Equipment

We don't expect you to go out and buy everything for hiking or camping, that is one of the points of scouts.

Your child will need a few things that you can purchase over time:

• A bag for camping

• A sleeping bag

• A stretcher

• A camp mat

• A good pair of walking shoes

• A head torch

• Dilly Bag - cup,bowl, plate and cutlery in a bag (with a tea towel)

• Rain jacket (hiking not snow)

• Daypack

Over time, your scout will want to purchase things to make camping easier which I will describe in Optional stuff

Talk to the leaders if you don’t have things or don’t know where to get them. We can borrow or the scout Q-Store has everything and it can be rented cheaply. We are also geeky gear nuts and so probably have heard of sales etc.

It’s better to ask us than send your child with the wrong gear (cold miserable scouts are bad, really bad, seriously bad 😉 ).

For camping we have good tents, bbq, stoves, gazebos, tables and everything else. For hiking we have pots, backpacks, tents,stoves and sleep mats. At the moment we have 8 55L backpacks.

The main thing is we don’t require you to spend lots of money. And all of the gear I mention below is useful for school camps

Recommended places to get stuff.

Sales!!!! - any of them. (Anaconda, Macpac, bcf etc)

Mountain Warehouse - this is a brilliant UK online store that has an australian arm. Their gear is great quality and cheap. I buy all the boys rain jackets from here.

https://www.mountainwarehouse.com/au/

Aldi - the aldi hiking sale is in July (usually around the 4th)

Aliexpress - great gear for cheap. The naturehike store is brilliant.

https://www.aliexpress.com/

A bag for camping

Basically the same bag you would use for school camps can be used for scout camps. Except scout camps are in tents and dirty. I recommend an 80L (or more) rolling Duffel from Kmart as it's about $29 and tough.

Sleeping bags

In scouts we go out in all weather but we mostly camp in spring/summer. ScoutHike is in June and can be very cold. We also hike a lot. Therefore a lightweight and compact sleeping bag is very good. But they are expensive.

I am a big fan of liners in sleeping bags as it turns your sleeping bag into a year round multipurpose bag.. You can spend a lot of money on sleeping bags.

On sleeping bags, it is hard to gather which one to buy and especially what a -5 bag is. Below I have a description of what the temperature ratings mean. This is not exact but uses the generally accepted ISO ratings.

• +5 to +10 degree sleeping bag

A +5 to +10 is considered a summer bag. It is roughly as warm as sleeping with a sheet or light blanket over you on your bed at home.

• 0-degree sleeping bag

A 0 degree bag is a great all-rounder but won’t keep you warm in the snow or frosty night – it’s about the same as having a regular doona on your bed at home.

• -5 to -10 degree sleeping bag

A -5 to -10 degree bag is considered a winter bag for typical Australian climates – it should be similar to having flannelette sheets and an extra blanket or 2 on your bed at home.

So a down sleeping bag that is rated to 0 degrees can cost $250.

But a synthetic bag from Mountain Warehouse is $130 ($75 on sale) and that is a 4 degree to -2 (0 degree) bag. Synthetic is easy to wash if accidents happen and will be warm if wet. But it’s not a winter bag. So you add a liner.which adds a few degrees to that or more.

For winter I recommend the Sea to Summit Thermolite Reactor Compact Plus Liner. Its expensive at $70 but it adds 11 degrees to a bag, making the 4 degree bag a -7 degree bag.

A cotton liner can be used in summer as your sleeping bag or for additional warmth. It adds a few degrees. You can get one for $15.The one below has zips and is awesome.

A good pair of walking shoes

I feel like I am buying shoes for my boys regularly. Hiking boots are an extra expense and they are expensive! For nearly all of our activities a pair of sneakers is fine. BUT I do recommend hiking boots for hiking with a backpack. The reason is that they are built to help you when carrying additional weight and protect your back.

So I recommend watching the sales. I picked up a pair of Skechers waterproof hiking shoes for $70. Mountain warehouse has waterproof hiking boots for $50-$70.

Another option is the Aldi adventure ridge hiking boots which are good quality and cheap.

Optional Stuff

Water shoes - every water activity will require closed toe shoes for safety. I usually just grab the cheapest on sale.

A head torch is very useful as they don’t tend to lose it.

Your own hike pack is good to have - but keep it around 50 to 60 L.

Camp blanket - very useful for standing camps and sewing badges on.

Poo shovel - it’s good to have your own.

Decathlon poncho or Aliexpress camping mat - https://decathlon.com.au/products/arpenaz-10l-adult-hiking-rain-poncho-5380?variant=30892630999151

this is very useful for any camp. Its a rain jacket, it can be a shelter with a bit of rope and finally it can be a tarp to keep your gear clean. Because when a 1000 scouts get together things get dusty and muddy.