Bristol to Wye Valley Survival Race

Kit List

3 to 4 October 2026

This is a two-day, team-based survival race. You will be navigating by map and compass, moving through varied landscapes, and camping overnight.

Everything on this list matters. Pack carefully. As a rule, the lighter your pack, the better your race, so take what you need and nothing you do not. October kit weighs more than summer kit, so be ruthless with anything that is not on this list.

This is an October event. The kit below is set for cold autumn nights outdoors. UK weather is unpredictable and can be unseasonal, so check the forecast in the days before the race and pack up, never down.

What Each Person Carries

Sleeping and Camp

• Sleeping bag with a comfort rating of 0°C or lower, a proper 3-season bag, not a summer bag. If you know you sleep cold, go warmer, a 4-season bag rated to a lower temperature.
• Dry bags. Use at least two. Pack your sleeping bag in one, and your dry camp clothes and spare socks in another, so opening one does not expose the other to the rain. A wet sleeping bag or wet camp kit in October is a serious problem, not an inconvenience.
• Sleeping mat with an R-value of at least 3 for October ground. Any mat that meets this is fine. A good inflatable on its own is enough. If you want extra warmth and a backup against a puncture, a closed-cell foam mat underneath works well, but this is optional.
• Lightweight tent, bivvy bag, or tarp. Can be shared between teammates.

There is a covered area at camp, a roofed space without walls, where you can get out of the rain, and toilet facilities are available. Beyond that, facilities are limited. Your tent or bivvy is your shelter for the night, so it must be adequate for a cold, wet, and potentially windy October night. Do not rely on anything beyond your own shelter to keep you warm and dry.

The single best thing you can do to stay safe is keep a set of dry clothes sealed away in your dry bag and only put them on once you stop for the night. Wet kit pulls heat out of you. Dry kit at camp is what gets you through the night in good shape.

Clothing

• Waterproof jacket
• Two warm layers minimum, including one insulated layer. A fleece plus a down or synthetic jacket is the simplest way to do this.
• A dry layer kept for camp, sealed in your dry bag and worn only once you stop moving. Getting into dry kit at night is the difference between a good night and a dangerous one.
• Warm hat
• Gloves
• Trail shoes or walking boots, well broken-in.
• Walking trousers
• Spare socks. Bring at least two pairs and keep them sealed dry in your dry bag. Expect wet feet at some point over two days on autumn ground. The way you manage it is dry socks for camp and sleeping. Never sleep in wet socks.
• Spare underwear (optional)

Food and Water

• Food for 2 days. This is a big effort, a two-day route of roughly 30 miles under a pack in the cold, so you will need more than a normal day's food. In practice, the natural wander of navigating open countryside means most teams walk a little more, usually around 31 to 33 miles, and several miles more again if you take a wrong turn or get badly lost. Around 3,000 calories a day is a rough guide. Smaller people may need a little less, larger people or those who feel the cold a little more. The real rule is eat to appetite and do not under-fuel. Prioritise calorie-dense food so it does not weigh you down. Dense and simple works best.
• Water. Water is available at camp. Some checkpoints will have water and some will not, so do not rely on them. Out on the route, resupplying is your responsibility, from taps, pubs, and shops in the villages you pass. This is part of the self-sufficiency of the race. Carry at least 2 litres of capacity, plan your refills, and top up whenever you get the chance. In cool weather you will drink less than in summer, but you still need the capacity for the gaps.
• Mug, plus something to eat from and a utensil. Hot drinks are served at camp, so bring a mug. For food, a mess tin, a bowl, or eating straight from the pack is all fine. Bring whatever suits how you plan to eat.
• Stove and fuel (optional). Hot drinks are served at camp in the evening and the morning, so you do not need a stove for drinks. We do not provide hot food. If you want hot food, you must bring your own stove and fuel. If you do not bring a stove, pack food that needs no cooking. Stove and fuel can be shared within your team. A hot evening meal is worth considering. On a cold night it does a lot for warmth and morale before you sleep.

Essentials

• Head torch. Make sure it will last the whole race. If it is not rechargeable, bring spare batteries.
• Emergency phone, fully charged. This is sealed away at the start and stays off for the race. We provide the tamper-evident bag.
• Pocket money, max £10. Kept on you, not sealed. This is the one exception to the no-money rule, for a pick me up along the way if you pass somewhere tempting.
• Bank card or cards, sealed

Phone and Money Rules

Personal First Aid

Carry your own small personal kit. The team carries the main first aid kit.

• Personal medication, if you take any.
• Personal medical devices. Any device you rely on, such as an inhaler or EpiPen, carried on your person at all times.
• Painkillers, such as paracetamol or ibuprofen.
• Antihistamines
• Blister kit, blister plasters and zinc oxide tape.
• Foil survival blanket, one each. Light and cheap, and real insurance on a cold night.

What Each Team Carries (Shared)

One set per team, shared and distributed across the group.

• Emergency group shelter (bothy bag). Large enough for your whole team. This lets you shelter together if someone is cold, injured, or waiting for crew. For an October event this is a key piece of safety kit.
• First aid kit. A proper team kit, able to handle cuts, blisters, and sprains, and to stabilise someone until crew reach you. It should include assorted plasters and wound dressings in a range of sizes, sterile gauze, antiseptic wipes, wound closure strips, blister plasters and zinc oxide tape, a crepe bandage and a triangular bandage for sprains and slings, medical tape, scissors, fine tweezers, a tick remover, disposable gloves, painkillers, and a spare foil survival blanket.
• Compass. Each team must carry at least one, and know how to use it.
• OS Explorer map, see below.
• Map case, waterproof, for the team map.
• Pen or biro
• Emergency whistle
• Rubbish bag, for Leave No Trace.
• Two hi-vis jackets

Provided by Wolf Pack

You do not need to bring these. We provide them at the start.

• Tamper-evident bags for your phone and bank cards.
• GPS tracker, one per team. We are trialling team trackers for this race so our crew can monitor team locations for safety. Keep it on you for the whole race and return it at the finish. Your team will be liable for the replacement cost, currently £150, if it is lost, damaged beyond use, or not returned.

Map Required

Each team must carry the correct OS Explorer (1:25,000) map for this race:

• Explorer OL14, Wye Valley and Forest of Dean

Your map must survive a day of rain. We strongly recommend the OS Explorer Active edition, which is laminated and weatherproof, because a standard paper map gets exposed every time you take it out to read it. If you use a standard paper map, keep it in a waterproof map case and accept that it is more vulnerable in persistent rain.

You do not need to buy a map. Most local libraries stock OS Explorer maps, which you can borrow for the event. A borrowed map is fine as long as it is kept in a waterproof case.

Notes.

• One map per team is sufficient.
• You must be able to navigate using map and compass. GPS and phone navigation are not allowed.
• The route is not fixed or marked in advance. This map gives you the information needed to make decisions on the ground.
• We will share an optional short refresher video on basic map and compass use before race weekend.

Optional but Useful

• Some way to attach awkward objects to your pack, for example spare cord, straps, or bungees. Surprises may occur.
• Trekking poles, useful for long distances, hills, or tired legs.
• Old-school camera, disposable, digital, Polaroid, or camcorder. Phones do not count.

Team Identity (Optional but Encouraged)

Some teams like to bring a simple identifier, such as matching bandanas, armbands, face paint, or a small flag. Keep it lightweight, practical, and weather-appropriate.

Common Kit Mistakes

• Bringing a sleeping bag that is too light for an October night.
• Not keeping your sleeping bag dry. Use a dry bag.
• Relying on campfires for cooking.
• Packing bulky food instead of calorie-dense food.
• Forgetting blister care.
• Not breaking in hiking boots or shoes beforehand.
• Not training properly. You should be comfortable walking a similar distance, carrying a similar pack weight, before race weekend.
• Carrying unnecessary weight just in case.
• Not practising basic map and compass reading beforehand.

Final Notes

• October kit is heavier than summer kit. Once you have your shelter, sleeping kit, warm layers, food, and water, many packs land somewhere around 10 to 14kg. Keep it as light as you sensibly can, but never leave mandatory kit behind to hit a weight target. The aim is carrying the right kit, not a number. Around 45 to 60L suits most people, and experienced lightweight packers often go smaller.
• This route has real ascents and descents. In October the ground can be wet, muddy, and slippery, so footwear with good grip matters and trekking poles earn their place.
• You will be moving on footpaths, bridleways, and open countryside.
• Teams are expected to look after themselves and each other.
• Some challenges will involve improvisation, teamwork, and carrying things you did not expect.

If you are unsure about any item, ask. If you are missing something, sort it before race weekend.