Pack: A hiking backpack is essential for carrying you gear in. Sizes of 50L and greater are suitable for scouts on overnight hikes. The leaders have a few packs that can be borrowed if need be – let us know if you would like one.
Tent: Typically 3 scouts will share a tent, with each carrying part of it. The Troop has tents for scouts to use, and we will organise sleeping arrangements. Normally scouts can expect to take one of: the tent, the poles and pegs, and the fly. This is a roughly equal weight split.
Sleeping mat: A foam roll sleeping mat or a self-inflating mattress (eg. Thermarest) are good lightweight options for sleeping on. It may not always be possible to clear and smooth the ground where you are sleeping so these are a necessity.
Sleeping bag
Stove: There are 4 options: a gas stove, a liquid fuel stove (eg. Trangia), a solid fuel stove (eg. Esbit) or finding a friend with a stove and arranging to share.
Fuel: Make sure you have enough fuel to last you for all the time you need to cook!
Matches: keep these in a zip-lock plastic bag to keep them dry at all times.
Billy / Frying Pan: Take a small billy (500-1000mL) or small frying pan for cooking your food on. Which one you take depends on your menu. Trangias incorporate a frypan with the stove. Again, if you are sharing, only one person needs to take this.
Mess kit: Lightweight plate, cup and cutlery, in a cloth drawstring bag to keep clean.
Washing up gear: A small bottle of concentrated detergent, sponge cloth and small tea towel is all that is needed to clean up after meals.
Water: 2L of water per day is a good rule of thumb to use. 1L (juice) bottles are good as these don’t take up much room, and can be used to help balance your pack. Also useful is a small 5-600mL bottle to keep close to hand for drinking out of on the way. Bladders are good, however they will occasionally leak as they are not as rigid as bottles.
First Aid Kit: You only need to take a small first aid kit, containing: a few Bandaids, 1 Roller bandage, 1 Triangular bandage, Stingose, etc. If you’ve made a small kit for testwork in Cubs/Scouts then that is sufficient.
Torch: A torch is useful at night, however take one with small AA sized batteries, as these weigh less than C or D size.
Personal hygiene gear: Toothbrush, near-empty tube of toothpaste, comb, tissues, sunscreen, aerogard, etc.
Hand towel / Sports towel: Light and compact, useful but not essential.
Trowel and toilet paper: A small plastic trowel and a ½ to ¾ used roll of toilet paper.
Plastic bags: A couple of these for putting dirty/wet clothes in and carrying your garbage in.
Compass: optional.
Notebook, pen/pencil: For taking notes and sketches on the way to help with writing your log.
Clothing: Try not to take too much, as this can add unnecessary weight to your pack.
Hat: Crushable, full brim hats are the best.
Undies: A clean pair for each day. Thermals are optional.
Socks: A clean pair for each day.
Shorts: Are comfortable for hiking in. One pair to wear, one spare is good for 2-3 day hikes.
Shirts: One short sleeve, and one long sleeve, with collars.
Trackpants: Essential for cool evenings and mornings. Jeans are particularly hike unfriendly, so leave them at home.
Jumper: Woollen is better, to keep you warm at night, or if it’s cold.
Waterproof Jacket / Poncho: To keep you and your pack dry.
Food: Make a menu for each day of the hike, so that you know exactly what you’re having to eat, when. The general guiding rules are that what you take is light in weight, unlikely to be spoilt, simple enough for you to cook, and nutritionally filling to help you last the distance! It is often easier if you make up ‘meal packs’, with only what you need for each meal as this reduces the amount of food you need to take. The list below is by no means exhaustive, so feel free to have something that isn’t on this list.
Breakfast Cereals with powdered milk; bacon (and eggs only for the first meal) on toast; Up&Go; etc. all make good breakfasts.
Lunch A sandwich (pre made), dried fruit, etc.
Dinner Rice, pasta and noodle meal packs make good starting points for dinners, mix in some extra dried veges, and sliced/diced meat to improve them.
Snacks Snack packs and bars and are good to have at stops, but try to limit your sugar intake, as sugar doesn’t sustain energy like carbohydrates.