The W Trek, also known as the W Circuit, is one of the most iconic hikes in Patagonia, passing ancient glaciers, alpine lakes, and some of the most rugged mountains on the planet in Chile’s Torres del Paine National Park.
This hike is absolutely epic, but can also be epically confusing to pack for. It’s kind of a choose-your-own adventure, with hikers being able to pick how many days they want to be on the trail; whether they want to camp with their own gear or stay in equipped tents or hostel beds; and whether they want to make their own food or eat meals prepared at the mountain refugios along the way.
Sound a bit confusing? It is! But luckily, my husband, Justin, and I recently hiked this incredible trail and have put together a complete packing list for everything you need to bring along for the W Trek, whether you’re staying in mountain refugios and eating food that’s prepared for you every night or whether you’re bringing all of your own gear and food.
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What is the W Trek?
The W Trek is a 45.7 mile (73.5 km) thru-hike trail that’s typically hiked hut-to-hut (or campsite to campsite) over the course of four nights and five days.
As mentioned above, hikers have several options on this hike—which accommodations to stay at along the way; whether you want to bring all of your own gear or stay in pre-equipped tents or hostel beds; whether you want to bring and make your own food along the trail or buy a meal plan from the refugios; and even which direction you hike it.
It’s definitely on the logistically challenging side to plan (for example, to get to and from the park from the nearby Puerto Natales, you need to take four modes of transportation!). So, you can either plan hiking the trail yourself (pssst…we put together a handy dandy guide, with everything you need to know about planning and hiking the W Trek on your own) or you can go on a tour where they plan and book all of your transportation, accommodations, and meals for you, like this self-guided option or this guided option.
Regardless of whether you plan the logistics or not yourself, you’re still going to be responsible for packing your own bags, so let’s get into it!
W Trek Packing List
Along the W Trek, there are a few mini-markets and a handful of refugios that rent sleeping bags and other types of camping gear, but supplies are definitely limited and do sell out. Accordingly, I would not recommend solely relying on these stops and, instead, bringing along everything you need for your four night stay in Torres del Paine National Park.
On the flipside, I’d advise you not to pack too much. We can speak from experience—we brought WAY too much food for five days on the trail and, after getting tired of lugging around the extra weight for a couple of days, left a decent amount of our (pretty expensive!) food one of the donation boxes at one of the campgrounds.
In short, pack everything that you need and nothing more.
Pssst…this W Trek packing list is geared towards hikers that are hitting the trail in the peak season of October through April, when all of the campgrounds and refugios are open and there’s limited snow and ice on the trail. If you’re hiking the trail outside of this window, you are required to go with a guide and may require additional gear for warmth and for the ice and snow you’ll encounter along the trail, like crampons and gaiters.
For all W Trek hikers
Clothes and accessories
1. Tops (x3-4)
I’d suggest bringing along a mix of warm and cool layers—this hike is probably the most frequently I’ve taken off and put on additional layers of clothing on any trail I’ve ever done. For example, I’d suggest bringing along:
- A fleece pull-over (mens and womens)
- Long sleeve t-shirt (mens and womens), and
- 2 t-shirts or tank tops (mens and womens).
2. Bottoms (x2-3)
If you’re going in the warmest months in Torres del Paine (December through February), I’d suggest bringing along one pair of shorts (mens and womens)—when Justin and I visited in January, I only packed hiking leggings and was BURNING UP on some sections on the W Trek.
Otherwise, I’d just recommend bringing along pants that are comfortable to hike in (mens and womens).
3. Puffer jacket and beanie
It gets COLD at night, in the early mornings, and at high elevations in the park, like the viewpoint for Torres del Paine. So, come prepared for the chill with a puffer jacket (mens and womens) and a cozy beanie.
4. Rain jacket
The weather in Patagonia is SUPER unpredictable, switching from sun to rain to snow and back again in a matter of moments. I’d recommend always having a rain jacket (mens and womens) that’s easily within reach in your backpack. Alternatively, you might prefer to bring a poncho—Justin prefers to use ponchos, so he can wear it over his backpack as another waterproof layer.
5. Rainpants (mens and womens)
6. Underwear (x4)
7. Hiking socks (x4)
8. Baseball hat and sunglasses
9. Waterproof hiking boots
There’s sections of the trail that you’ll need to hike through that can have tiny little waterfalls, like the last scramble up to Torres del Paine, and the weather in Patagonia is famously unpredictable—be prepared to get rained on (and get your feet wet!) at least once a day! Plus, proper hiking boots give you extra traction and support while you’re on the trail.
Justin has this pair and I have this pair.
10. Hiking sandals
Is there anything better than taking your hiking boots off after a long day on the trail? I’ll wait.
Bring along a pair of hiking sandals, like our beloved Tevas (mens and womens) to wear around the campground or refugios.
11. Waterproof gloves
I’d say these are really only necessary if you’re hiking in the colder months (April through October) or if you plan on hiking up to the Mirador Las Torres Base at sunrise. Even though we visited during one of the warmer months, my hands literally did not work well enough to operate my camera’s buttons while I was waiting for the sun to light up the Towers!
Here’s the gloves that Justin uses and here’s the pair that I use.
Gear
1. Refillable water bottle
There’s potable water at each of the refugios, which I suggest filling up at each of the refugios.
Some hikers swear that the water straight from the streams and lakes in Torres del Paine tastes delicious and is totally safe to drink. However, I’ve definitely heard of people getting sick from drinking the water here, so, if you want to drink glacial water, I’d suggest bringing along a water filter (we have this little guy that weighs just 2 ounces) to be on the safe side—nothing ruins a W Trek experience quite like explosive diarrhea.
2. Trekking poles
Trust me, you’ll be glad you have them.
3. Rechargeable headlamp
4. Smaller daypacks
You’ll generally want to drop off your heavy backpack at refugios you pass along the way before tackling the steeper ascents, like to Mirador Las Torres Base and Mirador Britannico. I’d suggest bringing along a small packable daypack, like this one, so you can keep your essentials, like water bottle and rain jacket, and valuables with you.
5. Rainfly
If your camping backpack does not already come with one—be sure to get one that actually fits over your full pack!
6. Travel towel
Each of the refugios and campgrounds have hot showers, which feels SO RIGHT after a long day of hiking.
7. Earplugs
Especially if you plan on staying in hostel dorm rooms.
8. Eye mask
9. First aid kit
10. Poop kit
Okay, this may not be the classiest of terms, but it’s what Justin and I call our Ziploc baggie that we always bring with us on the trail that has everything we need in case nature calls at an inopportune time. This includes toilet paper, a lightweight trowel, and baggies to pack out any toilet paper you might have to use.
As an FYI, there are decent(ish) bathrooms at all of the campgrounds and refugios, but those can be several miles apart!
Toiletries
1. Sunscreen
A decent amount of the trail is exposed to the sun and the Patagonian sun can be surprisingly harsh!
2. Hand sanitizer
3. Toothbrush and toothpaste
4. Deodorant
5. Shampoo
You can either go for a travel-sized bottle or I’ve heard good things about bringing along your favorite shampoo from home in these little silicone travel bottles.
6. Soap
The only refugio that offers soap in the shower is Refugio Grey.
7. Any medication, including things like aspirin or Tylenol, that you might need
Electronics
1. Camera
2. Tripod
3. Cell phone
4. Battery pack
There are electrical outlets at the refugios if you need to charge your electronics, but there will also be dozens of other hikers vying for said outlets. Battery packs definitely come in clutch, especially given the length of time you’ll be on the trail here.
5. Charging cables
6. Universal travel adapter plug
If you have multiple devices, like a phone, wireless headphones, and camera, that you need to charge at the same time.
7. Headphones
Miscellaneous
1. Passport and Chilean tourist card that you get when you initially enter the country
Without these items, you’ll wind up paying 20% more tax on various things throughout the park, including your campground and refugio reservations, so this is SUPER important to have!
2. Screenshots of your Torres del Paine entry ticket (with the QR code visible) and your tickets for the buses and ferry
There’s no cell service in Torres del Paine, so you’ll want digital copies of your reservations saved on your phone for easy access.
3. Cash and credit cards
There’s only a handful of places around the park that are cash only, like the toilets at Refugio Chileno (you have to pay a nominal fee to use them if you’re not staying there) and for the shuttle from Laguna Amarga. Everywhere else accepts credit cards.
4. Gallon baggies and baggies
There’s a few places sprinkled around the national park where you can throw out trash, but I’d come prepared to pack out whatever waste you generate along the trail.
For hikers that are bringing their own camping gear
1. Tent
2. Tent anchor pegs
Several of the campsites have tent sites that are on raised wooden platforms, so you won’t be able to use the stakes that come with your tent.
3. Sleeping pad
I’d recommend using one that has an R-value of 4.0 or higher.
4. Sleeping bag
It should be rated to at least 5° Celsius or lower.
5. Camping pillow
Insider tip: If you can’t bring your own camping gear from home, there’s plenty of outfitters in the nearby town of Puerto Natales, Chile, where you can rent gear for decent-ish prices. If you go this route, I’d suggest building in at least a day in Puerto Natales into your Patagonia itinerary before you start the W Trek so you can shop around and find decent gear at a pricepoint that you’re comfortable with.
For hikers that are bringing their own food
1. Lightweight, dehydrated meals
It’s hard to find dehydrated backpacking meals from the nearby town of Puerto Natales, Chile, other than ramen. Accordingly, even if you’re planning on renting gear for the W Trek, I’d strongly recommend bringing some dehydrated meals from home, like this option or this option.
Generally speaking, you’ll need enough food for five days on the trail, but you may want to consider supplementing some of your meals with dishes that you can order a la carte from the refugios. Justin and I found that the meal plans at the refugios were WAY outside of our budget, but we could treat ourselves to an a la carte dinner here or there at their restaurants for not that much money (e.g., a pizza that fed both of us and two beers was around $25 at Refugio Grey!).
2. Instant coffee
3. Cookware
We use this cookset, which comes with a deep pot and two plastic cups.
4. Lightweight camping sporks
Insider tip: All of the refugios, but for Refugio Grey, have a hot water dispenser that you can use for cooking your dehydrated meals.
Accordingly, unless you need to heat up something other than hot water to cook while on the W Trek, I don’t really think it’s necessary to bring along your burner, gas canister, and lighter (I'd suggest either bringing food that doesn't require hot water for your time at Refugio Grey or treat yourself by buying some pizza at its bar!). If you do bring these, please note that they’re only allowed in authorized areas of campgrounds to reduce wildfire risk.
There you have it—everything you need to pack for the W Trek! Do you have any questions about what to bring for this epic adventure? Let us know in the comments below!
