Navigation Weekend Equipment List

This is the list of equipment that you need to bring on a 2 day navigation weekend

The MountainSphere 2 day navigation weekend is a self-supported wilderness hike which means you will need to bring your own equipment for 2 days and 1 night spent hiking in bushland where there is no supporting infrastructure. This is the list of equipment that you need to bring on this hike.

Many of the items on this list can be hired from MountainSphere Adventures for a small fee, and this is indicated beside each item.

You may download a printable PDF equipment list which you can use as a checklist for when you are preparing for the weekend.

If you have any questions at all about the equipment, please don’t hesitate to contact me using the button below.

Equipment List

Item	Need	Details	Recommended Brands	Available For Hire	Hire Fee
Sleeping Bag	Required	The sleeping bag should be 3-4 season rated, or temperature rated to zero degrees Celcius.	Mont Helium 300(760g) or Mont Helium 450 (915g) depending on season.	Yes	$30
Backpack	Required	55-60L volume. Try to pack everything inside. Avoid loose items strapped to outside of pack. Foam mats can get scratched or torn if strapped on outside of pack.	Wilderness Equipment Nullaki 55L backpack	Yes	$30
Lightweight 1 or 2 person tent	Required	We may need to camp out in the open so a tent or shelter is essential. You'll need a 1 person tent or a 2 person tent if sharing a tent with someone else.	Nemo Hornet 1P tent (1.0kg) or Big Agnes Copper Spur UL1 (1.2kg)	Yes	$30
Sleeping pad	Required	An inflatable sleeping pad such as Nemo Tensor, Sea to Summit, or Thermarest NeoAir. Foam pads are cheaper and light, but comparatively bulky.	Nemo Tensor (450g) Thermarest NeoAir	Yes	$15
Waterproof and windproof shell jacket	Required	Can be lightweight	Arcteryx Women's waterproof jacket Arcteryx Men's waterproof jacket	No
Water bottles	Required	Enough capacity to hold 3-4 litres is required, although you will only need to start out with 1-2 litres of water. Good water will be available near where we camp and you can fill bottles upon arrival in the late afternoon and the following morning when we leave. You need enough water holding capacity for your dinner, camp, and breakfast. Access to the running water will only be during daylight. 3 x 1L Nalgene bottles with a wide opening are recommended. Alternatively just take old soft drink bottles.	Nalgene 1L bottle	No
Torch	Required	A small head torch is ideal. For around camp at night.	Petzl Tikka	Yes	$0
Fleece or warm jumper	Required	Depending on season	Patagonia Women's Fleece Patagonia Men's Fleece	No
Thermal underwear	Required	Top and bottom. eg: Merino baselayer. An alternative is tights or any warm underlayer that is in contact with your skin.	Mountain Designs Merino Thermals	No
Hat, sunglasses, suncream	Required in summer	Protection from the sun.	SPF 50 sunscreen	No
Hiking shoes	Required	Hiking shoes or trail running shoes depending on your experience. For more advice about footwear, contact me directly.	Keen Targhee IV Women's Keen Targhee IV Men's	No
Hiking socks	Required	Maximum 2 pairs. 1 pair for hiking 1 pair for sleeping (if cold)	Kathmandu Men's or Women's Hiking Socks	No
Gaiters	Optional	Gaiters for the lower legs provide protection against the low scrub and also from snakebite. Optional. a light, breathable pair is preferable over heavy gaiters.	Tatonka Gaiter	Yes	$0
Hiking shirt	Required	A shirt to wear while hiking during the day. Long sleeved or short sleeved? This will depend on the season. Long sleeved will give better protection from the elements but will feel hotter.		No
Hiking pants or shorts	Required	Shorts or long pants? This depends on personal preference, and time of year or expected temperatures. Bear in mind that you will be walking through scrub which may be dense in places and therefore long pants are recommended. In the summer months or in hot weather, shorts are ok, though gaiters are highly recommended if hiking in shorts.
Cooking utensil	Optional	This is optional depending on your meal plan and how much cooking you intend to do. For example, if you are simply rehydrating a freeze dried meal you do not require this item because I can provide hot water for you. If you need to cook pasta or food with fresh ingredients, then some kind of cooking receptacle is required.		No
Plastic cup or mug	Required	For hot drinks, tea or coffee at camp.		No
Spoon	Required			No
Pocket knife	Optional	A small pocket knife for preparing food and for general use around camp. Should be small.		No
Small camping stove	Optional	A small camping stove with small compatible gas cartridge. Stoves may be shared one between two. If you don't have a stove you may share mine or have me boil water for you. There are many types of stove.	Soto Windmaster Stove	Yes	$0
Food	Required	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. You need to bring: 1 breakfast 2 lunches 1 dinner Snacks See below for suggestions and options for your food plans for the weekend.		No
Additional warm clothes	Depends on season	These items are weather and season dependent. Usually required from May to September but unlikely to be needed in October to March. Check the weather forecast before the trip. I will advise you in the week prior to this trip if these items are required. Beanie (warm hat) Gloves		No
Personal items	Required	A small kit containing personal hygiene items and first aid. A comprehensive first aid kit will be carried by the leader. In your personal kit you should carry hand sanitizer, band aids or minor wound dressings, sanitary pads and any personal medications, water purification tablets or a filter, mild pain relief or anti inflammatory tablets, safety pins.		No
Leave no trace toilet kit	Recommended	We will be camping in a sensitive wilderness environment and bush toileting needs to be done in an environmentally friendly manner. A leave no trace toilet kit allows you to carry out your waste in a hygienic manner and this is highly recommended. A leave no trace toilet kit comprises: A few sheets of greaseproof paper (sandwich wrap) A brown paper bag Several disposable plastic bags A small drybag (3-5L) Toilet paper and hand sanitiser. See below for more details.		No
Compass	Required	A compass is required so that you can practise what you will be learning throughout the navigation weekend. You may bring your own compass if you have one, or you can hire or purchase a compass from MountainSphere Adventures. For information on what is the best compass to buy, see Section 7.2 of my navigation tutorial. I recommend and can supply the Silva Ranger and Silva Ranger S. You can: Rent a Silva Ranger for the weekend - $15 Buy a Silva Ranger: $62 Buy a Silva Ranger S with mirror: $90	Compass recommendations	Yes	$15
Topographic map	Provided	You will need a topographic map of the area that we will be walking in. Your map can be ordered when you complete your application at a price of $25 per map. Maps supplied by MountainSphere are laminated and folded, will withstand the elements, and can be drawn on in pencil. Maps can be shared one between two if you are attending the trip with a friend or partner or as part of a group. The maps are about 1.1m x 0.6m in size.		Yes	$25
Pencil	Required	For drawing bearings and marking the route and waypoints on your map.		No
Avenza Maps Mobile Phone App	Optional	The Avenza Maps mobile phone app can be downloaded from your app store. This is a GPS app that is useful for navigation. This is optional.		No

Leave No Trace Toilet Kit

It is likely that we will be camping in a sensitive wilderness environment and we need to ensure that our camping and toileting practises are done in an environmentally friendly manner.

Carrying out your toilet waste (your poo and toilet paper) is not nearly as bad as it sounds! And a leave no trace toilet kit costs almost nothing, weighs almost nothing, and takes up almost no space in your backpack.

I strongly encourage all participants in the navigation weekend to bring these items with you so you can leave the campsite as you find it and so that you can use this method to limit your environmental impact on your future hiking adventures.

How you use the toilet kit will be explained to you once we reach camp.

Item	Approx Size	Qty
Sheet of greaseproof paper	30cm x 40cm	1 per visit to the toilet
Brown paper bag	26cm x 20cm	1 per visit to the toilet
Single use plastic bag. Eg: zip lock bag or any old plastic bag	25cm x 40cm	3 per visit to the toilet
Small dry bag	5L	1
Hand sanitiser	60ml	Small
Toilet paper		Enough

Meal Suggestions

Bring your own food for the trip.

Below are some suggestions on the sorts of food that are suitable to bring on the 2 day navigation weekend. 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.

You will need to bring:

1 breakfast
2 lunches
1 dinner

Breakfast

Cereal with powdered milk
Flavoured porridge oats
Biscuits or breakfast bars
Tea or coffee

Lunch

Make sandwiches with fresh ingredients
Cheese and crackers
Flavoured tuna meal, eg: "Safcol" brand
Piece of fruit

Dinner

Pasta, fresh vegetables, tomato paste, flavourings, small tin of tuna
Bring a freeze dried meal
Pre-cooked meal
Perhaps a little port or wine?

Snacks and Extras

In addition to the main meals above you can bring extras for snacks before and after meals or while walking. For example, chocolate, nuts, biscuits, snack bars or anything that you like to munch on.