My wife and I will be attempting Kili in September. We are both keen fell walkers, I also take part in in fell running, we always use trail/fell shoes when trekking in the Lake District, in all weather conditions (using waterproof socks) and prefer the weight and grip offered by thses shoes, to boots. Any comments re the suitability of these on Kili?

So long as they're water proof and warm enough it should be fine.

I wore boots, but also took my running shoes for wearing around camp etc.

The trail is actually pretty good most of the way up and down. But there are a few caveats that would make boots a better choice in my opinion. One is the trail on the lower part of the mountain can be VERY muddy. Another is coming down from the summit. You’ll get a lot of sand, gravel, and dust in your shoes from the scree slope. I did see one guy doing the downhill in Tevas though. The others are as mentioned, cold/wet, but we also went in September and the weather was great. No rain and very little wind. It really only got cold after the sun went down. And then ankle support could be an issue. I have weak ankles and really need the support of a boot. Good luck!

P.S. I saw a lot of the porters wearing trainers…

Those two caveats mentioned above are really the main considerations. I just used rockports because thats what I had.

It was incredibly muddy when I was there. Going up through the mud on the first day I just took my time and managed to keep the shoes relatively dry. Going back down through the mud the last day I didn't care. So I just had muddy, wet feet at the end. No big deal.

Coming down from the summit I'd just empty out my shoes from time to time. Again, not too big of a deal.

The only other thing is if your shoes are wet and it by chance happens to get really cold at the high camp, you'd probably want to toss your shoes in the bottom of your sleeping bag to keep them from freezing solid.

For reference, I don't know what its like these days, but back in the day when I did it most of the porters walked barefoot throughout the lower half of the mountain.

Yeah, water proofing is probably the most important thing. It doesn't matter what you do, if your feet are wet, they're going to be cold and that's going to be uncomfortable to say the least!

Also more likely to get blisters then too.

I think if you're going to wear trail shoes or whatever then gaiters become a necessity, particularly if it's wet and muddy, and again for the summit descent.

I am a big proponent of proper hiking boots for one simple reason: they make the hike easier. When I do a serious hike in trail shoes or light hikers I end up with sore calf muscles. Hiking boots are stiff on the bottom so your feet don't flex. The hard sole makes it like climbing stairs, without the stairs. But, if you are in great shape it might be fine. I just like to use every advantage I can.

I did not see any porters barefoot on our trip.

Thanks for the tips everone - decision time!!