Toubkal Kit List

A Toubkal Kit List or Toubkal Packing List is a list of items to pack for a hike up Mount Toubkal, the highest mountain in North Africa.

When people go hiking, they need to bring certain items with them to stay safe and comfortable. These items can include clothing, gear, food, water, and other essentials. That’s what mean Toubkal Kit List

A packing list is a helpful way to make sure you have everything you need before you go on your hike. It can also help you to avoid bringing unnecessary items that will just weigh you down.

Hike Mount Toubkal, North Africa’s highest peak, with our comprehensive packing list

The Toubkal Packing List is a specific list of items that are recommended for hiking Mount Toubkal. This list takes into account the unique challenges of hiking in this particular mountain range, such as the high altitude and the cold temperatures.

The following description of clothing and equipment for Toubkal is based on years of experience and will suffice for virtually all trekkers attempting to climb Toubkal with us. However, we would strongly recommend that you avoid buying your Toubkal kit at the last minute and that you aim to spend a weekend in the hills testing your gear before flying out to climb with us.

Buying Clothing and Equipment

Please read reviews before opting for an alternative to what we suggest on our PDF Packing List, as while some lower-cost alternatives may be entirely acceptable, you may also be considering an item of substantially inferior or inadequate quality. If you’re in any doubt, simply send a link to the product via WhatsApp to us and ask our opinion on a specific item that you’re thinking of buying.

Kit Hire

Before you spend what could become quite a significant sum, there are items on the equipment checklist that you are able to hire from local shops in the area. They usually have crampons, hiking boots, jackets, walking poles, and a few other things. 

Recommended Clothing & Equipment

Baggage and Sleeping Kit

• Large holdall, 70-90 litres capacity (for kit carried by porter)
• Day sack, 25–45 litres (for personal use on mountain; ready-access items)
• Sleeping bag (-10°C / 14°F “comfort” rating, or colder)
• Waterproof rucksack liner or heavy duty plastic sack
• Elasticated waterproof rucksack cover – not strictly necessary, but advised
• NB: sleeping mattresses are not required as we provide these for you.

Clothing for Climbing Toubkal

• Sweat-wicking T-shirts / vests
• Fleece (Polartec 300 grading or similar)
• Insulated down jacket or similar
• Down mittens or similar
• Lightweight gloves for non-summit days
• Thermal Long-Johns or compression tights for summit night
• Lightweight walking trousers (avoid jeans or heavy cotton as they chafe and dry slowly)
• Underwear (lycra shorts and / or briefs are usually better than boxer shorts which gather and chafe)
• Very good quality hiking socks and thin liner socks. (We advise that socks should be at least a size too small otherwise they stretch and bunch causing blisters)
• Breathable lightweight waterproofs (jacket and trousers).
• Waterproof walking boots, sturdy and worn-in. A Gore-Tex membrane or similar is advised. While Alpine or C3 boots are not required for Toubkal it is important that your boots have good ankle and arch support and good deep read patterns.
• Calf gaiter
• Balaclava
• Goretex Mountain Cap or Woollen Hat
• Wide brimmed sun hat to protect face, ears and neck

Hygiene Related Gear for Use on Toubkal

• Toothbrush & toothpaste
• Lightweight travel towel
• Deodorant
• Flat packed Wet Ones, travel wipes, or similar, for personal hygiene on the mountain.
• Kleenex tissues in plastic travel pouches or toilet paper
• Hairbrush / comb
• Sanitary products
• Lip salve with UV protection
• Vaseline, to prevent chafing skin and heel friction blisters

Health Related Items for Toubkal

• Malaria Tablets (if you choose to take these. Most will seek advice from their GP. Note that some anti-malarial courses need to commence several weeks before departure)
• Factor 30+ sun cream
• Sun barrier cream white / blue for nose and ears

Documents Needed When Travelling to Toubkal

• Passport (with additional 6 months’ validity after proposed expedition return date)
• Moroccan Entry Visa.
• Air Travel Documents
• Cash in MAD dollars in denominations of $10 and $20 and $1 (tipping allowance and local purchases, taxis, meals, etc)
• Credit Card (recommended for eventualities only)
• Travel Insurance Documents
• Vaccination Certificates

Other Things Recommended to be Carried When Climbing Toubkal

• Energy gels for summit night
• Optional but recommended: Mountain Fuel (inter-meal energy supplements and recovery drinks)
• Compact digital camera (the Canon G7X is used by our founder) and spare memory cards
• Sunglasses with UV-filter lenses
• High energy snacks (Cereal bars, dried fruit and nuts)
• Spare contact lenses and fluid, if worn
• Watch – ideally, with GPS features to track your route for later analysis.
• Head torch with spare batteries and bulb for summit night & tent admin
• Water Bottles & Camelbak. Your total water carrying capacity should be 3 litres
• Optional but recommended: Nuun hydration aids (portable electrolyte replacement tablets)
• Water purification tablets / Iodine drops
• Ear Plugs and blindfold (to aid sleep on afternoon before summit night)
• Plastic bags (for dirty washing, wrappings, etc.)
• Telescopic walking poles optional
• Mobile phone. There is signal reception on most parts of the mountain. It is a good idea to unlock your phone before you come out so that a local sim card can be used.
• Optional but recommended: a good, strong, thermally efficient Blizzard 3 Layer Survival Bag. We recommend all climbers consider possessing one of these when navigating on the hills at home, especially when training alone or in small groups while preparing for Toubkal. Additionally, on Toubkal, perhaps 10 – 15% of climbers complain to their guides of being cold in their sleeping bags, despite using a bag that is rated for minus 20 degrees C or lower. This is because the body generates less heat when there is relatively little oxygen available. Having one of these bags will reflect much of that precious heat back to where it’s needed.

Personal Small First Aid Kit to be Carried by Each Climber on Toubkal

• Pain Killers (Ibuprofen)
• Diamox (Acetazolamide) if you choose to use this.
• Paracetamol
• Zinc oxide tape and small scissors.
• Compeed Blister Pad
• Loperamide Diahorrea Tablets
• Any medication you normally use
• Loperamide Dioralyte sachets or similar rehydration packs.

Note that your guide will carry a more comprehensive medical kit containing additional Acetazolamide, Ibuprofen, Anti-inflammatory gel, bandages, Loperamide, Amoxycilin, Oral Dexamethasone, and several other items.

We will carry an emergency oxygen canister if requested, but this is not normally advised unless opting for an Excel Series climb. Where a climber has specific health concerns that they or their doctor anticipate being exacerbated by exposure to high altitude, or if he has a history of heart disease in the family, we would advise that he request that we carry emergency oxygen.