Microsoft word - kilikit.docx

Kilimanjaro - Final Checklist
Travel Documents
Valid passport and visa
Airline ticket
International health card with immunizations (Yellow fever is mandatory)
Suggest a Hepatitis A&B shot, & a Tetanus shot too Travel insurance
Medical insurance
US$ cash / Travellers Checks / Credit Card cash to pay tips to guides/porters and BUY BEER
AT MWEKA on the descent!
Essential Items
80-100l Duffel bag - large enough for all climbing gear and clothing. Mark the straps with
something distinctive…all the bags look the same at the airport/ on the mountain To be carried by
the porters. An extra bag to be left at the hotel with extra gear
Small luggage lock - to lock zippers we prefer cable ties
Day backpack - between 20 - 35 litres. Large enough to carry your water, camera,
raincoat, lunch pack, snacks & warm clothing Go 35litres… nothing worse than trying to stuff
a too small bag!!! Preferably have a light frame (use as carry-on into plane
Sleeping bag suggest you buy a small down adventure racing bag (this alone costs more than
R700 these days) then HIRE the big -20degree bag (you’ll sleep with the one inside the other at high altitude!) Ski-pole / walking stick
Water bottle / containers Highly recommend a 2l hydration pack/bladder with a bite-valve, you
keep drinking little bits constantly and you need to be drinking 6litres per day! ! Kilimanjaro map (Can be bought at Park gate) rather take your route description in plastic
sleeves and buy a map much cheaper in town AFTER the climb
High Altitude Gear
Waterproof, breathable & windproof jacket (outer wear) $$$$ spend bucks!
(like Ventex, Gore-Tex or Jeantex) Don’t buy too small, remember must fit OVER all your
other clothes!!!
Waterproof, breathable & windproof over pants (outer wear) Can get fairly cheap – shop
around (eg motorbike stores sell them for motorbike delivery men) PREF with a zip at the ankles so you can get on and off over your boots. Rain starts suddenly on Kili… Don’t buy too small, remember must fit OVER all your other clothes!!! Polar fleece (middle layer) 300 series
Thermal underwear (under layers)
Mittens or warm gloves ignore the sales attendant… there is no such things as gloves that will
be warm enough, I suggest buying fleece gloves that fit into thicker ski gloves Glove liners (if necessary)
One pair thermal (polertex) socks and this time I’m trying hand and toe warmers!!!
Balaclava or polar buff or ear muffs. Scarf is also nice and can double up as your pillow at night
Gaiters esp for the rain forest… can sink up to your knees in mud…not really NB for summit.
Thermal water flask BEWARE shop attendants will rip you off selling bottles that do not work.
Either spend the money and buy a SIGG bottle or use a flask…those plastic bottles with the insulation inside DO NOT WORK… and remember we are sleeping overnight in the crater and your hydration pack wil be frozen solid…
Hiking Gear
Shorts 2/3 pairs I suggest Adventure Racing shorts like made by Cape Storm or First Ascent
must be light and fast drying. Many have built in underpants! Hiking pants I recommend 2 pairs of Adventure racing stretchy fleece tights rather than
cotton or baggy trousers… alternatively warm tracksuit pants. Regular underwear Dry-wicking sporty undies are best, most NB thing is comfort!!
T-shirts 2 short-sleeved, 2 long sleeved dry-wicking, Dri-fit, lightweight tops
Raincoat or Poncho Your summit outer layer is fine!
Cycling/ gym gloves (prevent blisters when using trekking poles
Footwear
Water resistant semi-stiff hiking boots - mid weight boots work great $$$$ spend bucks!
And make sure you wear them in properly!!! I’m anti HiTek, but lots of people swear by them… we like Montrail and Merrel respectively. make sure you wear them in and waterproof them properly. TAKE AN EXTRA PAIR OF LACES!!! Shoes for overnight camps - i.e. sneakers, running shoes, etc. Love the lightweight
Socks - several pairs for the climb. I like FALKE socks… make sure they’re tried and tested
and have NO TOE SEAMS!!! Put anti-bacterial/ anti fungal powder in each sock before rolling up. Liner socks - to keep your feet dry and limit the risk of blisters If this works for you…

Equipment
Sun hat or similar (with a brim) and pref with chin strap, in case wind picks up…
Collapsible ski stick (optional but highly recommended) many prefer two!
Water bottles - two or three (total capacity at least 6 litres) 3l bladder and then a couple of
Head lamp, good strong one with spare batteries and an extra light bulb $$$$ spend
bucks! This is one thing I would never hire! ! Have in your day pack from day 1 in case of disaster!!! Keep in very water tight bag!! Water purification tablets they boil all the water on the mountain, and water purify tabs taste
awful and you need it to be palatable to drink 6l a day!! Sunglasses, good quality dark lenses for the climb, with a securing strap
Flashlight (torch) with spare batteries
Personal Items
Toilet kit (soap, tooth brush, toilet articles, wet wipes, etc.). WET WIPES (and Intimate
wipes) are essential… remember no showers for a week!!!
If your shorts have built in underpants… recommend you use panty liners (SORRY Boys!)
ANTI-FUNGAL CREAM like Mycota great for keeping odours at bay – for feet and ‘nether regions’
Towel small lightweight
Sun screen and lip protection, SPF 30+
Ziploc bags, to protect camera, binoculars, etc. from dust
Toilet paper I prefer the individually wrapped packs of 10 tissues (and work on 1pkt per day)
Money belt for passport and valuables Mine hangs around my neck… Just make sure again
that it is VERY waterproof!
Medical and First Aid Supplies I have a comprehensive First Aid Kit
Headaches--Syndols
Altitude sickness-Diamox (if not allergic to sulphur) NB!!! 1 250mg tab, 2-4 X per day from
before reaching over 3000m until descending down to Mweka Diarrhoea - Immodium
Nausea – Valoid
Insect repellent
Malaria – Prophylaxis Malaria tabs apparently aggravate AMS, so it’s recommended to use the
bracelets, repellent stcks, sprays, citronella oil etc. Mozzies only a problem in the rain forest… so the first/last night and early mornings. I wash my evening/ sleep wear/ tracksuit in citronella oil before the trip -works well and smells nice! Water purification tablets I hate them… makes water undrinkable… they boil the water
Painkillers
Muscular sprains ankle and knee guard or elasticated bandage and arnica / deepheat rub
Abrasions blisters and cuts - Plaster, bandages second skin beats plaster and moleskin
handsdown and is worth the price!!! One syringe and needle per person (to inject Methiolate into blisters… EINA! I swear by rubbing feet with BeeWise before putting on socks! Lip ice, to double up as an anti-chafe cream and even sunblock if it has high SPF Antiseptic cream - Betadine
Flu and colds Strepsils esp lozenges with active Zinc!
Eyes – drops and ear drops
Anti-histamine
Sleeping tablets (know they aren’t recommended, but you could be DESPERATE!)
Good broad-spectrum anti-biotic course (just in case) – Ciprofloxin/ Ciploxx
Interflora (worth taking anyway!!!)
ICE: Dexamethasone (HACE) & Nifedipine (HAPE)
Suggestion: Even before mountain, start taking daily dose of:
                 MSM 
                Multi‐vitamin 
                Immuno/ Viral Choice 
                Glucosamine 
               Markus Rohrer Spirulina 
 

Optional Items
Camera, extra lenses and film (ASA 200 film recommended) extra batteries!! !
Binoculars
Powdered sports drinks for the climb (ex. Game or Isotonic drinks)
Pocket knife or leatherman… esp to OPEN beer quarts colddrink bottles at Mweka camp on
Notebook & pencil
Plastic bags to keep clothing dry (masking Duct tape) Ziploc bags of every size.
Energy snacks and sweets
Video camera, tapes, battery packs and tri-pod
Route map and description of next day’s climb Ziploc Bags, sac liners, dustbin bags, AND one of those thick plastic bags they float your bag across rivers in (to line your duffle bag!!!) Bag of sweets and Bag of BIC pens – kids beg for anything and everything after you’ve descended mountain… also kids in Zanzibar always asking for pens Suggestions and Tips:
Have a huge strong plastic bag./ Sac liner or two in your duffle bag… Duffle Bags have
been known to stand in snow or fall off porters heads into rivers… Then put everything
into separate bags inside. I put each day’s underwear into one Ziploc bag and mark it “Day
1” etc (remember the summit day and nights on either side you’ll be wearing thermal
undies and thermal socks.) After wearing the undies you put them back in their original
Ziploc and zip it to seal in the pong!
Put NB stuff eg passport, camera and wallylamp into PROPER sealable bags (Ziplocs
won’t do!) Stuff your sleeping bags into the heavy rubber bags canooists use.
Label as many bags as possible… when you’re tired, cold and grumpy, you do not want to
be having to unpack your entire duffle bag each night and morning!
Never roll a sleeping bag, always stuff it (never store a bag wither stuffed or roled… lay it
out to breathe)
Rolling up clothing takes far less room and causes less wrinkles than folding it
Put all your daily tablets into separate Ziploc bags or moneybags, and label each (esp if you
aren’t taking the same concoction every day)
Attach a small purse, on the front of your waist belt of your backpack insede a small
plastic bag have emergency tablets (eg immodium and valoid) lipice and an energy snack,
sweets or gum.
Don’t bring a billion snacks, you won’t eat them! Every day you get into camp they bring
you a bowl of fresh popcorn and/or roasted nuts with tea/coffee/milo. Your lunch pack
(which you need to fit into your backpack) usually includes a piece of fruit a boiled egg a
sandwich and often a muffin or something sweet. Breakfasts and lunches are substantial
and very tasty… from both my experiences… you will NOT go hungry! Just bring some of
your favourite little something which will chirp you up when you feeling gatvol!!!
Wear in your boots and wear (and wash) your socks atleast once. Put anti-bacterial /
antifungal powder in each sock before rolling them up.
Have your wally lamp in your pack FROM day 1 (we were caught at night over very
rugged terrain in the rain forest without light… because African time – haggling with
porters at the gate - resulted in us only starting to hike mid afternoon… we were meant to
start at 10am)
Ask an active MULTI-DAY adventure racer, before any other ‘expert’ when finding out
about/ purchasing gear,
OKAY, FELLOW  ADVENTURE JUNKIES… THAT’S ALL I CAN THINK OF NOW!!!  

Source: http://www.dido.org.za/KiliKit.pdf