Gear recommendations for hiking Kilimanjaro

A buddy asked me what gear & clothing I recommend for his hike up Mt. Kilimanjaro. Here are my suggestions of what & where to get it.

Mountain Gear and Backcountry.com are the two places I buy most of my gear since other than the local REI, we don't have any high end gear shops in the area, unless you want to drive to Tahoe. Moosejaw.com is good too, but for whatever reason I don't shop there as often. I also watch Steep & Cheap for occasional deals, but that gets addictive.

I wear Merino Wool long underwear tops & bottoms if it's cold. I happen to have both a smartwool top and an Arc'teryx top. I find the Smartwool is a little loose on the torso, and I like the fact that the Arc'teryx has a longer torso, so I can tuck it in to prevent drafts. It also has a great chest pocket for keeping powerbars warm so they don't freeze in the cold. (key for skiing!)


I wear Smartwool's light weight "boot top" long underwear bottoms, but only so that it doesn't interfere with my ski boots. For hiking, you may want to go with the full length.


If I'm going up hill I usually wear a super thin Pearl Izumi OpTik jacket to block the wind. (I wear the white one) It stuffs down really small, so it's easy to stick in a pocked or a backpack, and really blocks the wind and keeps in heat.

If it gets really windy, or wet, I wear a light weight Marmot Precip Jacket. I do have a heavy weight Arc'Teryx Goretex XCR jacket that I ski in, but unless I'm resort skiing, I wear my Marmot Precip jacket for everything else outdoors (hiking, backcountry skiing, etc.)

Several other companies (GoLight, Mountain Hardware, etc.) make similar light weight ~12oz jackets & pants, so go with whichever you like most. And I also have the light weight Marmot Precip pants in case it starts to rain, and I wear the full zip pants so I can put them on/take the off easily if I'm wearing boots. Then I can also unzip the legs part way for ventilation while hiking.

I also definitely carry a down jacket. I LOVE my down parka. I have a North Face Optimus Prime jacket, but they don't seem to make them anymore.

I guess I'd suggest the Mountain Hardware Phantom Jacket for it's light weight. Or maybe the Mountain hardware SubZero, or the North Face Nuptse. You can't go wrong with any of those. I would avoid the jackets made by companies that are not well known for their mountaineering gear (ie. New Balance - running shoe company), Jansport, Oakley, etc.) I'd stick with North Face, Mountain Hardware, Patagonia, Arc'Treyx, Montbell, Marmot, etc.)

I'm a big fan of going light. Saving a few ounces here and there can lead to saving pounds in your pack, and at 19,000' a few pounds makes a HUGE difference.