Congratulations to everyone who took part in the expedition this weekend.
It was wet, windy and not brilliantly warm – challenging conditions but everyone did a fantastic job: WELL DONE!!
We aren’t going to be meeting for a couple of weeks so we need to make sure that all the equipment given out is taken care of properly until the first meeting back next term. Please pay attention to the following to help us take care of the kit and get it back in the store room:
Team Equipment
- Tents: All tents MUST be taken out of their bags and dried out as soon as possible. Just hang them up in a dry area and give them a turn every now and again. If you don’t take them out and make sure the tent and all the guy ropes attached to them, poles and bags are TOTALLY dry they will rot when we pack them away for long periods of time. Please allow at least 3 – 4 days with a few turns to make sure the tent and accessories are completely dry. When they are dry, please pack away as the members were shown how last week. The tent, tent bag and pole bag are numbered – please make sure they are all the same number and let us know if not. Each tent should have:
- Tent outer and inner
- 3 poles
- 14+ pegs
- Tent bag, pole bag, peg bag
Please let us know if any of these are missing.
- Trangias: these need scrubbing clean with a Brillo pad or other wire wool scrubber. They are hard enough to withstand a metal pad but they aren’t strong enough to withstand a dishwasher. Please do not put the pots in a dish washer, they literally dissolve in them and we won’t be accepting it back. All the boys have been asked to scrub them clean – this isn’t a job for parents! Please make sure they are clean and dry before packing up and returning. All the items in the kit are numbered – please make sure all the numbers on the parts match, let us know if they don’t.
- Fuel bottle: there may still be fuel in the bottle!! Please be aware of this in case the bottle is hidden away in a room with an interested teenager. The bottles pretty much take care of them selves, unless someone wants to mess around with the contents so please be aware of that.
- Maps, compasses, survival bags: some of the maps and compasses were collected at the end of the trip but we are still missing a lot of maps and compasses. Please clean all marks off the maps (laminated A4 sheets) and make sure the compasses are clean and somewhere safe – they are £25 each. The orange survival bags need drying and folding.
- First Aid Kit: these shouldn’t have been used – if they have we NEED TO KNOW. Please dry and brush any dirt off.
Personal equipment:
If you borrowed any personal equipment here is what to do with it:
- Backpacks: clean any dirt off, make sure they are dry, check for any damage and report any to us. Please close all zips and straps.
- Sleeping mats: please wipe clean, dry and roll as tightly as possible with the numbers on the outside so they can be seen. All mats must have the two elastic straps returned with the map – this was a condition of the loan!
- Sleeping bag: DO NOT WASH!! This can be left to air inside and out, any dirt brushed off and then folded away. The bag can be tied to the draw straw at the top of the sleeping bag and placed inside it.
If anything is damaged please report it to us so we can take care of it in time for the next person who needs to use it.
All equipment MUST be returned to our first meeting back on April 14th.
Thanks for your help in getting everything straight and ready to go for the next event
