RENTAL GEAR PRICES

I am basically using the kit list recommended by Team Kilimanjaro. I started writing this post before my trip to Kilimanjaro.  I am back now and so I am going to make edits and evaluate the gear I took. Also, now that I have successfully climbed Kilimanjaro I would like to say that a minimalist approach is much better.  I know buying gear is fun but you must try to travel as light as possible.  Yes, there are porters on Kilimanjaro, but they can carry only so much of your junk.  So focus on buying only the essentials.  

When climbing Kilimanjaro you will need to bring at least 2 bags.   The first bag should be a small daypack which you will carry with you during the day. This daypack should accomodate your water, snacks, raingear, an extra layer of clothing as well as any personal items you may need during your hike.  

Your second bag will be carried by a porter from campsite to campsite and you will not have access to this bag during the day. It will be waiting for you upon arrival at your campsite. This bag should not weigh more than 30 lbs and contain all of your other gear, toiletries and personal items you don't need during the day. It can be a duffelbag or a backpack, either way it does not need to be waterproof as the porter will place it inside a larger waterproof bag.  Personal items you don't need on the mountain can be safely stored in a designated storage room at your hotel.

Large Backpack/Duffel Bag (carried by a porter):  This is the bag that your porter will carry.  It will contain about 90%-85% of what you will need on the mountain.  The rest and water you will carry in your day pack.  Do not get a backpack.  Get a duffel bag.  The porters carry their own belongings in a backpack and then carry your stuff on their head.  Its easier for them to carry a duffel bag.  Brand: REI Classic Duffel Bag XX Large.  Evaluation:  Good bag but too large.  I could easily have done with a smaller bag and fewer items in it.  After Kilimanjaro I had gone on several safaris and this bag was a huge liability on the mountain and elsewhere.  The bag itself is great.  Get the Large one instead.  

Daypack:  Team Kilimanjaro recommends getting a 25-35 liter bag.  I got a much larger bag because I was carrying a lot of camera equipment.  My bag was 50 liters.  You do not need such a large bag.  Brand: Kelty Redwing 50.  Evaluation:  This is a nice bag.  I guess I could have done with a Redwing 45 but it was not avaliable at the time.  It is strong, and has lots of pockets etc and can carry a hydration bladder.  

Waterproof Daypack cover and Duffel Bag cover:  You can get elasticated waterproof covers at REI.  It can rain on Kilimanjaro and you really don't want to be carrying a wet pack, nor do you want wet clothes and a wet sleeping bag.  For the duffel bag it was impossible to find a cover so I went to Home Depot and bought a box of 55 gallon heavy duty trash bags.  So my entire duffel bag would fit in one.  I carried about 5 spares in case the trash bag ripped.  I also packed essential items in these trash bags and then put them in the duffel bag.  Extra waterproofing :-).  The bags also come handy for keeping your dirty clothes.  

Sleeping Bag:  Just because its Africa doesn't mean it cant get cold.  Kilimanjaro is 5,895 m (19,341 ft) high.  It gets cold up there.  So I needed a sleeping bag that can handle the cold but it also needs to be light.  So given budget constraints, reviews by people, and temperature ratings I settled on:  Brand: Mountain Hardwear UltraLamina 0 Degree Sleeping Bag Regular.  It weighs about 3 lbs 5oz.  Which is pretty good considering cost and its temperature rating.  Store: www.campmor.com  Evaluation:  This sleeping bag was amazing.  A bit of a tight fit.  I am 6 feet tall and weigh about 180lbs.  This bag kept me very warm, even on summit night but it was not easy to twist and turn around in.  Overall I would buy it again if I had to.  

Sweat Wicking Shirts: This was a tough call.  All sports stores sell these and the are pretty darn expensive.  So I went hunting for sales.  I bought a few big brand name shirts on sale and then a few exercise T-shirts by Champion that I have used in the past and do a good job at keeping dry.  Evaluation:  The Champion shirts worked just fine  

Thermals/Base Layers:  Same as the T-Shirts.  I got one pair of Polartec mid weight base layers from REI and then a few base layer tops by Champion.  Once again the Champion purchase is a cost saver and I will find out if they are any good.  Based on my experience with regular workout clothes, I like their products.  Evaluation:  The REI Polartec base layer was perfect.  On summit night I had a Champion base layer top, REI polartec top and bottom, a tshirt, Patagonia nano jacket, balaclava, and a waterproof outer shell.  

Socks:  Smartwool medium weight at REI, thin liner sock to be worn before the hiking sock (mostly for summit night) at REI and then some cheaper hiking socks by Columbia (http://www.campmor.com/outdoor/gear/Product___19489).  I wore the cheaper socks for a 5.5 mile hike and they performed perfectly well.  The SmartWool socks at REI are good but pretty darn expensive.  I also purchased socks liners from REI.  Evaluation:  The Columbia and Smartwool socks worked great.  The Smartwools were a tad bit more comfortable.  Make sure you keep a socks liner and one pair of socks clean and fresh for summit night.  Wet, sweaty, compacted socks don't keep you as warm.  

Hiking Boots:  Vasque Wasatch.  Go try out different boots, read reviews, and get what fits you best.  Make sure you wear them a lot before your trip.  I wear mine everyday to work and I go on weekly hikes.  Evaluation:  In my opinion, the best boots ever.  

Calf Gaiters  I must admit I had never heard of or thought of these.  But now that I see what they are meant for I wish I had used them on prior long hikes.  There is nothing more irritating (and often painful) than having small pebbles managing to get into your boots.  how effective are the gaiters?  Well I will tell you after my trip  lol.  I got Outdoor Research Rocky Mountain Low Gaiters from www.campmor.com (http://www.campmor.com/outdoor-research-rocky-mountain-low-gaiters.shtml)  Evaluation:  Excellent.  I had no dust, water, and pebbles getting into my shoes.  A must have.

Hiking Pants:  Do not use jeans.  They are heavy, bulky, take forever to dry, oh and are heavier when wet.  I bought some convertible pants (zip the leg off to create shorts) from LL Bean.  They also have a lot of pockets, some with zippers others will velcro etc.  Overall they are very well designed.  I have to admit they were expensive but I just could not find equivalent light pants at a better price. http://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/49301?feat=916-SR1  Evaluation:  The pants were nice light with lots of pockets to carry stuff.  

Waterproof pants and jacket  If you are unlucky it can rain on Kilimanjaro.  I have heard stories of rain on all 6 or 7 days of the climb.  I was lucky.  No rain.  We had clouds everyday but no rain.  I carried a set of old Columbia sports rain pants and jacket.  I used the jacket as an outer shell for protection from wind.  There are some pretty expensive Goretex pants and jackets that are in the market.  I am not convinced that they are needed.  Or maybe I was just lucky and did not end up needing them.  

Down Jacket  This is one are where I am trying to do as much research as possible.  For the summit night one needs to have the right kind of clothing as it will be cold (0F, 15C), possibly raining, possibly very windy.  My goal is to have my base layer on, a tshirt (maybe something with log sleeves), then a PrimaLoft jacket (Patagonia Nano Puff), a fleece jacket, and an outer shell.  Many people recommend a heavy down jacket and many recommend a lighter PrimaLoft jacket.  I will find out if my choice was right.  Evaluation:  The Nano Puff was incredible. Very warm and light.  I love this jacket.  

Gloves:  Gordini Aquabloc® Down Gauntlet Mittens from the Sierra Trading Post.  I am guessing I will need these only on summit night.  Evaluation: I used these along with a pair of Manzella Glove Liners. They worked just fine. The mittens felt a tad bit tight. So you may want to consider one size larger.  

Balaclava:  Seirus Hoodz from REI.  Evaluation: I used it for the summit and also during the evenings as warm head cover on other evenings. Pretty good.  Sun Hat  I got a Columbia Sportswear hat that looks a bit like this one.  Evaluation: The French Foreign Legion design of this hat was pretty nice.  It keeps mosquitoes away and protects the back of your neck and your ears from sun burn.  

Head Lamp:  Petzl Tikka Plus 2.  As a safety I also got a $8 Eveready LED head Lamp.  Evaluation: It worked well..  

Water Bottles: and Camelbak  I got some Nalegene bottles and a 100 fl oz Camelbak bladder.  Evaluation: The Camelbak was in my day pack and I made sure I kept pushing the water back into the bladder so the mouth piece would not freeze.  It worked well.  

Walking/Hiking Poles:  Hmmmm.  Most Kilimanjaro bloggers seem to say that these are very important.  So I bought them.  For me it was a total waste of money and extra weight that I had to carry.  When it comes to trekking poles I guess there are three categories of people:  People who have done a lot of hiking and never used poles.  I fall in this category.  You do not needs the poles for Kilimanjaro People who have done a lot of hiking and often use poles.  Well take your poles. People who do not hike much and therefore have never used poles.  I guess the poles may be of use to this category. 

Toothbrush, toothpaste & deodorant: Yes, yes, no (trust me, no one is trying to smell you.  After 6 to 7 days of no showers the deodorant is not going to help.  Remember, the lighter you travel the better of you are).  Also, deodorants prevent you from perspiring and perspiration is your body's way of regulating temperature.  So using something that prevents your body from working naturally under conditions of stress is not exactly a brilliant idea. Flat packed Wet Ones, travel wipes, or similar for personal hygiene on the mountain. I carried these and regret doing so.  They are heavy and I never ended up using them.  I was provided with a tub of nice hot water every morning, afternoon and evening which was much better. 

Kleenex tissues in plastic travel pouches or toilet paper:  Check with your climbing company.  Mine provided me with toilet paper.  So what I carried was just extra weight. 

Now for Miscellaneous Small Items  

• Hairbrush / comb Sure 
• Sanitary products hehehehe, Its good to be a man. 
• Lip salve with UV protection Yep 
• Vaseline, to prevent chafing skin and heel friction blisters I carried it but never used it.  Extra weight. 
• Pain killers (Ibuprofen) Yes 
• Diamox (acetazolamide) if you choose to use this Yes but I did not use it.  Check with your climbing company.  They often carry it. 
• Paracetamol No
• Zinc oxide tape and small scissors No, yes 
• Compeed blister pads (not corn pads) Yes but did not need them.  Get good boots, wear them in, get good socks. 
• Loperamide / Immodium diahorrea tablets Yes and I needed them, though that was soon after the climb. 
• Any medication you normally use  
• Dioralyte sachets or similar rehydration packs No 
• Malaria Tablets Yes, but not sure I needed them.  Its so cold there are no mosquitoes there. 
• Sun Screen Yes 
• Water Purification Tablets (Katadyn) Yes.  Very important. 
• Mobile Phone Yes.  Get an unlocked GSM tri band phone.  Buy a local SIM chip in Tanzania.  Most of Kilimanjaro has mobile coverage.