W Trek Packing List by Month: Torres del Paine, Patagonia
Published November 6, 2026
The W Trek packing list changes with the month: the rain jacket, the rain pants, the insulating layer, the sunscreen, the sunglasses and the gaiters. If you sleep in refugios, the tent leaves your bag. For a January start, the products Bardy has found so far cost $1,734 for a man and $1,717 for a woman and put at least 8.9 lb on your back; 1 line still has no US product (named in the table below), so the full pack costs and weighs more. This list covers the W in Torres del Paine, not other Patagonia treks.
Book every night first
The W runs between refugios and campsites, and every night is booked in advance with the park’s two concessionaires: without a reservation, you have no access to the mountain area. Park entry is bought at least 24 hours ahead from the official ticket office. Bardy’s pack assumes the refugio provides your bedding: check what your bed includes when you book, and add a sleeping bag if it does not.
The list, month by month
Chile Travel, Chile’s official tourism portal, recommends “A 40 to 60-liter technical backpack with lumbar support if you are doing the long circuits, or a small daypack (20 liters) if you are only doing day hikes.” On poles: “Highly recommended to reduce the impact on your knees during steep descents and to maintain stability against strong wind gusts.” Bardy computes the pack on 10 years of weather at the altitude of the route, for 5 days in refugios; these are the lines that change from one month to the next, for a man.
| Month | Rain jacket | Rain pants | Insulating layer | Sunscreen | Sunglasses | Gaiters |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| November | Rain jacket 10,000 mm | Rain pants (advised) | Insulated jacket | Sunscreen SPF 50 | Sunglasses cat. 4 | Gaiters (advised) |
| December | Rain jacket 20,000 mm | Rain pants | Fleece or insulated jacket | Sunscreen SPF 50 | Sunglasses cat. 4 | Gaiters (advised) |
| January | Rain jacket 20,000 mm | Rain pants | Fleece or insulated jacket | Sunscreen SPF 50 | Sunglasses cat. 3 | — |
| February | Rain jacket 20,000 mm | Rain pants | Fleece or insulated jacket | Sunscreen SPF 50 | Sunglasses cat. 3 | — |
| March | Rain jacket 20,000 mm | Rain pants | Fleece or insulated jacket | Sunscreen SPF 30 | Sunglasses cat. 4 | Gaiters (advised) |
The weather and the whole pack, month by month:
| Month | Cold night at Chileno | Rain days | Snow at Mirador Base Torres | Pack, man | Pack, woman | On your back (man) | No product yet |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| November | 32°F | 44% | possible | $1,829 | $1,717 | at least 9.1 lb | Pack cover, Gaiters |
| December | 34°F | 51% | possible | $1,829 | $1,717 | at least 9.1 lb | Pack cover, Gaiters |
| January | 36°F | 54% | rare | $1,734 | $1,717 | at least 8.9 lb | Pack cover |
| February | 36°F | 57% | rare | $1,734 | $1,717 | at least 8.9 lb | Pack cover |
| March | 34°F | 56% | possible | $1,829 | $1,717 | at least 9.1 lb | Pack cover, Gaiters |
Prices are for everything bought new, the cheapest product that meets each line, read from US stores; where a store could not be read, the price is to check. “On your back” is the published weight of the gear you carry plus the water, without food, shoes and poles (“at least” when some items publish no weight). “Rain days” counts days with at least 1.5 mm (0.06 in) of rain at the wettest of three points of the route; a “cold night” is the temperature one night in ten falls below, at Chileno. For your own dates, days and sleeping arrangement, and to remove what you already own: the Torres del Paine W Trek pack for your dates.
Winter
CONAF, Chile’s parks agency, required a guide on the W for the 2026 winter season, from April 27 to September 16. A lifting of that requirement was announced on September 12, 2026. If you plan a trek outside the summer months, check the current rule with CONAF before you book.
The rules that change your pack
- Fire and smoking. “Lighting campfires and smoking are absolutely prohibited anywhere in the park (including the trails).”
- Stoves. “Cooking is only allowed in specifically designated areas within the campsites using gas camp stoves.”
- Water. Chile Travel says the streams and springs are “pure and completely safe to drink, so you don’t need to carry large volumes.” That is a tourism portal, not a CONAF text.
- Waste. “Any waste you generate (including organic remains) must be packed out with you and removed from the National Park.”
- Drones. “Flying drones is prohibited throughout the entire National Park without prior written authorization from CONAF.”
See the pack for your own dates on the Torres del Paine W Trek page.
FAQ
Can I drink the water in Torres del Paine?
Chile Travel, the official tourism portal, says the water from the streams and springs is “pure and completely safe to drink, so you don’t need to carry large volumes.” It is a tourism portal, not a CONAF text.
Can I use a camp stove on the W Trek?
“Cooking is only allowed in specifically designated areas within the campsites using gas camp stoves.” Campfires and smoking are prohibited everywhere in the park.
Do I need to book the W Trek?
Yes. Every night in a refugio or campsite is booked with the park’s two concessionaires, and park entry is bought at least 24 hours ahead from the official ticket office.
Read next
- Torres del Paine Weather by Month: Wind, Cold, Rain and Snow on the W Trek
- Camino de Santiago Packing List by Month: Camino Francés
- Inca Trail Packing List by Month: What to Pack for Machu Picchu
- Kilimanjaro Packing List by Month: What to Pack for the Machame Route
Sources
- Chile Travel (official tourism portal), Torres del Paine: how to get there and where to stay (2024)
- Torres del Paine park, booking system (Spanish)
- Official park ticket office
- CONAF, guide requirement in Torres del Paine (Spanish)
- ITV Patagonia, September 12, 2026: CONAF lifts the guide requirement (Spanish)