REI. Add extra bandaids.
Moleskin: You’re carrying 40lbs on your back wearing the same pair of hiking boots for 4-5 days. You are going to get some blisters. (My incredible Lowas only gave me ONE blister, but Ian’s feet did not fare so well.) Bring more moleskin than you think you need, because it is impossible to find in Chile. We really tried! Sporting goods stores, pharmacies - no one knew what we were talking about, and no one had it. We had juuuust enough in the end.
Advil (ibuprofen): I am not a doctor, so I am just going to talk about my experience and not give you medical advice. I took 3-4 advil pretty much round the clock every 6 hours, and my muscles were very grateful. 4 advil is a prescription strength dose of ibuprofen.
Adapter: I recommend getting an all-country power adapter! But definitely bring one that supports South America.
Phone charger: I read somewhere that it would be difficult to find an outlet at the refugios to charge your phone. It wasn’t; we were easily able to charge every night.
Battery pack: If your phone dies quickly while using your fitness tracking apps, bring a battery pack! Don’t you want to be able to show off your step count when you get back?! That said, my phone never died during a day of hiking.
Swiss army knife, if you’re checking your luggage
Camera with charger and extra memory card: Patagonia features some of the most incredible scenery on the planet. That is not an exaggeration! You should 10000% bring your nice DSLR to Patagonia. If you don’t have one, ask a friend to give you a quick lesson and borrow theirs. Also, theft is not an issue on the trek; no one wants to add MORE weight to their pack!
What NOT to pack
Sleeping bag: We “cheaped out” here and brought our own sleeping bags... and we regretted it. Our bags could have been significantly smaller and lighter had we just rented sleeping bags. We strongly advise against bringing your own unless you’re DIY camping. When you’re on mile 8+ of the day carrying your huge backpack, you will be more than willing to pay the marginal cost of renting a sleeping bag.
Padlock: We panicked on the first day, realizing that there were lockers, but we did not have a lock. Don’t worry. No one will steal from you. No one wants to carry your extra crap around, on top of their own crap! Everyone is already carrying a lot of crap.
Flip Flops: See “shower shoes” - you need shower shoes that you can wear with socks!
Extra ANYTHING
