DofE expedition kit - help!

[RockaLock]

DS1 has his practice silver DofE expedition next weekend.

This is his first "proper" expedition. Although he's completed his bronze award, because covid they just did a 2 day walk in South London with no overnight camping (apparently allowed under the covid DofE rules relaxation).

So, we are camping/expedition novices and I hoped MN might be able to help.

Food - dinner is OK, I think - they've decided on boil-in-the-bag stuff and pasta and sachets of pasta sauce.
But what is a good idea for lunches, that doesn't need to be kept chilled?
And what's the best thing for energy snacks - is it really bags of haribo, because that's what DS is telling me.

Clothes - it's currently forecast to be dry, but who knows. Was thinking of getting him a decent 3-in-1 waterproof jacket - one of the ones with a removable fleece - but then thought he might be better off with a waterproof jacket and separate fleece layer?

Are waterproof trousers a necessity, do you think?

And what are good makes (without being hideously expensive) of walking boots?

The school is thankfully supplying all camping gear and cooking stove/tins.

Any help will be very gratefully received.

I got DS walking boots in Lillywhites in London, but they are owned by Sports Direct. I would look for goretex to keep feet dry.

DS’s waterproof came from Decathlon, they have some good prices, and deliver of there isn’t one nearby, but also consider Trespass, Mountain warehouse etc.

I would recommend waterproof trousers, if not worn, they can still sit on them if ground is damp.

The thing we found was needed was a decent sleeping bag

For lunch if I have no cool bag I would take a small tin of tuna and an individual sachet of Mayo and put it on a roll.

With a lunch box sized cool bag you have loads of options. If you want hot then super noodle type noodles are the easiest thing.

Snacks - nuts, dried fruit, sweets, mints.

Go for carby filling foods and worry about nutritional balance another time!

Jacket - it doesn’t matter if it’s a 3 in 1 or a separate waterproof with a fleece jumper, I’d avoid pack-a-Mac type waterproofs as they get very sweaty, but better than nothing if that’s what the budget allows. I’d also avoid anything too padded if the padding isn’t removable if you can, but again if he has a parka and you don’t want to spend any more that’s cool.

Waterproof trousers again the pack-a-mac type ones if that’s what the budget allows or it’s v unlikely to rain, otherwise you’ll get some from Go Outdoors for around £25-£30 maybe don’t take the tags off unless it rains

Walking boots it’s so individual - Karrimor are OK, Regatta, some of my cadets have them from Lidl and they are OK. I think Millets do a few leather but low priced ones specifically for D of E.

One last tip if it’s cold a sleeping bag liner is worth it’s weight in gold. Preferably a silk one, they are about £10 and make a massive difference.

Actually might be worth a trip to Decathlon,

I really rate Mountain Warehouse gear for this type of thing. It’s good quality for the price, and they deliver quick if you aren’t near a shop.

Most outdoors shops offer a 10% D of E discount so always worth asking!

Layers. Baselayer like merino wool etc. Top and trousers for sleeping in. Tracksuit bottoms he can wear to sleep in and have as his ‘dry kit’. Long sleeved top. Short sleeved top fleece jumper all that can be worn to bed too. Warm wool hat. Yes to waterproof trousers. He will be very grateful if it tips it down. I would go thin waterproof coat and he can layer up underneath as necessary. Anything too bulky will be annoying. Buff style neck warmer also good for sleeping in. Little single use or even reusable pocket warmers good for warming sleeping bag through.

Boots. Go for a decent brand and WEAR THEM IN PRIOR TO EXPED. Mine are berghus and I’ve had them 10years plus and still going strong. Pack some decent blister plasters such as compeed.

Food - trial mix is good. Dried fruit. Chocolate. Nuts. That sort of thing. Lunch hand and cheese crossaints. Cold pasta. Boiling in bag rice. Baby bel. Pasta n go packets etc. Breakfast porridge sort of thing.

Good luck!

I'd go for separate fleece and walking jacket, unless there's a good deal on the 3 in one.

DD did the full set. By the last one they'd worked out pretty well what to eat. Iirc for lunches they did flavoured couscous - obviously that meant using the stove but they liked having a hot lunch and a decent stop, and it's just add boiling water and leave for 5 mins. Made in a plastic food box which served as plate/bowl. If they want bread, pittas or wraps are easy to pack and keep well. Don't worry too much about the filling - it's a couple of days of needing energy, they don't need a normal balanced diet.
For snacks, trail mix is good. She made up her own luxury version including chocolate nuts and raisins, and nice dried fruit - cherries and strawberries, maybe apricots. And also quite a lot of individually wrapped cake bars/flapjacks.

Yy to baby bel or cheese strings and instant porridge.

There wasn't room for a cool bag and that wouldn't really work well for more than a day trip would it?

DDs school provided sleeping bags, liners, and dry bags of various sizes as well as the tents and stoves.

Doubling down on PP who said wear the new boots in before the expedition - when my DS did DofE most of the kids were hobbling around in agony with blisters from new walking boots!

Please check the D of E website re kit. When DD did her silver practice expedition in the summer the instructor told her that her waterproof trousers and coat were not good enough, she needed to have taped seams (and not having either of those items is not an option). Personally I don’t rate Mountain Warehouse. The rucksack we got her for bronze broke on its first outing. We went to Blacks after thats. Pack
more snacks than you think they’ll need. I sent DD with brioche, pitta breads (she won’t eat tuna or anything basically that doesn’t need to be kept in a fridge), so I bought some Nutella sachets off Amazon to put in the Pitta bread for lunch). A woolly hat for night time. It can be colder than you might think. Bags of sweets to share is always a good idea.

This is all amazing - thank you all so much.

Decathlon! We do have one, but I just hadn't thought of it for hiking stuff. Duh. Hopefully with that and a Millets I should be able to get hold of what we need tomorrow/Sunday.

Good tip re: boots - I shall make DS wear them in the house whenever he is at home between now and next weekend - unfortunately we don't have a lot of time to break them in properly...

I am so not bothered about him having nutritionally balanced food for a couple of days, just as long as he gets enough calories in him, that's all. I wouldn't have thought of babybels at all, so thank you for that.

The school have just said "lightweight waterproof jacket, and waterproof trousers if possible" but I would look for taped seams anyway - if I'm going to buy waterproof stuff, it might as well be properly waterproof. But that's a great point about waterproof trousers being useful when sitting on the ground! Stupid question: is 1 pair of trousers enough?!

Sweets are good for morale as well as energy! Granola a breakfast/snack alternative?

Lunch - bagels and a tube of primula will last a few days. Or peanut butter, you can get sachets on Amazon. Or value brands tend to be in plastic jars, or decant into a little Tupperware type box.

Clothing - DOE have recommended kit that sells through Blacks. It’s a good balance or price/quality herez it’s is well, well worth having boots fitted. Trained boot fitters will look at foot shape as well as size, abs use insoles, socks and lacing patterns to get a good fit. No fun if you get blisters in the first half hour.

Energy food - mix of flapjack and trail mix for sustained energy and maybe Haribo, sweets abs chocolate for an instant hit.

Individual sticks of hot choc can be a real treat to look forward to too.

I can't thank you all enough for all your tips, this has been so helpful.

An envelope just arrived today for DS which looks as though it's his silver registration pack, so hopefully that will have a discount card in it, as I can see an expensive shopping trip coming up.

Individual sticks of hot choc can be a real treat to look forward to too.

One of DDs team took some coffee bags for proper coffee.

Primula is a great idea, why have I never thought of that! I’m going to add that to our info pack for parents.

Also individual options sachets are good, as are the Nescafé 3 in 1 sachets if you drink coffee that way. Hot drinks are a great morale booster when it’s cold and chilly!

For sitting on the wet ground an extra binbag or a folder up bag for life is perfect, they can stuff it in the bottom pocket of their bag if it has one.

Trained boot fitters will look at foot shape as well as size, abs use insoles, socks and lacing patterns to get a good fit

And also they should make him walk up and down a slope in them - good boot shops always have a ramp. Boots that feel fine on the flat or on steps can be painful esp downhill if they're a tad too small.
Though as he's presumably growing, while oversized boots are a bad idea too, buy them big enough to wear with 2 pairs of socks now.

My ds is going this weekend! Boots, coat and trousers are from mountain warehouse who give 10% off. He's worn the boots to do a big walk and they were fine. I don't think he'll need the trousers but they are just pacamac ones. The coat we had already for walking and camping as a family. If he ever stops growing I'd consider more expensive ones then. I'm sending premade bagel with houmous in it for lunch. The group have arranged pasta with stir in sauce and cheese and are each bringing a bit. One person is bringing brioche for breakfast. He's got nut bars, protein flapjack and a packet of sweets for energy boosts. The rucksack is one I took interailing over 20 years ago but still going strong

@ErrolTheDragon

Individual sticks of hot choc can be a real treat to look forward to too.

One of DDs team took some coffee bags for proper coffee.

I take a Wacaco minipresso when I take groups out! Taylor’s coffee bags as a back up!

Cannot survive a weekend of other people’s teenagers without good coffee!

Oh, here's a question: DS has a questionable approach to showering at the best of times, so do I assume he probably won't bother with a shower at the camp sites?

And is it good to have a different pair of trousers - jogging bottoms or something - to change into when they get to camp (assuming he is wearing waterproof trousers whilst walking).

Ideally wear the boots in before the expedition, so if you can get them this weekend for next, go for it, and make him wear them, even if it's just round the house (while they're clean).

@RockaLock

Oh, here's a question: DS has a questionable approach to showering at the best of times, so do I assume he probably won't bother with a shower at the camp sites?

And is it good to have a different pair of trousers - jogging bottoms or something - to change into when they get to camp (assuming he is wearing waterproof trousers whilst walking).

Probably not unless it’s to warm up!

Babybels, primula/dairylea, also Pepperamis - none of these need refrigeration. Also sachets (not tins - weight) of tuna - you can get flavoured ones to make it tastier. Eat with Ryvita-type things (bit more durable than crackers/crispbreads).

A few sweets/choc bars/Kendal mint cake for instant enegy boost, but cereal bars, dried fruit, nuts and seeds will give more usuable energy and less of a drop from all the sugar.

Definitely take waterproof trousers. If it rains it will be awful without them. Make sure to get ones with zips/poppers up the side so that they can go on and off over boots. (The alternative if it's not too cold is shorts, as bare legs dry quicker than trousers).

Take plenty of spare socks, and one full change of clothes in case things get drenched.

Go to a builders merchants/B&Q and get some rubble sacks. These make great waterproof rucksack liners for very little money. Wrap the sleeping bag in an extra one - a wet sleeping bag will make for a hellish trip.

Make sure him and his team have practiced putting their tent up in advance. The first time to put it up is not night one in the pissing rain!

I don't remember DD taking more than a small microfibre towel.. there isn't room for a big one. And the gold DofE was 3 nights wild camping, no showers at all.

Yes to jogging bottoms and a tee shirt - girls mostly took leggings I think - for wearing in camp and as nightclothes. Also a pair of flip flops or crocs.

@RockaLock

Oh, here's a question: DS has a questionable approach to showering at the best of times, so do I assume he probably won't bother with a shower at the camp sites?

And is it good to have a different pair of trousers - jogging bottoms or something - to change into when they get to camp (assuming he is wearing waterproof trousers whilst walking).

Pair of thermal leggings tucked away somewhere perhaps? (The kind you wear for skiing etc.) Then he'll have something dry, non-muddy and cosy to wear in the tent without taking up too much room/weight.

He won't shower. He will stink when he gets home!

think dd brought slides/flipflops so they could take boots off around campfire.

I agree re getting boots fitted. DD has very flat feet and size so different when walking-We did Cotswold Outdoors. they also offer a discount for DofE.

Re showering probably won't happen but mine all took body wipes and loo wipes.

Not sure if anyone mentioned those tuna sachets that you can just rip open and eat-don't need refrigerated.

Def gummy bears or haribo for sugar boost!