Curating your gear list for the Tour du Mont Blanc is one of the most important pieces of prep work you’ll do. Carefully considering what to bring and what to leave behind is time well spent to ensure you aren’t lugging a huge pack over every col on the route, while also having the comforts needed to enjoy your time on the trail.
Gear lists are highly personal, with varying opinions between hikers. Many will prefer an ultralight set up where they look to optimize every ounce, while others keep an eye towards a more comfortable experience with a few luxury items thrown in their rucksack for good measure.
We tend to take a middle ground approach and recommend you focus on limiting the overall weight of your pack while not being afraid to bring a few nice-to-have items. We’ll walk through our recommendations for gear, what to bring, and what to leave at home below.
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Tour du Mont Blanc Gear Essentials
Every hiker on the TMB will have a base kit that contains the absolute essentials for their hike. Think of this as your building blocks for hiking the trail. All of these items are essential, and they are worth making sure you have gear of the highest quality as they are the backbone of your set up.
Backpack & Trail Gear
Starting off our TMB gear list we’ll focus on basic trail gear. This includes things like your backpack, basic clothing, first-aid supplies, and other essentials that every hiker should bring.
Check out the full list below as well as some recommendations on key pieces of equipment. We’ve added links to specific products that we use/recommend.
Backpack with rain cover
Trekking poles
Dry bags (optional)
Gaiters (optional)
Microspikes (recommended for early season)
Backpack
We generally recommend a pack size of 20L – 40L for most hikers who are staying in hotels/refuges. If you’re camping along the route, plan on 40L – 60L to accommodate your additional gear.
A hiking specific backpack is a must, and most importantly it should be a pack you have used prior to starting the TMB. The last thing you want is to show up with a brand new pack to find out the fit isn’t quite right!
You’ll also want to be sure your backpack is either waterproof or has a good rain cover that you can quickly and easily pop on in case of a sudden downpour. Many backpacks now come with these pack covers included, but if yours doesn’t we like the covers made by Sea to Summit.
Water bottle/filter
We recommend that most hikers carry at least a 1.5 L water bottle or hydration bladder with them. Fill it up in the morning before you set out and then always drink some and refill anytime you come to a water source.
A more controversial topic among TMB hikers is whether or not to bring a water filter. To be clear, you absolutely do not need to bring one if you don’t want to, but we always hike with one personally.
There are plenty of clean drinking water sources on the TMB so if you are diligent and don’t plan to fill up from streams, you’ll be fine without. However, given the amount of livestock on and near the trail, if you plan to drink from any source that you aren’t 100% sure about, a filter is a must.
Personally, we hike with HydraPak 1.5L bladder that has an integrated filter. It is just as easy to drink from as a normal water bottle, but we never have to worry about where we filled up as we always know it will be filtered.
Trekking Poles
Depending on who you ask, trekking poles are either an unnecessary extra or an essential piece of trekking equipment for the Tour du Mont Blanc. We tend land on the essential piece of equipment side of the debate, especially on a longer hike like the TMB.
The main advantage to trekking poles is the added stability on the downhill sections of the trail, although they do also provide some additional leverage on the uphill section. Many hikers will say they take more energy to hike with uphill, which may be true, but we find that you can get into a nice climbing rhythm when using trekking poles.
Flying with trekking poles
Most airlines will not allow you to bring your trekking poles as a carry on item. This poses some risk, especially if you were not planning on checking your luggage to begin with. A lost bag can have a big impact to your trip, so if you can avoid having to check a bag, we highly recommend it.
The solution to the issue is to then buy or borrow a pair of trekking poles prior to your hike. There are ample outdoor stores in Chamonix that will gladly sell you a pair, with the Decathlon store being a favorite for budget minded hikers.
Alternatively, there are often other hikers who will gladly leave you their pair when they are dong with their trek. Check out the various TMB Facebook Groups to coordinate a swap.
Microspikes
If you’re hiking the TMB during the month of June, you may want to consider brining a pair of microspikes depending on conditions. You are likely to encounter snow on at least a few sections of trail, especially on the stage between Les Contamines and Les Chapieux, the ascent to Grand Col Ferret, and a few other tricky spots.
While the slope is generally manageable, we like the added comfort from hiking in microspikes or yaktrax on these sections. Not only will it make the hiking easier as you’ll have more grip, you’ll also be more confident when stopping that you won’t slip back down the slope!
Everything you need to plan your TMB
“I used the TMB Trek Planner and found it incredibly helpful for planning my hike! Before, I had been planning with a combo of AllTrails and guidebooks, but given all the options for doing the TMB, I found it hard to visualize all of them together.
The trek planner was super intuitive and allowed me to make a route with a mix of different routes (main trail, variants, public transit) that I could export to whatever routing app I wanted to use.” – Anna
Use our interactive trip planner to create your perfect itinerary, compare routes, incorporate transit, export custom GPS files, and access detailed resources for planning your trek.
Clothing
Your clothing selections for the Tour du Mont Blanc should be flexible and fit in layers to provide options for the ever changing weather conditions in the Alps. Over the course of your trek you will inevitably experience radiant sun, some rain, wind, and cold temperatures.
To prepare for these conditions, we recommend thinking through different combinations of clothing items that can be worn in different circumstances so you get the most versatility out of your clothes.
Check out our list of recommended clothing below along with some additional details to consider when packing:
Merino wool socks
Hiking boots or trail running shoes
Shoes for refuges (hiking sandals, crocs, etc.)
Underwear
Hiking pants/leggings
Hiking shorts
Rain jacket
Base layers
Short-sleeve shirt
Long-sleeve shirt
Thermal underwear
Down jacket
Sun Hoodie
Sunglasses
Buff or bandana
Hat for hiking
Gloves
Warm hat
FREE TMB Gear List!
Sign-up to get your FREE TMB Gear List. This printable gear list + packing essentials guide is the perfect place to start planning.
Layering on the Tour du Mont Blanc
The most important piece of advice we can offer when determining what clothes to bring on the trail is to make sure each item is versatile and can be layered. That means any given piece of clothing can easily be worn either under or over another piece to keep you comfortable through changing conditions.
A good set of layered clothing includes a merino wool base layer consisting of a shirt that can be worn on its own in warm conditions, or added to when its cold out. From there, a good down puffy jacket adds a layer of warmth, with a rain jacket or waterproof shell that fits over everything a good option if things get really frigid.
In addition, we really like hiking in lightweight sun hoodies on hikes like the TMB. These provide excellent protection for long days in the sun without adding too much warmth. You’ll find a number of good options from major outdoor brands, but we like ones with at least UPF 50+ protection and a good hood that fits over your hiking hat.
Believe it or not, the two photos below were taken on the same July day on the TMB. The first is hiking through morning snow on the Grand Col Ferret while the second is later that same afternoon under a sweltering sun nearing Champex.
Footwear and socks
Taking care of your feet on a multi-day hike is of critical importance. You want to avoid blisters and keep your feet comfortable.
You’ll see varying advice on what types of shoes, boots, etc. you should be hiking in. Our personal preference is a lightweight trail runner, but you may prefer heavier boots with lots of ankle support.
The critical thing with footwear is to go with something you’ve broken in and ideally have some experience walking multiple days in a row wearing. You want to avoid trying out new footwear on the TMB!
For socks, we are huge fans of merino wool hiking socks. We tend to avoid any blister issues with merino wool and wear them on all our hikes. We are huge fans of Darn Tough brand in the US, but there are many reputable brands in Europe as well.
Finally, always pack a good blister care kit, we personally use Compeed. Even a small blister can have huge negative impacts on your TMB experience, so come prepared to treat them as soon as you feel a hot spot forming!
Personal Gear
For personal gear on the TMB you’ll want to focus on essentials for sleeping in the refuges as well as some items that will make your trek a bit more comfortable. The refuges will require you to bring or rent a sleep sheet, and we recommend having your own for convenience and sanitation.
In addition, we highly recommend you bring ear plugs and an eye mask for sleeping in the refuges. When your snoring neighbor keeps turning on their headlamp to go to the bathroom you’ll be glad you brought them!
Check out our full list of recommended personal items below:
Sleeping bag liner for refuges
Travel towel
Ear plugs
Sleeping mask
Travel adapter
Hand sanitizer
Basic hiking first-aid kit
Blister treatment kit/Compeed
Extra plastic bags (good for trash, organizing charging cords, etc.)
Guidebook
Sunscreen
Lip balm
Personal toiletries
Sleeping in the Refuges
You will find varying sleeping conditions in the different refuges along the TMB. However, most will consist of communal sleeping quarters with shared bathrooms.
To make you stay more comfortable, we recommend bringing the following:
Sleep sheet (required)
Eye Mask
Comfortable base layer
Ear Plugs
Electronics
Many hikers will start the TMB equipped with an impressive amount of electronics: smart watches, cameras, cell phones, and more. While we tend to err on the side of less is more, we certainly understand the value some of these gadgets can add.
We especially recommend bringing some sort of GPS device to help you navigate. This can be your phone with an app such as Gaia GPS, or a full blown hiking specific GPS device.
Either way, you’ll also want to bring a battery backup. The refuges do allow charging, but it is best to not rely on them as it can get quite busy around the outlets in the afternoons.
Here are a few suggestions for what electronics to bring on the TMB:
Battery backup
Phone
GPS device (optional, can also use your phone)
Travel adapter
Camera
Navigating using GPS
We highly recommend that all hikers on the Tour du Mont Blanc trails utilize some sort of GPS device to assist with navigation. Although the TMB is well marked, bad weather, snow, and a confusing trail junction can all make it easy to get off course on your hike.
With a GPS app on your phone or dedicated GPS device and a .gpx file for the route you’ll be able to confidently navigate while on the trail, even without cell phone service.
TMB Trek Planner customers can export their own custom GPS file with door-to-door routing for their exact itinerary.
Navigating on the TMB
Using a GPS app on your phone is the best way to navigate on the Tour du Mont Blanc. It is an easy and inexpensive option that allows you to see your location and view a detailed map of the route.
Camping Specific Gear
If you’re camping on the Tour du Mont Blanc (which we highly recommend considering!) you’ll of course need to bring some extra equipment. This includes your tent as well as some additional sleep system gear, including a sleeping bag and sleeping pad.
Campers can typically get by without bringing a full fledged cooking set-up by getting some meals at refuges (be sure to inquire early and don’t rely on it) or by packing some food from shops along the way. However, we do recommend bringing a small portable camp stove and basic cook set just in case you need it.
Stove fuel is easily found at outdoor shops in Chamonix and Courmayeur along with a few of the larger campgrounds on the route.
Additional gear campers should consider include:
Tent
Sleeping bag
Sleeping pad
Pillow
Camp stove and fuel
Cooking equipment (pot, pan, etc.)
Utensil
Plate/Bowl
Mug
Tents, Sleeping Bags, and More
You won’t want to skimp on quality when selecting a tent for the Tour du Mont Blanc. Since this will be your home for 10+ days, you’ll want something high-quality that is easy to set-up, durable, and lightweight.
We recommend a three season tent; either a freestanding or semi-freestanding tent tends to work well for the conditions on the TMB.
Most of the campgrounds will have grassy pitches, but if you plan on doing any wild camping you’ll want to have a tent that is easily set-up on rocky surfaces. We also recommend bringing durable tent stakes, along with a few extras, so that you can make sure your tent is properly secured.
As for a sleep set-up you should be prepared for temperatures that may dip to freezing. A 0 degree celcius sleeping bag is typically more than warm enough for the TMB.
Summary & What’s Next?
Assembling a carefully curated gear list for the Tour du Mont Blanc will go a long way towards ensuring a successful trip. We recommend focusing on layered clothing options and a few high-quality pieces of gear.
Remember, you’ll be carrying every item you bring along the entire trek – so pack carefully!
TMB Gear List: Key Takeaways
Pack light and only bring the essentials.
For clothing, think in layers.
Bring a few items to make sleeping in the refuges more comfortable.
Now that you have a good sense of what you’ll be packing for your trek, check out these additional resources to help you prepare:
Costs & Budgeting for the TMB
Thinking about how much money you’ll need to carry on the trip? Or not sure if you’ll need Euros and Swiss Francs?
Our cost and budgeting guide has answers to these questions and more!
Supplies, Weather & Safety
Learn how to be prepared while hiking the TMB.
This is the on-trail guide you’ve been looking for!
Navigating on the Tour du Mont Blanc
Get our top tips for navigating on the trail and learn how we use GPS apps on our phones to never get lost.
Hello! Can I take a tent on as cabin luggage, or is it a security risk? Therefore should I plan to put everything in the hold of the plane?
Thanks .
Hi! Typically the tent poles and stakes are not allowed in cabin luggage. We’d recommend checking a bag if you are able.