Kit List ADVICE

It is necessary to take a daysack with you for several reasons; 

• it is a good bag to keep your valuables in while you travel
• for using while walking around towns and when sight-seeing
• The daysack also acts as an additional bag in which you can leave kit at hostels during the trek phase (if this is possible).

The daysack should be around 30-40 litres in capacity, and it is good to have one that doesn't have many pockets on the outside and with a single opening at the top of the bag. This makes it a more secure item for use in towns.

This should be about 65-75 litres (for smaller framed explorers this could be less) in capacity to allow for all your personal and group equipment. 

There are many different designs on the market and choosing one is a personal choice depending on your body shape. 

It is essential that you buy a rucksack with an adjustable back so that it can be fitted to you properly. Any good outdoor shop will make sure that you do not leave with an ill-fitting rucksack. When purchasing the rucksack, it is also important to check the length of the waist straps as some are made specifically for men and women. Men will have shorter waist straps and these rucksacks are not generally comfortable for women to wear, so ladies when purchasing, make sure that the padding is adequate and that the waist straps are long enough. 

Our advice is to go for a simple design such as the standard two outside pockets, one on either side of the main body, as well as a pocket in the top flap. 

When trying on the rucksack in the shop, make sure that the fitter fills the rucksack with weight before you try it on. You want to feel it with the kind of weight in it you will have on expedition. You will never be able to appreciate if it is going to fit and be comfortable if it is not heavy. 

Adjust the straps so that the waist belt is on your hips and therefore the weight of the rucksack is sitting on the small of your back. Loosen the shoulder straps so that the weight is transmitted down, rather than hanging off your shoulders. 

A chest strap that can be adjusted to fit snugly is also essential.

The travel sacks, which are suitcases with shoulder straps and detachable day bags are not appropriate as generally they cannot be fitted correctly and will not be comfortable when trekking any distance.

Even with a raincover, rucksacks are not 100% waterproof so a liner is needed. 

You can buy rucksack liners in all shapes and sizes, from a full rucksack size to smaller sized dry bags which could be used to separate and sort your belongings into separate compartments. Exped are a good brand choice of these bags but they are easily found in outdoor shops. 

There are more cost-effective alternatives should you want a cheaper option. One great idea is to use a thick plastic sack available from garden centres for compost/garden waste.  These are almost indestructible and cheap but must not be left in your destination!

Alternatively, you can use the orange plastic survival bags sold by outdoor shops, which are also thick and robust, but enormous! 

Black bags, however, should never be considered as an option!

Ideally you should look at using a sleeping bag with a synthetic filling as this is much easier to look after on expedition and also dries much quicker than a down filled sleeping bag. 

Synthetic bags are cheaper than down bags, offer almost as much warmth, and pack down almost as small. 

When choosing your sleeping bag, shake it out well and lay it out on the floor. The bag will fill with air, and if it deflates quickly and goes flat, it means that it will not retain warmth very well. It  should also have a hood and be mummy-shaped to keep you warm. Sleeping bags should also come with a stuff-sack with compression straps so that you can pack it down small. This is vital for maximising space in your rucksack. If you already have a suitable sleeping bag and it does not have compression straps, these can be bought separately.

Sleeping bag ratings (based on British seasons)

Which sleeping bag you choose will depend on your destination, the itinerary, and how much you feel the cold. 

Here is some information on sleeping bag seasons:

• 1 season - best for the summer
• 2 season - late spring to early autumn when it's not sweltering but when you are unlikely to be on the receiving end of cold snaps or snow
• 3 season - more technical than a 2-season bag, these are best for mild to cold nights, without frost but with a very low temperature
• 4 season - the most technical bag! These are made for very cold winter nights in the outdoors. These are typically bulkier and weigh more, but they do keep you exceptionally warm

Sleeping bag liners 

The sleeping bag liner is a simple item and does not need to be expensive. A liner is a good idea, and the reason is three-fold: it can be cooler to sleep in on particularly warm nights; it will provide additional wartyh if needed on cooler nights; and will keep the inside of the sleeping bag clean.

Silk liners are the warmest and lightest, but the most expensive. Cotton liners are also good and are a cheaper option. You could even make your own by sewing up a thin double bedsheet.

There are several kinds of sleeping mat on the market: foam, inflatable, and self-inflating. It's worth remembering most of your time could be spent sleeping on the floor, depending on your itinerary. 

• Compressed cell foam mats are much cheaper and almost indestructible. However, they aren't as comfortable as inflatable/self-inflating mats and are bulkier to carry making it difficult to fit them in the main body of the rucksack. 
• Inflatable mats are very comfortable and reasonably light. They will fold up small so that they fit into your rucksack, however, they do need to be taken care of while on expedition. You should consider bringing a repair kit in case any holes develop while you are away. This type of mat typically comes with a repair kit.
• Self-inflating mat are comfortable, extremely light and they will fold up very small so that they fit into your rucksack with no problem at all. As with the above, they do need a lot of care while on expedition and you will need a puncture repair kit. This style often doesn’t come with them.

Walking poles offer great support for knees, hips, and ankles as well as taking some of the strain off your back and body when trekking, especially downhill. Useless though if not used correctly, but some people find them a real benefit when doing lots of trekking. 

They can be brought very cheaply from around £5 per stick to anything as high as £150 a stick. If you are only going to use them once, a cheaper option would be advisable whereas if you do lots of walking weigh up your options. 

If you are going to use them, two is more advisable than one and if you aren’t going to invest time in learning to use them properly/have no problems walking long distances with weight on your back, perhaps leave these off the kit packing list.

If you are buying new boots, it is preferable to take fabric waterproof boots on your expedition. This is because they are much easier to maintain than other types of boots and they also require less breaking in before departure. Do not underestimate this, they need to be worn lots before you leave if you wish to have a good and successful trip. Your boots should offer good ankle support and have decent tread on the soles.

Different foot shapes will need different kinds of boot so we cannot recommend one make over another. When you try your boots on, make sure that you kick your heel right against the back before you tie the laces, then walk around and up and down a slope (most good outdoor shops have this facility). If your toes touch the end of the boots when you are going downhill, they will give you a lot of pain on steep hill descents. Equally, if your heel lifts too much when walking, the boots are too big, and you will soon develop blisters.