What I packed for trekking Kilimanjaro in October
This is the exact list of items I packed for my most recent Kilimanjaro trek as a tour manager for The Different Travel Company for St Elizabeth Hospice in Ipswich on the Rongai route (12th – 21st October 2013).
Clothes and shoes: Scarpa leather hiking boots 4x pairs trek socks (mainly Bridgedale) 1x Compression/flight socks 1x Thermal top (pyjamas) 1x Thermal bottoms (pyjamas) TNF Boulder Penelope shirt Trespass lightweight trek trousers Rab Power Stretch pants 1x Altura L/S merino base layer 1x Odlo Ninja base layer 1x Striders Edge L/S full zip hoody 1x Mountain Hardwear waterproof jacket 1x Rab Neutrino Plus down jacket 1x Rab Generator primaloft jacket 1x Marmot PreCip waterproof full-zip pants 1x Trilby hat 1x Warm hat 1x Buff 1x Mittens 1x Liner gloves 1x Fingerless gloves 10x underwear 2x Shock Absorber Sports bras Cheap emergency poncho Work t-shirt Sandals for Moshi 2x Dresses for Moshi 1x Pashmina Bra |
First Aid Kit:Dramamine anti-nausea medication Sterile gloves Antiseptic wipes Plasters Wound dressings Blister plasters Antiseptic cream Ibuprofen Antihistamine cream Antimalarial medication Antihistamines Paractamol Imodium Zinc oxide tape Throat lozenges Micropore tape Tiger balm Chapstick Ibuprofen gel Mouth ulcer gel Diamox Rehydration Scissors Tweezers Off! insect repellent Pack of kleenex |
Food/Drink:2x Supreme Protein cookies n cream Powerbar protein plus vanilla Berry flavour Zero tablets 4x army ration ‘cherry beverage powder’ 2x Asda fizzy cherry cola bottles 1x bag Milky Way Magic Stars 1x berry and cherry dried fruit 6x Mr Kipling lemon slices Biox Aqua tablets and Steripen 1l Sigg bottle with thermal cover Camelbak 2l 750ml water bottle |
Miscellaneous:Plastic bags of various sizes Paperwork / work manuals / Kili book E-tickets Cash and cards Passport & copy Sunglasses 2x Pens Gaffa tape roll 2x Karabiners 6x Hand warmers 1x Padlock |
Toiletries:Travel size sun screen Body spray Panty liners Tampons Moisturiser Travel sized shampoo Travel shower gel Loofah Razor Antiperspirant deodorant Hairbrush Toothpaste and toothbrush Baby wipes Hand sanitizer Toilet paper (1.5 rolls) Nappy bags 3x hair bands / 1x headband |
Electronics:Camera, spare batteries & battery Charger Video camera Chest mount for GoPro 2x GoPro Mobile phone x2 and charge wire New Trent portable battery pack Petzl Tikka 2 head torch 2x spare head torch batteries Spare LED torch |
Luggage:Mountain Warehouse 100l Wet & Dry bag Small holdall for gear to leave in Moshi 35 litre Berghaus daypack 2x Exped waterproof dry bags |
Sleeping:Rab Expedition 1000 sleeping bag Snugpak Thermalon sleeping bag liner Ear plugs and eye mask Thermarest 40th Anniversary Edition |
Obviously many of the items above include things I only used in Moshi or while travelling. My final kit bag for the mountain weighed just under 10kg and there are a few things I didn’t end up using that probably account for 750g:
The protein bars, dried fruit, one pack of the fizzy cherry cola bottles and most of the Magic Stars.
For this particular trip the only thing I wish I had brought was a few more packs of beverage powder. The purification that our porters use to sterilise our water is very chemical-tasting and I didn’t have quite enough to mask the taste. Keeping hydrated is so important and being put off the taste of water is not ideal.