Hi All,
We’ve a few things to post here. Yes, it’s very early, but hopefully it’ll help you to be well planned!
Gear List. It WILL change so please keep an eye on the website!
Things you will need are:
- FULL UNIFORM. We will depart in full Uniform. No Exceptions! Now is a great time to check you have all parts of your uniform.
- Spare neckerchief. While not essential, would be useful as a spare, or if you wanted to swap yours etc. (You must always have a Douglas / St. FinBarres neckerchief, so if you’ve only one with you, then you can’t swap it if the opportunity should arise).
- Hiking boots will be necessary. Remember too that it’s VITAL to “wear in” hiking boots. If you need to or choose to buy new boots, you MUST have them “worn in” before camp or you’ll be VERY uncomfortable in them!
- Water bottle – At least 1 litre – possible 2 x 500ml’s would be a good idea.
- Sleeping Bag – THE SLEEPING BAG IS A MUST! YOU WILL NEED IT!!
- Pillow (if you like. Inflatable maybe?)
- Pillow Case. (We think there may be pillows in the chalet but you will NOT be able to use them without a pillow case that you bring yourself.
- Track-ends/Leggings
- Warm Sweater
- T-Shirts
- Changes of Underwear
- Plenty of Socks
- Warm Nightwear
- Change of Shoes or Runners
- Shorts & Trousers
- Raingear – Waterproof Jacket & Trousers
- Warm Hat & Gloves
- Wash Gear – Toothbrush & paste, Shower Gel, Shampoo, Comb
- Towel
- Swimming costume & hat
- Tea-Towel & Dish Cloth
- Sun hat
- Sun cream & Lip salve
- Torch & Spare Batteries
- Rucksack or similar type hold all
- Day trip bag
- Sunglasses (Nothing expensive please!)
- Walking Socks
- House shoes – the hostel are quite strict about no “outdoor footwear” to be worn inside. So something suitable. Slippers, flip flops, whatever would be comfortable.
Just for information, there are NO clothes washing facilities in the chalet. As far as we know there are no launderette facilities anywhere in the vicinity – so either have enough of clothes for the duration or be prepared to do a hand wash yourself!
The two types of bag are important and worth considering. The main rucksacks will be going onto the coach before we leave Cork, and will not be available again until we get to Switzerland. So everything needed for the journey will have to be packed in the day bag. We would recommend that this would at least contain:
- Change of clothes
- Washgear & towel
- Water Bottle SUPER IMPORTANT
- Swimwear
If it’s small enough, it might be nice to have the sleeping bag in the day bag? While not essential, it would add to the comfort on the journey, both on the coach, and possibly on the ships.
Money
Totally get that a lot of people nowadays live in an electronic world – and use Revolut or similar for nearly all their spending. BUT…
Where we are in Switzerland is very rural. There are zero guarantees that all cards will necessarily work. Were that to happen, we wouldn’t be in a position to give you money to carry you over.
So…
We would strongly suggest that spending money is brought in Swiss francs – at least some of it. (i.e. not relying on your card for everything.) We will be, as usual, offering a camp bank system whereby we can take care of any cash for you until it’s needed.
Obtaining Swiss Francs:
It’s come to our attention that not all of the Irish banks will supply foreign currency at this stage- even on order. So this is also something that needs to be looked into in advance. We BELIEVE that Bank of Ireland and AIB do allow you to order foreign currency. Please check it out with your bank!
That’s about it for now.
PLEASE keep checking this website. All new information will go up here. Travel information will go up here. Also, we would anticipate that the “gear list” above will be changed / added to. If that happens, you’ll read about it here!
Contact any of us with any queries – camp24@douglasscouts.ie
Yours in Scouting,
Adelboden 2024 Team!.
