Here is a recommended kit list and general information for climbing Kilimanjaro.

All communal equipment such as tents and cooking gear is provided by the mountain operator. All personal equipment is usually provided by the trekkers, as detailed below.

BAGGAGE

Duffle bag or soft kit bag: x1: in which porters carry your main equipment

Small backpack: x1: 30/40 litre, for you to carry

Rain cover for small backpack: x1: optional

Plastic bags: x10: to keep your gear dry

CLOTHING

Sun hat x1: with a wide brim for shade against the sun

Woolly hat x1: for warmth, preferably Balaclava type

Scarf or bandana: x1

Sunglasses or goggles x1 pair: against snow-blindness

Poncho: x1

Hooded waterproof jacket x1: good quality, waterproof and breathable

Four seasons duvet jacket x1: thick insulated jacket

Warm upper body layers x3: to fit over each other

Upper body under layers x3: preferably synthetic

Sports bra x3: not usually necessary for men

Waterproof outer gloves x1 pair: good quality, waterproof and breathable

Thin under gloves x1 pair

Gel-activated hand warmers x2: for the summit attempt

Waterproof trousers/pants x1: good quality, waterproof and breathable

Fleece trousers/pants x1

Lightweight trousers/pants x2: to fit over each other

Short trousers/pants x2

Thermal under trousers/pants x2: to fit over each other

Underwear: x3

Hiking boots x1 pair = A special note about hiking boots. Your boots need to be well broken-in and of proven quality. This is the one item of your kit which we would have serious difficulty in replacing should you lose them. Please wear them on the plane and do not let them out of your site before you set out for the mountain.

Gaiters x1 pair

Spare laces x1 pair

Trainers or trekking sandals x1 pair: for use around camp

Thick socks x3 pairs: woollen or synthetic

Thin socks x6 pairs: woollen or synthetic

Hiking accessories - Walking poles x1 pair

SLEEPING GEAR

Sleeping bag x1: must be four seasons, fleece liner is optional

Inflatable sleeping mat x1: repair kit essential

Foam sleeping mat - thin: x2

Foam sleeping mat - thick, 75mm/3"

WATER EQUIPMENT

Water bottle: metallic SIGG type 1 litre x2

Water bottle: bladder Platypus type x1 . Note that the metal drinks bottles can also be used as hot water bottles. If you bring a tube drinking apparatus then the tube will most likely need to be insulated to protect against freezing.

Water purification pump x1

Water purification tablets: not required

Cordial or other water flavourings

Snacks and energy bars: optional

If you do bring water purification tablets, then we recommend iodine rather than chlorine. If you bring water flavouring then we recommend Redoxon type vitamin C tablets.

LIGHTING & ELECTRONICS

Head torch x1: powerful but lightweight

Spare torch batteries x4 sets

Spare torch bulb x2

Personal oxygen kit: optional

Pencil and paper

Camera: with lots of spare memory and batteries. If you do bring camera equipment then make sure you bring plenty of memory cards and batteries.

Reading material

Games and cards

TOILETRIES

Towel x1: can be the lightweight quick-dry type

Earplugs

Soft toilet paper: x2 rolls

Wet wipes

Spare contact lenses /glasses

Sunblock: for skin and lips: factor 15+

Lip balm: preferably with sun protection

PAPERWORK

Tailormade Africa travel itinerary

Insurance documentation: with a 24hr emergency number

Map: usually available at the trailhead

PERSONAL FIRST AID KIT

All climbs are equipped with a full medical kit. Trekkers are also encouraged to bring their own small medical kits containing the items on the list below and any other medication specific to your own health requirements:

Wound dressings , Antiseptic wipes, Sticking plasters: Band-Aid or similar, Blister kits

Joint supports for knees, ankles etc.

Talcum Powder

Ladies sanitary towels

Malaria tablets: all treks begin and end in malarial areas

Insect repellent: DEET based: not needed on the mountain

Antacids Cold cure sachets: Lemsip or similar

Antihistamines

Diarrhoeal medicine: Imodium or similar

Oral rehydration salts

Painkillers: paracetamol, ibuprofen or aspirin. Carry any essential medicines onto the plane to prevent problems in the event of lost luggage. Aspirin and paracetamol are recommended as they thin the blood and help prevent blood clots. Strong painkillers are not recommended as they can suppress respiration. Ladies please note that altitude may affect the menstrual cycle, so bring appropriate materials. All contact lens wearers should take care to remove the lenses at night as the eye needs to absorb oxygen from the atmosphere. The rarefied conditions of altitude reduce oxygen levels and in extreme cases corneal oedema can develop.

PERSONAL BAGGAGE ALLOWANCE

Once on the mountain, you will carry your own backpack with the few lightweight items that you may need, such as clothing layers, cameras and snacks. You should usually try to keep this below 5kg or 12lbs per person. The remainder of your personal gear will be carried between camp locations by porters. You should make this available in a strong but lightweight bag, so that it can be combined with others inside a larger porter bag. The weight of this portered gear is limited by your personal baggage allowance. This allowance is given per person, but in reality we average it across the group, so you may be able to coordinate with other members of your group to take advantage of any unused allowance.

You are free to leave any gear that you do not need on the mountain at our base and it will be delivered to you when you descend from the mountain. If the weight of your gear exceeds this amount then you have three choices: If you know in advance of making your initial booking that your baggage requirements will be substantially over the allowance, then you can let us know and we can pre-book an additional porter or porters at around USD 30 per porter per night. If you arrive at the pre-trek briefing before the trek and your gear is found to be over the limit, then you can either choose to leave some items behind or you can pay for us to provide an extra porter at around USD$30 per porter per night.

RENTAL EQUIPMENT

The African Walking Company maintains a modest store of equipment for rental. We cannot guarantee the availability of any items, so we recommend that guests pre-book at the earliest possible convenience, usually at the same time as booking a trip. Payment is made locally.

Four seasons duvet jacket : Rental price - US$60 . These thick insulated jackets are Mountain Equipment Annapurna down jackets, which are available for hire in 3 sizes, chest measurements as follows:

Medium 40 to 42 inch or 102-107 cm
Large 42 to 44 inch or 107-112 cm
Extra large 44 to 46 inch or 112-117cm.

Walking poles : Rental price - US$10 . Walking poles are collapsible so when you are not needing them, they can be carried on your daysack. Poles are very useful when trekking Kilimanjaro particularly on the descent. Universal size.

Four seasons sleeping: Rental price - US$45 . Sleeping bags come in one size suitable for all people up to 1.88m or 6'2" tall. The sleeping bags are synthetic four season bags and are supplied with a cotton liner. They are manufactured by Mountain Equipment or Vango.

Foam Sleeping Mattress: Rental price - US$30 . These sleeping mattresses are made of 50mm think high-density foam covered with water resistant material, so provide a greater level of comfort than thinner inflatable types. Some people bring an inflatable mattress as well to lie on top of the foam. The relatively high price is due to the porterage requirement rather than the cost of the item itself. The weight of these foams mats are not counted in your 15kg personal allowance.

An additional store including a wider range of equipment is also kept in order to cover for emergency situations, such as luggage being lost by airlines. Although we are usually able to get hold of enough decent gear, especially when the customers have two nights in a hotel before the climb, we cannot guarantee being able to do so.

PHOTOGRAPHIC EQUIPMENT

Most trekkers want to at least get a snap of them at the summit. Many take the opportunity to keep a photographic or video diary of the trek. It is important to realise the limitations of your photographic equipment. Almost every camera these days has some level of digital functionality, even where the end photograph is still recorded on film. Digital equipment is notoriously sensitive to low temperatures. Check the equipment specification.

Kilimanjaro gets colder the higher you go, so the main issue challenge for cameras is the summit itself. The temperatures on top are usually around zero early in the morning, in which case most equipment should be fine. But at certain times of the year, notably, May/Jul temperatures can drop much lower, in which case your best bet is to keep your camera stowed away inside your clothing and only bringing it out for the occasional photo opportunity.

In all cases, it is worth keeping your spare batteries close to you in order to keep them warm. You should also note that at lower temperatures, battery life falls away rapidly, so you need to bring plenty of spares. There are many photo stories of Kilimanjaro that don't make it all the way to the top for this reason. We also recommend that you bring all photographic film, video cassettes, memory cards and batteries from home as supplies in Tanzania are not reliable. A polariser or neutral density filter is recommended.

PERSONAL INSURANCE

It is absolutely essential that all trekkers climbing Kilimanjaro have full travel insurance. The climb operator, African Waking Company, will not take trekkers to the mountain if they do not have adequate insurance cover and no refunds will be paid. It is critical that your policy specifically and explicitly covers high altitude trekking to the summit of Kilimanjaro. If it does not then please get an additional letter from the insurance company making this point absolutely clear. Also, make sure that the cover includes all medical and repatriation costs.

For our personal cover here at Tailormade Africa, we use a UK based insurance broker which specialises in adventure travel. Their standard travel policies include both high altitude trekking and scuba diving. For single trip insurance, you can expect to pay around US$100 to US$200 per person. Although the insurers are local to us here in the UK, they will cover travellers originating from anywhere around the world and we are happy to put you in touch with them.