Kit list for a DofE Expedition: everything you need to bring
Over the course of my Bronze, Silver and Gold expeditions, I’ve seen people on both extreme ends of the scale: those who bring far too much, and those who bring far too little. One person, for his Bronze expedition, brought his own personal 3-man tent and enough food to prepare a buffet dinner for his whole group. Another, for Silver, brought no spare clothes other than what he was wearing on the first day — not pleasant if you fall into a puddle.
What you bring on a DofE expedition is a balance between ensuring you have everything you need while keeping your pack as light as possible. ‘Just in case’ items rarely make the cut.
Note that the following recommendations are for a hiking expedition.
Clothing
What material should my clothing be and why does it matter?
The clothing you bring needs to be quick to dry, breathable and light. Synthetics and merino wool are the best materials for this, as are clothes made of football-shirt material.
The material of your clothing is so important because it has effects not just on your comfort but also your safety. Wearing the wrong materials can be unsafe (explained below) but wearing the right material will keep you as comfortable as possible, as it is light and allows sweat to evaporate into the atmosphere rapidly.
The main materials to avoid are cotton and denim. If you’re wearing a cotton jumper when it rains, you could become very cold once you stop hiking as cotton dries extremely slowly. This could be dangerous, and therefore cottons and denim are a no-go.
The layering system
You want your clothes to be easy to layer, as this allows you to warm up and cool down quickly and, more importantly, incrementally. When packing for your expedition, think about whether the fleeces you intend to bring can easily be layered on top of one another.
Single, thick jackets, such as skiing jackets, are not a good idea, as they’re bulky and will likely leave you too hot with it on and too cold with it off.
Clothing list
Necessary clothing, all year round:
Underwear — one pair per day.
Socks — for my Gold expedition I invested in these waterproof SealSkinz socks that are fully waterproof and odour-proof, meaning you can wear for days at a time. I also brought two extra pairs of thin socks for the evenings. Before I had my SealSkinz though, I brought one pair of walking socks for every two days of hiking.
Trousers — bring one pair of hiking trousers and one pair of evening trousers for Bronze and Silver (for Gold, bring a second pair of hiking if you’d prefer). Evening trousers are important so that if you get muddy and wet in the day, it's you have a pair of clean, dry trousers to change into. For summer expeditions, you may also want to bring one pair of shorts.
Tops — make sure to bring breathable T-shirts with no cotton (I wore t-shirts like this one by Under Armour). If you have button-down hiking shirts like this one from Craghoppers, that’s even better. Bring one top for Bronze, two for Silver, and two or three for Gold.
Layers — one thin long-sleeve fleece like this one by Regatta, and a second warmer fleece that can be layered on top of the first, like this one by Columbia.
Hiking boots, ideally with ankle support. I would recommend getting hiking boots properly fitted at a shop, if that is an option available to you. More importantly though, make sure they are at least somewhat broken-in before you start the expedition.
Waterproof trousers and waterproof jacket.
Optional and seasonal clothing:
Flip-flops if want to avoid going barefoot at the end of the day.
For expeditions in the summer you should also bring a sunhat/cap and a pair of sunglasses.
For expeditions in/near the winter you should also bring a warm hat and pair of gloves.
Equipment
Cooking and food
Cooking equipment (group) — Trangia's are the most common method of cooking on DofE and are what I used (we had two between six of us, which was plenty). These are usually supplied by your expedition provider but if not, this is the standard one used.
Crockery — you'll probably need less than you think (on my Gold expedition I only brought a mug and a spork). Think about how you'll be eating your meals: for example, if you're using boil-in-a-bags, there's no point bringing a plate as you can eat straight out of the pouch.
Water — I recommend bringing a 3L bladder like this one by Camelbak as it makes drinking whilst hiking so much easier. In normal weather, you’ll need to bring about 2L for your first day of hiking. For full details though, read my blog post all about water for DofE.
Food — you’ll need to bring all your food with you for the whole expedition. This is a whole topic in of itself, so to find out what foods you should bring, I’d recommend reading my complete guide to food on DofE.
Make sure to bring water purification tablets if you'll need them (usually only Gold). I used these tablets by Lifesystems and was blown away by their simplicity, and that fact that the water didn't taste at all chlorinated.
Big tip! Remove excess packaging from food products — for example, dried fruit often comes in unnecessarily large pouches; you'll save space by transferring the contents into a single resealable plastic bag like these ones, plus you’ll be reducing the rubbish you accumulate en route.
Sleeping
Sleeping bag — your sleeping bag is an important piece of kit, and a comfortable one can make your camping experience significantly better. A good general sleeping bag is this 3-season one by Vango. If you’re expecting your expedition to be particularly warm, though, you may opt for a cheaper, lighter-weight sleeping bag.
Sleeping mat — most expedition providers will supply you with roll/fold up foam mat (which the majority of my teammates on Gold used with no issues), and so I wouldn't recommend buying a nicer sleeping mat just for DofE. If you already have one at home though, it’s worth bringing just for that little extra bit of comfort.
Tent (group) — the tent I used on Gold DofE was borrowed from my expedition providers. If you have your own tent, think twice before using it for DofE. I had my own tent, but chose not to bring it because it's designed more for static camping (like at festivals) as it's larger and heavier than the ones best for multi-day hikes.
Pillows — they're not necessary. However, on all my expeditions I did make sure I had one piece of clothing that was comfy enough to be used as a makeshift pillow. If you really think no pillow will be an issue, you can bring a pillow case and stuff it with some clothes at night.
Wash kit (i.e. toiletries)
Toilet paper (preferably a half-used roll) and a mini hand sanitiser like this one
Toothbrush and toothpaste — bring a lightweight (not a rechargeable electric) toothbrush, and a near-empty tube of toothpaste. Or even better, buy one of the combined toothbrush/toothpaste mini travel sets like this one by Colgate.
Wet wipes for staying clean. Again, don’t bring a whole standard-size pack as it’s just unnecessary weight. This one by Carex has 15 wipes per pack, so is certainly good for a few days.
A small travel sun cream if your expeditions are in the summer, like these 50ml ones. You could even plan in advance to share sun cream with a teammate
If you know that you’ll be staying at a campsite with showers, a cheap travel towel like this one may be worth bringing with — but don’t bring one unless you know you’ll use it
Deodorant is not a necessity (you'll likely smell regardless), but if you are bringing one, opt for a compact roll-on rather than a bulkier spray-on
If you have any additional toiletries that are necessary, such as feminine hygiene products or an EpiPen, use your own judgement to bring what you need — but keep it as minimal as possible
Miscellaneous
Rucksack — you’ll need a 60-70L rucksack to carry everything in. I used this one by Vango, but check out my full post on rucksacks for all the details.
Personal med kit — unlike group med kits these contain the items you’ll need for yourself; in my personal med kit I had bite cream, some headache tablets and lots of blister plasters (for blister plasters, only ever use Compeed). For full details on what to include in your personal med kit, check out my post, med kits for DofE.
Group med kits (group) — these are for first aid and emergencies (ask your assessors whether you need to bring one or if they’re provided). For more information read my post about med kits for DofE.
Headlamp with fresh batteries, like this one by Energizer.
Whistle — most expedition rucksacks have a whistle built in to the strap, but if not a simple one like this will be fine.
Heavy duty bin bags and resealable plastic bags to keep all your things waterproof. I’d also bring a few spare bin bags (not a whole role) and a few spare resealable plastic bags in case any break/tear. Read my article on how to keep your stuff waterproof for full details.
Maps (group) — you should have about one map per 3 people. You should only purchase official OS Maps, usually in 1:25,000 scale, like this one of Snowdonia. I would strongly recommend the weatherproof version, because one sure why to make a rainy expedition worse is by having an unreadable map.
Compasses (group) are often supplied by your expedition provider, so double check before buying your own. However, if you do need to buy your own, these ones by Trekrite are well-priced option. Note that you should have as many compasses as you do maps.
Matches (group) — you’ll need matches to start alcohol-fuelled cooking equipment such as Trangia’s. Make sure you organise who's bringing them though, you don't need several boxes!
Scourer and washing up liquid (group) — again, organise who’s bringing what within the group. You'll need to wash up your cooking equipment after dinner, but you only need one scourer and a small amount of washing up liquid. If you want to be really on it, you could get a this mini washing up brush that has a built-in liquid holder.
Kit List Summary
Below is a summarised kit list of everything you’ll need for your DofE expedition. You may choose to bring some optional items (for example a travel towel) as discussed above. Also remember that some items may be supplied by your expedition providers, and other items are group equipment that only one person from the group needs to bring.
Clothing
Underwear
Socks
Trousers (hiking trousers and evening trousers)
Tops (breathable T-shirts or button-down hiking shirts)
Layers (one thin fleece, one warmer fleece)
Broken-in hiking boots
Flip-flops (optional)
Waterproof trousers and waterproof jacket
Season dependant clothing, e.g. sunglasses in summer or gloves in winter
Equipment
Rucksack
Cooking equipment e.g. Trangia (group)
Crockery
Water
Water purification tablets — Gold only
All food
Sleeping bag
Sleeping mat
Tents (group)
Toilet paper and hand sanitiser
Toothbrush and toothpaste
Wet wipes
Sun cream for summer expeditions
Group med kits (group)
Personal med kit
Headlamp
Whistle
Spare bin bags and resealable plastic bags
Maps and compasses (group)
Matches, scourer and washing up liquid (group)