Hi,

I'm off to Kilimanjaro next September and am looking for recommendations for boots as my old ones are beyond knackered. Any hints? I'm a UK size 12 if it makes any difference and wold prefer a lighter boot.

Thanks,

Hugh

Take the knackered boots and either dump them afterwards, or give them to one of the porters. Seriously - Kilimanjaro is a heap of volcanic ash and dust - and depending on your route the lower paths might be muddy. I'd recommend taking as much old and knackered gear as possible, with a view to leaving the whole lot in the country. If you take shiny new kit out there, it will get absolutely filthy. I went there in old clothes and carried old kit, and after the first day, didn't look any different than anyone with new kit. At the end, I gave the whole lot to the porters, including my knackered pack and knackered walking pole!

Thanks for the advice Paddy, do you think there are many Tanzanians who take a size 12?

Believe me... nothing goes to waste. If there isn't a porter who takes knackered size 12 boots... they'll still be able to get some benefit out of them. If they don't fit any of the porters, they'll still end up doing good somewhere in the local economy. I gave away all my stuff, but I remember one guy paying a hotel maid $2 to spend 5 minutes cleaning up his boots, and she was delighted, since that represented a week's wages!

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