Mt Kilimanjaro is approximately 340 kms (211 miles) south of the Equator. It is incessantly hot during the days, especially on the early slopes and plateaus, and gets colder in the valleys and towards the summit camps. The permanent ice on the summit and the high winds can drop temperatures south of -15 deg C. It is essential that hikers cater for these changing conditions by layering their clothing

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It is also essential to keep the overall weight down to a minimum so that the number of Porters required to carry your gear are kept to a minimum. For noting, your duffel bag contains the things that you will need on the mountain from which you can replenish your day pack. Your duffel bag is carried from camp to camp by the Porters. Although you may see it en-route, you will not have access to it until you and your duffel bag are reunited at the next camp.

Your backpack (day pack) is carried by yourself and the heaviest items in that pack should be your hydration system with water which reduces as you consume it anyway. Don’t carry too much of weight in your day pack as this may sap your energy or worse-still, result in a back-injury that may compromise your hike and summit attempt.

So what do I pack?

In my duffel goes all my clothing and gear for the mountain, namely: base layers, mid layers and top (outer) layers for my lower, upper body and head/face for the duration of my hike. RULE 1: If it does not fit into my duffel or my duffel is over my 15kg weight limit, it stays at home.

Follow the legend below to know what to pack where. It is important to understand that I don’t trust airport baggage handlers hence and I expect that one day I’ll arrive for a mountain climb without my duffel bag, hence RULE 2: when I depart for a mountain trek I ensure that, at the very least, my summit gear is either worn or carried in my backpack; this includes my sleeping bag. On my way back from a mountain, I could care less if my duffel bag does not reunite with me on arrival.

Further note that if I am reunited with my duffel bag at my destination, then I will move some items of my person and out of my backpack back into the duffel bag, where it actually belongs. So where you find 2 symbols, these are followed in the order that they are shown. As an example, if you consider the “Base layer” in the Lower Body section that follows, you will note 2 symbols *§. This means that I will carry one of the base layers in my backpack whilst travelling to the mountain and then transfer this to my duffel bag for the mountain.

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Legend

^ = On my person i.e. worn all of the time

* = in my Backpack (i.e. in my possession and available to me at all times)

§ = In my duffel bag on the mountain or in the hard case during flights

^§* – Items that will be carried in the order represented

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• Head, Neck & Face

  • Sunhat *
  • 2 x Buffs * and/or Balaclava §
  • Beanie *
  • Polaroid sunglasses ^

• Upper Body

  • 1 x base layer for every 2 days (3 days at a stretch) §
  • 2 x mid layers (includes 1 spare just in case the other gets wet) §
  • 1 x light-weight thermal jacket *
  • 1 x wind-proof/water-proof outer layer *

• Lower Body

  • 1 x base layer for the summit night only *§
  • 1 x mid layer for the summit night only *§
  • 1 x weather-proof outer layer for the summit night *
  • 2 x hiking pants for everyday use, except summit night §

• Socks

  • 1 x pair of inner socks for every day on the mountain *§
  • 1 x pair of mid socks for every 2-3 days *§
  • 1 x pair of summit socks for the summit night *§
  • 1 x pair of weather-proof socks just in case it rains *§

• Boots

  • Comfortable hiking/trail weather-proof shoes for everyday use except summit night §
  • 1 x pair weather-proof, warm hiking boots for summit night ^

• Hands

  • Inner gloves (UPF 50 and above) *§
  • Outer gloves for summit night only) *§
  • Hiking poles §* (cut 2 pieces of 13mm garden hose and fit them over the pointy ends before packing them into your travel case if you cannot find the tip protectors at a store. These point ends may just poke through your duffel bag if not protected.)

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Included in my pack will be my Medical, Comfort and Personal items, namely:

• Medical and First-Aid items §*

  • RULE 3: Please consult your physician for a list of items to take to the mountain

Comfort items

• Personal hygiene (bulk in your duffel. Replenish at night)

  • Wet-wipes §*
  • Disinfectant liquid §*
  • Hand sanitisers §*
  • Tissues §*
  • Sun lotion SPF 50 and above §*
  • Lip balm SPF 50 and above *

• Supplementary nutrition (bulk in your duffel. Replenish at night)

  • Energy gel sachets §*
  • Cell food sachets §*
  • Biltong/Jerky §*
  • Energy sweets and chocolate bars §*
  • Electrolyte, mineral and glucose replacement effervescent tabs §*

• Hydration

  • Hydration system * or water bottles §
  • Water purification tablets or drops if required §
    • The water on Kilimanjaro, when boiled and cooled, is safe to drink but keep your water bottles, water-bladder and drinking spout, clean and dirt-free at all times

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Personal items that make the trip with me are, namely:

• Camera and batteries *

  • Batteries must be fully charged prior to leaving the hotel. Carry 2-3 batteries in total. Batteries do not perform well under cold conditions but should hold their charge until they heat up. On summit night, remove the battery from the camera and keep the battery close to your body under your top layer. This way, the battery will be ready for use when you need it early in the morning to take a picture of sunrise at Gillman’s Point
  • Please declare all equipment (especially cameras and lenses) that you will be bringing back into the country to the SARS authority at the airport, else you may be in a bit of a bind on your entry, should you get stopped to declare imports

• Power-bank and cables to charge your music players, earphones and other personal devices §

  • If you are looking to re-charge your power-bank during the hike, carry a solar panel that is small enough to carry opened on your backpack while hiking §*
  • You may need a couple of carabiners to help with attaching the solar panel to your backpack while hiking to maximise coverage by the sun §*

• Knife (folding type) §*

• String or cord (paracord or other) *

• Torch or lantern plus batteries §

• Headlight (plus batteries) for summit night and moving around camp at night *

• Sleeping bag *§

What do I pack these into?

RULE 4: Use clear, see-through plastic zip-lock compression bags to pack your gear.

Please do not the zip-lock bags used in the kitchen but more robust bags that can be compressed. Sea to Summit has these in small, medium and large sizes.

When packing, put like items together so that you can draw from these bags and reseal them. I always carry a few bags spare to store my used clothing items that I will reuse on the mountain. It is also good practice not to mix clean and used garments, hence I carry spare bags to store used items that I will not reuse, like underwear and socks.

Packing in compression bags allows you to riffle through your duffel bag at night without causing too much mess. Packs can be removed and placed back in the duffel bag in quick time. This organisation assists on the mountain and helps keep the mind focussed.

To prevent items from breaking through the plastic bags, I normally store hard and sharp items in my socks and roll the socks up before storing in the compression bags. I label these bags identifying the items that are in the socks. This prevents hunting through my gear for these items when they are needed.

How do I pack for the flights to Kilimanjaro?

• RULE 2: I usually carry/wear elements of my summit gear on the trip into Kilimanjaro. Between the clothes I have on my person and those items I have in my backpack, I must be able to attempt the summit should my luggage not make it to Kilimanjaro
• RULE 5: I pack my backpack to ensure that all airline in-cabin contra-ban items are not included in my backpack. My backpack will go with me into the cabin, hence will be classified as hand luggage
• RULE 6: All travel documents and Cash are secured on my person
• RULE 7: I always pack my duffel bag at home to ensure that what I am taking can fit into the duffel when I am at the hotel in Tanzania. Once I pack my duffel, everything that does not fit, stays at home or I need to make some critical choices.
• Once everything that I need is packed in the duffel, I empty the duffel bag of its contents, fold it up and put the duffel bag and its previous contents into a hard shell travel case with:
  • The plastic liner to line the duffel bag when on the mountain
  • A change of clothes for my return trip to SA (civilian clothes and shoes)
  • A couple of locks to secure my duffel bag while it is in transit on the mountain

Finally, When in Tanzania ….

I move all my mountain gear out of the hard shell case, retrieve the duffel bag and line the duffel with the plastic insert. I then get my water for the day and fill up my hydration system and re-pack my backpack with the gear I need for the day. All other mountain gear goes into the plastic-lined duffel bag – note RULE 1 (at the top of this article). Fold the plastic insert over and secure it to prevent dust and water from soiling your stuff, in case it rains.

RULE 8: I draw out the USDs required to settle the Porters and Guides plus cash for purchases en-route (small denominations). RULE 9: Wallet and extra cash are accounted for with the hotel staff and put into their safe and I check-in my hard shell case into the hotel storage.

RULE 10: Enjoy your hike

Happy packing