At the start of our ‘Expedition Prep’ week at the beginning of May, I asked our UK Office Team to bring in their must have item that isn’t on the kit list!
As always, they lived up to all expectations and delivered some great must have items! We had everything from hot sauce and seasoning to spice up some of the expedition meals, to a humble pack of cards for socializing in the evening.
We asked you what you would add to the list, and you all had some amazing suggestions! So much so, we wanted to share your top 10 suggestions with everyone! If you see your suggestion below, thank you for sharing your top expedition tips!
This was a popular favourite among our followers. Whilst these are on your kit list underneath your personal medical kit, it is definitely worth highlighting the importance of these. You can bring different flavours and should always have a handful of these with you on expedition.
Nobody likes an itchy bite. They are annoying and in some cases, itching them can increase the risk of infection. Our followers have suggested that tiger balm and toothpaste can work a treat on itchy bites. Why not give it a go yourself? Just remember, always read the instructions before applying anything to bites as you could make it worse if the bite is already an open wound.
Genius! And most definitely an overlooked item. I find it useful to keep a pair of scissors in my first aid kit. They can double up as nail scissors and can also be used for cutting plasters and medical tape.
You should all bring some plasters with you in your medical kit. These sprays are great as they provide convenient and transparent wound protection so you can keep an eye on any cuts to make sure they aren’t getting infected. They can be applied even in awkward, hard-to-reach spots!
This is a really great suggestion! We would always recommend that volunteers bring a set of ‘travel clothes’ – a set of clothes that stay clean and dry ready for the journey home. Most of the time, homeward journeys are long and involve multiple flights, you want to make sure you are comfortable and in clean, dry clothing.
Yes, yes, and yes! We recommend on our kit list that students bring waterproof plastic/zip lock bags to keep everything dry. These are also really useful and helpful when organising your kit; I like to have one dry bag for t-shirts and tops, one dry bag for trousers and shorts etc. that way I always know where everything is. Also, talcum powder is great. We have this on our kit list and recommend everyone brings some; it can help prevent and combat athletes’ foot/other fungal infections.
We include on our kit lists a notebook and pencils to encourage our volunteers to try and keep a field diary of their activities and species seen. It is also useful for making notes during lectures. It is definitely a brilliant way of learning the local language as well!
This is another great suggestion. Whilst on some kit lists, this is not on all. It might be useful bringing some protein/snack bars for long days trekking. They are light and don’t take up much room and keep well too. Even if it’s just one or two, it’s well worth throwing a couple in. Everyone loves a tasty snack at the end of the day!
Again, binoculars are on some of our kit lists and on others they are termed an ‘optional extra’. Binoculars are really useful to see much of the wildlife in the forest. If you have enough room left, I’d recommend packing a pair.
Gwen: Marmite, and I also used to take Vitamin B tablets in the run up and during expedition in the hope of keeping Mozzies away!
Alex O: Orange Lucozade sport for me (a.k.a. the elixir of life)
Alex T: American chip spice is awesome and soy sauce can also transform your life!
Joto: I would suggest a good book. In this day and age, we find ourselves staring at screens 24/7 and so there is no better place to read that book that you’ve been putting off.
Thank you for all of the amazing suggestions everyone! Hopefully you’ve found this post helpful and if you can think of anything extra, please let us know!
© 2024 Operation Wallacea Ltd. Website by Yello Media.
Social Media Links