Berghaus Mens Freeflow 35 Litre Rucksack
A superb bag for Kilimanjaro. While only 25 litres is strictly necessary, the extra 10 litres is massively useful for stowing warm gear when the sun is up and we're descending from the summit.
Description
When you climb Kilimanjaro on our Advantage or Excel Series, you will carry as little weight as possible. The main reason for this is that youβll acclimatise better and faster if your respiratory rate is as low as possible β which is why your guide will introduce you to the βPole, poleβ pace within 10 minutes of entering Kilimanjaro National Park.
Weβre very reluctant to recommend large day sacks to be carried by our climbers on Kilimanjaro, because there seems always to be a psychological phenomenon at work in the realm of luggage containers, whereby whatever capacity of bag one carries, one tends to invent justifications to carry as many (unnecessary) items as the bag, coincidentally, has the capacity to contain.
Since we want you to travel light, enjoy the climb as much as possible, keep your centre of gravity as close to the centre of your pelvis, and ensure that the orientation of your head and neck is as close to upright as possible, so that you can see Kilimanjaroβs beauty, have your face seen easily by our guides and their assistants, and have your trachea as straight as possible to facilitate the important process of bringing oxygen into your body, we would say the following:
This day sack is truly an excellent option provided you make a deal with yourself not to fill it to more than 70% capacity at all times, except when you are descending from Uhuru Peak to Barafu or Kibo Huts.
The main advantage of having a more-capacious-than-usually-necessary day sack is that on summit night / morning youβll begin with lots of clothing on, but after you summit and the sun rises and starts to warm you, the temperature will rise from an effective minus 10 Centigrade (in the darkness, with wind chill) to an apparent 20 degrees Centigrade (in the sunlight, as you start to drop below the ridge line). As the temperature begins to rise, we want you to have plenty of additional capacity in your day sack so that as it gets warmer you can start peeling off layers without the unwanted mental stress of knowing youβre going to have to wrestle with your pack while you negotiate each addition to its contents.
Related Pages
This is a bag of superb quality and is ideal for climbers who want to do extended, multi-day treks during their training phase.
ξ 
While substantially inferior to the more robust, larger Ortlieb dry bag that is preferred by soldiers encountering hostile conditions, if youβre not planning more adventures after Kilimanjaro, this bag ought to suffice to keep your stuff dry within your holdall or rucksack while you climb Kilimanjaro with us.
ξ 
If your pre-expedition Kilimanjaro training has consisted of cardiovascular exercises primarily, such as running, cycling and swimming and you do not intend to use weight when training in the hills to simulate the fatigue of high altitude, then you donβt really need a large capacity rucksack.
ξ 
Many rucksacks have a built-in rainproof cover sewn into the lid or the base of the bag. If you use a decent rucksack liner itβs not essential to use a rucksack cover, however, it is nonetheless advised as it is advantageous to ensure that your rucksack remains reasonably dry so that it does not become frozen and brittle at night when the temperature drops below zero.
ξ 