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 Kit List 

 Make sure you come prepared for your next adventure 

The Big Smile UK walking kit list
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Clothing

Clothing
Urban & Lowland
Mountain, Moorland & Forest
Pair of gloves
✔
One thin, one waterproof
Hat
✔
✔
Walking / trekking socks
✔
✔
Spare Warm Layer sweater / fleece
Non-Essential
Recommended
Fleece / Softshell jacket
Non-Essential
Essential
Base Layer synthetic / breathable
Recommended
Essential
Waterproof Trousers
Recommended
Essential
Waterproof Jacket
Recommended
Essential
Footwear
Walking Boots or Shoes
Walking Boots or Shoes

Equipment

Equipment
Urban & Lowland
Mountain, Moorland & Forest
Face Covering & Hand Sanitizer
✔
✔
Food & Snacks
✔
✔
Walking Poles
Optional
Recommended
Personal First Aid Kit (Compeed, Ibuprofen, etc.)
✔
✔
Mobile Phone (fully charged)
✔
✔
Sunglasses & Sun Cream
✔
✔
Water Bottle x 2
✔
✔
Dry Bag
Recommended
Essential
Rucksack
Small
20 Litre
The Big Smile UK walking on the path charity durham northern

 Notes to Recommended Clothing & Equipment List 

Clothing 

1. Footwear – should be waterproof, comfortable and broken in. If it is a dry day, wearing proper Walking Shoes ( not trainers ) can be better than wearing Walking Boots as they are lighter in weight and your feet don’t sweat as much. You may want to bring both and decide what to wear when you arrive based on the conditions.

2. Waterproof Jacket / Trousers – mountain weather is extremely changeable. Getting soaked might not kill you, but it’ll ruin your day. Once cotton trousers and jeans are wet ( from rain or sweat ) they stay wet. We strongly recommend you have some waterproofs in your rucksack if you aren’t wearing proper Waterproof Jacket / Trousers 

3. Base Layer – nothing fancy needed, but not cotton !

4. Fleece / Softshell – useful to throw on if the group stops for any length of time eg. lunch

5. Spare Warm Layer – you might not need it, but bring along regardless

Equipment

6. Rucksack – to keep contents dry. A sturdy bin liner should suffice if you don’t have dry bags, but there is a chance it’ll tear

7. Water – avoid supermarket bottled water – the plastic bottle walls can be very thin and the bottles can burst soaking the contents of your rucksack. Carry a minimum of 2 litres total for a walk of this length.

8. Sunglasses – handy in the mountains in good weather. Suncream ( Factor 30+ ) – yes this is wishful thinking, but you never know !

9. Food & Snacks – incl fruit, cheese, chocolate, Haribo – your personal preference but some tips are :

  • Use bread rolls rather than sliced bread for sandwiches – they tend to be tougher and less prone to being squashed and falling to bits

  • Consider sweets, cereal bars etc. that fit in your Jacket so that you can eat on the move

  • Don’t bother with a flask – bring extra water or even better water mixed with hydro tablets

  • No need to bring your food in a lunchbox – it can be a waste of rucksack space – just spread it around where you can – top of rucksack, pockets etc. so that easily accessible

Some other general hints & tips:

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  1.  Do always bring the items you think you won’t need. People often turn up inappropriately dressed for a full day’s walking because they decided what to wear based on the weather outside their bedroom window, rather than what the weather was expected to be like at their destination. Bring all of the kit along with you, and we’ll decide what’s necessary before we set off - anything that isn’t needed can stay in the car. 

  2. Pack all your kit the evening before and put it in the car ( or at the front door, ready to go ). Why ? – because faffing around early in the morning is stressful, and you might easily forget something ….the number of people who arrive at the meeting point without their walking boots is staggering!

  3. You don’t have to spend a lot of money on kit, not at all. As you cast your eye over the kit list, identify what you have and what you don’t have. Think about whether you have something that could reasonably suffice as a substitute. If you’ve any doubts, please get in touch. 

  4. Packing a rucksack correctly is an artform. As a rule, the things that you’re less likely to need go at the bottom. Start with the least likely item and work your way up. Heavier items are often best positioned towards the top of the rucksack. These tend to be the things that you will need access to the most – like water, food etc. Use spare clothes to pad out the sides, so that the rucksack is equally balanced and weighted – that is guaranteed to make the day just that little bit more comfortable and enjoyable.

The Big Smile UK walks charity durham mental health
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