Kilimanjaro Packing List | Trekk Preparations
Planning to climb Kilimanjaro? You are in for a real adventure! We have completed many of the top-rated treks around the world, so read on for a complete packing list and our tips for reaching Uhuru Peak. Mount Kilimanjaro is the highest mountain in Africa and reaching Uhuru Peak at the top is a challenging trek that can be completed by ascending various routes.
The seven summits are the highest mountains of each of the seven continents and climbing all seven is a prestigious mountaineering challenge to complete. Kilimanjaro is the seven summit mountain in Africa and is also the world’s highest free-standing mountain at an altitude of 5895m.
The complete Mount Kilimanjaro Packing List
Packing your Daypack
Packing your Backpack
Hiking boots
Clothes for Kilimanjaro
Elecronics
First Aid Kit
Toiletries
Packing your Daypack
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A small, good quality hiking daypack with a raincover is ideal. The Osprey Stratos 24 Hiking Backpack is a top quality light weight, comfortable daypack with an attached cover, internal hydration sleeve to accommodate a hydration pack and attachments for trekking poles and water bottles. The pack should have more than enough packing space to function as a daypack. What to Carry in your Day Pack?Inside Your daypack on Kilimanjaro you will have: waterproof gear, sun hut, extra warm clothing, water, snacks, Packed lunch, gloves, sunglasses, sunscreen, bug repellent and camera. When you’re on the mountain, most of your gear will be packed in your large duffel bag, Which our porters will carry. Over the course of your climb, you’ll be trekking through five different climate zones, from the warm humid forest to the ice and snow of the glacier-covered summit so you’ll need a variety of kit to cover the varying Kilimanjaro weather conditions. |
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Packing your Backpack
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Your main pack will be carried by a porter (unless you insist on carrying it), they tend to not wear the backpacks so a duffel bag is perfect, exactly what this one was made for The North Face Base Camp Duffel. Some companies do provide you with a duffel bag, so just confirm this before buying.
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Hiking boots
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Hiking boots aren’t just regular boots that you happen to wear when hiking, they are boots made especially for rugged hiking trails. Though you could climb Kilimanjaro with various different types of footwear including running shoes or hiking shoes, most clients choose to wear sturdy, high-cut, waterproof boots. The most important factor in choosing a boot is the fit. Even the best quality boot can be the worst choice for a person if their foot shape and size does not agree with that of the shoe. Boot MaterialBoots are typically made from two types of materials: leather or synthetic. Leather boots are sourced from animal skin, usually cowhide. Synthetic boots, on the other hand, are made with plastic including nylon, polyester or a form of synthetic leather. Both types of material are appropriate for Mount Kilimanjaro. |
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Clothes for Kilimanjaro
Clothes to Pack for KilimanjaroLayering is the term for wearing a couple of layers of clothing, this makes it easy to adjust for temperature changes. Multiple thin layers of breathable clothes will keep you warmer than one thick layer because air is trapped between the layers improving insulation and keeping you warm. Wear three layers; base, middle and outer layer. Base layer (underwear) that wicks (draws moisture away) sweat off your skin a synthetic material that does not absorb moisture works well. Middle layer is for insulation: retaining body heat. The Outer layer (the shell) must be waterproof and windproof. Mens clothing, Down Jacket, Fleece, Quik Dry Shirt, Running T shirt, Trekking Pants, Winter Gloves, Merino Wool Socks, Flip Flops |
Trekking pantsQuick dry, light hiking pants or in the rainy season- warmer waterproof pants. For me I was very comfortable in trekking pants everyday and combined it with thermal underpants on summit night. Ladies pack trekking pants and yoga pants. Light and more comfortable. Insulating LaterFleece – Important item. I wear a fleece under my outer shell on cold days. Check these fleeces for women they come in so many different colors. The North Face stretch down jacket – light to pack, very warm this is good to wear under a hard shell, rain jacket on summit night and in the camp at night. On high altitude hikes, the piece of clothing I wear most often. |
Base LayerHiking shirt – I will recommend you do not wear cotton, cotton clothes get wet from sweating making it very cold. Alya wears breathable, moisture wicking, quick dry T-shirts, packing a long sleeve shirt and one short sleeve T-shirt. I prefer Columbia shirts, quick dry, protects against sun burn, easy to wash. Sport bras – they are great for hiking and outdoors, Alya says that she prefers sport bras over normal bras. Thermal underwear – really recommend to pack it with, you can use thermals (men’s models) for sleeping and as an extra layer for hiking if it gets cold. I always take normal cotton socks for sleeping as well. |
Underwear – take two-three pairs with depending on a hike duration. Merino wool socks – work great, always wear them for hiking. merino wool socks ; don’t absorb odors, protect your feet, dry quick and very durable. For even more comfortable walk check Darn Tough hiking socks they’re famous for great foot support and blister protection. Alya likes their ladies’ models; colorful and funky. Gloves – thin fleece gloves or no gloves was good for me most of the time. For summit day I recommend a pair of winter ski gloves . You can wear a thick, waterproof jacket such as the North Face Nuptse Jacket, when climbing Mount Elbrus it was -20C. If you do the trek in the cold season this might be necessary. Ladies Nuptse Jacket |
Elecronics
Electronics:It is a good idea to keep electronics to a minimum, but since we accurately record our adventure we are not too good on that point. Off course we have lost some gear on some of our treks. Falling into a river and taking my DSLR camera and lenses for a swim while trekking in Namibia was tragic. HeadlampProbably the most important piece of electronic equipment, make sure you trekking with a new set of batteries, one set should be more than enough. A good headlamp is very important for summit night, you will be climbing in the dark for hours! |
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Phone Your phone is also a great tool to pack for a camera, games and more. Check out the Samsung Galaxy S10; long battery life, good video stabilization, water resistant. |
Power Bank We always carry a power bank to charge all our electronics with. This Fos Power Bank is waterproof and shockproof. |
Kindle I always take my kindle hiking, awesome to read for a couple of minutes in the tent before falling asleep. The new Kindle Paperwhite has a backlight and is waterproof! Perfect for trekking. |
First Aid Kit
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The trekking company you go with should pack a comprehensive first aid kit and your guide should be trained in first aid. Here are some essentials I always pack for high altitude trekking.
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Toiletries
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Keep it to the minimum, mainly stuff for sun protection and keeping everything clean.
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Kilimanjaro Packing List FAQ
About 30 to 35 liters; A medium-sized day pack, about 30 to 35 liters, is recommended. Smaller capacity, such as 20 or 25 liters, may be used but it would require careful packing each and every time you add or remove something.
The summit pack must able to carry all of the Essential Systems, including extra clothing, two or three quarts of water and, if needed, technical climbing gear including ice axe and crampons. A near empty backpack should not be used for the summit dash.
At a minimum, a first-aid kit should include gauze pads in various sizes, roller gauze, small adhesive bandages, butterfly bandages, triangular bandages, battle dressing (or Carlisle bandage), adhesive tape, scissors, cleansers or soap, latex gloves, and paper and pencil.
The typical kit required for this challenge will include mountain boots, warm clothing, ice axes, crampons, harnesses and ropes. Mountain climbing takes place in mountainous areas and requires the skills of walking, scrambling, rock and ice climbing.
Most people will find that a 60-70L pack has sufficient volume for extended weekend backpacking trips (two to three nights out). Some might need only 50L while others may need as much as 100L. As a rule, a half-full large pack is more comfortable than an overloaded small bag.
YES! The terrain of the mountain is rough and varied. … So a quality pair of hiking boots is a must. The summit of Kilimanjaro is often covered in snow, so you need well insulated, water-repellent shoes.
At the summit, Uhuru Point, the night time temperatures can range between 20 and -20 degrees Fahrenheit (-7 to -29 degrees Celsius). Due to Mount Kilimanjaro’s great height, the mountain creates it’s own weather.
When you trek Mt Kilimanjaro, you sleep in one of two places: in a mountain hut or a tent. Most trekkers sleep in tented camps, as only the Marangu route offers hut accommodation. Everyone hiking one of the other seven Kilimanjaro routes must camp.
Yes and NO! Kilimanjaro’s altitude is a significant challenge, but climbers do not need supplemental oxygen to climb Kilimanjaro or reach the summit. To reach to the summit you use the acclimatization method of walking slowly “pole pole” climb high, sleep low.
Atmospheric pressure drops by about tenth for every 1000m of altitude. Thus the air pressure at the top of Kilimanjaro is approximately 40% of that found at sea level. To put it in layman’s terms, each breath inhaled at the summit still consists of 20% oxygen.
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