What is a good hydration system for hiking Kilimanjaro?
I am attempting a summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro (Africa) later in the year. I have most of my gear, however the one thing I am unsure of is the best way to hydrate and store/carry my water. I am also unsure of purification methods.
I know I am supposed to drink 3 - 5L a day when hiking and my initial thought was to take a 3L camelback and two 1L bottles. Is this too much?
I am also worried about the water freezing at the higher altitudes, what measures can I take to prevent this?. What are experiences other have had Kilimanjaro or not?
Best Answer
I just got back from climbing Kilimanjaro, and we used a SteriPEN to purify our water. It's very small and easy to carry, and it only takes a minute to purify a liter of water (you basically just have to stir). It cost us $90 and was definitely worth it, considering how awful iodine tablets make your water taste.
As for amount of water, I carried 3L each day and was totally fine. On summit day we didn't have any trouble with the water freezing. We didn't have insulated water bottles, so we packed the water inside our backpacks and put clothes around them, and it worked fine. A few other people on our trek used camel backs and I think had more trouble with the straw freezing than we had with our water bottles.
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How do you get water on Kilimanjaro?
Kilimanjaro's altitude is a significant challenge, but climbers do not need supplemental oxygen to climb Kilimanjaro or reach the summit. To reach to the summit you use the acclimatization method of walking slowly \u201cpole pole\u201d climb high, sleep low.Do you need an oxygen tank to climb Mount Kilimanjaro?
How to minimize your chances of suffering from altitude sickness on Kilimanjaro:How do you prevent altitude sickness on Kilimanjaro?
While climbing Kilimanjaro, you will typically carry the gear you need for trekking from one camp to the next in a medium-sized daypack (approximately 25\u201335 liters). You'll pack things like sunscreen, sunglasses, food, water, money, passport, a camera and extra clothing in this bag.Climbing Kilimanjaro: Clean Drinking Water in tanzania | Trek Tips
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Answer 2
Camalbacks are great for trecking, but they have two problems when climbing Kilimanjaro.
At high altitudes drinking from the tube can leave you breathless as the time spent drinking while walking is time that you aren't breathing. This sounds surprising but it does make a difference with the low oxygen levels.
On the summit day, the water in your camalback tube will freeze, and won't defrost until after you have submitted. Making the camalback pretty much useless. Waterbottles will be fine in that temperature.
This said, I would still highly recommend a camalback for the little sips as you are walking to save having to get the bottle out your backpack and open it each time you have a drink. Two 1 litre bottles and a 3 litre camalback sounds about perfect.
Don't worry too much about sterilizing the water, it will be boiled for long enough for you.
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