You can rent most of the bulky trekking kit you need in Skardu, and to a lesser extent in Karimabad and Aliabad in Hunza, rather than carrying it from home or buying new. Tents, sleeping bags, down jackets and technical items like crampons and ice axes for routes such as Gondogoro La are all available for hire from shops and agencies in both towns.
What you should not count on renting is anything that needs to fit well and work hard every day: boots above all, and ideally your own sleeping bag if you feel the cold.
| At a glance | |
|---|---|
| Where | Skardu bazaar (several shops); Karimabad and Aliabad in Hunza (fewer, smaller) |
| Commonly for hire | Tents, sleeping bags, down jackets, trekking poles, technical gear for glacier routes |
| Rarely a good rental | Hiking boots, base layers, anything worn against skin |
| Best arranged | Through your trekking agency alongside porters and permits |
| Check before paying | Zips, seams, down loft, and that everything is actually clean |
What can you rent?
Skardu has the wider choice, since it is the departure point for the Baltoro treks and K2 base camp. Shops in the main bazaar, including established mountaineering equipment stores, rent tents, sleeping bags rated for cold nights, down jackets, trekking poles and, for technical routes like Gondogoro La, crampons, ice axes and climbing harnesses.
Hunza has a smaller rental scene, concentrated in Karimabad and Aliabad, mostly covering general trekking basics such as jackets, sleeping bags and poles for routes like Rakaposhi base camp or Rush Lake, rather than technical glacier gear.
In both places, gear for hire tends to serve whichever treks are popular nearby, so a shop in Skardu is better stocked for Baltoro-style routes, and a Hunza rental is better matched to the valley's own treks.
What is worth renting versus bringing your own
Bulky, expensive items that you will not use again soon are the obvious candidates for renting: a four-season tent, a proper cold-weather sleeping bag, or crampons and an ice axe for a single technical crossing. These are also the items where local rental shops tend to hold decent stock, because trekking agencies and expeditions rent the same kit season after season.
Boots are the exception. Rented boots rarely fit as well as your own, and a boot that rubs on day one of a multi-day trek is a bigger problem than almost anything else on the packing list. Bring your own boots, already broken in, even if you rent everything else. The same goes for base layers, socks and anything worn directly against the skin.
Checking quality before you commit
Rental condition varies a great deal between shops and between individual items, so check what you're given rather than assuming it matches what was described:
- Open a sleeping bag fully and check the down has not clumped or gone flat in patches, which means it has lost warmth
- Pitch or at least fully unroll a tent to check zips, poles and that the fly is not torn
- Check crampons and an ice axe are the right size for your boots and have no visible rust or damage to the points
- Ask when the item was last used and, if possible, by whom, since agencies that rent their own expedition stock tend to look after it better than a shop renting anything to anyone
If you are trekking with an agency, ask whether gear is included or hired separately; many operators include tents and cooking equipment in a trek package and only charge extra for personal items like sleeping bags.
Prices
Rental prices are set by individual shops and change from season to season, so ask locally rather than budgeting from an old figure online. As a rule, technical items for glacier routes cost more per day than basic camping gear, and multi-day discounts are common for a full trek rather than a single night.
Arranging it through your trek
For anything beyond a short walk, it is usually simplest to let your trekking agency arrange gear alongside porters and permits, since they already know current rental stock and condition in Skardu. Our guide to hiring guides and porters in Gilgit-Baltistan covers how that side of a trek is put together, and our trekking permit guide covers the paperwork that often gets bundled in with the same booking.
Frequently asked questions
Can I rent all my trekking gear in Skardu?
Most of it. Tents, sleeping bags, down jackets and technical items for glacier routes are commonly available, though quality varies by shop. Boots are the one item worth bringing from home.
Is gear rental available in Hunza too?
Yes, in Karimabad and Aliabad, though the choice is smaller and mostly covers general trekking kit rather than technical mountaineering gear.
How much does it cost to rent trekking gear?
Prices vary by shop and season. Ask locally or through your trekking agency for current rates rather than relying on an old figure.
Should I bring my own sleeping bag?
If you feel the cold easily, yes. Rental sleeping bags vary in condition, and a bag with flattened or clumped down will not keep you as warm as the rating suggests.
Is it cheaper to rent gear through a trekking agency or a shop directly?
It depends on the operator. Some agencies include basic gear like tents in the trek price and charge extra only for personal items, which can work out cheaper than renting everything separately from a shop.
