D of E bronze

[SpottieDottie]

DD is doing this soon and we've been given a kit list. Luckily she already has a good sleeping bag, mat, boots, socks and a decent coat but the rest of the stuff on this list - camping plate/cup/bowl/, rucksack, rucksack liner, dri bags etc is £300! It's beyond affordable for us, how on earth can retailers justify charging so much :(

[DespicableWee]

Pound land does camping crockery quite often. Rucksack liner can just be a sturdy bin bag. DS1 got a decent hiking rucksack with enough pockets and straps to attach roll mats or sleeping bags to for about £15 in Sports Direct.

Does your DD's school provide the tents?

DS1 has done the practice hike for his DofE Bronze and has the practice camp coming up soon, but I've no clue what's happening with the self improvement and volunteering bits yet so there seems to be a variety of orders and ways to do the DofE.

[mummytime]

We were recommended Rubble sacks from B and Q as rucksack liners, dry bags, seal with duck tape. Aldi and Lidl often have camping stuff. For cutlery we were advised a Spork (used to be able to get free from SpudU like).

[SpottieDottie]

Thanks, we're going to Sports Direct at the weekend so we'll have a look there and will go to a pound shop as well. DD is doing her voluntary work at the church who she is doing D of E with and is doing the self improvement at a local sports club; she's doing a self defence course. We've got the practice camp coming up but no practice hike yet, though she did a 12 mile hill top hike with school recently so that helps!

[Wolfiefan]

Can she borrow anything? (Like rucksack?)

[Theas18]

Got our rucksack on eBay. Be careful though as they do need to be decently fitting to allow you to carry 60l stuff. We had a look in millets and learned how to fit them and found a short backed rucksack same as we tried on.

[sassysally]

I can't understand how it adds up to so much? When DS1 did it teh school lent out rucksacks and it cost next to nothing.What is a rucksack liner and a dri bag? I don't think we bothered with those.Just had a waterproof ruck sack.

[BackforGood]

Like sassysally - I can't see how it can come to so much

Rucksack liner is just a bin liner as an extra protective layer in case your rucksack isn't waterproof
In terms of a Bronze DofE walk, dry bags aren't needed (again, put anything especially important not to get wet in a carrier bag... my dcs only use a dry bag when in a kayak and those only once to get to more specialist level.
Plates etc are just non-breakable - we have an ex-army store not far from us that do stuff like this very cheaply, or, as someone else said, the £ shop will usually yield you something.
Rucksack - borrow, or ask on Freecycle.

[SpottieDottie]

We got a list:

base layer top
waterproof trousers
two pairs of walking trousers
rucksack
sleeping bag
sleeping bag liner
rucksack liner
rucksack cover
first aid kit
rescue blanket
whistle
torch
walking boots
walking socks
decent coat - we got a skiing coat in Aldi for £30
two fleeces
camping cutlery etc - we will go to the £ shop for those
and some other stuff which I forget now.

Obviously we're not doing this but if somebody bought the entire list and got the recommended Craghoppers stuff it'd be £300 - Craghoppers must make a fortune on the back of the D of E

[MrsCakesPremonition]

Check out the Wilko camping products.