Girl tips for Kili trips (and some unisex hints as well!)

I've been meaning to post this since my return. Now that a friend has decided to embark on a Kili adventure, I'd be remiss not to share with her, and others, the "tips" I gathered based on my journey.  I must give credit for some of these to two other women who made a similar post (which was very useful to me in planning my trip), but alas, whose names I cannot recall.  If they see this, no doubt they'll know who they are!

So, in no particular order of importance, here it goes!  Apologies in advance for the degree of attention to bathrooms and bodily functions -- but that's where I found the tour companies to be most lacking in specific information.

1. Travelling toilet kit: In your day pack, always have handy a large plastic bag filled with a roll of toilet paper and/or tissues, hand sanitizer, and a small plastic bag for the post-pee remnants so you can "leave no trace behind" (at least no trace of non-biodegradable materials).
2. Hair care: I was a fan of the "dry shampoo" I purchased at REI (or likely could find at any camping supply store). I'm not sure it really does anything to clean you, but it squirted like a mousse and kept my hair feeling fresh and not too oily, even after 10 days on the moutain.  It was my hairspray moment each day to keep me feeling like a girl in my group of 35 other males!  I also kept my hair perpetually in a "do-rag" (bandana), which though less than fashionable, I think really helped keep the dust in my roots to a minimum.
3. Go-Girl: I didn't use one. For those of you not yet initiated, it's a contraption you can use to pee in your tent during the night. The fear of peeing all over my sleeping bag or dry clothes outweighed the lack of desire to venture out into the dark cold night to visit the toilet tent.  (If your tour company doesn't have a toilet tent, consider an upgrade! Most of the groups we saw on the mountain had them.) The extra added benefit was a glimpse of the night sky like you've never seen -- complete with the Milky Way and the "Southern Cross" (especially fun for those CSN fans out there!)
4. Training: Do squats at the gym.  Makes those intermittent bathroom breaks on the trail much easier!  And work out in your hiking boots...you need them to be your friend. 
5. Contact lenses: If you wear them, take them out before it gets dark. It's just easier.  Also, don't store them in the wall pouches of the tent -- they may freeze (mine did at Crater Camp!)
6. Headlamps: This is NOT an optional item. Make sure you get a good one that secures comfortably, and you figure out what buttons to press to make it work without blinding yourself.  For those of you making a nighttime summit bid, it is indispensable. Bring extra batteries.
7. Trekking poles: In my mind, these were no less optional, and were invaluable not only for the downhills (especially slippery through the rain forest), but for those of us less gracefully inclined in general.
8. Sleeping pads: Try them out in the store.  Mine was thicker, but narrow, so I frequently rolled off it. If your trekking company provides a rubber mat on the floor of your tent (this was a big plus), I'd use a thinner pad.  Get the widest one you can find. They are not designed for female hips!  Also, I brought a pillow case and stuffed my down jacket in it for a pillow--the blow up pillows you can buy were really uncomfortable for me.
9. Camp footwear: I was so tempted to bring a pair of low Uggs (or the equivalent) for camp at night. They're lightweight and warm. BUT BEWARE: The campsites are often rocky and sandy--Uggs have no support and little sole grip, so it would be easy to slip or trip over rocks, especially on those late night potty outings! I'd recommend lightweight Merrills or sneakers with wool socks.
10. Nail Care: Ditch the nail polish before you go. It will be destroyed by the dust in a day.  Bring something to scrape dirt from under your nails on a daily basis (it was part of my "wash up" routine), even though they won't be clean until at least a week after your return!
11. Moisturizer/Lip Balm: Don't forget either.  The air is drier and thinner than you can imagine, and wreaks havoc on your skin and lips!
12. Advil: It's your friend. Use it. I took it 3x a day from day 1.  Warded off headaches before they started.  As for Diamox (altitude sickness medication), the jury is out. I started taking it (at my guide's recommendation) after the first night. I wasn't feeling sick, but the altitude did affect my sleeping.  I didn't really feel any signs of the altitude again until summit day and Crater Camp. Still didn't puke, but really felt it.  Not sure anything would have helped...
13. Nalgenes: If you're using wide-mouth nalgene bottles, invest in those rubber caps to make drinking on trail easier.  Also, they recommended we bring 4 bottles with us. I don't think I ever drank that much, though the 2 filled with hot water at night were great in the sleeping bag.
14. Cold: Yes, it really gets that cold. As soon as the sun goes down, even at lower altitudes, the temperature plummets. No matter how many layers you have stripped off during the day, you'll want a down jacket, hat and gloves. Really.  Keep anything you want warm for the next day in your sleeping bag at night.
15. Daily washing: Despite the cold temps, a once a day wash up keeps you feeling human.  Our porters brought warm water to our tents before dinner each night.  I'd do a head to toe strip down cleaning, with a combo of warm water and baby wipes.  Changed undies, and put on fresh deodorant and baby powder.  (Also the dry shampoo, mentioned above.) Changed into less dusty "camp" clothes, usually comprised of fleece pants (sweatpants), fleece sweatshirt and down jacket. 
16. Privacy: Even if you have a private tent, you have no privacy. Expect to become familiar with your campmates' bodily functions and expectorations, including snoring, and feel free to do the same.  In fact, the snorers are envied -- it means they're actually sleeping!
17. Underwear: I loved the "IceBreaker" brand sports bra and undies recommended to me by another Kili climber. It's light weight wool, not itchy and very comfortable.  Not supportive enough to run in, but you're not running anywhere at this altitude!
18. Shopping: I'm not getting any discount or payment for this, but I loved REI.  I joined their rewards club and was able to book a "personal shopper" at the local store.  Got an hour of someone's time before the store opened.  Still made lots of trips for all the equipment, but they were knowledgeable and helpful.  I also heard good things about EMS, and they carry a great line of "Ascent" wear -easily layerable fleece with wind protection and gortex jacket and pants.
19. Reading material: Bring some. There's lots of down time in camp, and it can keep you company when you're up in the middle of the night...which you will be.  My iPad kept a charge the whole trip, set to airline mode, and used sporadically for reading and music.  Small paperback book serves as a good backup.
20. Music: iPod was also helpful for getting back to sleep after waking up -- wide awake -- at 11:30 p.m., and this was only at 13,000 feet!  Also used it for motivation on the summit push.
21. Panty-liners: Think about using, for those couple nights you'll be disregarding daily changing advice above, and won't be able to think about stripping down to nothing...At least you can change these when you go to the bathroom.
22. Camping equipment: For those less initiated in the camping world, if you want to have a visual of what you'll be experiencing on the mountain: (a) find out dimensions/brand tent your company uses, and check one out at your local outdoor store: (b) find out the thickness of the sleeping pad they provide, if any; and (c) ask if there's a "cot" option -- Abercrombie and Kent had some cozy looking beds and the largest tents on the mountain (no doubt with a price tag to match!), if that's an issue for you.  I personally found my mountain hardware tent cozy enough, especially for one. HOWEVER, if you're travelling solo, I WOULD NOT recommend you consider sharing a tent with a random trekker.  It's a very intimate experience...too close for comfort, in my book!
23. Descent: Probably the only thing you'll be sore from is the day and a half descent...no amount of squatting at the gym prepared me for this part!
24. Mweka Gate: Congratulations! When you finally arrive, you'll feel like you're crossing the finish line of a great race. You'll be assaulted by many locals trying to sell you tee-shirts and clean your boots.  Skip them all for the time being and find the person selling the Kilimanjaro beer! Nothing will taste so good -- and you'll even recognize the view on the label from the way down! (You can get the tee shirts after!)