Packing For Kilimanjaro

I can personally tell you that packing for Kilimanjaro is probably going to be the most stressful and frustrating part of the trip for you. Well, ok, it was for me anyways. Maybe you just happen to own everything that the tour companies suggest and you’re an expert climber/hiker, in which case…easy peasy. I wasn’t, nor did I have a lot of the required gear/clothing items.

To complicate things, not only did I have to pack for the Kili trip, but I also had to pack for a 7-day safari tour after. So, since packing an outfit for every day would take up entirely too much space, I decided to mostly cut my safari items in half and allow more room for the very unpredictable Kilimanjaro climates. There are a total of 5 climates, from top to bottom. Each with slightly different weather conditions.

FYI…Most of the below mentioned items can be found in my Amazon storefront.

LUGGAGE

60-100L DUFFLE BAG

If you have read other people’s blogs or watched YouTube videos, you will see a pretty consistent set of requirements, as far as “luggage” goes. The first thing anyone (including me) will tell you is that you should DEFINITELY NOT bring a suitcase on this trip! It’s bulky, heavy and porters cannot carry that on their shoulders/head! You will need 2 things and 2 things only: a duffle bag/large backpack and a smaller daypack (this is what you will be carrying). I decided to go with the extra large Patagonia duffle bag. It worked great for me!

30-40L DAYPACK

For my day pack, I used a small foldable hiking backpack. There are a ton of options on Amazon, but I chose to go with the Venture Pal 40L Lightweight Daypack. LOVE THIS THING! Once I was done with Kilimanjaro, I just folded it back up into a tiny pouch and put it up for the rest of the trip! You can probably go with a smaller bag, but I liked to keep spare clothes in a dry bag inside, just in case it ever rained or got cold during the hike.

40-50L PACK FOR SAFARI AFTER

I also wanted a separate bag I could put all of my safari clothes into (to leave at the hotel while on the mountain) and to use as a carry-on. I wanted to make sure that I had all of the important hiking gear on me during my flight in, so in the rare case that the duffel bag got lost or arrived super late, I had most, if not all of my gear. One other tip I have is to get an AirTag or a SmartTag for the duffel. You’ll thank me later. For the backpack I chose to bring the Kelty Unisex Redwing 50 Reserve. I have taken this backpack to Europe, Canada and Asia and don’t ever want to go back to an actual carry-on for my adventures! It opens up like a suitcase, allowing access to everything, not just the top items (like normal backpacks). It has multiple compartments and pockets and is just an all-around great backpack!

ELECTRONICS

Because of how cold it gets on the mountain at night and how much nicer it would be to hang out outside of my tent and enjoy the gorgeous views, I decided not to bring any tablets or e-readers with me. This list is pretty simple but I will say that there is one item that I am so glad I brought (besides my phone, which I used to take pictures) and that is a good portable charger. It charged my phone from pretty much 0 to 100% for 7 days!!! I am not sure what I would have done without it!

1 x power adapter
1 x USB charging block (minimum of 5 full charges)
1 x headphones
1 x small power block (backup, in case the other one broke or quit working)

CLOTHING

This part was by far the most time consuming and frustrating part of the planning process, since everyone was suggesting different types of clothes and # of items. And in all honesty, it does very much depend on when you’re going, which route you’re taking and if you are naturally hot-natured or cold-natured. I hiked the 8-day Lemosho route in August and can only suggest clothes for that time frame/route. The one thing that I personally found the most useful, is the Patagonia Nano Puff. Once we got high enough up the mountain (day 3+), it was an every morning and evening necessity.

1 x waterproof cold weather jacket with a hood (for summit night)
1 x waterproof cold weather pair of pants (for summit night)
1 x waterproof cold weather gloves (for summit night)
2 x base layers (one shirt and one pair of pants for summit night) – I love the Under Armour Cold Gear line!
1 x puffer/soft shell jacket (great for wearing around camp when temps drop) – Patagonia Nano Puff
1 x hiking pants (I didn’t like the zip-off kind that everyone suggests) – Prana Halle Roll-up
2 x leggings (I love hiking in leggings)
1 x rain pant (a pair of pants that you can slip on/off or unzip are the best) – MW Pakka Pant
1 x waterproof jacket/poncho (shell to put on when it rains) – Marmot PreCip Eco Jacket
1-2 x long-sleeved shirt (dri-fit or wool)
2-3 x short-sleeved shirts (dri-fit)
3 x lightweight fleece pullover or jacket (I used one to sleep in most nights) – Helly-Hansen Daybreaker Fleece
4 x wool socks (I would bring 1 thick pair and 3 thinner ones) – Smartwool is the way to go
3 x sock liners (loved the sock liners for extra warmth and to avoid blisters)
2-3 x sports bras (depending on how many days you’re on the mountain)
4-6 x underwear (depending on how many days you’re on the mountain)
1 x wool beanie/hat
1 x buff (some parts of the hike are really dusty)
1 x light gloves/liners – Under Armour Women’s ColdGear
1 x waterproof hiking boots (make sure that they are worn in) – Columbia Newton Ridge boots
1 x hiking sandals (to wear around camp over socks) – Teva Verra sandals

HIKING STUFF/TOILETRIES

Most of the following items are pretty straight forward and can be found on any other Kili packing list. I will note that there are a few items that I thought were SUPER useful and I was glad I had on me: hand sanitizer, microfiber hand towel and moisturizing face wipes. Don’t get me wrong, headlamp, water bottle, sleeping bag, sunscreen etc were all must haves. These three were just items that I expected to need the least on this trip but was SO glad I chose to bring anyway.

1 x day pack rain cover (if it rains, all of your gear and snacks will get wet otherwise) – Osprey rain cover
1-2 x stuff sacks (to allow more room in your duffle bag) – Nylon Stuff Sacks
1 x reservoir (2-3 liters) – Osprey 2.5L Reservoir
1 x Nalgene water bottle (for summit night in case the bladder freezes)
1 x sleeping bag (0 to -20 degrees F, four season) – I rented mine as I don’t camp in these conditions much
1 x sleeping bag liner (for extra warmth and comfort)
1 x trekking poles (used them daily) – Covacure Trekking Poles
1-2 x headlamp (either bring one as backup or extra batteries) – Petzl Tikka Headlamp
1 x pack of Cleanex
1 x bug spray (you really only need it for the first day or two) – anything with lots of DEET
1 x biodegradable wet wipes and face wipes (cannot stress enough how much you will appreciate this) – this will be your daily shower
1 x hand sanitizer
1 x deodorant
1 x waterproof bag for all electronics and snacks, just in case
1 x sunscreen and lip balm (with very high SPF for summit descent) – trust me on this, I burned my nose on summit day
1 x face lotion or Vaseline (your entire body will get extremely dry from the cold weather)
1 x dry shampoo (my hair gets very oily on day 3, so imagine going 8 days without a shampoo)
1 x hair brush + extra hair ties
1 x quick-drying hand towel (microfiber) – towel
1 x shatterproof pocket mirror
1 x sunglasses!!! Bring backup pair!
1 x ear plugs for summit night
1 x sleeping mask for summit night (you’ll be going to bed around 5-6pm)
2-3 x hand warmers for summit night (it got really COLD)
1 x small roll of toilet paper if the company doesn’t provide one (mine did)
1 x First Aid Kit and Medicine
1 x Gaiters (optional) – I chose not to buy or rent those, as my pants came down low enough to protect my ankles and my shoes were waterproof.

So there you have it. Hopefully this list will help ease your mind so you can focus on the real challenge – the climb!