Ultimate Packing Guide for Kilimanjaro (Includes a Downloadable Packing List)

Once Jonathan and I decided we were going to hike Mount Kilimanjaro in 2023, one of the first things I did was research packing lists and start evaluating our gear. You can find plenty of packing lists for Kilimanjaro online, but if you don’t want to have to compare multiple lists to decide what you actually need (like I did), here’s exactly what we packed (and used!) for our 8-day trek on the Lemosho route. If you don’t want to read all our additional commentary and packing tips, you can scroll to the bottom of this post for a downloadable PDF of our Kilimanjaro packing list.

Table of Contents

1. Buying vs. Renting
2. What to Pack
3. How to Pack
4. Downloadable Kilimanjaro Packing List PDF

Buying vs. Renting

Fortunately, we already hike and camp quite a bit, so we had most of the clothing and gear required for the trek. Because we plan to continue camping and hiking a lot after this trip, we decided to take this opportunity to upgrade some of our gear and invest in some high-quality clothing (namely puffy down jackets—which we had been eyeing for a while but didn’t feel like we could justify the cost—and merino wool base layers). We also purchased new day packs, as we didn’t have anything in the recommended size of 25-35 liters. One important thing to remember when shopping for hiking clothing is to avoid cotton. It doesn’t wick well, and you will get sweaty and cold. If you don’t want to shell out for merino wool, polyester works fine as well.

If you don’t camp or hike a lot, or if you don’t think you’ll use some of the gear after the trip, I highly encourage you to consider renting some items. Everything you need is available to rent in Moshi, which can save you money (for example, we rented duffel bags in Moshi for $30/each instead of buying for $100+ because we couldn’t see ourselves using them again). Even if the price difference between renting and buying is negligible, renting is a more sustainable practice overall. It also reduces the amount of gear you have to schlep back and forth between your home and Tanzania (which also has a sustainable impact in the reduced carbon emissions from lighter luggage!).

Most trekkers choose to rent their sleeping bag from their tour company, as it’s a bulky item to transport. Our company, Gladys Adventure and Safari, has their own gear shop (which is one of the reasons we chose them), and most of the gear I saw looked to be high quality. We rented our sleeping bags, duffel bags and crampons from Gladys, and Megan also rented rain pants (total $154 USD).

What to Pack

Remember that we packed for 8 days, so we generally changed our socks, underwear and base layer tops every other day. If you’re on a shorter trek, you will need fewer of these items.

Equipment

– Day pack (25-35 liters): We both got Gregory packs for our trek and love them. Megan has the 28L Jade and Jonathan has the 30L Zulu (newer versions linked).
– Waterproof duffel bag (70-90 liters): We each rented a North Face Base Camp (70L) in Moshi.
– Stuff sacks or packing cubes (optional, but super helpful for keeping your gear organized!)
– Head lamp and spare batteries
– Trekking poles: If you don’t already use trekking poles, these are not completely necessary. Only half of our group used them. However, Jonathan and I are comfortable using them, so I’m glad we had them—especially on the downhills!
– Sleeping bag: We recommend renting yours in Moshi.
– Pillow (optional): Jonathan has a small inflatable pillow that he loves, and Megan balled up her fleece and used that as a pillow. You can also use a stuff sack filled with clothes.
– Hydration bladder (3 liters)
– Water bottle (1 liter, choose a bottle with a wide mouth to avoid freezing): You need to be able to carry 4 liters of water total, so you can split that up between a bladder and/or bottle(s) in whatever way works best for you. But don’t put it all in a bladder, as it will freeze!

Clothing & Accessories

– 4-5 pairs underwear
– 2 sports bras
– 4-5 pairs wool socks (including one thick pair for summit night)
– Liner socks (optional)
– 3 long-sleeved base layer tops (merino wool recommended; Megan’s favorite base layers are from Artilect and REI, and Jonathan’s is from Icebreaker)
– 1 short-sleeved shirt
– 2 base layer bottoms (merino wool recommended; we went with Artilect and Icebreaker)
– 1-2 hiking pants (Megan’s favorite hiking pants; Jonathan’s favorite hiking pants)
– Fleece pants: Megan didn’t bring these and was pretty jealous when Jonathan got to change into comfy sweats at camp each night!
– Belt (if needed)
– Fleece jacket
– Down jacket (a.k.a. puffy)
– Rain jacket
– Rain pants (full-length zips recommended)
– Insulated/winter hiking pants (for summit night – Megan used ski pants, and Jonathan combined his fleece pants with his rain pants for a similar effect)
– Hardshell/ski jacket (for summit night – we both used old ski jackets)
– Pajamas (optional, but it’s nice to have clean, dry clothes to sleep in; an extra thermal top and warm leggings work well for this)
– Sun hat (a hat with a full brim is best, but you can also combine a ball cap with a buff to protect your neck and ears)
– Beanie
– Buff
– Balaclava
– Sunglasses (100% UV protection)
– Inner/liner (thin fleece) gloves
– Warm (waterproof) gloves (for summit night – we used ski gloves)
– Hiking boots
– Spare laces: We didn’t end up needing these, but I definitely would have wanted them had we needed them!
– Shoes for camp: We brought our hiking sandals for this, but I would recommend bringing some casual sneakers instead, as our feet could be cold in the evenings (even with socks).
– Gaiters: This is one item we didn’t have (and didn’t need), but they are recommended if your pants don’t cover the tops of your shoes (for example, if you’re wearing leggings as hiking pants), as they keep out all the dirt and rocks you’ll be trudging through, especially on downhills.
– Crampons: We rented these on the advice of our trekking company for ice on the summit, but we didn’t end up needing them. Check with your tour operator to see if these will be needed during your trek. (I would file these under the “better to have and not need than to need and not have” category.)

Toiletries & First Aid

– Hand sanitizer
– Toilet paper: Keep this in your day pack for off-trail bathroom stops. Also bring a resealable bag to collect your used toilet paper, which you can dump at camp each night.
– Wilderness wipes
– Sunscreen
– Insect repellant: You only need this for the first day or so and the last day (when you’re in the forest), but you don’t want to skip it!
– Prescription medications: Likely Diamox (to help prevent altitude sickness, prescription required in the U.S. or you can buy in Moshi) and malaria medication (prescription required, multiple options available – talk to your doctor). Our doctors also wrote us prescriptions for an antibiotic for traveler’s diarrhea, just in case!
– Over-the-counter medications: We took basically an entire drugstore and only ended up using the ibuprofen and Tums, but we wanted to be prepared. You might also consider packing medication for nausea, heartburn and gas relief.
– Ear plugs and eye mask (optional): This sounds very high-maintenance, but I wish I had brought an eye mask. If you get to camp early enough after your hike, you can nap before dinner, but often the sun was too bright for me to fall asleep. We got free eye masks from Turkish Airlines on our flight to Tanzania, and I wish I’d thrown one in my trekking bag.
– Toothbrush and toothpaste
– Foot powder
– Comb
– Hand cream or lotion
– Lip balm (with SPF)
– Aquaphor (if lip balm isn’t enough)
– Deodorant
– Nail clippers (and a nail brush! my nails were filthy)
– Small first aid kit (Band-aids, blister packs, Neosporin, etc.)

Entertainment/Technology

– Camera or video camera (if phone will not suffice)
– Kindle or other reading material
– Battery-powered charger (and adapter for hotel before and after): There’s no power on the mountain. We borrowed a solar charger from friends, but our small battery packs would have been enough to keep our phones charged. Don’t forget your charging cables!
– Deck of cards (or other game/activity; optional)
– Journal + writing utensil (optional)

Miscellaneous

– Snacks: You can buy granola, candy, dried fruit, etc., in Moshi, but energy supplements are not readily available so we brought Clif Bloks and electrolyte tablets from home.
– Quick-dry towels: We did not realize that we would be getting warm basins of water to wash each day! This might not be the case with all tour providers, but we were glad we had two small towels each to dry off after these camp baths.
– Hand/toe warmers
– Small lock(s) for luggage
– Cash for tipping: Your trekking company should provide a list of recommended tips for each guide and porter. We ended up tipping about 20 percent of our total trip cost. You can also visit an ATM in Moshi to get the cash. Our guides said they preferred tips in USD, but you can also tip in Tanzanian shillings. Your tour operator might also let you tip with a credit card (but expect to pay a service charge).

How to Pack

For Travel to Moshi

Airline regulations do not allow you to carry trekking poles on the plane, so if you are bringing your own trekking poles, you will need to check a bag. We rarely check luggage, so we were quite nervous our luggage may get lost and not arrive in time for the start of our trek. Because of this, we prioritized putting the items we really wouldn’t want to have to rent/replace in Moshi in our day pack, which we used as our carry-on. These items included:

– Puffy jacket
– Fleece jacket
– Rain layers
– Merino wool base layers
– Favorite pair of hiking pants
– Socks
– Hiking boots (you might need to wear these on the plane)
– Snacks (Clif Bloks, electrolyte tablets – these types of energy supplements are typically not available in Moshi)
– Medications
– Toiletries
– Technology (Kindle, battery pack, camera if you’re bringing one)
– All paperwork (visas, insurance, etc.)

Many websites recommend you wear one complete hiking outfit on the plane, including a long-sleeved shirt, hiking pants, underwear, socks and hiking boots. This is a great and rational idea, but personally, I didn’t want to wear my hiking boots for the 20+ hour trip. I put mine in a tote bag as my personal item and put them under the seat in front of me, but Jonathan did wear his. I also recommend bringing a set of clean clothing to wear on your flight home (or to your next destination) after your trek. Most hotels and tour companies say they offer laundry services, but if you’re leaving the next morning, chances are you won’t get your laundry back in time.

For the Mountain

Once you arrive in Moshi, your tour operator will likely do a gear check with you and help you rent anything you need. You will pack your duffel bag and your day pack and then leave your other luggage with the tour operator (hence the small locks – and remember to leave your clean set of clothing in this bag).

On your trek, you will carry your own day pack with the items you need during the day (usually your rain layers, sunscreen, small first aid kit, snacks, water, bug spray when hiking through the forest, toilet paper, hand sanitizer, sun hat, head lamp, liner gloves, and extra jackets on cold days). Everything else will go in your duffel bag for a porter to carry. Your tour company will likely have a weight limit (somewhere around 15 kg) for your duffel, so check that ahead of time and remember the weight limit includes your sleeping bag.

Within our duffel bag, we decided to pack our summit clothes separately. We put our heavy layers (ski jacket, pants and gloves) in a vacuum-sealed bag, as we wouldn’t need those until summit night. We also set aside one set of base layers, underwear and socks in a large Ziploc bag so we would have clean clothes for the summit hike.

Downloadable Packing List

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Featured image: Megan hiking toward Kilimanjaro in the distance on day 3 of our trek (January 2023)