Walking the Lycian Way: what to rent and when to go

The Lycian Way runs along Türkiye's south-west coast and Fethiye is one of its most-used starting points. Because of that, the town has a steady supply of rentable trekking gear — which is worth knowing before you fly in with a bag full of equipment you will use once.

Season decides the gear list

Midsummer daytime heat on this coast is punishing for walking, and shade is intermittent. Spring (April–May) and autumn (September–October) are the walking seasons, and they change what you need: cooler nights mean a sleeping bag with a comfort rating around 5 °C rather than the 10 °C bag that would do in July.

Backpack volume

For a section walk with village or pension stops, 40 litres is enough. For a self-supported stretch with a tent, cooking kit and two or three days of food, 55–65 litres is the working range. Larger than that and the weight, not the volume, becomes the problem.

• Trekking poles: on this trail, more useful than most people expect. The descents are long and loose underfoot.
• A double-wall tent: humidity is high on the coast and condensation in a single-wall tent is real.
• Mat with an R-value of 3 or above in spring and autumn.
• Water capacity: springs are seasonal and not always where a map says.

Picking gear up in Fethiye

Because Fethiye is a starting point, backpacks, tents, sleeping bags and poles are all rentable locally. In Pistrun the pickup point of each listing shows on a map, which matters when you are working around a bus departure. What is included — inner, fly, poles, pegs, bag for a tent — is listed on the page, and checking that list at pickup beats discovering a missing peg at dusk.