Kilimanjaro Tips

As the air gets thinner the sun gets stronger at altitude!! 

Protection from the sun and to help prevent heat stroke a hat, buff, long sleeved shirt and sun cream is a must.

Shivering, sweating, headaches at altitude or in a sun drenched beach is no fun.

We can help reduce this by taking a few precautions.

Hat – the best hat is the type  with a brim all the way round. This will help keep the back of your neck, the top of your head and your ears protected from the sun.  

We don’t want to cook the brain!!  
The back of the neck is critical, as most of the blood flow to the brain passes here and if the blood is heated the brain does some weird things. 

Buff or Neck scarf – one of the most simple and effective pieces of kit guy can buy. It doubles as a hat, neck scarf to keep the sun at bay or to keep you warm, a sweat band and a nice wrist band! 
Sun lotion – 5,000meters up  is not the best place to get sun burn, so a high factor sun cream / block is required, 30-50. Also bring some lip balm too as your lips will dry and start cracking, Vaseline is a good option too. 
Long sleeve tops – a long sleeve top can be an advantage to help further protect the body from the sun. There are lots of choices on the market, and you’re need a too with a high UV factor. 
Sun glasses – to reduce the glare from the sun at altitude sun glasses are a must. Some wear glacier glasses which are Cat.4 rated and some wear good quality sun glasses like Bloc with a rating of Cat 3. Although Bloc do a range of Cat 4. Rated lenses. Without sunglasses you run the real risk of sun blindness, which is very painful.

Sleeping bags make the difference between a good nights sleep and a great nights sleep.

There are 2 main materials sleep bags are made from – Down and syntactic.
Traditionally down sleep bags are HGS warmest , being filled with duck or goose feather it s combination of both. Check the fill level for a gauge of warmth. The main disadvantage with a down sleeping bag and to the sabe extent a down jacket is if they get wet it’s very, very difficult to dry them out, especially on a trek.
The most popular material by far is the synthetic variety. Easy to dry if wet and has a smaller pack  size.
You want to look for a sleeping bag rating of 3-4 as a minimum , a 4 season would be better. 
Sleeping bags come from different manufacturers and can be found in supermarkets or malls. These ideals need avoiding as they  are typically targeted our low level out of the car camping.  
Stick to the speacialist outlets with brands like north face / mountain equipment as some of the leaders in the market.
Sleeping bags, good sleeping bags start around £80 ($120) upwards. 
You  can hire these from various places , such as in Tanzania. 
To add to the comfort, warmth and especially if you’re hiring a sleeping bag a sleeping liner is a must. It adds about a season to the rating and protects the bag and you, especially if you’ve hired one.