Sam Sykes explains what food to bring on a DofE expedition. The video highlights the different kinds of food that suit expeditions, and the pros and cons of what's available. This video is useful for any participants looking to go on their Bronze, Silver or Gold DofE expedition.

To better enjoy your DofE Expedition - Bring filling, healthy, and most importantly, tasty meals. The following are some of our recommended meal ideas for: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Dessert & Snacks…

Breakfast

• Breakfast Bars

  • Oats or Biscuit

  • Fruit & Nut

  • Chocolate

• Hot drinks

  • Coffee

  • Hot Chocolate

  • Tea

• Hot Food

  • Porridge

  • Custard

  • Boil in the bag meal

Handy Hint! – Why not remove any unneeded packaging from your food before you pack it, saving space and weight

Lunch

• Bring from home

  • Cold Pizza

  • Sandwiches

  • Wraps

• Savoury Snacks

  • Crackers

  • Cheese

  • Crisps

  • Etc.

• Sweet Treats

  • Cake

  • Fruit & Nuts

  • Chocolate

Handy Hint! – Try some compact concentrated squash. Small and packable, it’s a great way to make keeping hydrated easier.

Dinner

• Ready to Eat Meals

  • Freeze Dried Meals

  • Self Heating Meals

  • Boil in the Bag

• One Pot Meals

  • Pasta (Try Tortellini – Tasty & Filling)

  • Sauce (Most supermarkets have a stir and serve sauce that will make your mealtimes really easy)

  • Cured meats like chorizo add loads of flavour and texture and they’re easy to keep

Dessert

• Fruit pots

• Cake and Custard

• Hot drink

Handy Hint!

Why not try bringing your food already divided into individual meal portions. Saving prep time in camp and helping you keep your bag organised eg.

Container 1 – Breakfast

• Breakfast Bars

• Hot Drinks

• Hot food

Container 2 – Lunch

• Bring from home

• Savoury Snacks

• Sweet Treats

Container 3 – Dinner

• Bag Meals

• One Pot Meals

• Desserts

How much water do you need for DofE?

It depends entirely on the location of the expedition and the prevailing weather conditions. Obviously, the hotter it is the more water you need to drink in a day.

The key thing, when you come out with Sam Sykes ltd, is that your instructor will advise you on how much water you’ll need on a case-by-case basis.

We’ll ensure that you have a source of water but, it’s always good to at least come with a litre and a half to two litres of water on any expedition.

That should see you through drinking water for most applications. However, if you’re super warm you’ll need to carry more, or you’ll need to go to a source we can get more water during your expedition.