What to Pack for a Cold Night on Point Lenana

We've watched a lot of hikers struggle on summit night because they brought either too much (a 70L bag full of cotton t-shirts) or too little (one fleece and a city jacket). The kit list below is what we hand to every Mount Kenya client. It works.

Layers, not jackets. The single biggest mistake we see is people packing one big winter coat. You'll overheat in it on the walk up and freeze in it on the summit because you're sweating underneath. Instead: a thin merino or synthetic base layer, a mid-weight fleece or grid, and a proper insulated jacket (down or synthetic) to throw on at high camp and on summit night.

Your shell layer matters. A waterproof, breathable jacket and trousers. Kenya's mountain weather flips fast. The clouds roll in around 11 am most days. A rain shell is non-negotiable.

Boots, broken in. Mid- or high-cut waterproof boots with proper ankle support. Do not — please do not — buy boots the week before your trip and hike Lenana in them. We've splinted a lot of blistered Achilles tendons over the years.

Sleeping bag. A -10°C comfort rating is right. We rent these from the office for $40 for a 5-day trip if you don't want to fly with one.

Headlamp. Summit push is 2:30 am. A good headlamp with fresh batteries is the difference between confident and miserable.

What to leave behind. Cotton (it stays wet and cold). Jeans. Heavy hiking boots that aren't broken in. A second pair of casual shoes. A laptop. A drone (it's a national park, you need separate permits and we don't recommend bothering). Spare phone chargers when there's no electricity above 3,300m anyway — a single power bank is plenty.