What to Bring Blue Mountains Bushwalking Trip

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by Ashley Burke

This equipment list is suitable for the types of bushwalking trips that I do in the Blue Mountains or elsewhere in New South Wales. Use this list as a guide of what to bring if you are coming on one of these trips.

Suitability

This equipment list is suitable for the following types of trips:

• Duration of 1 night or more
• Blue Mountains or similar New South Wales destination
• Walk that involves carrying all our gear and camping out overnight. ie: not car camping

This equipment list is NOT suitable for the following types of trips:

• Trips that involve canyoning. See the canyoning trip gear list
• Trips in the Kosciuszko alpine area. See the ski trip gear list
• Trips outside New South Wales
• Day walks or mountain biking trips

Please contact me directly if you are unsure of what to bring.

Equipment List

Item	Comments	Availability
Sleeping bag	4 season rating (May to September) or 3 season rating (October to April)
Pack/Rucksack	Try to pack everything inside. Avoid loose items strapped to outside of pack.
Lightweight tent or tent fly and groundsheet.	A small light tent. An alternative to a complete tent is a separate fly and groundsheet. Don't forget pegs.	It may be possible to share. Contact me prior to the trip about sharing or borrowing a fly or tent if needed.
Foam mat or thermarest		I have a spare to lend
Waterproof rain coat		I have an old spare one to lend
Water bottle(s)	Enough to hold 3-4 litres is required. Important as on many trips we will not always be camping by water.
Torch	A small head torch is ideal
Fleece or warm jumper	Depending on season
Thermal underwear	Top and bottom
Hat
Walking shoes	For further advice on walking shoes, contact me directly
Cooking and eating utensils: Billy Plastic cup Spoon Pocket knife Fork (optional)	We use campfires for cooking so this means you do not need to bring a stove. A "billy" is a small aluminium pot which is used to cook over the fire.
Food	Bring enough food for yourself for the duration of the trip. Normally everyone brings their own food unless specific arrangements to share food are made. See food suggestions below for help on what sort of food to bring.
Shirt and shorts for walking in during the day
Additional warm clothes: Beanie Gloves	Winter months only
Personal items: Toilet paper First aid	Keep to minimum. Do not use soap or anything that will pollute waterways. Hand sanitizer gel (that doesn't require water) is a good alternative to soap. First aid kit must include as a minimum: 1 x compression bandage (minimum dimensions 7.5cm wide x 2.3m long unstretched) band aids Antiseptic cream or betadine Also recommended: Cotton wool balls safety pins

Food Suggestions

It is normal practise for everyone to bring their own food for the trip. That way, each person can eat according to their own preferences and diet, and less time is spent organising communal food.

Below are some suggestions on the sorts of food that are suitable to bring on a bushwalking trip of up to 1 week in duration. These are suggestions only, based on what I normally take on a weekend walk. Everyone's tastes and diet are different, so feel free to make any changes to the list below based on your preferences. Also feel free to contact me if you have any other questions about what sorts of food to bring.

General Comments

Things to avoid:

• Lots of heavy tins
• Food which takes a long time to cook or which requires large amounts of water
• Expensive freeze dried food
• Food that does not last well or carry well
• Food requiring extra utensils to prepare

On the other hand, food can be fun and easy to cook when camping, and it is possible to have good variety, including fresh foods, especially on shorter trips.

Breakfast

• Cereal with powdered milk

and/or

• biscuits or breakfast bars

or

• Toast bread or muffins on the campfire

and

• Tea or coffee

Lunch

• Bring bread, cheese, tomatoes or salad and make up sandwiches. It is better to bring the separate ingredients rather than making sandwiches in advance. The longer the trip the more limitations there are on what fresh ingredients you can bring. For trips longer than a few days, staple sandwich ingredients are cheese, peanut butter and honey. For longer trips you will need long life bread, or on some trips we take flour and powdered milk and make damper on the camp fire. Some people take crackers such as vita-wheat instead of normal bread. For 2-day trips, a much wider range of fresh ingredients can be carried.

and

• Fruit (apples and oranges keep best)

Dinner

• I normally take about 100 grams of pasta such as penne, macaroni or noodles, or rice. Then I add fresh vegetables such as a small onion, zucchini, broccoli or whatever I have at home. Then I add tomato paste (available in 50g sachets). Then I add herbs and some sort of flavour additive, such as a little stock powder, curry powder, or whatever. Then maybe I would sprinkle a little grated cheese on top. All can be cooked up in a single billy on the camp fire. The longer the trip, the more limited the options for fresh ingredients, but onions, parsnips and carrots keep well. Choose a flavour additive which suits your taste.
  

Extras

If you like to snack between meals then you can bring anything such as chocolate, nuts, biscuits, snack bars or other snack food.

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Web page last updated 6 Mar 2009

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