Preparations

So I figured that I should try and sort myself out and get some useful things. Having done far too much research I have acquired the following:

• A Vango Supernova 5000 sleeping bag, (bought online rather cheaply at www.simplyhike.co.uk; great service that let you purchase without registering and you could track your delivery, a site I'd recommend a look at)
• A Vango Fitzroy 70 +10 rucsack, (bought at a great bargain from Blacks: half price in the sale, and then with a voucher that my work had given to me as a leaving present, it cost me the grand total of £9.99. Not bad at all)
• a super absorbent microfibre towel, (again in the sale at Blacks)
• hand washing flakes
• LED torches, (including a head torch for reading)
• baby wipes (always useful)
• a travel hairdryer, (perhaps a luxury but a cold head usually means a cold for me)
• clothes: long sleeves, t-shirts, thermal top, jeans, cotton trousers, good top/jacket, and waterproofs
• far too much other stuff!

I already had some good walking boots and wellies so it was bits and bobs that I needed to sort. Time will tell what I need and what was stupid to get so I'm sure this post will end up with plenty of edit notes!

One thing that has already proved a good purchase, (Day 1) are my last minute buy of cotton trousers from Gap. I happened into the store on the off-chance that there might be something useful in the sale and I found these: tuxedo khaki pants. Now, these just seemed to me to be made for gardening: 100% cotton and roomy enough to stretch and bend. Perfect! Today they were tested as I waded across a low tide estuary with these rolled up. They did get wet, but dried in under 20 minutes in the sun so I'm feeling pretty smug! And instead of £35, they cost me a mere £6.99. Wish I'd got two pairs now!

That's all for now, I shall come back and write a full list of things one should take at a later date when I've tried and tested my stuff, but for now, there you go!