Kilimanjaro Packing Checklist
Packing your Kilimanjaro kit is one of the most important steps on the way to a successful climb. The Web is full of travel recommendations, however, most of them inevitably fail to explain why a certain piece of equipment is a must-have while others may be left at home. We have compiled our packing guide so that even a complete novice could use it as a reference, though some recommendations might be obvious to seasoned mountain climbers.
On Kilimanjaro you will be trekking through four different climate zones (rainforest, moorland, alpine meadows, and Arctic desert). At the lower altitude of tropical rainforest, the weather is mostly humid and hot, while in the summit zone it is snowy, windy and frosty. In addition, while the temperature is usually high during the day, it can drop to the freezing point at night.
Here are the list of essentials required for the Kilimanjaro trek. Most of it can be purchased or rented at Moshi. Renting would cost anywhere between USD 100 to 200 depending on what you are renting.
Basics
- Towel
- Soap
- Hand sanitizer
- Camera
- Toothbrush
- Spare batteries for camera, headlamp
- Face cloth
- Toilet paper
Summit gear (wear on summit night)
- Gore-Tex, Microtex or K-Tech Trilaminate jacket
- Gore-Tex, Microtex or K-Tech pants
- Fleece jacket
- Fleece gloves or Themal glove liners (use as inner for Gore-Tex mittens)
- Gaiters
- Fleece balaclava or Thermal balaclava
- Thermal top
- Thermal long johns
- Thermal socks
- Sunglasses with UV protection
- Head torch
Trekking gear (wear between camps)
- Rain suit or poncho (mainly used in the rain forest)
- Rain Cover for the bags
- Hiking boots or cross trainers
- Short pants
- Tracksuit pants
- T-shirt
- Sun hat (peak caps do not offer enough protection)
- Woolen socks
- Fleece beanie
General gear & equipment
- Waterproof Day Pack (20L to 40L, carried by the trekker)
- Waterproof Duffel Bag or Waterproof Backpack (60L to 100L, carried by the porter, max 15kgs)
- A small lock to lock the duffel bag
- Walking stick (adjustable)
- Sleeping Bag (Comfort Rating of -5° Celsius)
- 1-Liter water bottle
- 1-Liter thermal flask
Recommended medication for
- Malaria
- Altitude sickness
- Headaches
- Nausea
- Cold and flu
- Muscle sprains
Recommended snacks
- Meal supplements (protein bars/ energy bars/ granola bars/ powders)
- Salty snacks (trail mix/ nuts/ pretzels/ jerky/ Pringles)
- Sweet snacks (hard candy/ chocolate bars/ dried fruit/ M&M’s)
- Energy snacks (sport gels/ energy gels/ Sport Beans)
- Electrolytes (Gatorade packets/ Nuun brand tablets/ GU Hydration tablets)
