Below was the packing list I used, complete with post-climb commentary. I bought quite a lot of items with the aim of using them on this trip, some of which I was going to have limited use of afterwards and donated to the Kilimanjaro Porters Assistance Project clothing loan pool before I left Tanzania.
Outer Clothes
- Hiking pants - 2 pairs (Northface Paramount 2.0 and Ex Officio Damselfly)
Both well used, more-so the Paramount as they were a heavier fabric. Would have preferred to have bought the Damselfly in a lighter colour in hindsight (they got very dirty). - Sports t-shirts - 1 (Under Armour)
One was plenty and this one stood up well. - Sports long sleeves - 2 (Northface and Nike)
Both worked fine. - Fleece pants (Kathmandu)
I find these pants to be a bit short on my legs, but they did the job OK on summit night to keep me warm. I also wore them as camp pants on most nights. - Waterproof overpants (old version Kathmandu XT - I got them on a massive sale though, wouldn't have paid retail)
Didn't really get to test these as we had a completely dry climb, but I did wear them for wind protection on summit night with good success. - Waterproof jacket (Kathmandu Flinders, mine is v1)
Don't think I every needed to wear this, but it packs up relatively compactly and it would have been essential if it had rained. - "Down" jacket (Northface Thermoball, mine's a couple of years old but similar to this)
Light, compact and warm - essential for the climb. Wore this a couple of times, most importantly on summit night where it helped keep my torso warm. - Heavy (200-weight) fleece jacket (Kathmandu Trailhead 200)
Fitted well, kept me toasty and has nice warm pockets. Love this fleece.
Shoes and Socks
- Hiking boots (Merrell Avian Light Mid) + spare laces
I bought a new pair of Avian Lights for this trip as my old pair were too close-fitting for mountaineering socks. As evidenced by the fact I now own 2 pairs, I love this shoe for hiking. It provides good ankle support and isn't overly heavy. - Gaiters (Kathmandu Long Buzzgard - got on sale for about $20)
Didn't really use them - donated to the KPAP loan pool when we got back - Camp shoes (Skechers)
Non-laced shoes were invaluable as a woman on the mountain. When needing an urgent pee break, not needing to pause to lace up shoes was a game changer. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! - Sock liners x 3 pairs (Ininji)
Very happy. I have previously had issues with bits of dirt getting between my toes and causing blisters (hello Petra) but these did a brilliant job of stopping that. - Hiking socks x 4 pairs (2 general, 1 mountain, 1 alpine)
Alpine/mountaineering socks (Icebreaker) didn't seems overly warm despite their immense bulk (donated post climb), but all were fine. - Thermal bottoms (Icebreaker 260)
Worked well, although got some chafing on summit night. Wore them as pyjamas on cold nights on safari later. - Thermal tops x 2 (Icebreaker 200 + Sherpa)
Fine, donated the Sherpa. Did have some thought to wishing I'd bought the half-zip style instead (cold neck) but the crew worked without issue.
Other Clothing
- Underwear (Ex Officio Give-N-Go) x4
Worked fine, strongly recommend using panty liners to extend wear period (also helps when you need to "drip dry" after using a bush toilet. - Sports Bra x 2 (Brooks Juno)
These are my go-to high impact bra and performed to their usual standard. The ones I have are the original Brooks re-brand, not the newest update which I haven't yet had the chance to test. - Hat (legionairre type with detachable neck cover, Kathmandu)
Didn't love as it was quite tight, but I think that was personal preference as I'm not usually much of a hat person. It did the job. - Beanie (fleece lined)
Awesome - Buff (wool)
I've had this for a while and actually use it regularly, but my comment on it for the climb is mostly just OK. It was very claustrophobic over my mouth and otherwise it was of limited use with all the other gear I had. - Balaclava (Kathmandu fleece)
Stretched quite noticeably over a short period (only wore on summit day); donated - Gloves fleece (Mountain Designs)
These are actually really warm and give me good dexterity. - Mittens, warm with liner (Burton)
Should have gone a size up to make layering over the other gloves easier but worked OK. Only wore on summit night.
Toiletries
- Toothbrush / Toothpaste / Floss
- Hairbrush / Leavin Conditioner / Hairbands / Ponytailers
- Heavy duty moisturiser (Clinque Moisture Surge 72-hour auto-replenishing hydrator)
- Cotton tips
- Deodorant
- Nail clippers / small nail brush
Had to lend these out to others as it was the item everyone seemed to forget. Being able to clean my nails after summit was an important luxury.
I would recommend taking a small nail file or cuticle stick as well. - Sunscreen (Cetaphil Kids pump pack)
I love this sunscreen. It applies and blends in well and to make things great I'm not allergic to it. The pump pack is much more user friendly than the tube. - Lip balm with sunscreen (Blistex)
I specifically brought this after issues with sunburnt lips on the Inca trail. It has a high-SPF sunscreen (30+) and comes in a stick (so no need to take off gloves to put it on). Worked as intended. - Insect repellent (Bushmans)
Only needed on the first and last days. The one I have is the 80% DEET and works wonderfully, but you have to clean your hands after using it! - Hand sanitiser
- Foot cream (Eulactol Heel Balm Gold)
Choice of great socks meant I didn't need this, but I've been left wanting it before and it doesn't take up much space. - Body wipes / Feminine wipes / Toilet paper
The company I climbed with actually supplied toilet paper, although you needed to carry some for the "bush toilet".
The feminine wipes I only used occassionally, usually when I just wished I could wash down there. I had two brands over my whole trip and much preferred the Canesten brand ones. - Medications & first aid
I'm a pharmacist. I will probably do a separate post about my decision making regarding altitude sickness and malaria meds.
I didn't use much of what I brought, but would say the essentials include: acetazolamide (for altitude sickness, if you're going to take them), antimalarial (doxycycline in my case), ibuprofen (for aches/pains and as second-line for altitude), loperamide, blister plasters/moleskin, antiseptic, dressings/bandaids and of course your regular meds. - Panty liners
Made me feel much cleaner after a few days on a mountain.
Miscellaneous
- Head torch (Black Diamond Spot) + spare lithium batteries
Changed out my batteries once, just in case, before the summit climb. Never went flat on the mountain. - Powerbanks (2 x 12.000 mAh)
This worked fine for me (had to feed my phone and my Garmin) but would probably look into a solar-rechargable option instead for future multi-day hikes. - GPS watch (Garmin Fenix 5S)
If it's not one Strava it never happened - iPhone
- Cables for phone and watch
I have a short (~10cm) cable for recharging my phone from the battery pack, which cuts down of stuff to carry. - Sleeping bag liner (SeaToSummit Thermolite Reactor Extreme)
Actually warmer than I expected. Did the job, although summit night was a bit cold. - Sleeping bag (hired)
True four-season bags are scarce as hens teeth in Australia and cost a fortune. The hired bag was fine, although the compression sack split about half way in. Definitely better than buying for me. - Walking poles (hired)
I own poles but didn't have the space to bring them so hired there. The rental poles were fine. - Water bladder (Osprey) + 1L bottles x 2
Your are *strongly* encouraged to drink four litres a day (thus all the talk above about the bush toilet).
The bladder was as expected. I bought the insulated hose, which was actually quite good and didn't freeze until we were on the crater rim (I did blow back into the tube every time I drank). I added Nuun to one bottle most days and to both bottles on summit night (the electrolytes lower the freezing temperature and the taste breaks up the boredom of chlorinated water). - She-Wee + cheap collapsible bottle as a pee bottle
Didn't use either. Ended up being more comfortable just doing things the old fashioned way. If you are interested in trying these, I would suggest giving them a go before you leave. - Hand & foot warmers
A life saver on summit night, didn't use them otherwise. - Duffel bag (hired, Northface Basecamp duffel Large)
This one I hired from Gladys Adventure in Moshi as I couldn't get an answer from my trekking company as to whether they could facilitate this before I left (the team in Moshi could have in the end, but I had the bag by then). It was in excellent condition given it had likely done many trips and performed as expected.
Christine
