While at Dragon Skin you will be camping for three nights and spending the day hiking through the forest doing activities. Teams must be fully self sufficient, while the terrain is generally not to hard you may encounter prolonged rainy and cold conditions for which your whole team must be prepared.
Teams may be inspected during the event and those considered inadequately equipped may be refused further participation.

Your Team
Teams can consist of four, five or six members. The Dragon Skin Committee will accept seven member teams but only where no other alternative exists. If you cannot organise a full team you should contact the registrar who will help arrange a composite team for you. Venturers with a disability are welcome at Dragon Skin and we can make special arrangements to accommodate their needs.

Skill Level
All team members must hold the Venturing Skills Award or equivalent, you will need the skills you learn in obtaining this award throughout the weekend, it also indicates that you have some experience hiking before. You will need to navigate using a map and compass, and be able to deal with any problems that may arise independently.
At least one member of your team must hold a current first aid certificate equivalent to the St John Senior level.

Walking
Dragon Skin is a hiking competition, VOCs can be up to 10 KM apart. During the day you will make your way to various activities and although it is entirely up to you how many activities you do, you could end up walking quite a long way. You and your team will need to prepare for this, practice hiking, particularly in the shoes you are going to where to skin and carrying a pack. Everyone has different stamina and strength while some in your team are exhausted others will be happily jogging up hills. Everyone in your team must be aware of this and consider it, set your pace to the slowest member.

Weather
The Dragon Skin weekend could be four days of fine sunny weather, or it could be (and has been in the past) four days of heavy rain and strong winds and is forcat to be COLD. More likely it will rain at least one day and will be cold at night. You need to prepare for this by having adequate footwear, rain gear, and tentage, if not you may well end up with painful foot blisters, and spend the weekend wet and cold, which despite being miserable can be very dangerous. There are no facilities to dry your gear out at Dragon Skin.

Team work
You must spend the entire event together as a team, you cannot split up for any reason. You need to get along with each other. Teamwork does not always come naturally, you need to listen to each other, and consider what each member of your team has to say. When you decide on a course of action, such as how to do an activity or where to go walk to next, do it together and then support each other in implementing it, if the idea isn't working stop together and discuss the problem again.

What to take with you
The best way to work out what you do and don't need is to go on a practice hike, when you get home again, get out everything you took and consider wether you really needed it. Think about how you can double things up, do you need a big heavy jacket when you have a t-shirt, a long sleave shirt and a light jumper that you can wear together. Consider the weather you may encounter and how much walking you will do. Whatever you do, don't just let mum and dad pack for you!

Water proof your boots, and carry a good rain-jacket & pants or poncho - they don't need to be super expensive just be without any tears or holes (spray jackets are not sufficient). Line your pack with a strong plastic garbage bag, and put your sleeping bag in a separate bag. If you put anything like a tent on the outside of your pack, put that in a plastic bag as well.

This is a list of compulsory and optional items you and your team might bring.

Individual Venturers
Compulsory - everyone must have these

* A sturdy rucksack
* Good sleeping bag
* Wet weather gear - a good rain-jacket & pants or poncho (make sure you have a hood).
* 2 x 1 litre water bottles (PET plastic bottles).
* 2 x 3 metre lightweight lashing ropes (for activities)

Optional other items This is up to you but you must be adequately prepared for wet and cold conditions and be able to camp outside a VOC independently of help.

General

* Sleeping mat (keeps you off the cold ground)

Eating

* Bowl (plastic) knife, fork and spoon, mug.
* Tea towel (small)

Toiletries

* Soap (small piece)
* Towel (light hand towel will do)
* toilet paper (enough for a few go's)
* deodorant

Clothes - Start at the bottom and work up

* Shoes, boots or sturdy sneakers will do (use a waterproofing spray on them)
* Socks (one pair per day plus one)
* 1 x Long pants, (track pants)
* 1 x Shorts - wear
* Undies (one pair per day plus one)
* Thermal undies (good at night if you have them)
* T-shirt
* 1 x Long sleave shirt
* 1 x Jumper (not too heavy)
* Beanie, Hat.

Other stuff - remember- think light

* Torch (very small)
* Matches
* Lollies - (lots for energy, team synergy and bribes)
* Long spare shoelaces sometimes comes in handy
* First aid kit - Bandaids, Elastoplast strips (covers blisters), triangular bandage, tailor the kit to injuries and problems that you get, keep it simple.

Teams
Compulsory - Every team must have these

* Separate tents for the males and females in the team - Your team will need good quality tents, make sure you know how they go up and that you have all the pegs and poles for your tent. Check to see if they have any holes in the floor or walls (put your tent up in the backyard under a sprinkler) and get them repaired, even the smallest hole is enough to have river of water flowing through your tent.
Hoochies are no longer an acceptable form of shelter at Dragon Skin; you MUST have a tent with a floor.
* Food - Friday's lunch through to Monday's breakfast.
* Compass
* First aid kit - Bandaids, Elastoplast strips (covers blisters), triangular bandage, tailor the kit to injuries and problems that you get, keep it simple.

Optional other items This is up to your team but you must be adequately prepared for wet and cold conditions and be able to camp outside a VOC independently of help.

* Pen and paper.
* Cooking gear - `trangia stoves are good (consider fuel requirements and make sure you have experience using any stove) do you have enough pots for what you are cooking?
* Insect repellent
* Sunscreen