Packing For Kilimanjaro

I was kind of hoping to get the packing for the Kilimanjaro trip today but the amount of gear to pack meant that I needed to get a bigger bag because my existing duffle bag just couldn't fit everything in! The fact that we'll be on the trail for 7 days, moving from tropical climate to that of artic, means that I have a lot to pack.

Here's a snap shot of what I'm packing:
1. 6 pairs of socks, 2 pairs of liners
2. Gloves (2 pairs of liners, 1 pair of fleece and 1 pair of windproof)
3. Balaclava
4. Polar Buff
5. Buff
6. 3 sets of base layers
7. Down jacket
8. Fleece jacket and pants
9. Outer shell jacket and pants
10. Backpack (45 litres)
11. 1 pair of trekking poles
12. 1 long sleeve and 1 short sleeved drifit tees
13. Brimmed hat
14. Sunglasses (protection from the glacier glare makes it necessary protection)
15. 1 3litre Camelbak drinking bladder
16. 1 1litre Nalgene bottle with insulating parka
17. 1 1litre thermos 
18. 1 sleeping bag (it's rated -19 degrees, so you can imagine how big it is) and 1 sleeping pad
19. 1 headlamp
Plus toiletries and trail food.

What's trail food? Well, it's snacks that can be eaten while walking to give us energy (we'll be burning calories like mad), such as nuts, dried fruits (I love raisins, I've been trying small boxes of those during training and it keeps me going for half a day), muesli bars, etc. Apart from nutrition, food can also be a source of comfort when you're on your feet for an average of 7 hours a day (it's 15 hours on the last day), battling the weather and also the thin air. For me, I've gone for the perennial favourite for many of us: bak kwa or Chinese jerky. Ordinarily, I'd avoid it because of its sweetness and saltiness, but the calorie rich slices keeps us going both physically and mentally. 

Here's a snapshot of some of my packing for the expedition alone. Packing for the post-trip programs is easy enough because you can afford to get away with stuff you might forget.