We hunted and hunted and hunted for sleeping bags! We wanted to be warm, cosy, and toastie, so we needed one which does this job. We needed 4 seasons (which means more ££) to handle -10 degree Celsius or less (more? I am unsure)! So, we ordered 3 from Mountain Warehouse and I realised I wouldn’t take this as it was too huge for my current duffle. So, I decided to get one from Hyke and Byke! I still had to return my first bought duffel. Four days before departure, I wasn’t sure about my duffel bag. I bought 3 – 60l, 70l (Green Earth Pak), and another 70l(LOMO) – 2 different brands, different sizes. Trish bought a nice Columbia one (70l) foldable and smart. Sid had one (60l or 70l backpack) which he decided to take as his duffel, but it created some problems in Moshi which I will tell you later. I had to pick one and return the other two.
In the meantime – Amazon/sports shops, any shop ( where ever cheap) – merino socks, medicines, wipes, and toiletries packed in smaller containers for this trek. Lots and lots of good sunscreen.
So I had to pick one duffel bag and return the other 2. I had more returns – things that didn’t fit, things I thought I needed but realised later that I was just overspending, things I thought were in the ‘maybe’ pile, then things returned as there was a lack of space and you just have to go with the necessity ones ….. the returns were never-ending! The local Tesco guy (Evri ing my parcels) and the Post Office guy doing my returns knew me too well especially when trying to Evri a parcel that was meant to take off from the PO.
In the meantime – I had to keep tabs on all the labels, return dates, where to return what and to keep track of whether the refunds had been issued. Hard? No. I was jobless and had a lot of time!
My job was to start getting fit – swim , swim , swim … then a bit of gym. But part of this job was also to get ready for Kili – so shop!
We even bought ‘shewees’ and urine bags… lol! We never used them, but these could come in handy sometime in the future when walking my dogs in the woods. We had a long discussion about how to use a ‘SheWee’. I haven’t ever used one. Trish said, they use them often during concerts and God knows where else. Anyway, I wanted a demo as the shape can be confusing to a newbie especially when the front looks like the back and the back looks like the front, which way is the right way? Oh, never mind! I will figure it out one day in the woods!
So, coming back to the kit, we were collecting, piling, accumulating and my guest room was hit by an earthquake every day. I visited Sid and Trish one weekend and saw the same earthquake in their rooms.
The most puzzling issue was how to pack. What if our baggage doesn’t arrive? Take the essentials in the cabin with you, but weren’t they all essentials? It was pack, unpack and repack on the last 2 days and a few sleepless nights.
13th February: We looked like we had everything but no! We were still Amazoning and realised we needed padlocks -at least 4/5. I had to do a trip to Tesco for something else at 8 pm and saw these padlocks for our bags.
Pic sent- Approved: so buy
I spot a green bikini bottom that would look nice (oh …Not recommended for the trek) – so buy it.
We had overlooked our Zanzibar beach holiday.
14th February – Departure date – we are ready to fly to Kilimanjaro! I decide on the orange 70L Lomo bag.
Kili Babes meet at the airport. Kili Babes are ready to climb a very big mountain!
