For our first “married Christmas” we spent the holidays hiking our way to Machu Picchu. We started on Christmas day, and got to Machu Picchu on New Years Eve. It was amazing.
What I was NOT stoked about was having to shop (which I hate!) for clothes for something I had zero experience with (hiking trip through Peru during the Wet Season?).
Luckily I had three things on my side…
- Mike’s already gone once to Machu Picchu in winter, so it’s nice that he has some ideas of what we were in for.
- A handy Machu Picchu packing list supplied by the company we used.
- My Athleta obsession.
Yup, I decided to manage my shopping anxiety by just sticking to one site, and in the end, I felt pretty great about it.
Clothes from my Machu Picchu packing list:
Since I am of the female varietal, and obsessed with athleisure wear, I took this packing list as an excuse to purchase a lot of things from Athleta. Check out my finds…
Broken-in hiking boots AND waterproof boots
As “sneakers are not suitable” I had to buy actual hiking boots, and since they also put “waterproof boots” on the list, I thought I’d combine the two. Athleta used to have these shoes listed on their site, but I guess they sold out. (You can see them in a lot of their photoshoots.) Amazon has them though, and they’re awesome!
Although they didn’t fit me all that well, so I ended up getting these instead and they were more comfortable, but not as waterproof as I wanted.
Rain jacket
Okay, here’s where I was already prepared and strayed from Athleta: I have a waterproof jacket from Marmot already — It’s super thin, lightweight, and packable, and saved me during many a light rain.
Rain pants AND Lightweight hiking pants (recommended)
But I didn’t have waterproof pants! So I decided to once again combine two list items into one: The Wander Utility Pant. According to Athleta these pants do all this:
- ABRASION-RESISTANT. Resists nicks, tears and scrapes from errant branches and scrambling over rocks.
- WATER-RESISTANT. Sleek outer fabric wards off unexpected light rain
- PACKABLE. Packs down small in your bag (and comes out smooth as can be)
It did, indeed do all those things. Although, a couple of times during heavier rains and muddy treks, I broke out more industrial kind of rain pant.
Fast-wicking and quick to dry top and bottom base layers
My favorite purchases by far have been these fast-wicking base layers:
I absolutely lived in this shirt because it’s:
- UNSTINKABLE. Odor-controlling yarns.
- SEAMLESS. Beyond-soft, chafe-free fabric stretches with your every move
- WICKING. Pulls sweat away from the body so it can evaporate faster
- BREATHABLE. Sweat can travel through the fabric so it can evaporate on the surface
- IT FEELS: Lightweight, unbelievably comfortable
- RATED UPF 50+ (Excellent Protection)
I snagged this one on sale, and it’s also:
- UNSTINKABLE. Wear it more. Wash it less.
Natural silver salts give the fabric antimicrobial protection that lasts wash after wash - WICKING. Pulls sweat away from the body so it can evaporate faster
- BREATHABLE. Sweat can travel through the fabric so it can evaporate on the surface
- IT FEELS: Lightweight, super sleek, stretchy
- RATED UPF 50+ (Excellent Protection)
Here’s a less tight wicking layer, the Power Up Long Sleeve (in my favorite color of theirs: Abyss) was good for warmer days. It is also:
- UNSTINKABLE. Odor-controlling technology
- Natural silver salts give the fabric antimicrobial protection that lasts wash after wash
- WICKING. Pulls sweat away from the body so it can evaporate faster
- BREATHABLE. Sweat can travel through the fabric so it can evaporate on the surface
- IT FEELS: lightweight, ultra-sleek
- RATED UPF 50+ (Excellent Protection)
Long-sleeve fleece/sweater
As a Los Angeleno I don’t have many fleece things, so I was stoked to buy this perfect cozy fleece sweater at Athleta! It was only ever used for hanging out during the cold nights. And I swear, I wore this sweater EVERY. SINGLE. NIGHT.
I literally forgot to bring this with me, and I was bummed about it. There were many times when I didn’t want a puffy jacket, and just needed a thin flannel layer. This would have been awesome.
Cold-weather jacket
I love this jacket because it’s super-warm but also lightweight, and it’s water-repellant. But the fur hood makes me happy. Although, I didn’t actually bring it on the trek — I mostly just wore it in Cusco.
Instead when I needed even more warmth I threw on this:
Puffy vest
I wore this puffy vest just about every single day. It was probably my most important layer because it was super light, packs away really small, and it was water resistant.
Day pack
The Everyday Convertible Handbag had me at this review:
“I bought this backpack for a trip to Peru. I needed a nice travel purse as well as a backpack. This worked great for both, and saved me so much room. It held everything I needed, and was so comfortable…..even hiking Machu Picchu!”
Although it looks like that’s discontinued and this is the new model that’s two bags in one!
Extras:
Comfortable shoes/flip-flops — I rarely wore mine, except for running too and from a jacuzzi.
Woolen hat — I wore mine a lot
Baseball cap or sombrero — I wore mine not at all
Buff or bandana
Binoculars
Headlamp
Sunglasses
Comfortable hiking socks (at least 4 pairs) — I ended up having to wear two at a time.
Sunscreen
Insect repellant
Bathing suit
Gloves — make sure they are waterproof. Cold wet fingers hurt.
Photo/video cameras and chargers
Trekking poles
Refillable water bottle
Other things to bring to Machu Picchu
Diamox for altitude sickness
Printed Flight Itineraries
Toiletries
Vitamins
Passport
World adapter
First aid kit
If anyone else has been to Machu Picchu, we’d love to hear from you — what were your favorite Machu Picchu packing list items?
