Duke of Edinburgh kit list?

[Tessagrey]

My DD is going to a new boarding school this September and is supposed to be doing her DoE Silver Award in September/October(before half term) and I'm not sure if we should buy the things on the kit list now and pack it in her suitcase or simply leave it. We got no information from the school about DoE or any mention of kit lists except for some forms confirming participation.I have no idea what to do or what to pack but I don't want DD to be in an awkward situation with none of the kit she needs since she wont come home until half term which is after the weekend when the expedition will happen. We have tried contacting the school for more information but so far no replies.
So the question is: Should I buy and pack all the stuff on the kit list(from the DoE website) or just leave everything as it is?

Are there not any exeats between now & half term!

There is one but we are from overseas and quite far away so DD will be staying with guardians.

I've attached some photos of the kit list I was given for my dd doing hers last year, there's another photo it won't let me add so if you want me to pm you it I can.

TBH though my daughter didn't need as much as was listed, and her school provided the bags, coats, boots, compass maps and sleeping bags.
She didn't need a lot of clothes as they were told she had to sleep in what she wore, so only took one spare set.
She used her mug, pan, torch, knife, food, spare clothes and sun cream. Everything else was just excess she didn't really need to carry in her already super heavy bag.
If I was you, I would wait until nearer the time to see what the school provides, what they are taking as a group and what she will individually need.
Hope she has a great time, my daughter loved it! They go twice, once for practise and once for the real one.
Hope that's of some help to you

Managed to add the last photo here

I think they will be expecting most to sort kit during exeat then.

The only issue I can see with sending it all in September is where will it be stored?

Are there no weekend shopping trips planned into the nearest town?

Apart form shoes that may need trying on most stuff can be got online in the uk then mailed directly to her at school. The International office should be in over the holidays. Perhaps mail them for clarification ?

Thanks llamacorn for the list!
ShiningWhit I think thats what I'll do, if she needs anything she can't buy at the shops in town, I'll order it online.

The boots are the main thing, make sure they fit properly and she can walk in them (some practice walks would be ideal, if time).

When I did DofE (which admittedly was quite a long time ago!) the kit list the school gave us was way too long and weighed too much.

You should only carry about 20% of your body weight apparently, unless you are super fit, so for me as a teenager that meant I needed everything to be very light. The boys in my DofE group could carry a lot more.

Some things to consider:

• a paracord bracelet will do for any spare string type of things she needs (spare boot laces etc)
• a big metal mug can be used to boil water as well as eat food out of
• led head torches with small batteries are usually lighter than handheld ones
• camping spork things can cover knife/fork/spoon

Thanks for the advice LockedOutOfMN and Intransige!

I am a DofE leader at my school. I would say essentials to send her with are good waterproof jacket and trousers, boots, and good walking socks. Everything else will be easy for her to get in town - as long as the school provides the fundamental kit of tent, sleeping bag, cooking stoves and pans! We provide all that for our students... They can also borrow rucksacks from us. If you can get in touch with anyone from school, find out what they provide!

All our girls walk in their sports skins rather than walking trousers: very light, easy to move in and dry quickly.

I'd phone or email the school about what is required or at least what they can provide. My DD's school provided camping stoves, pans and rucksacks.

DofE website has a kit list - the one we were given by school was exactly the same.