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Details/tips about how and why I failed to climb Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. I hope this video helps you make it to the top. Please leave a comment if you are planning to climb or have questions. Or let me know if you were able to climb it.

Boots in video:
Arc'Teryx Bora Mid GTX Hiking Boot
Timberland White Ledge Mid waterproof hiking boot

Link to climbing video:
   • Machame Route 6 day climb of Mount Ki...  

Full Text of video (closed captioning available)
Hey guys, I wanted to go over the reasons that I
believe I did not get to the summit of Mount
Kilimanjaro.
The first mistake that I made was not getting
there early enough. I should have gotten there
at least one day earlier than I did. At the time, I
had recently started a new job so I didn’t have
much vacation time. I used it all for this trip. I
flew there which took about a solid day of
flying, got to Moshi town, checked into the
hotel, slept, and then climbed the very next
day.
This was a mistake as I should have gotten
there at least a day earlier to rest. Ideally, I
would have gotten there about a week earlier
and maybe done a safari while I was there
before. This would have gotten rid of the jet
lag that I had and definitely helped with the
actual climb
That leads me to my next mistake, which was
trying to do the climb as fast as possible. I went
for the popular Machame route, which is
typically done in 6 or 7 days. I chose the 6 day
option. An extra day would have definitely
helped as the climb is less intense. If I had to
do it over, I wouldn’t even consider the 6 day
climb.
There are also other routes you can take. I
chose the Machame route as it seemed like a
good blend of scenery and difficulty. There are
routes that are easier but do not have the same
degree of views. If I had to do it again, I would
probably go for the Marangu route or the
Northern Circuit, which are generally
considered to be easier routes than Machame.
Another mistake that I made was buying a
cheap sleeping bag. I bought a small packable
sleeping bag which fit into my backpack. It
wasn’t nearly warm enough or comfortable
enough, in hindsight. I’d get a larger and
warmer sleeping bag if I attempt the climb
again. One night I actually had to sleep with all
of my clothes including my jacket on, inside the
bag, and I was still very cold. I did buy a
packable sleeping pad, and that is definitely
something that I would recommend.
I would also bring antinausea medicine with
me. I did bring a first aid kit that I had
assembled with bandaids, Tylenol, and various
things like that, but I did not have antinausea
medication. I would definitely recommend that
you bring some pepto bismol or Dramamine if
you are going to attempt the climb.
Another suggestion that I would make is to find
out as much as you can about what kind of food
you will be getting. The climb that I went on
had two options, a basic food package which I
believe was just some sandwiches and fruit,
and the complete option that I went with. The
complete option had all meals, breakfast, lunch
and dinner. It was porridge for breakfast, a
sandwich and fruit for lunch, and dinner which
was usually fried chicken and some vegetables.
Both options came with your daily supply of
water. In hindsight, I would probably go for the
basic food package and bring my own food with
me, like breakfast bars. Every morning on my
climb we had porridge, which I thought was
terrible. I’d definitely not do that again. I got
quite sick on the climb, and I am pretty sure
that the food was at least part of the reason,
other than the altitude itself.
Something that I spent quite a lot of time
researching was boots and socks. I ultimately
brought the Arcteryx Bora Mid GTX hiking boot,
which sells for about $280 online right now. I
think I paid slightly more, about $300 for mine
at the time. It’s a great boot. It’s lightweight,
and fits your foot more like a sneaker than a
boot. It is however, difficult to put on and take
off. On the plus side, once you get them on,
they’re not going anywhere.
Originally I was going to wear a pair of boots
that I already had, which are Timberland White
Ledge waterproof hiking boots. They’re about
$90 right now, roughly a third the cost of the
Arcteryx boots. If you’re on a budget, I’d
suggest the Timberlands or something similar.
The Arcteyx boots are noticeably better in
terms of fit and comfort than the Timberlands,
but for three times the cost? I don’t think they
are anywhere near three times as good.