Top ten packing tips for expedition

Our top ten tips for packing for expedition Packing for expedition is a fine art. It's tricky to get the balance right between having everything apart from the kitchen sink in your backpack and travelling light but leaving behind a piece of kit that turns out to be essential. Here are some tips gathered together from all our staff - between them they have travelled to most of the globe. Here are their top ten tips on what to pack and how to pack it!

Top ten packing tips

1. Waterproof your kit and use several small dry-bags
2. Take a bottle of anti-bacterial hand gel
3. Pack your head torch near the top of your bag with the batteries the wrong way round so they don't run out in your bag
4. Buy a pack of dental floss - it is brilliant for fixing kit, hanging mosquito nets etc.
5. Take some flavoured powder drink sachets to make iodine water taste nicer
6. Pack a very small photo album with pictures of friends and family to show people you meet plus postcards of local town/London landmarks/the royal family (always a hit) to hand out to people you meet with your email/address on so you can keep in touch
7. Buy a pen knife - it comes in handy all the time
8. Don't use padlocks or metal mesh rucksack covers as it suggests there is something worth stealing within the bag
9. Make sure your first aid equipment is at the top of the bag and put your iodine in some bubble wrap or protected by your sunglasses case
10. Read the kit list on the website! It was put together by experienced expedition leaders and everything on it is essential. Don't fill your pack with lots of extras that are not on the kit-list as you may find you have to leave them behind on build-up day!

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