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Re: NOT Challenge: DofE kit advice needed please!

Hi John, I did the same with my son and kitted him out with my stuff and there was now problem , but I guess it's all down to the individual teachers or assessors ,

Re: NOT Challenge: DofE kit advice needed please!

I agree with the others that personal gear is not a problem - rucksack, sleeping bag, mattress, lightweight clothing are all fairly easy to negotiate.

The shared gear (tents and cooking) are more complicated. DofE tents and stoves tend to be bomb-proof (necessary given the experience of most of the participants) which makes them heavy.
Tents shared between 2 or 3 people shouldn't be much over 1.5 - 2.0 kg which is not too bad.

I met a DofE party last year who were all using lightweight gas stoves, so things are changing - trangia 25s were compulsory for many years - not too bad shared between 3 people - ~300g which isn't much more than I'll carry for stove windshield and pan on the Challenge.

I've found the most helpful thing I've done over the years is go through rucksacks throwing out unnecessary kit - my daughter brought a number of folk round for a baggage check before their expeditions. Some DofE organisers are good about that - others tend to be so safety conscious they insist on lots of extra gear being carried - just in case.

I agree that its sad that young people are put off backpacking by carrying huge loads on their first trip - though I must confess to being guilty of that myself and I'm still going 40 years later!

Re: NOT Challenge: DofE kit advice needed please!

I think Graham's comment is a good summary. For many years I ran a DofE group in N Yorkshire. Now retired I assess in the Cairngorms.
Safety, and particularly with stoves is the main concern. Trangias have a low centre of gravity and are tolerant of slight misuse. The objection to some gas stoves is their high centre of gravity and lower stability. However any DofE expedition group that can convince their supervisor that they understand the safe use of their chosen stove has made a good start.
Personal kit needs to be functional and there will always be wide range of choices made.
I have also played the 'lets see what we can throw out of your rucksac game' and always make clear that there is no virtue in carrying a big load.
At the end of the day the expedition belongs to the young people concerned and a big part of it is planning and that includes all the gear.