Hi fellow hiker,

Dealing with packing and baggage can be tricky on any trip, least of all on a multi-day trek. You may be asking yourself, "What jacket should I bring?", "Is my backpack big enough?", "How will my bags get from A to B?", and "Do I really need that selfie stick?" In this email we'll try to answer some of those questions and alleviate any concerns you might have.

Best regards,

Pygmy Elephant

The items in your backpack (30–50 liters recommended) will generally fall into six categories: documents, clothing, accessories, hygiene, emergency gear, and food. Following is a small selection of what we recommend you bring.

Documents: This includes your passport and/or visa, cash in euros, guidebook and maps, and proof of your travel insurance, which we require for all hikers. More on this in a future email.

⚠️ Click here to see if you need a Schengen visa.

Clothing: At the very least you should have broken-in hiking boots, hiking pants or shorts, non-cotton base layers, a waterproof and breathable jacket, and synthetic hiking socks.  Weather conditions on the trail vary significantly, so pack layers that you can easily add or remove as needed.

Accessories: Items in this category might include sunglasses, hiking poles, flip-flops, hat, head lamp, and a towel. 

Hygiene: Sunscreen, toothbrush and toothpaste, shampoo and soap, blister plaster, and earplugs. These items are small and must-haves.

Emergency gear: The Alta Via 1 is safe, but you still might want a personal locator beacon, a whistle, a first aid kit, or a space blanket. 

Food: In addition to your lunch, you might want chocolate, trail mix, sausage or cheese, fruit, or energy bars in your backpack.

Check out our full packing guide linked below.

Our partner Taxi Cortina Sci does a fantastic job every year of delivering hundreds of bags to hotels and huts in the eastern Dolomites region. Many, but not all, of the huts on the Alta Via 1 are reachable by baggage transfer service, which means you can hike light and still have access to all of your gear.

This is an optional service. If you have added baggage transfers to your itinerary, read the important guidelines for this service below.

• Have your bags packed and ready to be picked up by 7:30 AM.
• Taxi Cortina Sci will place their own tags on your bags. However, we recommend you also tag your bag, just to be safe.
• Limit your bag weight to no more than 10kg (22 lbs).
• Bags must be soft-sided. Hard-shell and wheeled bags are not allowed.
• Bags may not contain valuable items, drinks or food, or medication.

Your bag will typically be delivered to your night's accommodation by 4:00 PM. This can sometimes take longer, depending on traffic and the workload that day.

If you have extra luggage, we can store it for you at a charge per unit, per day. Please let us know if you are interested in baggage storage.

LOCATIONS WITHOUT ROAD ACCESS

Important: Some mountain huts cannot receive baggage transfers. In this case, your baggage will be transferred to your accommodation for the following night. If you are staying in any of the following mountain huts, you will need to bring toiletries and a change of clothes for the next day.

• Rifugio Sennes
• Rifugio Fanes
• Rifugio Nuvolau
• Rifugio Coldai
• Rifugio Tissi

• Rifugio Vazzoler
• Rifugio Pramperet
• Rifugio Carestiato
• Rifugio Pian de Fontana
• Rifugio 7° Alpini

For inquiries regarding your specific itinerary, please contact your group leader or key travel builder. If you have any questions about the content of this email, feel free to reply here.