DofE expedition tips and advice

Duke of Edinburgh season is upon us. For those of you taking part in this award, you will probably be looking forward to your expedition this spring/summer (or possibly dreading it?!) Today I'm going to be sharing a few "tips" and advice that I've learnt from both my bronze and silver expedition.

I'm going to get straight into it...

 1. Packing

 

 So everyone tells you to pack light. But what does that practically mean?

- Buy a new sleeping bag. There are plenty of compact but warm sleeping bags available in specialist camping shops. They are designed for walkers so will be lighter and take up less space in your bag
-  Double things up. Take items that you can use in 2 ways to reduce the amount of stuff you have to take. For example, don't take something to sit on during your rests and a blow up pillow. Take a plastic bag to wrap your blow up pillow in for the day then blow it up so you can get a decent nights sleep.
- Don't take stupid things. Flip flops not trainers for the campsite. No hoodies. You probably won't need loads of pairs of running leggings. When buying your stuff, just look for anything compact.

2.  Food

 

 If you're gonna be walking around for 2, 3 or 5 days, you're gonna need something good to eat. Any ideas?

- Dried pasta and pesto (distribute the weight between your group and bring a little tube of pesto.) This is great because you only need to cook pasta so there's not much washing up. You could also get these pasta satchels where you can just add hot water, not as good taste wise but it's light so it's easy to carry and simple to cook. You can get them at most supermarkets e.g  Sainsburys
- Cold pizza: The night before, cook your favourite pizza then take it cold for lunch the next day. It's less messy and you might actually enjoy it
- Mixed nuts and cereal bars are your best friends. Every time you stop, you should have a snack and something to drink. Snack wise, you want something calorific but quick and light. Buy something you like, you're going to be walking for quite a while so choose something that you will look forward to. Other snacks I've seen people eat are beef jerky, malt loaf, Kendal mint cake...
- Pitta bread is fabulous. It's easy to eat and carry, take some dips in little containers to have a bit of variety.
- Porridge: This is what I had every morning, sounds boring but it's quick, filling and tastes nice. If you're doing bronze, buy one little pot so there's no washing up. All you need to do is add hot boiling water. If you're going for longer, take satchels as they are very compact. Simply use your bowl and add boiling water.
- Also for breakfast people take things like croissants and ready made pancakes. These aren't as good but a different option. Be careful when storing them though because they are easily crushed.

3.  Listen to music

 

Trust me, this makes it all so much more bearable. You are not allowed your phones but ask about other things. Some schools allow IPod's or speakers so you can listen as a group. If not, sing! Sounds silly but our group was at breaking point and we only got through day 2 by singing the entire sound track of Grease and High School Musical as a group. It helps boost morale; trust me when belting 'Summer nights' at the top of your voice, you can't help but smile.

4. BLISTER PLASTERS!!

 

 

Please, I'm begging you: just trust me on this one, take blister plasters. Invest in them, don't just take normal plasters (they will be in your first aid kit.) It's your feet that are going to be hit the hardest, so taking some blister plasters could prevent your whole expedition being ruined. 'Compeeds' are the best in my opinion but there are plenty available in supermarkets or Boots for example.

5. Packing your bag

 

This is the big one. Your bag will seem ginormous at first but trust me, once you've tried to shove everything in, it will seem no bigger than your school bag. Here are some of my tips:
- Organise! Categorise your stuff into different sections.

Food
Clean clothes
Items such as first aid kit and torch
Stuff that you will need by hand

• Buy some compact water proof bags and fill them with the items from each categories. Put your food in some sort of compartment (there should be plenty in your bag.) Keep it in plastic tuple wear so it will not be crushed and stays good.
• Put your sleeping bag in an airtight, waterproof bag! This is so important as a warm dry sleeping bag will be a God send after a long day walking.
• Put your sleeping bag and clothes near the bottom of your bag. Any heavy equipment you need to carry should go in the middle of your bag so as not to hurt your spine and back.
• There should be water bottle compartments on both sides of your bag. Either have 2 water bottles or another piece of equipment that will fit, this will balance out the weight on either side of your bag.
• You will need certain things readily available throughout the day. This includes food and water (obviously) but some other handy things that you should keep somewhere easily accessible.

- Sun cream
- Rain coat
- Vaseline
- Tissues, medication

6. Take pictures!

 

 

You might not think it at the time but you'll come back with some pretty good memories. Also, no matter where you are walking, there will probably be some pretty stunning scenery so I'd recommend taking a little camera.

7. Take breaks regularly

 

But only short ones. Obviously you will need a longer lunch break but when on quick 3 minute breaks, do not take of your ruck sac. It may seem like a good idea for about 1 minute but you'll regret it about 2 seconds later when you need to put it back on...

8. When at the campsite

- Put on your flip flops! May seem a bit stupid and wasteful but seriously, you will want to take of your boots straight away but you will probably not want to carry around a pair of trainers.
- Don't sit down and take a nap. Put up your tent (it will seem like a drag but work together and just do it.)
- Put something onto cook whilst you have a sit down. Whether that's boiling water or some sauce... just anything. Have a break and you'll be able to eat fairly quickly rather than late into the night.
- I don't want to say go to bed early but.... if you're on silver or gold, you might want to got to bed early! I'm sorry.
- Keep warm at all times. What I do is take 3 walking tops (for silver) so I can wear one during the day and that night. I know it sounds grim but it's better to be warm. I also took some pyjama bottoms and a thermal fleece for the night because it can get very cold.
- I mentioned it earlier but take a blow up pillow! You can get them very cheaply and very compact. You're better off getting a better night sleep than saving a tiny bit of space. If your neck is sore the next day, you are in big trouble.

9. Take a sleeping mat

 

They're light and very comfortable. Most walking bags are designed to carry a sleeping mat on the outside anyway so it shouldn't be too much trouble.

 

10. Share

 

You will probably be with your friends so share things and save space. Tooth paste, hair brush, mirror, deodorant. I'm not going to lie, I took it makeup on my expeditions. But travel lightly, I think I just took a concealer, powder and mascara.

I hope some of these helped you out and you're DofE expedition goes well!

Either tweet me or comment below if you have any other good advice for DofE goers.

 

Thanks for reading,

Laura Stone x