Anyone else going on this?

Hey, me and my friend are booked on here. Looking forward to it already.

Hi! Have either of you done anything like this before? I too am doing it with a friend, neither of us are experienced! Doing it for the challenge.

Hi, my husband (Graham) and myself are going too.  Very excited, scared....  We'll be the old fogeys bringing up the rear.

We haven't done anything as big as Kilimanjaro, just mainly the UK. Excited and scared is common feeling I think, I'm more worried about making sure I have everything i need.

Some useful tips from the guys there who both had done it numerous times:

• Hire a 5-season sleeping bag
• Hire a sleeping map
• Take a silk liner for the sleeping bag
• Hire a down jacket, invaluable for the cold evenings and the final ascent
• Buy a merino wool base layer
• Buy gaiters, for the dust coming back down the scree.  Or take some strong elastic bands to hold your trouser inside your socks - we were told it works just as well.
• Might like to take a face mask for the dust (coming down the scree)

One of the guys wears the same clothes the whole time, but takes 7 pairs of socks so has a clean pair for each day.

All can be hired from Exodus.

 Hope that helps!

Friends who did it last year said definately get the sleeping mat and the dust was a big issue on the route down. I am planning to take some face masks. Got a tri climate jacket yesterday - will we need a downs jacket as well?

 

We have hired through Exodus:

1. Down jacket - £40
2. Sleeping bag - £32
3. Sleeping Mat - £25

They say the down jacket is invaluable for the evenings when it is really cold!  The best thing is we don't have to pack them in the UK.  We were thinking of taking face masks too.

19 weeks tomorrow! How's everybody getting on with their training (if any)? Has everybody bought the mossie repellant spray? Invaluable apparently. Has anyone tried walking with the full pack pack yet? The ''mask'' yoy are talking about, is that a Buff? I bought one today and it seems to be versatile enough for every purpose.

Less than 18 weeks now!  Training hit a blip last week, sore knee, sore hip, very disheartening.  Thankfully recovering after a deep-tissue massage.  Mossie spray is on my list of things to buy.  I think Graham was thinking of just a 'builder's' mask, but anything that covers the nose and mouth should be okay and the buff will come in useful anyway, I think I'll get one to cover up the 'bad-hair' days!

Hi guys, hope you dont mind me butting in on your chat, im off to Kili 12 sept, lemosho and safari,never done anything like this before,great advice about the sleeping bag and matt hire,completely forgot untill i read on your forum,dust marsk and tight gaiters great advice too,11 people on my trip so far but none on forum,keep up the good chat.

Hi Snowy, have you had your injections yet and if so was it Hep A/B, Malaria, Typhoid and Yellow fever? They suggested Rabies aswell but I'm not convinced I'll need it.Are you looking to hire anything or are you going to buy it all? I've bought all mine form Cotswold, they've been really helpfull but nothing is cheap.

Hi Shant,yes had all jabs,just got to get malaria tabs and mozzy repelant,i have hired sleeping bag and matt and bought a liner,i have all the main gear ie boots,down jacket,base layers etc,just a few odd bits to get,i have managed to get most of my gear through GoOutdoors,i go in try on what i need then go home find it on line cheaper,take the printed proof and then they knock another 10% off,i have saved a few £££'s which then i put towards other items,oh doc said i wont need rabies jab,ha unless you get bitten.im so looking forward to it now,have you experienced altitude before ?

Hello to all! My son, Michael, and I will be joining you. He's done it before and will be flying out from UK with you. I will be out there acclimatising on safari for a few days before. Marion and Graham there may be some competition from me for the "old fogey at the back" position! Thanks for the tips. Like the rest I am now dosed up on jabs, got the gear, excited and scared. George

Hey George, nice to hear from you.  I'm looking forward to some company at the back.  Has anyone considered taking a course of Gingko Biloba.  Although there is no concrete evidence that it helps with altitude sickness there are reports that it could, if nothing else it improves circulation so could help with the cold, especially hands and feet.

 We are flying on a day flight with Swiss to Nairobi on the 22nd and joining everyone else on the flight form Nairobi to Kilimanjaro.  Am looking forward to meeting everyone then.  Marion