Get planning, get packing! ☑️

Yesterday I wrote about my trek to the top of Kilimanjaro, on the anniversary of the summit day.

In it, I talked about how I planned the trip and included a kit list. Here’s the kit list, expanded with advice on certain items from my personal experience on this trek and others.

The kit list document is here if you want to make a copy to edit for yourself or print it out.

Luggage

• 90L waterproof duffel bag
• 30-35L daypack + rain cover
• Dry bags

Clothes

Top

• Baselayer × 2
• Long-sleeved hiking shirt × 2
• Short-sleeved hiking shirt × 3
• Bodywarmer (gilet)
• Fleece jacket
• Softshell waterproof coat

Bottom

• Baselayer - Long Johns
• Insulated trekking pants - for summit day
• Hiking trousers × 2
• Shorts - for the first and last day, and camp
• 4-5 pairs of underwear

Feet

• 4-5 pairs of trekking socks
• Trainers & sandals for camp - you’ll want comfort after a long day trekking and it’s good to get those sweaty boots off!

Hands

• Inner Gloves
• Outer gloves or mittens

Head

• Cap
• Sunglasses × 2 - essential - and I broke my first pair 🤦🏼‍♂️
• Woolly hat
• Bandana or Buff
• Headlamp - don’t leave your tent after dark without it - also essential for the summit morning

Hiking

• Hiking Boots (B0-B1) - learn about hiking boot grades from Absolute Snow
• Gaiters
• Micro crampons - hire if needed
• Adjustable trekking poles
• One-use hand and foot warmers - for summit day - that extremely early, freezing-cold morning

Sleeping

• -10°C / 4-season sleeping bag - hire if needed
• Sleeping bag liner
• Inflatable sleeping mat - I didn’t think I needed this - until I really needed it - a lifesaver those last few nights
• Inflatable pillow
• Earplugs - I fully recommend wax earplugs
• Sleeping eye mask

General accessories

• 2x 1-litre Nalgene bottles for hot & cold water
• or 1 Nalgene bottle + a Camelbak style hydration bladder
• Pee bottle - essential for in the tent! Standard practise is to draw a “☠️” on it so you don’t mix your bottles up!
• Water purification tablets - your water is usually boiled for you, but just in case
• Swiss Army knife

Hygiene & first aid

• Micro towel
• General toiletries + toilet paper
• Baby wipes
• Blister plasters
• Insect repellant
• Suncream
• Lip balm or moisturiser
• General medication (Paracetamol, Ibuprofen, Imodium)

Technology

• SPOT or another GPS tracker
• Phone + charger
• Watch + charger
• GoPro + accessories
• Power banks × 2
• Solar power bank
• Kindle
• Spare Batteries (AAA)

Food

• Dilutable cordial - a way to help me drink more fluids
• Your favourite chocolate bars or sweets - sometimes it’s all you can stomach
• Energy bars
• Energy drink tablets

This should help anyone planning a Kilimanjaro trek.

I’ve added links to some of the particular products that I have. Use these as a starting point.

For more information on how I planned my trip and how it went, read my previous article “Happy Kiliversary”.