Planning for Expeditions
This is probably the most important part of an expedition other then knowing what you are doing. In this section we will show you how to fill in route cards and route selection tips.
So where do we start. All expeditions right back past Christopher Columbus to the Romans and today the Army and professional expeditiousness all plan before they set out. Just like in the saying "If you fail to plan you fail to win". This could lead to death in our case up in the hills because we did not plan and therefore will overlook a vital piece of equipment or information. So look through this section and use the knowledge we are about to give you and have a really good time up in the hills. And be safe.
- Look who is going on the expedition and then choose the type of terrain accordingly. (It is not fair doing a walk if a member will struggle throughout due to their level of fitness or any physical problems they might have) so select accordingly. (Places to Go)
- Once you have the party members you will need to chose the region you wish to adventure into. Then go and buy/source the maps for that region. We recommend Ordinate Survey (OS) maps 1:25,000 and 1:50,000.
- 1:50,000 OS maps give you a detailed view of the land with most features shown on the map.
- 1:25,000 OS maps are even more detailed and have all the features shown on the maps. These are much better in walking up in the hills but still you will need the 1:50,000 as these will cover the whole area, whist the 1:25,000 sometimes need more then one map to cover the area you wish to walk in.
- Maps either come in paper or laminated maps which are waterproof and allow you to write on the maps and then clean it off. Whilst the paper maps need to be placed in a map case to stop the weathering.
- Now you will need to select the route. We recommend using laminated maps and drawing the route on with a fine permanent pen so as it does not wash off. (Permanent pen comes off easily with nail varnish remover of alcohol wipes/spay).
- Transfer the route to all maps in the group.
- Then fill in the route cards. (One set of route cards need to be on the expedition and another set need to be left with an emergency contact). (Route Card).
- The emergency contact is someone who is not on the expedition but knows or have all of the details form the team members in such of an emergency if something is to happen so they can contact the next of kin. They are also the fail safe to the ex as well. If you have given them a dead line that you will be back and you have crossed over it by a few hours they can alert the emergency services and provide them with your route. This will quicken up the search and give you more chance of survival.
- Look at the time of year and the weather patterns you might encounter. (Judging the Weather).
- Pack the correct kit for the type of expedition. Travel and sleeping arrangements. (Where to Strike Camp?).
Taking the Correct Kit
As well as knowing everything, it is not any good if you haven't packed the correct equipment for your expedition you are about to undertake. Here are a few simple ideas.
Depending on the length or nature of your expedition greatly amounts to what sort of equipment you will require. But there are several items you will need for a day trip as well as a long expedition.
During this section we will go through some of the essential equipment and help way them up to cater for your needs. We will also talk about the importance of splitting up the equipment between the rest of the members of the party.
The main items of equipment you need on any trip are:
- *Maps and compass of the are (GPS optional)*
- Personal first aid kit
- Food and Water
- Water proofs
- Walking boots with ankle support
- Warm Clothing (Hat and Gloves and a spear top).
- *Mobile Phone*
- *Whistle*
- *Note book and pen*
- *Survival Bag*
All of these items are essential in any trip to the hills and can course loss of life if forgotten. Please don't think you need to save any on any weight and discard any of the above. The items stared (*) mean that only one or two members of the group, depending on the size need to carry it.
For a larger expeditions you will need to start thinking for some team kit to share, hear are a few suggestions that can be broken down into smaller parts to split between the team members:
- Tent (outer, inner, pools, pegs)
- Food
- Cooking Equipment (stove, pans, fire lighting, cleaning)
- Emergency Shelter (Boffi Bag- a outer shell which is held up by a number of people sitting on the edges over their heads)
- Specialist Equipment (Climbing, Caving ect)
- Team Med Pack
The next part to this section looks at some of the advantages and disadvantages to some of the camping equipment out on the market. Be careful when buying equipment as some is designed for family camps not high up in the hills and will not give you the protection you need. Ask the shop assistants for help if you are not sure.
The Sleeping System
Tents
A good sturdy tent is required high up in the hills. It is worth spending the money to get yourself a good quality well named tent due to they come with the reinsurance they will perform. Unlike some not so well brand cheaper tents, I have seen the wind and rain rip them to pieces as soon as the weather turned bad.
I recommend you look at getting no more then a 3 man tent, but 2 mans seem to be a bit more stable in my eyes. Brands to look for are Tara-Nova, North Face, Vango hydra series or Force 10 and mountain equipment tents are all really good makes and have a good range to chose from and reassembly priced.
But if you are just looking for a good family tent Vango have some bit tents which are good for proper camp sites for good value.
Sleeping Bags
Next is the sleeping bag. These come in different comfort levels, summer bags (+10), Spring bags (+5), autumn bags (0 to -5) and winter bags (-5 to -20) these are also known as 4 season bags. The bags make up also comes in different fillers, synthetic or down. Down sleeping bags are now the preferred bags as they are warmer and a lot lighter which packs down smaller from the synthetic bags. But don't work if they get wet where the synthetic bags dry very quickly and still keep you warm.
When selecting a sleeping bag for the hills try to get a bag with a draw sting hood as you will find you loose most of your heat through it. So keeping it warm at night is a nice feeling. And also insure that you can get into the bag comfortable. It is not too small causing you to crumple up in the bag.
The Ground Mat
An easy thing to overlook, but gives you the difference from a good night sleep to and awful one if not with you. Believe me I have tried. There are two main types of ground mat and two different lengths. The first are padded types and the second are blown up typed.
Padded Ground Mats
These are good if you are pitching up in rough terrain, but are quite bulky to carry. Most people generally attach them to the outside of their Burgan's (rucksacks) as they don't matter if they get wet. A good way to use them if you are worried about damaging the ground sheet of the tent is to place them between the floor and the sheet. The other good point is that they come at a cheep price, but not very good in extreme cold weather.
Blown up ground mats
I am not taking about air beds, they ruin tents. But small self inflating ground mats. These are really good in insulating you from the ground and recommended in extreme cold weather, but also come at a cost. They come in two sizes, full body length and 3/4 body length if you don't mind about your feet getting cold. They pack down small enough to fit into your Burgan. The main thing to look out for is sharp objects which can puncher the fabric; they are made with very strong material and come with a repair kit if puncher occurs.
Cooking Equipment
Stoves
There are two main type of camping stoves on the market, by that I mean fuel type. Gas and Multi Fuel Stoves.
Gas
Gas stoves are the preferred stoves to buy for the younger generation as they require little to none maintenance, cheap to buy and the gas is widely available in all camping shops and some petrol stations. I recommend that you buy a resalable canister stove not a puncher stove as I have had some bad experiences in the past with them exploding when I tried to get them onto the bracket.
The other point is that be sure to store them away from anything in your Burgan that could puncher the canister, mind you they are made with a tough metal and very unlikely to happen but I have warned you. Colman do some good quality cheap gas stoves.
Multi Fuel Stoves
Farley new stove systems, these burn many different types of fuels and depending on how much money you spend varies of what they will burn. (White Gas, Aviation fuel, paraffin, diesel, petrol, kerosene, sprits). I would not recommend buying these for the younger generation as they will have to play with liquid fuel and needed to pressurise it to ensure it burns a good flame. They also require frequent maintenance if dirty fuel is used.
But on a good point, the fuel will last much longer from gas, more economical, will continue to burn at high altitudes where gas would not and being able to use nearly any type of fuel they are a favour between most expeditionests. MSR is a good make for these stoves as I have just brought my self one in June 07 and I can't fault it.
Burgan's
When selecting what sort of bag you want you need to take these following points into consideration.
- How long is the expedition?
- Do I require a female's frame or will a unisex be sufficient?
- How much do I want to spend?
- Is it comfortable when loaded?
Burgan's come in many different sizes and are measured in Litres, (25l, 50l, 70+10l) these numbers determine the amount of volume inside of the Burgan you have to store your equipment. But remember if you get one that is too big for the job, you will have the desire to fill it with things you properly don't need.
The main points to a Burgan is that can it fit all of my equipment into the compartments as seeing people walking around with cups and pans hanging off the straps really grips me and fit feels nice to ware, no rubbing or chafing. As this will only cause you to have minor injuries later on.
