DofE help please

[Nousernameideaaga]

Any top tips for how to make the rucksack lighter?

We’ve only packed the list the school gave us but it still weighs a tonne

DD found the practice hard today so trying to think of ways to make it slightly easier for tomorrow (bronze so first timer)

She does appreciate it’s meant to be brutal 😬

Hard to advise without seeing the list school gave.

most things come in lightweight versions (for more money usually),

wet weight is usually what makes it heavy - so
look at food - can you adapt meals to be dried ingredients and add water? No tins and the like.

Could you tie a load of helium balloons to it? Also helpful if she gets lost as easy to spot.

How much does it currently weigh?

Don't take tins/jars, packs of freeze dried food is the way to go. Don't overpack clothing. There's not a lot of workaround really. Remember the weight will go up at each stage. Maybe look at a different more supportive bag.

This is the list - it’s only suggested so maybe we’ve packed too much , what would you ditch off this list?

After today’s practice I highly doubt she will be wanting to do silver 🤦‍♀️

When my daughter did hers. The leaders took the tenting stuff in the car. So they only carried clothes and food in the end. I am sure they will be supported to ensure best outcome for everyone.

When my son did it, the first thing his group did was ditch all “wet” or heavy food. They did eat, they just got through it by sharing what they had and he absolutely had the best time camping with everyone. He borrowed an old rucksack to do his and that did add weight as it was definitely ‘older’ and he has chosen a much more light weight version to do his Silver.

I think the biggest thing in this weather is water - but they should have factored that in hopefully (more check points maybe).

It’s not easy but she will feel a sense of achievement after - good luck!!

Only need one t-shirt and one spare trousers or shorts. Sleep in those spares. Don't take much washing up liquid, if any. A few wet wipes will do it. No cans, no can opener. Can't see the second page yet

You don't need much wash kit either. Toothbrush and tiny paste. Baby wipes - not a whole pack, just ten or fifteen in a resealable plastic bag.

Most of the weight without the tent etc will be sleeping bag and rucksack. Can you borrow lightweight ones from somewhere?

Bowl, cup and spoon/spork will enable them to eat anything.
One spare pair of clothes and wear one.

The weight is normally the tent and stove and fuel. If it is heavy without that then you need to cut down on personal stuff.

No towel needed.
Small toothpaste.
French plait hair for the weekend to save needing to brush it!
Look at food and make that as lightweight as possible.

Thankyou these are all great suggestions

ditch the Tin of beans for sachet of porridge etc?

It was a while ago but I seem to remember a lot of Instant noodles, cereal bars, maybe brioche, something sweet for an energy boost. Oh and my son rocked up in the same clothes as he started off in - he just changed socks and was away for two nights - but I think Bronze is usually just one (correct me if I’m wrong).

Yes just one 👍

Son did it a couple weeks ago. His bag weighed 9.9kg when it was fully packed. He slept in his day 1
clothes, clean clothes and a hoodie for day 2/night. 2
pairs spare socks. Toiletries - I had sachets so he took them for skincare, mini toothpaste and tooth brush. Travel size suncream for face and body. Sleeping bag and new roll mat. Tiny and I mean tiny microfibre towel. Food he took 2 protein ready made shakes for breakfast, couple packs noodles for dinner. He had the first aid kit and washing up supplies for his group. He also had couple packs of mini wet wipes for wiping down on the go. Big bottle of water and gummy sweets and some protein bars. Someone else had the tent but he had loads of room. Also took a power bank, portable radio and mini chess set for the night.

@Nousernameideaaga

Its meant to be challenging, not brutal
Have you packed all the rent/cook stuff or has it been shared out.
Same with food- she should be in a group so can meal plan and share food out. But definitely no tins. Therefore no tin opener
Wet wipes so no towel
It will get lighter as they eat the food

Thankyou - they are carrying all the cooking stuff and tents between them but shared out equally , same with some of the food but my dd is vegetarian
we’ve ditched the tin etc and will be ruthless with everything else and give it another weigh

How much did her bag weigh, and how much does she weigh (approx)?

Absolutely no tins. The wayfarer meals are quite an efficient way of packing a hot meal, but the dehydrated ones are even better at making it lighter weight - mine moved on to those for silver / gold. Easy to buy in millets etc.

The list is pretty sensible. Make sure the communal things are shared around. You can get tiny rolls of duct tape.

Food tends to be the biggest weight for the inexperienced. Wet food weighs the most. Can you list out what food she took?

Also, the bags are going to be heavy. Don’t think ours got much below 15kg. The tents they have and trangias etc all add up.

I would highly recommend very good socks - thick padded merino wool ones. They’re expensive but they make a huge difference to feet tiredness.

My dd is tiny. She wore took shorts even though they weren’t supposed to. We bought a blow up mattress and she practiced blowing it up - that made a massive difference. She took Jamie Oliver pouches for food.

https://www.jamieoliver.com/inspiration/store-cupboard-range/

re the food - here’s the sort of thing I mean. The yellow packets here are dehydrated so they weigh loads less and they’re generally decent.

https://www.millets.co.uk/collections/camping-food

V easy too - just add boiling water into the bag. No washing up except the spork.

Is your dd cooking for just herself then?
Pasta n Sauce is a good lightweight main course. It’s quite palatable without butter or milk.

Asda world foods aisle have pouches of already cooked Indian food like chickpea curry, take a naan in a zip lock bag to eat with it

Ditched all the unneccesaries , swapped rucksack and now got it down to a manageable weight. Thanks ☺️

Brilliant, good luck to her on the next leg!

Make sure she has the rucksack straps done properly too. You want to carry the weight in your hips, not the shoulders. Makes a huge difference. The leaders should be able to help with this.