What do you need?

Plate and cutlery

The camping plate, bowl and cutlery should be metal (stainless steel or enamel) or plastic, and strong enough to survive being packed away and a few knocks.

You can get a set of cutlery for about $10 from an army surplus shop or TradeMe, or about $16 from Kiwicamping (with discount – see below). Plates and bowls are similarly priced.

You should also have a ‘ditty bag’ to hold them. Many people use a drawstring sports/swimming bag; you can also get a mesh bag from Kathmandu for about $16. Another way to get one is to make one from a cheap tea-towel, some cord, and a sewing machine.

Camp stretcher

In general, there are two types of these, and both can be obtained from camping goods shops, or (much more cheaply) from TradeMe.

The first type is the cheaper camp stretcher, with about 6 removable U-shaped legs and a canvas body that rolls up. These are harder to assemble, but pack up much smaller and are cheaper and lighter. You can get these for $48 from Kiwicamping (with Scouts discount).

The second type are the folding camp beds (sold by Kathmandu for about $120, or Kiwicamping for $112 after Scout discount). These are larger and more pricy, but generally are much easier to assemble and fold out larger.

Campfire Blanket

You can read more about these on the campfire blanket page.

You should get a Woollen blanket, though the higher the wool content, the greater the price. Never get a fleece or 100% Polyester one, as they are not fire safe.

A 60% Wool blanket, around 2m x 1.5m, will cost you about $45. This would be from TradeMe or from an Army Surplus shop.

An 80% Wool blanket, around 2m x 1.5m, will cost you $73 from Scouting Direct.

A 100% Wool blanket, around 2m x 1.5m, will cost you $150 – $250 depending on where you look.

Sleeping bag

A warm sleeping bag is important, particularly for camps outside the summer months. You can get these from very many places – generally, the thicker they are, the warmer they are. You can get advice from shops such as Macpac, Kathmandu and Army and Outdoors.

Pocket knife

Of course, this should be a proper metal camping knife, with a folding blade. Kitchen knives are definitely not sufficient, and neither are plastic ones.

A good quality Swiss Army knife will cost you around $70 and upwards, depending on the number of blades. Don’t get a really cheap one, as you will find that the blades jam and go blunt quickly.

Torch

You do not need to get a really large torch. An LED torch is the best option, as the battery will last longer, and preferably one that takes standard batteries. A simple head-mounted torch is fine, particularly a bright one, as it can also be used for caving trips.

You can pick these up from many places, such as Mitre 10, Bunnings, The Warehouse or K-Mart, as well as all the usual places such as Kathmandu or TradeMe. You should be able to get a good torch for about $10, but better ones will cost $30-$40 or even more.

Where can you get it?

Scouting Direct

Scouting direct have Wool Blankets for about $73. These are 80% wool and fire retardant. http://scoutingdirect.co.nz/

MacPac

Scouting New Zealand have a discount of 30% of RRP on branded items (15% off other items). Bring your scarf along as proof of membership.

KiwiCamping

Scouting New Zealand get a 20% discount from kiwicamping.co.nz online orders. Simply visit kiwicamping.co.nz, choose your items and then email your order to sales@aber.co.nz quoting SCOUTS New Zealand!

TradeMe

TradeMe will often have camping gear on sale cheaply. Search for Wool Blankets, camp beds and camping gear. You can usually find camp beds and stretchers in very good condition going cheaply.

Army Surplus

There is an Army Surplus store in Onehunga, and also another on K Road.

The K Road Army and Outdors are also online: https://www.armyandoutdoors.co.nz/

They have good blankets (60% wool for $45) and metal plates and cutlery, as well as many other things.

Camping stores

There are a number of camping stores that can provide you with these items. Kathmandu, and Hunting & Fishing, both stock many of these items. These may be a bit more pricy, though you will have the reassurance of being able to see the items in-store and have a guarantee in the case of problems.