Gearing Up for the Journey

Tomorrow morning we board airplanes and fly to Kilimanjaro International Airport, Tanzania. After months of training and preparation, it’s finally time to climb. We pray our legs and lungs are ready and that we haven’t forgotten vital gear. Speaking of vital gear, we’re often asked about the gear required for this climb so here’s a bit of info about our gear.

We hike through five climate zones so we need gear for warm, cold and wet weather. This includes three layers of Polartec clothing as well as a waterproof jacket and pants. In addition, we’ll have a couple layers of fleece for warmth. Our sleeping bags must be rated for 0 degrees Fahrenheit and we’ll sleep on sleeping pads for both comfort and insulation from the cold ground. Our toes will be comfy in 1-2 pairs of thick hiking socks from Darn Tough Socks. We’ll hike in our Ahnu Montara boots which are lightweight, but rugged enough for the rocky terrain. Our hands will be cozy in 1-3 layers of gloves. We’ll carry some of our gear in Osprey daypacks and keep hydrated with Acli-mate mountain sport drink which should help with altitude sickness. When it’s really cold, we’ll pull Chaos Balaclava’s over our heads and throw a wool hat over this. On summit day when we’re hiking in darkness, SureFire headlamps will illuminate the path. And when the climb is over, we’ll apply Badger sore muscle rub to our tired muscles, slip into a comfy pair of Mountain Khakis, and be amazed at the journey we’ve completed.

Many thanks to the companies who provided gear to our team!