Kit List

BSA Detailed 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) and nesting cup
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.

FUNDAMENTAL MODULE 1 + MODULE 2

JUNIOR/FAMILY

INTERMEDIATE MODULE 3 - COMING SOON

Detailed Kit List and Recommendations

ITEM	RECOMMENDATION
Equipment (Day Pack)
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 Packs Helikon-Tex Bergen Platatac Good to Go Day Pack Platatac Platypus Day Pack
CUTTING TOOLS Knife You will be issued with your own Morakniv of Sweden, carbon steel heavy duty knife (Module 1 only) which will be yours to keep. Alternatively, you can bring a plain (without serrations) full tang 5” (11cm) carbon steel blade with a 90 degree edge on the spine. *Folding Saw* (Optional but highly recommended) Bacho Laplander or Silky Pocket Boy are very good. *Multitool* (Optional) Leatherman and Gerber are good reliable brands. Try to choose one with a saw, a good locking blade and an awl with an eye in it.	Bushcraft Knives Morakniv Bushcraft and Carving Knives Multitools Leatherman Multitools Folding Saws Bahco Laplander Silky Pocket Boy Silky Gomboy
COMBUSTION DEVICE Ferrocium Rod “Light My Fire”, “StrikeFire” and “Dragon’s Breath” are all reliable models. There are many other brands out there that make sparking tools in various sizes. Get yourself the larger army models.	Light My Fire FireSteel 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 We have BSA branded stainless steel bottle and nesting cup sets available for purchase on course. “Kleen Kanteen” make good stainless steel wide mouth water bottles (single walled type). Pathfinder also make a 32oz Stainless Steel Water Bottle/Nesting Cup set. A good affordable alternative is an “army cups canteen combination” (plastic water bottle and metal cup). 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 Platatac 1 Litre Rapid Fill Water Bottle
CLOTH 3ft 100% cotton bandana (Optional but highly recommended) BSA has 100% cotton bandanas with either Typical Uses, Animal Tracks or Celestial Navigation illustrations. These can be purchased on the course or online. Alternatively you can purchase a 1m square piece of 100% cotton from a material or haberdashery shop and cut it to size. Wash it first to loosen the fibres.	BSA Bandanas
CORDAGE Paracord – 15m length cut into the following: 1.5m, 5.5m, 8m Ensure that your paracord is cut to length prior to your course, with the ends heat sealed.	Drifta Guy Rope/Paracord 550 Paracord
COVERING / EMERGENCY SHELTER Military Style Poncho with grommets and press studs.	Helikon-Tex Poncho US Model
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.	Ledlensers Black Diamond Headlamp
SMALL FIRST AID KIT Including personal medications (eg: paracetamol/ibuprofen), dressings, antiseptic, tweezers etc.	Handy First Aid Kit Helikon-Tex Bushcraft First Aid Kit Bushwalking Medical First Aid Kit
DRY BAG 5-15 Litre Dry bag: Atka, Sea to Summit, Baja, Snugpak and Alton Goods make an assortment of dry bags.	Atka 10L drybag Snugpak DriSak
WHISTLE Make sure it’s a loud whistle, such as a “pealess” whistle.	Jetscream Survival Whistle
NOTEBOOK AND PEN “Rite In The Rain” all weather notebooks and pens are bombproof, however expensive. Any notebook will do.
OUTDOOR LEATHER WORK GLOVES Any leather or pigskin work/gardening gloves from a hardware store will suffice.

ITEM	RECOMMENDATION
Equipment (Larger Rucksack)
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 Packs Snugpak RocketPak Platatac SD Duffel Bag
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 3m x 3xm Helikon-Tex Supertarp Small 2m x 2.5m Alton Goods 3m x 3m Tarp
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.	Platatac 3/4 Gonk Mat Snugpak Midi Mat Snugpak Travelite Self Inflating Sleeping Mat (Full Length)
Sleeping bag Should be appropriate for the season. Snugpak (Elite range made in China, Softie Range made in UK), Mont and Recon are all good brands. Different brands have different rating systems – choose a good brand and learn their system.Temperature ratings differ for women, who run colder than men so select a bag with a lower temperature rating to account for this.	Snugpak Elite 1 Snugpak Elite 2 Snugpak Elite 3 Snugpak Elite 4 Snugpak Softie 3 Merlin Snugpak Softie 6 Kestrel Snugpak Softie 9 Hawk Snugpak Jungle Bag
*Sleeping bag liner* (Optional) Sleeping bag liners help keep your sleeping bag clean and add extra warmth to it. Sea to Summit and Snugpak are good brands.	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. Your bivvi bag should comfortably fit your sleeping mat and sleeping bag without compressing the loft.	Snugpak Special Forces Bivvi Bag Snugpak Bivvi Bag XL
Mosquito Net Necessary for sub-tropical and tropical climates.
Mosquito Head Net A mosquito head net is compulsory for all courses.
Mug, plate/bowl, cutlery	Light My Fire Lunchkit 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.

ITEM	RECOMMENDATION
Clothing
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.	Abisko Wool Shirt Swazi Clothing
Mid-layers This could be a long sleeve cotton/synthetic shirt, a fleece (thick or thin), a wool shirt, jumper or jacket.	Singi Trekking shirt Abisko Lite Fleece Pine Half Fleece Ovic Fleece Ovic Half Zip Fleece Sten Fleece Granit Wool Shirt Swazi Clothing
Outer layer / Wet weather gear Ideally, this should be waterproof, windproof and breathable. “Goretex” and lightweight rain jackets (top and bottoms) are good options. Be aware that some outer garments are water-resistant, not water-proof.	Vidda Pro Jacket Keb Eco Shell Keb GTX Jacket Barents 3 in 1 Jacket Ossa jacket Swazi Clothing Platatac LW Silks Jacket
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 Fjallraven Keb Eco Trousers Platatac OSSA V2 Waterproof Pants
Footwear Sturdy robust outdoor footwear with ankle support such as trail boots or army type combat 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 and neck buff is important to keep you from losing radiated heat from your head.	Platatac GBH-R Hat Fjallraven Classic Knit Hat Merino Lite Hat Fjallraven Heavy Beanie Helikon-Tex Merino Beanie Platatac Knitted Beanie Buff Merino Neckwear
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.*