Kit List
ITEMS THAT CAN BE LOANED
The following items can be loaned to you for use and returned in good order at the end of the course. Students will be charged for any damaged or missing equipment.
- Hootchie
- Fire striker/Ferro rod
- Stainless Steel water bottle 40oz (1.1L)
- Ground sheet/tarp
- Mosquito Net
WHAT YOU NEED TO BRING
You need to be able to fit and carry the below items in or on your main pack. What you bring you have to carry, so pack light!
All items are required unless marked as Optional.
You do not need to purchase new equipment for this course, however, if you are ready to set up a new kit, we have made recommendations for the best quality gear below.
While there is no expectation for you to buy new equipment for the course, it is preferable where possible to have items that have natural colours.
For more detail on some of the items visit our blog on 12 Essential Items people should have with them when they venture outdoors.
CHECK LISTS
Download the relevant PDF checklist for your course. This list can be printed off and used as a packing guide.
We have limited the amount of information and recommendations in this document to keep it as a useful checklist to use while packing for your course.
Detailed Kit List and Recommendations
| Equipment (Day Pack) | |
| ITEM | RECOMMENDATION |
|---|---|
| Small day pack This day pack should fit inside your main larger pack or attach to it. You will need to bring this day pack and the below equipment to all your lessons throughout the course. |
Fjallraven Kanken Fjallraven Singi 20L / 28L Fjallraven Kajka 35L Helikon-Tex Bergen Good to Go Day Pack Platypus Day Pack |
| CUTTING TOOLS
Knife Folding Saw (Optional) Multitool (Optional) |
Morakniv HD Companion Morakniv Bushcraft Black Morakniv Garberg Morakniv Kansbol Morakniv Eldris Leatherman Supertool Leatherman Wave Bahco Laplander Bahco Laplander |
| COMBUSTION DEVICE
Ferrocium Rod |
Morakniv Firestarter Dragon’s Breath Ferro Rod & Striker |
| CONTAINER
All students should have the capacity to carry a minimum of 2L of water, as well as a cup. One container needs to be stainless steel (see below). The other can be a plastic bottle. Stainless Steel 1 litre Water Bottle You can also can make yourself a metal cooking container out of an empty fruit/peaches tin: remove one end of the tin and attach a piece of wire as a handle. Your plastic water bottle should fit snugly inside it. |
32oz Stainless Steel Water Bottle/Nesting Cup set 1L water bottle Grayl |
| CORDAGE
Paracord – 3 pre-cut lengths (1.5m, 6m, 8m) |
550 Paracord |
| COVERING / EMERGENCY SHELTER
Military Poncho – COMPULSORY |
Recommended brands coming soon |
| HEAD TORCH
There are many brands on the market, get yourself one with a strobe function (red light optional). LEDLENSER and Petzl make some very good head torches. We recommend the Ledlenser MH4 or MH8. |
Ledlenser MH4/MH8 Ledlenser ML4 Princeton Headlamp |
| SMALL FIRST AID KIT
Including personal medications (eg: paracetamol/ibuprofen), dressings, antiseptic, tweezers etc. |
Helikon-Tex Bushcraft First Aid Kit Bushwalking Medical First Aid Kit |
| DRY BAG
5-15 Litre Dry bag: “Overboard”, “Atka”, “Sea to Summit”, “Baja”, Snugpak and Alton Goods make an assortment of dry bags. |
Drybags Snugpak DriSak |
| WHISTLE
Make sure it’s a loud whistle, such as a “pealess” whistle. |
Survival Whistle |
| NOTEBOOK AND PEN
“Rite In The Rain” all weather notebooks and pens are bombproof, however expensive. Any notebook will do. |
Rite in the Rain |
| OUTDOOR LEATHER WORK GLOVES
Any leather or pigskin work/gardening gloves from a hardware store will suffice. |
|
| Equipment (Larger Rucksack) | |
| ITEM | RECOMMENDATION |
|---|---|
| 45L or larger Rucksack/Pack to fit everything in There are many backpacks on the market to choose from. Choose something durable, practical, comfortable and at least 45L in volume. Don’t choose something with too many pockets or you will be tempted to fill them. Snugpak, Fjallraven, Daluth and Karrimore all make good quality packs. |
Fjallraven Singi 45L Fjallraven Kajka 55L/65L/75L Snugpak RocketPak |
|
The following items fit inside your main pack |
|
| Tarp/hootchie, hammock or small lightweight tent (Module 1 – 1st night only) For the Fundamental Module 1 course you will need your own tent (or other shelter) to sleep in for the first night. You can borrow a tarp/hootchie if you need. Please ensure you practice setting up your sleeping arrangements at home, before you come to the course. |
DD Superlight Tarp Helikon-Tex Supertarp Alton Goods |
| Ground sheet Lightweight tarp to use as a moisture barrier underneath you Please bring something in a natural colour. Do NOT turn up with an ugly blue one! |
|
| Sleeping mat Inflatable or self inflating sleeping mat. |
Snugpak Midi Mat |
| Sleeping bag Should be appropriate for the season. Snugpak (Softie 3, 6, 9 / Elite 1, 2, 3), Mont and Recon are all good brands. |
Snugpak Sleeping Bag Snugpak Sleeping Bags |
| Sleeping bag liner (Optional) Sea to Summit “Reactor” and Snugpak TS1 liners help keep your sleeping bag clean and adds extra warmth to it. The Sea to Summit “Reactor” adds an extra 5-8 degrees and can also be used on its own in summer. |
Sea to Summit “Reactor” |
| Bivvi Bag – waterproof and breathable sleeping bag cover (Optional, recommended for wet weather) “Snugpak” Special Forces Bivvi’s are small and compact. Alternatively, find yourself an ex-army Goretex bivvi bag. |
Snugpak Special Forces Bivvi Snugpak Special Forces Bivvi |
| Mosquito Net “Oz Trail” and Alton Goods make a good box-style mosquito net. |
Alton Goods Bug Net |
| Mosquito Head Net A mosquito head net is compulsory for all courses. |
|
| Mug, plate/bowl, cutlery | Wildo |
| Toilet/Latrine Kit Toilet paper, hand sanitiser, matches, doggy/ziploc bag.A communal toilet kit will be provided but we suggest you also have your own small kit. We have a thorough latrine procedure. |
|
| Small toiletries kit Including insect repellent and sunscreen. Small toiletries and wash kit including; toothbrush, toothpaste, soap, small towel/shemagh, hand sanitiser etc. |
|
| Spare batteries and Power Bank Please bring spare batteries for your head torch and power banks for your personal devices to last the duration of your course. |
|
| Clothing | |
| ITEM | RECOMMENDATION |
|---|---|
| Base/under-layer During the summer months, a t-shirt maybe all that is needed, however during the cooler months a woollen thermal layer (top and bottoms) may be required. Eg. “Icebreaker”, Fjallraven and Swazi are good quality base layers. |
Fjallraven Swazi |
| Mid-layers This could be a long sleeve shirt eg. Fjallraven “Singi” Trekking shirt or King Gee work shirt. A warmer intermediate layer such as a Platatac or Swazi fleece pullover, woollen army jumper, “Swandri” woollen bush shirt or Fjallraven Grannit Wool shirt for cooler weather. |
Singi Trekking shirt Pine Half Fleece Ovic/Sten Fleece Granit Wool Shirt Swazi Fleece |
| Outer layer / Wet weather gear Ideally, this should be waterproof, windproof and breathable. “Goretex” and lightweight rain jackets (top and bottoms) are good options. |
Greenland Re-Wool Jacket (Fjallraven) Barrents 3-in-1 Jacket Keb Eco Shell Sormland Padded Jacket Ossa jacket Swazi Tahr jacket Swazi Wapiti |
| Trousers Long, quick drying, lightweight yet tough polyester/cotton or rip stop nylon trousers such as military issue combat pants are ideal for the bush. “Fjallraven” Vidda Pro trousers are excellent for bushcraft. |
Fjallraven Vidda Pro Trousers Fjallraven Keb Trousers Adapt Pants |
| Footwear Sturdy robust outdoor footwear with ankle support such as trail boots or army type boots are good options. 2-3 pairs of decent woollen socks is ideal. Waterproof socks such as “SealSkinz” are a good addition in wet weather. |
|
| Head covering Protection from the hot Australian sun is paramount so a decent hat such as an “Akubra” or army style bush hat is essential. In cold weather, a woollen beanie is important to keep you from losing radiated heat from your head. |
Wool Beanie Helikon-Tex Merino Beanie |
| Belt – COMPULSORY Not only to hold your pants up but to attach your knife and other tools to. Any belt will do, but a leather belt will also allow you to “strop” your knife after sharpening it. Note: You will need trousers with belt loops to accommodate the belt. |
|
