Kilimanjaro Gear Choices

[S Long]

I have the opportunity to go on a trip to hike Kilimanjaro next year and I wanted some input on gear choices from people who have done it. I currently only own two quilts/sleeping bags. One is a Katabatic Alsek and the other is a Western Mountaineering Puma. The Alsek is not warm enough, and I am sure the Puma is too warm. I was considering buying an Enlightened Equipment Conundrum in 0 degree weight. I prefer to wear warm hats/hoods and buffs to sleep rather than have a sleeping bag hood. If anyone has any recommendations on what sleeping system they would take, I would LOVE to hear it. The other issue I have is shoes. Most guiding companies recommend heavy duty Goretex hiking boots. I go barefoot and in zero-drop shoes so much that it hurts my feet to wear conventional shoes for more than a couple days in a row. I’m also not a big fan of “waterproof” shoes, although I am willing to concede to more experienced people than myself. Any recommendations on footwear? I thought the Altra Lonepeak Mid might be sufficient, given appropriate sock choices and foot care (although even that is a bit more shoe than I am used to wearing). Any thoughts? I think I have the rest of the gear pretty dialed in, and I have a lot of mountaineering and climbing experience, so that aspect doesn’t bother me much (although I have never been higher than 15,000′ in elevation, I felt fine at that elevation and have never had any issues with frequent trips up to 14,000′). Any other tidbits of wisdom or experience anyone can share would be welcomed (i.e. do you prefer doxycycline or malarone for malaria prevention?).

[Valerie E]

My only gear regret from Kili was that I wished I’d had a warmer sleep system (I rented from the outfitter, which I wouldn’t do again, because the “0F” bag was NOT old and worn and warm enough for me).  On my next high altitude trip, I brought my own.  Lesson learned.

Kili will take you from low/warm elevations to high/cold elevations, so the ideal system would be one with layering, so you could “dial in” whatever level of warmth you need; otherwise, I’d go with what’s needed for the coldest nights, and just uncover myself as needed when it’s warmer.  [That’s what I did in the Andes, and it was perfect.]

For footwear, anything you would comfortably wear in the CA Sierra will work perfectly for Kili.  Your outfitter is recommending footwear that non-hikers would need/want; they’re going for the lowest common denominator, so that their clients can’t complain later.  There’s absolutely no need for waterproof boots — Kili is a really dry environment.

The most important tip for reaching the summit — by far — is to go slowly.  The more experienced and fit people usually push themselves to go at their “normal” pace, but Kili is higher than “normal”.  If you’re the least bit winded, you’re probably going too fast; as the guides say, “pole, pole” (slowly, slowly in Swahili).  ALL the folks we saw passing people on the way up (the last 2 days) were those we saw sick and descending before the summit on the final morning.  There was one exception, but he was dizzy, disorientented, and struggling at the summit sign, gasping, “I didn’t think it was going to be this hard”.

It really ISN’T hard at all — it’s just a matter of being conservative with your energy, allowing your body time to acclimatize (drink plenty of water/tea to help with this), and your own in-born ability with altitude.  We had a lot of fun, and I’m sure you will, too.

[Federico Calboli]

A friend went up the Kilimanjaro (he was a super fit 20 something, and his guide was an indestructible 50 something).  I do not remember the gear being even remotely an issue, but my super fit friend got severe altitude sickness after ~1 hour being at the top watching the dawn, so the guide loaded him and all his gear up on is back and took him down to lower altitude.

The moral of the story is, whatever you take make sure it is light, in case your guide needs to lug you down, gear and all, on his back.

 

 

 

[David Thomas]

1. do a preliminary visit to a ID / travel doctor now, get the download on what you’ll need (I got 6 shots, 3 in each arm in preparation for Zimbabwe) and the ideal schedule.  Then, if something sounds odd or expensive, you have time to do more research.  It’s easy for me to get whatever prescription drugs I want to take with me with scripts from my wife’s partners, but mostly, over-the-counter items will fix or greatly improve most problems.  But if you want some prescription drugs, ask about them now, and get a script to fill later.  If there are potential side effects to some drugs, you could even do a test run now (some of the cheap anti-malarial drugs the locals used gave them very weird dreams to the point that many of them just accepted getting malaria once a year instead).  We sprung for the top-of-the-line, $1/day option that the locals couldn’t afford and it worked fine for both of us but that was 20 years ago and malaria drugs are always changing because malaria is always changing.
2. human feces isn’t well dealt with on Kilimanjaro, so have a solid plan on water treatment.  In the few days prior, maybe forego the fresh salads and have freeze-dried veggies instead.  Some of the intestinal bugs hit westerners really hard, but very fast – a day later you’re on the mend.
3. Yeah, minimal shoes and great socks.  And separate sleep socks.  It’s hard work and “a pound on your feet is like 7 on your back”.
4. Arrange your itinerary so that you spend time at intermediate altitudes before your summit trip.  It really helps.  An overnight at 5,000-8,000 feet is so much better than driving up to the trailhead to peak bag anything over 12,000 feet.  A few days is markedly better than one night.  A week or two is even better.
5. Have seriously good UV protection.  I got sunburned just walking across a parking lot in Zimbabwe without a hat.  Celtic, living in Seattle that winter, then in the tropics, at midday, at elevation all adds up – or maybe multiples.  Look at what the Chinese do to avoid getting tanned – very broad-brimmed hats and white cotton gloves are what I needed for a week in a sea kayak in Mexico.  Farm workers and gardeners are other role models for cheap, practical, sturdy sun protection.

[terry a thompson]

I am sure you are taking gloves and liners. Do yourself a favor and pack a pair of over mittens for the summit day that you can wear over your gloves and liners.

at the altitude the last night before summit sleep with your torso and head on an incline, that way you won’t wake up in the middle of the night gasping for breath.

I prefer prefer Diamox to prevent altitude sickness. You don’t want to go all that way and get altitude sickness and not make the top. I used them on Kili and in Nepal.

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