This post is part two of a FOUR part series entitled THE Definitive Guide to Hiking Torres del Paine. Check out part one, Which Route to Take.
Does it get much better than this?
What to Pack
TIP #5: Go to the meeting at the Erratic Rock while in Puerto Natales. While I will regurgitate a lot of the information they gave, it’s just a great meeting to go to, and you will get tons of great information and tips, particularly for packing.
TIP #6: Rent or bring hiking poles. They save your knees. I don’t care how young or in shape you are, hiking poles are fantastic and a necessity for any long trek.
What to pack when preparing for a trek like this is always difficult. Everyone wants to be prepared, but no one wants to bring too much stuff. Remember, whatever you bring you’ll be carrying on your back. For the purposes of this guide, we’re going to assume that you’re hiking the “W” or Circuit in summer, or high season (December-February).
Clothes
Not only do trekking poles help your knees, they look cool, too
Weather in Patagonia is fickle and ridiculous, so you do have to be prepared, even in the summer. While it most likely won’t get too cold (i.e., not below freezing), you will probably need some warm clothing. Remember that wind in Patagonia is crazy, like nothing you’ve ever seen. Layers are the key when packing for a trek in Patagonia. Luckily summertime sees lots of sunlight (provided it isn’t raining, which it most likely will at some point of your trek). Depending on the month, you can have anywhere from 14-18 hours of daylight.
What we brought- We both brought two complete outfits, and that’s it. One was our daytime outfit that we wore when hiking, and one was for camp and sleeping. After finishing hiking for the day, take off your hiking clothes, put them in a big, plastic trash bag and in your pack. The hiking outfit will be disgusting and nasty by the end, probably wet and mildewy, and it will suck putting it back on in the morning, but that’s OK. Once you’re on the trail for a few and get the blood pumping, you’ll be fine. This is THE most efficient way of packing for a trek, and it will be my method for any multi-day trek I take from here on out.
- Adam
- One pair of zip-off, convertible hiking pants; one pair of lightweight hiking pants
- Two lightweight, moisture wicking t-shirts
- One long sleeve, lightweight, warm (made of wool), moisture wicking shirt
- One microfleece
- One lightweight, waterproof rain jacket (leave the poncho at home; the Patagonian wind will make a poncho its bitch)
- 2 pairs of underwear
- 3 pairs of socks (Smartwool or anything made of merino wool work best for hiking, in my opinion)
- One warm stocking hat and one pair of gloves
- One pair hiking shoes; one pair small, lightweight, comfy shoes for camp
- Megan
- With the exception of underwear (she brought 5 pairs of underwear because hers are very small and lightweight), we brought pretty much the exact same things, only hers were female clothes.
Food
As with anything having to do with Torres del Paine, you have options. The refugios all offer meals; breakfast, lunch, and dinner. So you could opt to eat some of your meals at the refugios. This will obviously save lots of weight in your pack, but it will be a huge hit on the wallet. We only ate one dinner at a refugio, and I have to say it was really, really nice and really good. If we had more money, we would have eaten more meals there.
TIP #7: Don’t bring too much of one thing. We brought tons of trail mix figuring we’d eat that as one or two meals a day. Nearly two years later, I have a tough time eating trail mix.
Refugio Meals: If on a tight budget and trying to decide, keep in mind you can also buy beer and/or wine at the refugios, which is really nice after a 10 hour hiking day. Here are the refugio meal prices:
- Breakfast- $11US/person
- Lunch- $14US/person (box lunch)
- Dinner- $18US/person
All the food we brought with us, nice and organzied
Camping Meals: If you can’t afford meals at the refugios, then you’re simply going to have to bring a stove, mess kit, and a lot of your own food. It’s sounds daunting, especially if you’ve never done this before, but it’s not as difficult as it sounds. Thankfully Puerto Natales has several great grocery stores and sections for trekking food. You can also rent a little stove and mess kit that will have everything you need. Erratic Rock rents any equipment that you may need. Here are their rates:
- Stove- $3.25
- Mess kit- $8.50 (will accommodate 3 people-bowls, plates, silverware, pot, pan)
The food we brought: Counting the day we left and the day we returned, we were gone for 5 days. We needed eleven meals for the trail as we had breakfast at our hostel before leaving, lunch at the refugio before actually getting on the trail, and lunch the final day after finishing. I actually came across the menu we wrote out before we left (yes, we did write out a menu, and I suggest you do the same-you don’t want to bring too little or too much). Here is a sampling of things we ate for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks:
- Breakfast: We had a combination of granola bars, instant soup, and oatmeal
- Lunch: We ate a sandwich the first day before we got on the trail. Then it was a combo of trail mix (made from lots of nuts, dried fruit, and chocolate) and granola bars. Quick and easy.
- Dinner: We ate a combination of instant soup and trail mix for dinner. We did eat one meal at a refugio, which was very, very good.
- Snacks: Trail mix, granola bars, and lots of chocolate and candy. This is one time you’re actually encouraged to eat sugar and lots of it
Great advice. I'm always shocked at how many people hike in cotton socks and then wonder why their feet are covered in blisters. Also, completely agree with you on hiking poles, even if you don't have knee problems, they reduce the stress on your knees by ~35% so you can hike well into your old age hopefully.
Yeah, that was something we learned about 10 years ago before our first ever trek–into the Grand Canyon. Was so glad that I discovered merino wool. I haven't hiked in cotton since. And I never used hiking poles until we went to Machu Picchu. They saved me then, and I vowed never to go on a multi-day hike without them again.
Great advice! I haven't done any long treks like this before and didn't know the importance of hiking poles. It sounds like a lot of fun.
Thanks Michael! They wouldn't seem that important, but once you've hiked with them, you won't want to hike without them. Going downhill they are a lifesaver.
Very helpful tips, and the experience looks amazing! Gosh, I wish I could've done this when I was done there. I just ran out of time!
There's never enough time to see everything, Kelly. Don't beat yourself up, just make sure you go there someday!
[...] Be sure to read Part One-Which Route to Take, and Part 2-What to Pack. [...]
EEE! This is perfect. I totally want to do a multi day hike through Patagonia. Thanks for the info Adam!
The best meals are at Paine Grande… But the best REfugio is REfugio Grey the best campsite El Paso. The best trail from Dickson to Perros… I love the Park!!!
Loved the line “leave the poncho at home; the Patagonian wind will make a poncho its bitch” – had me really laughing but is also good advice as I was planning to bring a poncho.
I am so excited to do this. I am in Puerto Varas now and taking a flight tonight to Punta Arenas so should be on the trail within the next few days. Thanks so much for this amazingly useful series of posts. I haven't read the rest of them yet but will be doing so in a few minutes.
If you happen to read this soon, do you know if the bus between Punta Arenas and Puerto Natales stops at the airport? I was thinking I would just sleep in the airport and catch the first bus to Puerto Natales since my flight arrives about 1:00 a.m. I heard somewhere the bus stops in the airport but haven't been able to confirm it.
Forgot to ask something: are mosquitoes a big problem in TDP? I presume the water in the streams is clean and that is what you drank and cooked with? No doubt these questions will be addressed in the Erratic Rock meeting but figured I would ask here for other readers.
As far as mosquitos, we didn't encounter any problems with them in early February. Water is VERY clean and amongst some of the best in the world, seriously. It's so freaking good.
I'm so excited for you that you're going to be on the trail within a few days. That's awesome. I'm quite jealous. As far as your bus question, I'm sorry, I don't know that one. We came to Puerto Natales from El Calafate in Argentina, so it was a different route than what you're coming. I would assume catching a bus of some sort shouldn't be a problem first thing in the morning. Worst case scenario is you take a taxi, but I'm sure someone at the airport will be able to help you out.
Have so much fun and good luck!!!
This was my first hike with poles and I am now a convert, though I only brought one and thought that was quite good as I liked having a hand free.
I was only camping with rented gear from my hostel and Erratic Rock and I also found bringing hard-boiled eggs and some bread rolls a nice breakfast option that didn’t require cooking and using more gas. Also, it should be mentioned that at Erratic Rock you can recycle your old gas canisters and even pick up half-empty ones free of charge. A great free service by them (besides their useful daily talk).
I brought flavored drink mix (zero calorie versions are very light and taste good) which was a nice change with my dinner.
If packing pasta, make sure to check how long they kind you are taking requires to cook. I chose Angel Hair as it is ready in only 5 minutes, though the instant noodles you brought are even better at only 3 minutes. Just a way of saving on gas usage.
how hard was it/how long did it take to get from el calafete to puerto natales?