Kit for Kilimanjaro

Kit for Climbing and Trekking up Kilimanjaro

Are you heading up Kilimanjaro in the not too distant future? This wonderful mountain that rises out of the African plans attracts thousand of visitors each year. Some climbing it for charity, some climbing it for their own personal sense of achievement. No matter your reason, it really is an achievement.


Kilimanjaro is 5893 meters high. The best part of 20,000 ft. That is around 6km, vertical upwards. To me that seems pretty high. Though in Africa the cap still has glaciers and snow on it. It can be cold and there are high risks of health problems associated with going to that height on a mountain. Acute mountain sickness is probably the most likely. Usually solved by simply going back down to a lower level. You can try and avoid this by acclimatising yourself as you go up. At the end of the days walk, climb up a few hundred meters more and then come back down again, getting your body slowly used to the thin levels of oxygen available at this altitude.

You also need to get in some training - it's a long hike. Uphill. But perhaps worse (for me at any rate) is the long walk down hill. This kills my knees and I need to really get in the practice and build up my quads and hamstrings before attempting a hike like Kilimanjaro. I simply try to get in as much walking as I can on the hills, which is usually the South Downs for where I live. I top this up with some gym work, walking on the running machine at it's steepest incline at around 6.5 kph for 30-40 minutes 3 times a week, whilst being plugged into my iPod or reading the latest Dan Brown offering. This is closely followed up with weights work for the quads and hamstrings.

Fitness is important as well as having the right gear. There is quite a lot of kit you need for Kilimanjaro and below is a response to an email from a customer who wanted to know about a few things to take with him:

Great to hear from you Mike and great to hear that you are embarking on an expedition to climb the highest mountain in Africa and the highest free standing mountain in the world. Exciting stuff.

Many thanks for looking at Walk and Travel, hopefully I'll be able to help you out with a few things. Can certainly help you out with most of the things that you have put on the list so here goes:

Soft Kit Bag - Something like the Tatonka Barrel Kit Bag should do it. I've used them a lot when I go on trips, they are very tough bags with shoulder straps for lugging about between places.

Small backpack - A selection here, probably look at the Vaude Ultralight 35 or the Vaude Triset 35. They both come with a rain cover.

Sleeping bag. Unless you are going to use this again, I would say hire one out there, but take a silk sleeping bag liner to give extra warmth and comfort. I do sell a range of sleeping bags that would be suitable for you, probably the Snugpak Softie Winter as you are not carrying it. I don't do fleece liners at the moment but can get them, they are around £20.

Water Bottles - small range here as well, but you may also want to consider the hydration systems. I don't have any insulated sleeves for the hydration systems but again, can get you one in. I think they are around £10. The best way to stop it freezing is to keep sipping water from it! The Sigg water bottles are in there as well. If it is going to be really cold I would skip the Sigg bottle as it has a metal top on it which isn't too nice to drink from, you may even get your lips stuck to it. I would recommend a Nalgene bottle made from Lexan or any other bottle made from Lexan (which is an unbreakable plastic).

Sleeping mats - I'm guessing it is going to be cold when you are going (February) with the risk of sleeping on snow or ice. There are inflatable sleeping mats and thin foam ones. If they recommend both, it is to really get some insulation between you and the ground. The ground is the place where you will lose most of your body heat due to conduction. The thin
foam sleeping mat, which will be a 5 season foam mat will really bolster the insulation. These are bulky, but not heavy and perhaps would be best if you hired / bought one out there. I've got an inflating sleeping mat on special offer that would be good, but isn't the lightest. If you want something lighter then try the Multimat Adventure Superlight Inflating Sleeping Mat. Again, if you are not going to use these things again, you may want to consider hiring them.

Head torch - Go for one with an LED bulb, then you won't need to take a replacement bulb (in fact you can't replace the bulb/led). The batteries will last much longer with an LED head torch. Something like the Silva L4 Headtorch would be perfect.

Lightweight, quick drying trvael towel - Pink or Blue? Great to take, but not that great to use. To be honest I take a face flannel to dry myself with and this will dry out on your back back during the day as it is small and therefore quick drying... probably both makes sense, especially if you need to spare your blushes at any point.

As you said I don't do clothing, just the accessories. Plenty of places that can sort you out with clothing, such as Blacks and Millets. Craghoppers is a good quality value for money brand...

Carry on Camping - a cheaper alternive holiday.

Carry On Camping

What do I need to go camping?

Camping. It conjures up images of sunny days, green fields, meadows full of flowers. Peace and relaxation. Camping is a wonderful experience, for young and old alike. It is a great experience for children, fresh air, space to run around in and usually lots of friends to be made.

Camping is the green holiday alternative. You’ll be surprised how many great campsites there are within easy driving distance, in beautiful local areas which are well worth exploring. The other great thing about camping is that it doesn’t have to cost the earth. Camping means there is less travel and less use of hotels with all their wastefulness. Once you have bought your kit, it should last you for years. After the initial financial outlay, you will reap the rewards of your purchases for many years, making your holidays cheaper each time you go. You will not only be saving money but will be helping to save the planet too.

Camping can be very simple, you will only need a tent, a sleeping bag and a sleeping mat. There is a huge range of these three simple basics and a huge range of other camping accessories which will make your experience even more comfortable. Let’s talk a little about these three main items of kit you need to go camping:

Tents.

When you are buying a tent there are two main things to consider:

Space – Space is important in your tent if you are living in it for a holiday and equally important if you need a lightweight tent for backpacking. If you are holidaying and living in your tent, think about room to stand up, room to hang out and play cards in if it is raining, especially if you are taking your children, and room in which to store your kit.

Quality – think about what quality tent you want. The better the quality the longer it will last, but the more it will cost. If you are only camping in the summer or locally in the South East of England a basic 2 seasons tent will be fine. If you are going into the mountains or somewhere where you get high winds and heavy rain, you will need a better quality tent, one that is rated at 4 seasons.

Think about what quality and space you require and seek out an expert to help you choose the perfect tent for your holiday. Remember, this will be your home while you are on holiday and it is essential, for your comfort and enjoyment, that you make the right choice.

Sleeping Bags

Choosing a sleeping bag is simpler than choosing the tent. If you are travelling to your campsite by car, then size and weight do not matter. If you are carrying your kit then you need to think about the size and weight. A small, warm, lightweight sleeping bag is more costly, but better to carry. As with tents, the season rating is used with 2,3 and 4 season sleeping bags available.

Sleeping bags will have a temperature rating on them, showing what they will go down to. It is important to remember here, that there is no standard way of measuring this and when a bag states it is comfortable down to -5 degrees, this may be true for a fit and hardy person wearing thermals. The reality for somebody else could be that the bag is only warm down to 10 degrees. Bear this in mind when you are buying your bag and seek an expert opinion.

You can have the choice of a down filled sleeping bag or a synthetic sleeping bag. Down filled bags will last longer and have a much better weight to warmth ratio, but can be costly. A synthetic bag is heavier for the warmth you get, but they are much cheaper and can be carefully washed after use.

Sleeping mats:

These are an essential piece of kit to help keep you warm. Primarily they are designed to stop you getting cold from the ground. If you sleep directly on the ground it will draw the heat from your body quicker than you can go to sleep, leaving you shivering, even in summer. A ground mat can be a simple foam mat, which you can buy for around £5. A self inflating, super comfy, super luxury mat will set you back in the region of £100.

Self inflating mats are regarded as the better option as they will also provide an element of comfort as well as the insulation. They start at around the £25 mark and can be a great investment. A self inflating mat was one of my best buys for camping, many years ago, when I had to spend three months in a tent, pure luxury compared to a standard foam mat.

There you have the three key ingredients for kit to get you out camping. There is a lot more you can learn about camping, but buying the right kit the first time is important. The rest you can learn as you go. Get out there, enjoy the fresh air, sunrises, moon lit nights and have an eco friendly holiday, saving you money and helping save the planet too.

Going camping?

I got a great email from someone looking at www.walkandtravel.com today. They want to start taking the family camping! How exciting. I love camping and I think that more people should be doing it. Scroll down to see my reply.


Hi Gareth
I found your contact details on the website and need some advice. We are on a really tight budget this year and have decided to invest in a tent and equipment to take the family camping. There are 2 adults and 4 children (15,13,6 and 1). We will be starting from scratch and need everything from a tent to pots and pans! Can you tell us where to start? We have a Nissan Terrano (7 seater) so need to consider transporting the equipment too!!
Many Thanks

My answer:

Thank you for the email and for looking at www.walkandtravel.com.

How exciting! You will have immense fun camping and the other great things about it are that you only really need to buy the equipment once and you have it for many years of enjoyable holidays providing it is all well looked after. Camping is a great eco-friendly, wallet friendly and family friendly of enjoying holidays and the great outdoors! Even in the rain...!

Have you read the Walk and Travel Beginners Guide to Camping? This will take you through some of the basic things you need to think about, but I can cover some of them here.

The main things you will to get are:

Tent
Sleeping Bags
Sleeping Mats
Stove or Cooker
Lighting

A lot of the other things such as pots, chopping boards, washing up bowls you can just raid from the kitchen cupboard to help keep the costs down.

When you are looking at tents you will need to consider the who will sleep where and who will want to share space with who. You also need to think about how you will pitch the tent, where you are using the tent and what weather.

If you are doing family camping, I am assuming that you will be camping late spring to early autumn when the weather should generally be fine. A lot of family campers go for a tent that has separate sleeping compartments - bedrooms, and it sounds like you will need 3. Look for a tent that has a central area that you can stand up in and hang out in if the weather isn't so great. Most tents with a central lounge will have a ground sheet so you can all drag your sleeping mats out to sit on, or you can invest in lightweight camping chairs. Some of the more well known brands are Khyam, Wynnester, Vango, Gelert and they all do quite a number of different models.

These tents, because of their size can all be quite heavy and quite hard to put up on your own, so a couple of adults will make things easier. However, 13 and 15 year old children will also be very useful for this. Always have a practice pitch in your garden or a local field before you take it away to make sure it all works and you have everything. This also helps to reduce the amount of time it will take to pitch the tent when you arrive at your camp site.

If you can, try and see the tents up before you buy as this will give you a good idea of what you are getting and how it would look when it is pitched correctly. This is not always possible with some shops due to the size so make sure you talk it through well with the shop owner or person that is selling you the tent.

It is imperative that the tent is totally dry before you put it away for storage or you will get mildew and rot, rendering the tent useless next time you want to go camping.


Sleeping bags come in a range of sizes and warmth and cost. As you are camping out of a car you don't need to get the lightest smallest bags, but you may need to consider this if your children are in the Scouts or going to do Duke of Edinburgh Award Expeditions. Brands to look for again are Vango, Wynnester and Gelert and Millets have their own brands such as Eurohike. For summer camping in the UK, you should look for a bag that is at least two season. If you feel the cold then opt for at least a 3 season bag. Some bags come in mummy shapes that taper with the body, other are square shaped. Most of them will have a full length zip for airing, getting in and out of and loosening off if you are warm. Mummy bags will be a little lighter for their amount of warmth because there is less space for you to warm up when you are snuggling down for the night. you may also get the choice of synthetic or down filled. Synthetic will be absolutely fine for you. (it is much cheaper!).

It may also be worth investing in sleeping bag liners, which are like sheets for a sleeping bag, these cost around £10 and will help to keep the sleeping bag clean and are easily washable. You can make your own from some old sheets sewn together to make a sack shape to sleep in.

Sleeping mats or camping mats or really important as this insulates you from the ground and most of your body heat is lost through the ground. A simple foam mat will suffice and these range from a few pounds upwards. Aim for something in the £10-15 bracket as they will last much longer and be warmer under you. Blow up mattresses are comfy, but can sometimes be cold under you as they do not have any insulation. Combine them with foam camping mats if you want to. You can also buy self inflating camping / sleeping mats which fit well between the two, but can be more expensive, heavy and possibly puncture, so make sure you take a repair kit.


For cooking you will need at least a double burner gas stove. Again, lots of people make these and any camping shop will sell them. Brands to look for are Camping Gaz, Coleman and I'm sure Gelert. You will need a hose and regulator to attach the stove to the gas bottle. Make sure it comes with these. The gas bottles are generally by Camping Gaz and can be a called things such as 901 (idea size). There are also larger blue ones with brass attachments on the top which I have completely forgotten their names, but easily available as a lot gas BBQ's run off them. These gas bottles can be expensive to buy so look in your local free ads, or on Yahoo Groups - Freecycle, to see if you can pick one up cheaply second hand. You can get them refilled at garages and garden centres.

You may also find a stove with a small grill under it, great for a slice of toast of bacon. When cooking take a wok and do big stir frys or any other type of dish such as spag bog and chilli where you can lob it all in to cook together, while pasta or rice bubbles away on the other burner. The only problem you may have is the space on the stove to fit the pots as the stoves can be fairly compact.

Invest in some lighting for the tent. This has moved on a lot in recent years and you can now get some great little led camping lanterns to light things up. It may also be worth investing in head torches for the children so they can find the way to the toilet at night if need be or read in their sleeping bags.

When you are camping always try and plan in advance what to do if it rains! It does happen and you will need things to keep you all occupied, possibly in the tent in the evenings.

There are many many more gadgets and things you can get to take camping, above is the basics. Other things include fold up tables, fold up chairs, solar panels, washing lines, radios, fridges and much more besides.

I hope you find the above useful, I don't sell the tents or stoves, but sleeping bags and sleeping mats I can help you with, along with small lanterns.

All of the gear I mentioned above will be available from a range of camping stores. Good luck, enjoy the camping, love the adventure and if there is anything else I can help you with please let me know.