There is no reason why you should be uncomfortable or rough it too much while camping. The whole idea is to experience the joys of outdoor living, not undergo some kind of forced deprivation and suffering.

However there is a balance between taking enough to be comfortable and taking too much to carry. Obviously there are some things that should stay at home. There are also some things that you will need at camp that you usually don't need at home.

Scout camps take a variety of different forms. Sometimes you are camping in tents away from any facilities at all. Sometimes you camp in tents but have access to built ablutions blocks, kitchens and dining facilities. Sometimes you camp in bunkhouses with full facilities. So your camping gear list needs to be adjusted to suit the accomodation you will have at camp.

Your gear list also needs to be adjusted for the season and activities that you will be undertaking.

Below is a basic gear list. Your leader may issue you you with a different one or a modified one to suit your particular camp. If you have any questions, ask you patrol leader or section leader for advice.

This list is also available as a download from the document list.

Remember Scouts wear their uniform to and from camp. So don't forget you uniform - in fact you should have it on when you are going camping!

Carrying your gear

It is important that your gear is transported and stored safely and securely. We recommend that gear for most camps be carried in a heavy duty canvas army eschelon bag. It is best if you can get ALL your gear inside one bag for transport. These bags are perfect for the job, inexpensive, hard wearing and will last a lifetime.  Cost is around $35.

It is acceptable to carry a small daypack ho in addition to your gear bag. Also if you are taking a fold-up stretcher this can travel as a separate item. By keeping your gear count low you minimise the risk of loss or damage.

Backpacks are really only suitable for bushwalking and for this purpose they are indispensible. For general camping use they are the wrong shape and the harness and webbing catches on everything in transit any is liable to expensive damage. Hybrid backpacks that conceal all harness for travelling are OK. We will look at backpacks in more detail on another page.

Day packs

A day pack is a small backpack that carries just enouught gear for a day's outing. Usually this would include your lunch, water bottle, sunscreen, hat and jacket/poncho. "Less is more" applies to day packs. They only need to be the simplest of the range to be effective. More than two zips is too much. Despite the sagging racks filled with complex and expensive day packs in every store, simple and low cost day packs are aviable and are usually the best in the long run. Don't spend more that $20 here.