BootsnAll Travel Community

Hi Everyone!
Does anyone recommend a good sleeping bag for Kili? We are staying a night in the crater (planned our trek from mid- to late-August).

These are a few I found...
1. Mountain Hardwear Lamina -15
2. Mountain Hardwear Big Bang SL
3. REI Kilo Plus

Anyone have a sleeping bag they'd recommend?
Thanks for your help!
-jen

Hey! I used to be the Consumer Relations dude for Mountain Hardwear and know those bags well (and now can speak more honestly). Go for the Big Bang SL. Absolutely skip the Lamina.

Consumer relations in action

REI one is less warm than MH's bags, but all of them will do the job fine. Depends on the person, but -15 is usually too warm, a little overkill.

That is true. Nine out of 10 people require your standard +20 degree f., 600 fill power down, regular shell, sleeping bag. For those, I usually recommend the "house brand" from REI, Campmor or EMS.

Hi everyone, thanks for the input.

So, even with a night in the crater, you think the -15 bag will be too much? I'm just saying that I'd rather be a bit too toasty than uncomfortably chill on the night before the summit. However, if it's really too much, then I could go with a bag that's rated just up to 0 degrees.

I think you'll find that you won't get much use out of a -15 bag. It's generally going to be too warm for anything else you'd ever use it for. So, its really up to you whether you want to spend that kind of money for a one time, one night thing. Either way, it's most important that you get a bag that fits your size.

For the night in question, just boil some water and stick it in a Nalgene or two and keep it in the sleeping bag with you. Throw on some extra clothes if necessary and you should be fine. Alternatively, rent some cheap arse bag locally and throw it over you other bag as a blanket. You've got Porters and extra sleeping bag really isn't going to make much of a difference.

I have been following your ?'s and replies. Isn't this a great tool?! I also have been researching my own trip up kili in late june for almost ayear. I am (w/ husband and daughter 16) heading up lemosho trail on june 22 with a night in crater. i researched sleeping bags til my head spun, i get very cold camping in calif! It will be very cold, below freezing, the last few nights, maybe more nights. it is june and the start of their winter, very cold on a mtn. i just recently talked to my tanzania travel consultant(she was in states)she lives in arusha. she actually helped me to decide to rent a bag. she garanteed they are clean and very good quality. it will also help in our weight resrtiction traveling to zanzibar on small planes. am traveling thru Aurora Consulting (Annie Birch)in arusha and outfitter is Nature Discovery. there is room in our group (3!) for more travelers if you are interested. regards,kh

If you are going to rent a sleeping bag, take your own sleeping bag liner or a sleep sheet. Those take very little space.

I took a Marmot. It was a women's Teton -18C. Very happy I took that. Each nite I would sleep in the clothes I was going to wear the next day....got my extra zeez.

I still use this bag here in SF...and save on my gas bills. Its too bloody cold these days even in May.

Hi KH, thanks for the invite and the insights!

We are pretty set to go in August 08 - hoping to summit on my husband's birthday! I think my husband will rent a bag for the extra warmth if needed on those colder nights, since his bag is rated to just 10 degrees. I'm most likely going to buy one that is rated a bit below 0, since I tend to get cold pretty easily and I've heard it can get super cold in the crater, especially with the wind. Are you and your family going on safari, too? With the same company?

Madhu, thanks for the info and the tip about sleeping in the next day's clothes... I just might do the same while I'm there!

I used to live in SF, so yeah, it does get pretty chill there, especially in the summer!

Yes...we are going on 4-5 day safari, all in tanzania, then 3 days in zanzibar. All thru Aurora travel. It's getting very close!! kh

Jen. Don't worry about wind, you'll be in a tent. Each person react differently to the cold. My partner used 0 degree bag for Kili via Crater, she was fine, she did have to bundled up a bit. While I didn't even zip up my 0 bag the entire time. If you insist on -15, then go for it. I do think you are better off spending the money on a nice down jacket and better pairs of boots.

Good luck with your trip.

I slept in the crater with a -20 Northface bag and I was still cold. BUT, I didn't have a respectable sleeping pad, just a thin foam one. But personally I like my -20 bag and I tend to sleep cold.

I climbed KILI back in September '05 and it can get extremely cold and I was really unsure as to what sleeping bag to buy. I eventually went for a Ajungilak 3 season bag which although was fairly expensive (I think around £70 at the time) it did keep me really warm. Most of the time I just slept in my Helly Hansen Lifa thermals (another great thing to buy because they're very light and keep you at an optimum temperature even when it's fairly warm). My friend, who was in the same tent decided to go for a cheap sleeping bag and ended up sleeping in most of his clothes throughout the climb! I've made a site and put together some tips, advice and things to buy Trek Kili