I had so many questions prior to starting the Annapurna Circuit trek that I bombarded my poor friends for days with endless inquiries about “what if”s and “but what about”s.
Having just finished the trek, I figured it best to jot down every question I had and the answers that made themselves quite clear as the trek progressed. For anyone considering trekking the Annapurna Circuit (or Base Camp/Sanctuary), the following questions and answers should help you along.
When should I go?
The most popular months are September and October with the second highest season taking place in March and April. In the winter months the pass can sometimes be snowed in and in the summer monsoon rains are common.
I personally hiked at the end of April/beginning of May and found it to be perfect weather on the circuit and rainy weather on the base camp trek.
Do I need to book ahead?
About half of the people who hike the Annapurna circuit and sanctuary treks appeared to have a guide and porter, or one of the two. The cost is typically $16+/day for each and can easily be booked in person once in Kathmandu or Pokhara at any of the many agencies or at your guest house. Booking ahead online can turn out to be more expensive and really isn’t necessary.
That said, the trails are clearly marked, accommodation is easy to find, and since you don’t need camping gear, it’s possible to carry one’s own belongings easily enough. I elected not to hire a porter nor a guide. I feared a guide might make too many decisions for me and limit my freedom. Another blogger also wrote a rant about the low level of professionalism, steering me further away.
The NATT guide was a great help and a great free resource I’d recommend printing and bridging along if you plan to go it alone.
Plenty of locals along the trail asked if I had a guide or porter, reacting with obvious disappointment when I said that I did not. I felt badly for most porters, completely laden with incredibly heavy packs, but the locals don’t see it that way – to hire a porter or guide is to provide him with a well-paying job. I was a little torn on this but did buy handicrafts from local women, bought plenty of provisions on the trek, and ate my meals at the teahouses rather than bringing in my own food. I figured this at least helped bring money into the area in some small way.
How physically fit do I need to be?
Trekking the Annapurna circuit can be made longer and more difficult or shorter and easier, depending on your timetable and interest level in the higher and steeper side treks.
If possible, doing some trekking and spending time in higher altitudes prior to beginning is quite beneficial. Trying a trek for a few days prior to know what you’re capable of – how far you can go each day, what parts of the body hurt and might need more support, and how much weight you can handle carrying – can only help.
Most of all, the important thing to remember apart from being injury-free is to have a positive attitude and to honor one’s body. Don’t push it to the point that you feel defeated or start saying things like “can’t” to yourself. Your pace is good enough and it’s not a competition.
Tips: When you’re hungry, eat something, when you’re thirsty stop and drink water. Never underestimate how much a 30-second to two-minute break can help. If you need rest, take a brief one and then keep going.
What is accommodation like?
The Annapurna circuit and base camp treks are teahouse treks, meaning that there are guesthouses along the way that provide basic accommodation to trekkers (the accommodation becoming more basic as altitude increases) for a very low rate – usually free or just 100 NRP (about $1 USD) per person – with the intention that the trekkers will eat all of their meals at the guesthouse they stay in.
The teahouses gain their money from the food they sell at slightly higher prices than found elsewhere in Nepal rather than from the room rates. Keep this in mind when haggling on rooms.
It did bother me a bit when I saw that people brought and cooked all of their own food, yet stayed in the teahouses. I believe it’s important to buy one’s food along the trail as it lightens the load and puts money in the hands of the local people.
Tip: Most teahouses operate on solar power for showers and at the higher elevations, will charge for hot water. Most of the time the water isn’t hot but is more of a lukewarm shower. Charging electronics also becomes a paid service at higher elevations. At the lower elevations WiFi is sometimes available for a fee.
Get more free travel tips to your inbox!
What do I need to bring?
Your first major decision is whether to bring quality gear from home or to buy cheap knock offs in Kathmandu or Pokhara. I was coming from 6 months of traveling in Southeast Asia and China and simply didn’t have the gear with me, so I bought knock offs in Kathmandu. I was regretful of this almost from the beginning as a strap on my backpack broke before I even got on the bus to start the trek. It was the perfect size and fit but the quality was horrible. Throughout the two weeks I used the gear, most of it broke or fell apart in some way. The same was true for my trekking buddy who had bought her gear in Pokhara.
In the future I would definitely buy the same items but would go for the genuine ones as I’ve now learned that quality will far outlast the knock offs and are therefore cheaper in the long run:
- A good backpack: I went with a Deuter Adventure 35L in bright green. It was the perfect size and if I’d had the genuine one with quality straps, I wouldn’t have had to readjust constantly and probably would keep this bag around for all of the rest of my treks.
- The right jacket: My knock off North Face waterproof with fleece turned out not to be so waterproof, but my friends wearing genuine North Face jackets
were warm, dry, and toasty!
- Clothing: I had two thermal shirts
, summit pants, two pairs of leggings (one thin and one thick), a genuine Under Armour
quick dry shirt that I have used for years and love, a sports bra (though two would have been better), six pairs of socks and underwear, and a pair of comfy clothing to sleep and feel clean in
- Hiking gear: Few to no people attempted the trek without trekking poles
. They help take some of the stress off of your legs and knees and make steep climbs upwards and downwards much easier. A headlamp
(the link is the exact one I’ve used for two years now and think is a great product) is also necessary for night-time power outages and the sunrise trek at Poon Hill
- Footwear: I actually wore running shoes for the trek! I had worn them in the snow before and have used them on over 10 treks in the past few years. They worked great because I had broken them in, so they did not give me blisters and were comfortable. Some big drawbacks were how wet they got (though they dried next to the fire at night) and how difficult they were to remain upright in on muddy terrain. The best idea is to get genuine hiking shoes at home and to break them in before arriving (I’d suggest trying them on rather than ordering online). It’s also a great idea to bring sandals to wear after trekking to give your feet a break from the hiking shoes
- SteriPEN Water Purifier and Nalgene water bottle
: It’s possible to buy bottled water along the trail but at almost $2 per bottle at the higher altitudes and a big polluter, it doesn’t make much sense. Though there are some clean drinking water stations, they aren’t frequent enough to keep you hydrated during the whole trek. The best bet is to clean the water on the trail. I used Aquatabs, available for around $2-$3 at grocery stores in Pokhara to treat the local water. However, you must wait at least 30 minutes between treating the water and drinking it, plus the taste isn’t great. A Steripen, however, cleans the water in 30 seconds. These need to be obtained at home beforehand
- Sleeping bag: Instead of using a sleeping bag, I asked the teahouses for extra blankets. In higher seasons this would be difficult to do, and the blankets at the higher elevations are often not clean. I wished I had brought a sleeping bag, which can be easily purchased in Pokhara.
- Headwear and gloves: You can find some pretty cool and cheap knitted gloves and hats in Pokhara and along the trail. They’re made by village women and are a great way to support local handicrafts.
What about Permits?
You need two kinds of permits — the Annapurna Conservation Area Permit (ACAP) and Trekkers Information Management System (TIMS card) — which will be regularly checked on the trail. Obtain these in either Kathmandu or Pokhara prior to your trek. In Kathmandu, the office is about 15-20 minutes walking outside of Thamel. In Pokhara, it is near the tourist bus station.
The process requires 4 passport-sized photos (which can be bought anywhere near the office in both cities), proof of travel insurance (I recommend the World Nomads Adventurer option, which is what I used), a passport copy, and 4,000 NPR (about USD $40). In Pokhara, it took me less than ten minutes to obtain.
Costs
I averaged about $25/day at the higher elevations and as low as $10/day at the lower elevations, as the food was cheaper lower down.
Click here for more information on how to do the trek independently, how much time to budget, and for a suggested itinerary (plus some stunning photos!)
Thanks for mentioning my rant! While I was happy with my decision to not hire a guide every time I saw other trekkers interacting with theirs, I always regarded their porters with envy. That said, it just didn’t feel right to make someone else carry my bags, even if I did pay them (I never let anyone carry my bags to my room in hotels, either). Like you, I figured I made up any monetary loss to the local population by eating all my meals in restaurants (and eating a LOT).
Also, thanks for showing me up. I did this trek in 2011 and still haven’t finished writing about it (I’m not even up to Manang!), while you covered the whole thing plus the Basecamp trek in one post…and then wrote another post answering the major questions you had. Who knew we could help people with our blogs…
Daniel McBane recently posted…Real and Fake Leg Rowing Fishermen on Inle Lake
Haha we’ll you’ve been a bit more detailed about each individual town which made it a nice read. Thanks for the help in the planning stages, and for all of your great China posts, too!
Very useful information, Kristin! I know I’m going to be asking questions like this, in the future, so this has been very helpful!
Stephen Jones recently posted…RTW plans: Planning to do the USA and Canada by Motorcycle
Thanks, some great information here. Almost feel like getting onto a plane to Nepal but we have our eyes on Arunachal Pradesh this September…
Pratibha recently posted…Our move to India – 18 months hence
Just googled Arunachal Pradesh. WOW it looks stunning! Enjoy and thanks for making me aware of something I didn’t know about previously.
Great tips! I love hiking and I would definitely do what you’ve done here. It’s good to know there is a great variety of tea-houses and accommodation options here and I absolutely agree – a good backpack is crucial for this kind of expedition.
Agness recently posted…Visiting Düsseldorf On A Budget
And it fits within your daily budget goals!
Good post, Kristin. I did the base camp early last April, electing that time due to the Rhododendron bloom and it was stunning. The weather also co-operated the full way up and I was able to trek all three days in board shorts.
One addenda that I will add to your post: good quality gear does exist in Nepal with plenty of internationally renowned companies having stores in Kathmandu and Pokhara – there’s a huge North Face in Thamel for instance. The rest is pretty bang on though – especially the dilemma about the going without guide or porter.
Jeff McAllister recently posted…Chapter 16: False Truths. True Fictions.
I recall there were stores with good quality gear but if I’m going to spend I usually like to deal hunt online first at home. I find I get better pricing.
We found it really hard to find information about the trek too and spent a lot of time agonizing over what we should bring, whether to get a porter/guide, etc., In the end, we decided to do it ourselves and no one seemed to mind our choice to do that, probably because—like you—we spent a fair amount of money while on the trail.
We were lucky in that the shop we found to buy our gear in Pokhara turned out to be really very good—we still have some of the things we purchased and overall we were really happy with what we brought with us. EXCEPT we both regretted renting sleeping bags for the trek—they were essentially dead weight as we both found that they managed the miraculous task of actually leeching heat from our bodies, so we wound up not even using them and simply asked for extra blankets anyway. If we had bought them, we would have ditched them as they were completely useless, but since we rented them, we had to carry their extra 5-10lbs for the entire trek instead, cursing them every step of the way… So, I guess if you’re going to bring a sleeping bag, get a good one from home, since the ones you can rent from the shops (even the good ones) are utter garbage.
Steph (@ 20 Years Hence) recently posted…Why We’re Going Home, Why We Haven’t Written About It & What Comes Next
That sounds heavy! The one my friend had was pretty lightweight but she did complain about it until we got to the higher elevations at which point she was happy to have it!
Hi Kristin!
Thank you so much for your informative post! I’m actually doing the circuit on 18 June, I know it’s monsoon season but it’s the only time I’m able to go, so I’m hoping my lucky stars will follow me and it wouldn’t rain as much.
It’s actually my first time trekking so I’m rather nervous, your posts really did calm me down, thank you so much for that.
Just a quick question though, this is an impromptu trip so all I have right now is my pair of Adidas running shoes. Do you reckon it’s good enough for the trip or should I purchase a pair of hiking shoes and break them in as fast as possible?
Any help/tips is greatly greatly appreciated.
Thank you!!
Cheers,
Jovy
I just did the trek in my running shoes but I didn’t get much rain until the end at which point my feet were always soaked and in the mud, they weren’t the best. If you can get hiking shoes at home and break them in that would be best.
Awesome article great stuff!
Hello there, i am doing the EBC this sept. have you been trekking there?
Regards, Dragan
Dragan recently posted…Get to know Ouranoupoli, Mount Athos – Greece
I didn’t do that trek, but Backpacker Becki did and she wrote about it here: http://www.backpackerbecki.com/everest-base-camp-trek-facing-the-challenge-and-being-on-top-of-the-world.html
Hope it helps 🙂
Hi Kristin,
Thank you for the informative post. I have a doubt about Travel Insurance. I am from India and I would like to know if travel insurance is mandatory? As a matter fact I didn’t even know such thing exist before reading this post.
I have been to Nepal once but never carried one. However I will be doing Annapurna Circuit for the first time (without any guide or porter). It would kind of you if you can share some more information about it.
Regards,
Nihar
I heard it was mandatory but they didn’t ask for mine. So, I can’t be sure!
Hmm, OK. I will talk with some local travel agents to confirm it. Thanks for reaching me 🙂
how many days did you trek it for?
13 or 14 days but I added on the Annapurna base camp. Without that I suppose it would have been 9.
Hello, Kristin. Thank you for the great post it was very helpful for me. I am planning go to trek in mid-March 2015 and your information was exactly what I need. I am sorry for my English 🙂 I am from Russia and now traveling around the World and trying to see great places around the Globe and write some notes about it in my site. Thank you and I glad that find your wonderful site, will be read.
Pavel recently posted…5 шагов, которые позволят решиться на самостоятельное путешествие
Thanks Pavel. I was trying to be as thorough and informative as possible. Enjoy your trek!
Thanks for this wonderful post! so helpful for an upcoming trip in april… hope you are enjoying summer in south africa… I live in Durban!
Awesome! I love that part of the coast.
I will be heading to Nepal in late April this year and want to do this trek but I am wondering what to do with all of my other gear. Did you lock up your regular travel belongings somewhere or carry everything with you? Great blog, I plan to visit often!
I left them at the guesthouse I stayed at in Pokhara – the starting and endpoint of the trek.
I am not a huge trekker, but if I was going to take on one, it would be Annapurna. Everything I imagine this area of the world to be is summed up in your photos and hopefully that will be me at some point. Funny about the knockoffs, I guess sometimes you do get what you pay for.
Lindsey Abroad recently posted…Top travel books of all time
yeah I got what I paid for! Good enough for two weeks though 🙂
Wonderful information! I’ve been looking forward to this trek for over a year! Unfortunately I injured my back a few months ago and it looks like it’s not healing anytime soon. I’m not worried about walking the trek, but the weight on my back. I know you probably don’t have much experience in this area, however do you think the porter would be able to help this problem? Does the porter carry everything or about half of the gear?
Thanks for helping!
Sebrin recently posted…Raves at Sunrise: Your New Morning Coffee
Hi Sebrin, the porter can carry everything for you. They’re strong!
Hey Kristin,
I plan on trekking to Everest Base Camp in October, and would reeeally appreciate if you could answer few questions!!
1) I haven’t been able to find info about being on your cycle while trekking!! I’m not flying into Lukla, so will be trekking for 20-30 days and will definitely get it at some point. I read in one of your SE Asia posts that you recommend a Diva Cup, which I’ve always been scared of, but I suppose I should give it a go. Do you think the Diva Cup would be a manageable solution for trekking?
2) Should I bring hiking poles or buy them there?
3) I have the REI Vagabond Tour Pack, which I’ll be using for my 3+ months in SE Asia afterward, and I guess I’ll have to bring a separate trekking pack, as you gave a link for. Where did you leave your travel pack/ gear while trekking??
Sorry- lots of questions. You have great info. Thanks!
Kelly
Hi Kelly,
1) Yes, Diva Cup. Fear it not.
2) You can buy them there but they won’t be good quality.
3) I wouldn’t bring the full 35 liter pack trekking. It’ll be heavy. I left mine at the guesthouse I stayed at the nights before and that’s what pretty much everyone else did too.
Have fun!
Amazin
Marvelous trip and photo…may I know what camera are you using? I am going to Annapurna this December, and I am thinking of to bring along my DSLR Nikon D1000, but I am not sure if it is advisable. Will it be heavy? Will it able to stand the coldness and is it practical to bring since it will be a more than 5000m hike? I had a friend who brought the Nikon to a place of 3000+m and his lenses was condensed due to the cold weather outside and warm temperature indoor. I want to take very beautiful picture but I do not want to spoil my camera or worse bringing a heavy gadget that did not work. Any advice?
I brought my Nikon DLSR with me and used it for my photos. It survived (I didn’t even think about the cold impacting it). I just brought the camera I upgraded to (a sony A6000) to Iceland and also didn’t have a problem. I’d suggest insuring it and bringing it. You bought the camera so that you could use it!
I am leaving for this trip in about 3 weeks. I was wondering about vaccinations and immunizations….did you opt to get any shots before leaving? I have been told to get all of my Hepatitis shots but i don’t know if that is really necessary.
I can’t replace a doctor’s advice on this but I’d already been on the road for quite some time by then and am always up to date on Hepatitis, Tetanus, and Typhoid. You can get Hep A from contaminated food and it looks pretty nasty. It’s not that expensive of a vaccine and food on the trek is not the freshest. I went vegetarian, actually, because a lot of the food has to be trekked in. Meat. in the sun. No.
Thanks Kristin, Answered many questions before my first Trek in March/April 2016.
I was going to buy all clothing except boots over there but now I might add buying a good jacket here in Australia before hand……
Can’t wait and thanks again. Brendan
Same time of year that I went. Yeah, a good jacket would have been worth it but everything else I just had to ditch after since I didn’t have space in my bag. Quality doesn’t matter as much when it only has to last for 2 weeks.
Hi Kristin!
I am planning to do the hike this March and this is a very informative article 🙂
I was just wondering, did you bring all your belongings with you on the or did you leave some things in hotel somewhere? Did you bring a laptop?
Thank you!
I left most of my stuff at the guesthouse I stayed at in Pokhara prior to my hike. People do that all the time so they didn’t mind at all!
Hi Kristin
Thanks for your post! I’ll be heading to Annapurna in April with my two children…. We’ll see how it goes;-)
One thing I can vouch for is the SteriPen. We’ve used it all over the world from the Amazon to Cambodia and I can attest to its efficacy. Water straight from the tap/faucet is sterilized in less than a minute with the SteriPen. Just make sure to use good quality batteries.
Inge
I didn’t have one when I hiked the circuit and I really wished I had. Waiting for 30 minutes for the pills to sterilize the water is kinda rough when you’re parched! I have one now and it’s the best, plus it’s nice and small
Hi. Very nice post. I have done everest base camp trek back in 2010. I have a few questions regarding annapurna circuit .. We are planning to start on 20 April . where Should Our Starting Point Be.. We Want The whole Trek To Be completed in 9-10 days… I would’ve booked my stay in advance, but I’m gonna take my chances without booking teahouses(with fear that they might not be vacant, but still)..
You can’t really book the teahouses in advance. You should start in Pokhara with the bus and then take a jeep as far as you can go which should cut out enough days to do it in 10
Hi Kristin,
Great to read your tips on Annapurna BC , i am planning on going there early this may, can you give me tips what to bring , how difficult it is & whats needed for paying the guest house and food supply on the route. thanks
All of your questions are answered in the post!
Thank you so much for this post! We are going to Nepal to trek the Annapurna in a few weeks and this has been so helpful!
Enjoy it and let me know how it goes for you!
How about going completely solo as a woman? Does that works fairly easy?
That’s what I did and I met someone on the bus and hiked with her! There are plenty of people on the trail so you should be able to meet others
Im looking at doing this end of november start of december by myself. Ive been to Sumartra and trekked in the jungle for a few days a couple years ago and ive done the able tasman great walk in New Zealand (my home) the start of this year. My only problem is I have a fairly weak ankle. Hasn’t really played up this year. I do have a great support and proper hiking boots. Do you think this will be a big problem? Im guessing i should invest in poles. Would one be easier than two. I hate having to hold to many things. I doubt I will do base camp. As Im looking at spending time in Chitwan national park as well as im going more for the wildlife than anything.
Hey Kathryn, it’s hard for me to tell you that it’ll be fine without being a doctor or knowing your specific situation, but the good thing is you don’t have to carry a tent etc. since it’s a teahouse trek. I definitely rely on hiking poles, and I like to use two because my knees don’t like the downhills.
Hi there!! Would you reckon to buy a power charger for the mobile or best to pay to recharge? I also heard that battery may die because of the cold temperatures..
I didn’t have a portable charger back then but I do now, and it comes on every trek with me. You could possibly have the phone die if the temperatures dip below freezing. It’s happened to me before. Batteries in general don’t handle the cold very well.
You know I came here expecting to disagree with everything. The opposite is true. I’ll back you up on just about everything above! We did Ammapurna a loooong time ago 1999, this year we were trekking Everest region ( with 2 kids).
You don’t need a guide or porter, you don’t need to train,my 50 year old body did absolutely fine as did my son’s 9 year old one, you can carry a pack, you don’t need much gear.
Just do it.
We all did it in normal street clothes, and a few bits from the back streets of Kathmandu, although in Everest we stopped 2 sleeps before Base Camp as we didn’t have shoes for snow and we’d seen people get into difficulty in Annapurna crossing the Thorong La in chest deep snow,blizzards and running shoes….maybe not so smart. But up to Tangboche monastery, fine, no problem, just a dusting of snow in the morning ( in February).
Going back with boots soon, my elder son and I are going to Base Camp, but still, just walking to Tangboche was very much worth it, loads to see up there, plenty of side treks.
Simples!
Alyson recently posted…Living Differently. New Ways in Chiang Mai
Ha, well I’m glad that you agree! Now that I’ve done more treks in my boots in Patagonia I definitely feel they’re way more appropriate for this activity, mainly because they’re waterproof, but I agree you don’t need Gore-tex everything, don’t need a bunch of high-tech gear, and can go on these trails without a guide. You’d have to try to get lost, honestly.
Very cool that you took your 9-year-old. What a neat experience to have at that age, and what a sense of accomplishment for both of you!
Hi, I’m planning on doing the Annapurna Circuit in a month and your website has been extremely useful!
Just wondering, how long did the aquatabs last you? Is it the same as it is everywhere else? Would you advice me to buy it in my home country or in Nepal? Should I use a steripen instead?
Also, have you had any experience with 1. contact lens, 2. the time of the month, and 3. reliable stores to buy gear from there?
Is it crazy to not want to bring any gear of my own? I’m planning to rent poles + gaiters + boots there.
Hi Ying,
Don’t drink the water unless you sterilize it. The tabs are light so just bring a bunch. I bought all of my gear there including the sterilization tabs. The downside of them is the taste and the fact that you have to wait 30 minutes to drink the water after you’ve sterilized it. At higher elevations where there are more yaks and fewer shrubs, it’s best to put in two tabs and wait one hour, so the taste is even worse. A steripen takes a minute, so that’s the advantage.
I don’t wear contacts anymore after getting lasik so no experience, sorry! I did have that time of the month when I was hiking in Patagonia and it SUCKED. However in Nepal at least you’ll have a bed and proper bathrooms. In Patagonia I was just in the wilderness. I recommend a Diva cup instead of tampons because you won’t have to change it as often. The gear will mostly be fake knock offs and I’m not sure if you can rent it, but the poles would be really cheap to buy. Boots I’d suggest getting at home and breaking in before you go. It’s not going to feel very good wearing boots that have been broken in to fit someone else’s feet.
I’m planning on visiting Nepal soon so these tips are really helpful – particularly about the perils of buying hiking gear in Pokhara.
Amazing posts!! Im planning to do this hike around August this year. This has bee so very very helpful.
Truckload of good karma points coming your way Kristin!
JJ 🙂 🙂
Thanks JJ let me know how it goes for you!
Hi Kristin,
Was just wondering if you bothered with a down jacket in addition to the NF jacket you had? I’m trying to figure out if it’s worth buying/renting a warm waterproof jacket, or getting a down jacket and rain coat (read other people have done this). I’m already travelling with a thin hoody and a thicker hoody with a fleece lining. I’m travelling to Nepal next week.
No I just did the North Face one and thermals
Hello,
I have a quick question about travel insurance. I was thinking of buying travel insurance from World Nomads for 2 weeks (since that is the amount of time most people take to complete the trek). Is this a reasonable amount of time? Do the permit authorities require you to have travel insurance for a certain amount of time?
Great post by the way! Super informative.
Two weeks is reasonable I’d say. They were pretty relaxed with me but that was years ago now.
Great blog! Thanks for the info. Based on your inputs will be planning my next trek.
Just what I was looking for Kristin! Thanks so much for writing this 🙂
As I am getting ready for Nepal later this month, the amount of questions I have does not let me sleep at night! lol
My main worry is if I will be able to carry my luggage with me as I am with a group and not in charge of where or when I will stop and sleep PLUS I don’t want someone to carry my bag either.
I will, though, have lunch and dinner and lots of chais in the way for sure. So hopefully will also pay it forward.
Thanks again, fantastic find.
I would leave the heavy bags in Pokhara at your guesthouse. They’re used to this!
Kristan, Great blog. Lot of useful information! I am wondering how many change of clothes does one need to complete the circuit? Are there facilities of getting your clothes washed or washing your cloths along the trek?
You would need to hand wash yourself. I did do that twice I think over the two weeks, and had 3 long sleeved shirts and two pairs of leggings. I was pretty gross but so is everyone else. Little point in putting on clean clothes just to sweat within 5 minutes in them again.