DUKE OF EDINBURGH | KIT LIST | DOFE RECOMMENDED KIT

Choosing kit for your Expedition is one of the most important parts of preparing. The kit you choose will literally make or break your Expedition. You don’t have to spend stupid amounts of money on the same kit that Teams take up Everest. You just need the right bit of kit, fit for the job. The quality of kit that you need is also very dependent on the level of award. The kit you need for two days over the Purbecks is very different to the kit you need for four days over Dartmoor! That being said, if you know you want to go on to do your Silver and Gold, it definitely works out cheaper in the long run to invest in quality kit from the get go. Something a lot of people will try to deny is that unfortunately, when it comes to outdoor kit, you do get what you pay for. That doesn’t mean you need to spend £300 on a Pertex waterproof! All it means is that if something looks cheap…there is probably a reason! If you ever just want to check that a piece of kit is suitable before you buy it, just fire over a link to your expedition Co-ordinator and he will make sure it’ll get the job done!

The DofE do have their own ‘Recommended Kit List’, that you’ve probably seen, our team however have drawn up their own, based on their wealth of experience. We have detailed bellow our own recommended kit list, separated into what you
should be looking at for each level. We have also included some example products, we aren’t saying that those are the things you need, just showing you what sort of thing you should be looking for.

Bronze

- Pair of Walking boots (Although boots are strongly recommended, at bronze, a GOOD pair of walking shoes will be ok)

- 2 Pairs of Walking socks. (tip: Try wearing a thin pair under a thicker pair, but still bring some spares!)

- Waterproof Jacket (Something Light weight)

- Waterproof trousers (Even at Bronze these are important!)

- Fleece top or Hoodie

- 2 x T-Shirts (Including what your wearing)

- 2 x Pairs of Trousers (Including what your wearing)

- Something to wear overnight

- Gloves/Warm hat/Sun hat/Sun cream (As appropriate)

- Rucksacks (Even at bronze you want something good quality, avoid Mountain Warehouse bags, in the region of 60/70L) (Tip: use bin bags to line your rucksack and keep your kit dry!)

- Sleeping bag (Tip: make sure you check what temperature it is designed for)

- Torch

- Small first aid kit (don't forget blister plasters and a tic remover)

- Food (Your expedition Co-ordinator will discuss this in more detail)

- Water (ability to carry at least 2L)

- Plate/Bowl/Cutlery (Tip: think about eating out of your cooking pots, saves washing up!)

- Cup for hot drink

- Matches (keep in waterproof container)

- Watch/Time keeping device (Not your phone!)

- Washing up liquid, sponges, tea towels etc.

- Rubbish bags (Failure to collect all your own rubbish will likely result in a fail.)

- Compass (nothing too fancy is needed, have a look at the scales on the roma)

- Think about small things you might need to make small kit repairs

Silver

- Pair of Walking boots (trainers/shoes wont cut it)

- 3 Pairs of Walking socks. (tip: Try wearing a thin pair under a thicker pair, but still bring some spares!)

- Waterproof Jacket & trousers (Something Light weight)

- Gaiters (They arn't glamorous, but you will regret not having them!)

- Fleece top or Hoodie (Might want to pack a spare)

- 3 x T-Shirts (Including what your wearing)

- 2 x Pairs of Trousers (Including what your wearing)

- Something to wear overnight

- Gloves/Warm hat/Sun hat/Sun cream (As appropriate)

- Rucksacks (You want something good quality, avoid Mountain Warehouse bags, in the region of 60/70L) (Tip: use bin bags to line your rucksack and keep your kit dry!)

- Sleeping bag (Tip: make sure you check what temperature it is designed for)

- Torch

- Small first aid kit (don't forget blister plasters and a tic remover)

- Food (Your expedition Co-ordinator will discuss this in more detail)

- Water (ability to carry at least 2L + an water you need for cooking)

- Plate/Bowl/Cutlery (Tip: think about eating out of your cooking pots, saves washing up!)

- Cup for hot drink

- Matches (keep in waterproof container)

- Watch/Time keeping device (Not your phone!)

- Washing up liquid, sponges, tea towels etc.

- Rubbish bags (Failure to collect all your own rubbish will likely result in a fail.)

- Compass (nothing too fancy is needed, have a look at the scales on the roma)

- Think about small things you might need to make small kit repairs

Gold

- Pair of Walking boots (trainers/shoes definitely wont cut it)

- 4 Pairs of Walking socks. (tip: Try wearing a thin pair under a thicker pair, but still bring some spares!)

- Waterproof Jacket & trousers (Something Light weight, you will need to be looking for something quality at this level)

- Gaiters (They aren't glamorous, but you will regret not having them!)

- Fleece top or Hoodie (Might want to pack a spare)

- 3 x T-Shirts (Including what your wearing)

- 2 x Pairs of Trousers (Including what your wearing)

- Something to wear overnight

- Gloves/Warm hat/Sun hat/Sun cream (As appropriate)

- Rucksacks (You need a good quality bag, remember if it breaks, you still have a lot of ground to cover. Avoid Mountain Warehouse bags, in the region of 70L) (Tip: use bin bags to line your rucksack and keep your kit dry!)

- Sleeping bag (Tip: make sure you check what temperature it is designed for)

- Torch

- Small first aid kit (don't forget blister plasters and a tic remover)

- Food (Your expedition Co-ordinator will discuss this in more detail)

- Water (ability to carry at least 2L + an water you need for cooking)

- Water purification Tablets (we do suggest the types from surplus stores, rather then normal hikers shops)

- Plate/Bowl/Cutlery (Tip: think about eating out of your cooking pots, saves washing up!)

- Cup for hot drink

- Matches (keep in waterproof container)

- Watch/Time keeping device (Not your phone!)

- Washing up liquid, sponges, tea towels etc.

- Rubbish bags (Failure to collect all your own rubbish will result in a fail.)

- Compass (nothing too fancy is needed, have a look at the scales on the roma)

- Think about small things you might need to make small kit repairs. You are on your own for 4 days, if something breaks, you need to fix it!

KAYAKING

- Pair of shoes to wear on the water (Expect them to get wet)

- Pair of shoes to wear around camp

- You may want socks, up to what makes you comfortable, (Have a look at neoprene socks if you are wearing normal shoes)

- Waterproof Jacket & trousers (Something Light weight, you will need to be looking for something quality at this level, if you are a personal paddler, your normal paddling tops/drysuits might be a good call.)

- Fleece top or Hoodie (Might want to bring 1 for wet, 1 for dry)

- Enough T-Shirts for 1 per day (Including what your wearing, remember, you might get wet.)

- 2 or 3 x Pairs of Trousers/shorts (Including what your wearing)

- Something to wear overnight

- Gloves/Warm hat/Sun hat/Sun cream (As appropriate)

- Drybag(s), the best choice for Kayaking expeditions is by far, lots of smaller 5 - 15/20L drybags. This makes packing equipment into boats a lot easier. We also suggest you bring plenty of good quality big black bin bags to use to keep equipment dry. Depending on the size of your sleeping bag, you may also wish to bring one larger drybag of say 40/50L to pack this into. (If in doubt, more bin bags!)

- Sleeping bag (Tip: make sure you check what temperature it is designed for)

- Torch

- Small first aid kit (don't forget blister plasters and a tic remover)

- Food (Your expedition Co-ordinator will discuss this in more detail)

- Water (ability to carry at least 2L + an water you need for cooking)

- Water purification Tablets (we do suggest the types from surplus stores, rather then normal hikers shops)

- Plate/Bowl/Cutlery (Tip: think about eating out of your cooking pots, saves washing up!)

- Cup for hot drink

- Matches (keep in waterproof container)

- Watch/Time keeping device (Not your phone!)

- Washing up liquid, sponges, tea towels etc.

- Rubbish bags (Failure to collect all your own rubbish will result in a fail.)

- Compass (nothing too fancy is needed, have a look at the scales on the roma)

- Think about small things you might need to make small kit repairs. You are on your own for 4 days, if something breaks, you need to fix it! Our guys will talk you through what you might need for boat repairs.