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Mt Kilimanjaro Packing List

May 16
Posted by DaveOlson in Personal

One of the reasons that climbing Kilimanjaro is so challenging is the five climate zones you pass through on your way to the top. I mean other than the oxygen level is half of what is normal at sea level, but I digress.

And it’s those different climate zones that make packing a real challenge. Fortunately, I won’t have to carry it all, that’s the reason porters work on every climb. These porters will carry the bulk of my gear and I get to concentrate on making it to the top.

Aside from the actual cost of the trip itself, getting good gear for the climb will be my greatest cost so I need to make my list pretty carefully. I’ve search a lot of websites and blogs to come up with a list and so far here’s what I’ve got. Thanks to Tanya at Off-Track Backpacking for the basic list. Tanya did the trek in January of this year.

  1. Day pack with rain cover: I’ve already got my Osprey Atmos 35L that I used for our European trip last year. Just need to get a raincover
  2. Duffel bag: will be used to carry whatever I won’t need during the day. The porter will carry it for me. Got this already.
  3. Waterproof trekking boots and extra shoes just in case. My Asolo Powermatic 200 GVs will be the boot for this trek. I’ll probably just through it a pair of slip-ons for around camp.
  4. Gaiters: used to protect yours legs from branches, snow, mud, etc
  5. Thermal outer socks: either wool or synthetic
  6. Inner socks: use a synthetic small sock before wearing the bigger sock
  7. Waterproof pants: to protect against rain and snow. I’ll probably look at a GoreTex pair from Farwest
  8. Long pants: a pair of warm and another pair of light pants, both made of wool or synthetic. I’ve got zip-off pants that can do dual duty.
  9. Shorts: when hiking at the bottom of the mountain
  10. Thermal underwear made of lycra to protect against the cold.
  11. Jacket, both wind and waterproof
  12. Waterproof outer gloves and a pair of inner gloves
  13. Long sleeved shirts and t-shirts (synthetic or wool). Icebreaker looks like a great brand although I already have a few synthetics
  14. Toque to protect my head against the cold and wind and a hat to protect against the sun
  15. Headlamps with spare batteries so I can see at night. I’m looking at a Petz
  16. Insulated water bottles so my water doesn’t freeze. I have a 3litre bladder for my daypack. I’ll need an insulated drinking tube though
  17. Travel towel: it’s compact and dries quickly. I use microfiber work towels from Costco
  18. Trekking poles: it helps save energy during the hike. It’s also easier on the knees during descent.
  19. Sunglasses, swiss army knife, whistle, small mirror, string/rope, watch, first-aid kit. Whistle is built-into my pack. Probably won’t bring a watch though.
  20. Sun lotion and  lip balm with sun protection, insect repellent
  21. Kleenex, wet wipes, biodegradable soap bar, no rinse shampoo, foot powder. Hadn’t thought about the shampoo issue before.
  22. Flavored powder to put in water: The water is filtered but doesn’t taste good.
  23. Rehydration salts: in case I’m dehydrated. I’ll probably skip this and use Gatorade in the water
  24. Power bars and other snacks to keep up energy levels
  25. Sleeping bag: needs to be warm enough for the last night on the mountain. I’ve got a silk liner that will make it warmer.
  26. Sleeping pad: my back could be a problem so this is really important. I already have a self-inflating one that could work but I’m still considering other options.
  27. Camera: Not technically needed but I’m not going that far without taking pictures to prove I did it.

I think that’s everything. Can you think of anything I might have missed?

 

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One Small Step for Man, One Big Step for… Well You Get The Picture

May 03
Posted by DaveOlson in Personal

I finally decided on a pair of boots to protect my feet from injury and fatigue while trekking to the top of Kilimanjaro.

And the winner is….(drum roll please)

Asolo PowerMatic 200 GV

I haven’t just decided, I’ve actually put money on them. Put them on layaway actually. I would have purchased them outright but for $350, I thought I might just want to stretch it out a bit.

I’m not complaining about the price. I’m convinced it’s totally worth it, but it is a little more than I normally carry in my wallet. On top of that, now I have a system in place for my beautiful wife and/or my kids to contribute to the cause on father’s day or some such how to say I love you event. They can just rock up to Universal Footwear in Revelstoke and put money on my layaway so I can start breaking in the boots sooner.

I know I wasn’t even considering these boots earlier when I last wrote about my search, but two things cinched the decision.

  1. These boots have a micro-pulley lacing system that is unbelievably slick. I’ve never come across any thing this cool since I bought a pair of Pumas with a dial instead of laces. The end result of this system is that the boot automatically equalizes the pressure over the top of your foot. No more having to stop and loosen laces because the top of your foot is starting to hurt. Or tighten them either. Trust me on this… it is REALLY cool!!
  2. When I tried on these boots I discovered that my left ankle wasn’t rolling in slightly anymore. I hadn’t even noticed it before, so I went back and tried on some of the other lighter boots and there was the rolling over again. I know it’s a slight trade off in weight for support, but my foot felt so great in this beauty, Besides these boots look great too.

On another note, with all the help from Universal Footwear I found out that I have a fairly high arch on my feet. So I’ll probably also go with a special insole as well. Can’t be too good to my feet. They are going to have to carry my all the way up to the top of the mountain. I’m really starting to get excited about it now. Even pushed myself a lot more on my bike ride today…

What have you done lately to get closer to your goals? Let’s talk in the comments below.

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Picking Out My Hiking Boots

Mar 29
Posted by DaveOlson in Personal

I’m not sure why, but picking out a pair of boots for my trip seems like an all consuming quest. I realize I am a bit prone to being a gear collector but seriously, a good pair of boots could make or break the trip. Plus, I do need to break them in and ideally use them for as much of my pre-trip training as possible. If I’m going to hike from Myra Canyon to Naramata, I better have some comfortable boots or it will be blister city.

What not to wear!

(I just had a thought. Since I really like shoes in general, this may be one of the reasons why this particular piece of gear is consuming me)

I’ve done quite a bit of research online to see what other people wear on the trip to Kilimanjaro. While there was certainly a lot of different options, I got it narrowed down to about three choices. The Scarpa Kailaish, the Keen Oregon PCT and the Salomon 4D Quest.

I used three main criteria for my choices.

  1. I wanted a higher boot to support my ankles. Although I don’t have weak ankles, I don’t want to end up rolling over on a rock and not being able to complete the trip.
  2. I wanted a boot with some kind of waterproofing or water resistance. It sounds like the likelihood of rain is pretty high and it would be nice not to get wet feet. That means the boot must have either a GoreTex or similar lining.
  3. I wanted a fairly light boot. One of the huge pluses on this trip is that we won’t be carrying all of our own gear. All that I will be carrying is a daypack with just the essentials between camps. The rest of the gear is carried by porters who are hired by the guide. So I don’t need a technical backpacking boot. More of a day hiking style.

So after my online research I started checking out my local outdoors stores. Checked out three in Revelstoke but they didn’t have anything in stock. So I visited my local Kelowna Valhalla Pure store to check out what they had. Of course once I got into the store, I realized that there were other options I hadn’t even considered. Mostly of the clearance, sale rack variety but unfortunately they had nothing in my size to try on. Quite frustrating actually.

So back in Revelstoke I stopped in at Universal Footwear. Malcolm and Deb have got to be the most knowledgeable shoe people I’ve ever met. For a small town store they provide exceptional service and better pricing that I’ve found anywhere. If you are ever in the Revelstoke area, you definitely need to stop in to their store. You won’t be disappointed.

Unfortunately, they did not have any of the boots I was looking for, but they did carry the Scarpa Bhutan. I discovered to my surprise that this particular bootis almost identical to the Kailaish (my first choice) except that it was full grain leather instead of  suede and synthetic. Malcolm told me the only reason they don’t carry the Kailaish is because the Bhutan is more of a man’s boot. (They actually do carry the women’s Kailaish) I tried them on and it was love at first step. What a great fit and feel. So comfortable. The price is really good too. They are only $20 more than the Kailaish and actually $20 less than anywhere else that I saw the Bhutan.

I didn’t buy them yet, but Malcolm assured me that they would always have them in stock for when I wanted them. So psyched!

Since Universal also carries the Keen line, I did ask about the Oregon PCT. They told me they didn’t carry them because of their construction. Too many seams in their opinion did not make a good hiking boot. Too many places to wear out.

I told you they were knowledgeable. :-)

So my boots should be my first major purchase in preparation for my training. As always if you have any ideas or suggestions that I should check out, please leave them in the comment box below.

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