Most long routes cross climates: the humid coast and the high Andes, Southeast Asia and the Himalaya, a European spring and an Asian summer. Packing for the coldest moment makes every warm month miserable; packing for the warmest leaves you buying a jacket at altitude. The answer is a layer system, local rental and the post office.
The layer system
Four pieces cover almost everything: a merino base layer, a fleece or light insulated mid-layer, a packable down jacket, and a waterproof shell. Combined they handle 0°C; separately they handle a cool evening anywhere. Add thermals, a hat and gloves only for genuine cold (Nepal above 3,000 m, Patagonia, a northern winter). The packing list builder switches these in when you tick a cold climate.
Rent at the cold end
Kathmandu and Pokhara rent and sell everything for a trek at a fraction of home prices, down to sleeping bags rated to −20°C. Cusco does the same for the Salkantay and Ausangate. Ski resorts rent clothing as well as equipment. Carry the layers you will use in cities; rent the technical kit for the week you need it.
Post it home, or forward
Post offices on the trail are reliable and cheap for a 2 kg parcel by surface mail (slow) or airmail. Send the winter layer home from the last cold city, or forward it to a hostel in the next cold one; many hostels hold parcels for guests with a booking.
Footwear is the hard case
Trail runners handle almost everything from city pavements to tea-house trekking in dry seasons; proper boots matter for snow, scree and multi-day loads. Carry one pair of trail runners and sandals; rent or buy boots for the trek and move them on afterwards.
Sequencing helps
Route the trip so climates come in blocks rather than alternating: all the heat, then all the cold. The Route Builder's season fit score shows where the weather turns on you.
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