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Kilimanjaro Xpedition Items - Suggested Clothing & Equipment:
- Medium sized backpack. You will carry snacks, drinks, additional clothing, camera, meds if needed, hat and gloves. It will need to be big enough that on summit night you can carry a heavy jacket.
- Duffel Bags. Most people travel to Tanzania with two duffels however you are limited to one per person on the climb with a 30lb limit.
- Travel wallet. Photocopy the first two pages of your passport and carry separately.
- Sleeping Bag. Rated zero degrees. If you have a choice, go warm!
- Sleeping Pad.
- Camping pillow.
- Medium weight hiking boots.
- Crocs or a pair of Teva’s are perfect for camp after a long day hiking.
- Socks and underwear – a fresh pair of both for every day on the mountain.
- Gaiters. Optional, to keep pebbles and moisture out of shoes. Ankle length is sufficient.
- 2 pairs of gloves. One lighter fleece pair and a second heavier pair. Hand warmers for summit night.
- Warm Hat. Also a baseball cap or visor for sun protection.
- Sunglasses. Take a second pair as spare.
- Trekking Poles. Optional.
- Climbing helmet. This will be used on summit night only as we ascend the Western Breach.
- Waterproof pants and jacket. Lower on the mountain it could rain and higher up it could snow.
- Pile fleece type jacket.
- Insulated down Jacket. You will enjoy having this in camp each evening.
- Cotton/Linen long sleeved shirts x 3
- Long sleeved polypro tops x 4. Polypro long johns x 2
- Heavier tops x 2 or 3 to go over polypro tops.
- Trekking Pant x 2 pairs. Convertible pants are the best.
- Hygiene/toiletry kit. For the climb only the basics. Baby Wipes, Baby Powder and a face cloth for each day. You will be able to get hot water and have a ‘tent bath’.
- Small towel.
- Hydrating system. Camelback is fine for the lower mountain but this will freeze on summit night. It should fit within a sleeve in your pack. Bring a quart Nalgene bottle too for summit night.
- Pee bottle. Optional
- First Aid Items. Tylenol, Motrin, Cipro, Z-pak, Imodium, Tums, Pepto tablets, allergy medication. A sleep aid is optional. Ambien is recommended but should not be taken when on the mountain. Basic foot care – band aids and Moleskin. Include finger nail clippers. Your guide will provide the main medical kit with critical medications. It is your responsibility to bring any personal essential medications you may need as well as the following medications/supplies. Please consult your physician prior to undertaking this expedition.
- Diamox. Some doctors have recommended taking Diamox as a prophylactic even before leaving for Africa or as soon as you start hiking. We DO NOT recommend this. Please contact us if you want to discuss this further.
- Visit your local travel clinic well in advance of your trip in order to get up to date information on which shots to get.
- Headlamp and spare batteries.
- Summit Day Food. A light breakfast will be provided on summit day morning. Once we leave camp you will want to have tasty treats to nibble on through the summit night/day until you arrive back down at camp. This is the food/snack that you usually take for a long day in the mountains.
- Insect repellant with approximately 25% Deet. Get a spray as well as wipes with Deet. ‘Cutter’ makes these wipes. Take them on the flight so you can apply before arriving in Arusha.
- Sunscreen 30 – 45 SPF. Chapstick
- Large plastic trash bags (garbage bags) and a few grocery bags. Big enough to hold critical items in your mountain duffel to add rain protection. Also a few small Ziplock sandwich bags are very useful.
- Pocket sized hand sanitizer x 2
- Spare batteries as required.
- Several large trash bags to put clothing and sleeping bags in inside your duffle to protect from rain.
- Bandana. Optional. The decent from Stella Point can be dusty.
- Music player optional Be aware that iPod and similar hard drive MP3 devices often stop working at altitude – about 17,000ft.
- Duct tape (put a few wraps around trekking pole for access). Good for quick repairs.
- Journal and camera. Bring extra camera batteries or a solar charger to charge batteries.
- At the end of the climb there is an opportunity to give the porters some gifts as well as their tips. Many trekkers in the past have brought over old clothing and shoes to distribute among the support staff.
- If you are going on safari expect the morning and evening temperatures to be chilly. Necessary clothing will include a warm hat, gloves and warn jacket.
- Tip money. This is optional of course but all the staff are working hard for their pay and tips. This includes African guides, Assistant guides, cooks, safari drivers, porters, bell boys etc etc.
- A money belt is a good idea.
- A couple of small karabiners for hanging wet or damp clothes in your tent.