Expo Personal Gear List
First time on Expo: What should I take? Read on... No apologies are made for the simplistic approach, and no responsibility is accepted for errors or omissions ;-) Make sure you have at least the Essentials; consider taking the Extras for a more pleasant time, but don't fret if you can't get them. The Excessive sections are for the gearists...
Lightweight stuff is good so as it makes carrying all your caving and camping gear to top camp significantly less epic/tedious. Two of everything (sleeping bag, roll mat, utensils, clothes) reduces the amount of stuff you have to keep carrying up and down the mountain.
Gear-tape - labelling
It is almost essential (for caving generally, but particularly for Expo) to settle on a particular combination of colours of electrical insulation tape, and label absolutely everything you own with the stuff. To see which combinations are available, have a look those already used at recent gear tape colours.
Tape everything, not just your caving gear; while one karabiner looks much like another, it's equally true that one karrimat looks much like another. And especially your phone, phone cable, charger, charger-cable, laptop, mouse, mug/plate/cutlery - essentially anything you want to be reasonably sure to get back.
Tough Tags are another option, though more expensive, and can be less ambiguous for colour-blind people.
Clothes
Expo can be hot, cold, wet or dry, often in rapid succession and combination! It can be really dank and cold (cold fog or snowing!) at top camp. Fast drying clothes are the best kind.
- Essentials
- Sun cream - can be very expensive in Austrian shops. If you don't have any it can be bought cheapest in the pharmacy in Bad Aussee.
- Sunshades, sunhat - do not underestimate the power of the sun when wandering across the plateau!
- Warm hat, gloves.
- Raincoat, fleece, shirts, shorts, trousers. Fast-drying gear is good. Versatile layers is good.
- Waterproof over-trousers.
- Underwear (there is a washing machine and a river at basecamp).
- Hiking socks
- Boots - waterproof walking boots are better than non-waterproof ones. Make sure you get ones with good ankle support, for boulder-hopping (have a look at some of the photos of the plateau on this website and you'll see what I mean).
Boots will get battered by the omnipresent sharp limestone on the plateau. Completely shagged boots will make your life harder, and nearly shagged boots will quickly become completely shagged. Brand new expensive boots will be battered so think about how much you're willing to spend if you buy new.
- Trainers or other such footwear for wearing on the journey, into Bad Aussee or when you've had enough of clumping around in boots.
- Extras
- Swimming trunks/costume for swimming in the river at base camp.
- Crocs or other lightweight footwear for moving around top camp and scambling to the grike. (Open-toed sandals can be a problem due to pointy limestone).
- Excessive
- Gaiters - keeps the snow and/or water out of your socks.
Camping equipment
- Essentials
- Base camp tent - bring your own or arrange to share in advance. Should be waterproof as there can be very heavy rain.
- Sleeping bag - make sure it's warm, 3 season at least. It can be very cold/snowy/windy.
- Head torch (with charger)
- Mug, spoon, mess tin for top camp
- Bivi Bag - breathable - top camp can be quite drippy (and cold).
- Extras
- Something to sleep on at top camp - sleeping mat, air bed or camp bed. We have a small stock of camp beds and roll mats at top camp - but one isn't guarunteed to be available. These work as an insulating layer and are necessary in addition to a sleeping bag. The sharp floor puts thermarests and airbeds at risk of deflation if used directly on the 'floor'.
- Second (rather lower-spec) sleeping bag, for using at base camp. This means you don't have to carry your sleeping bag across the plateau every time.
- Second karrimat, for the same reason.
- Knife, fork, spoon, mug for basecamp (you may be able to get by on expo-communal ones).
- Spare lights/clothes/hat (anything you want to leave at top camp but might need at base camp too).
- Penknife - some people would regard this as essential.
- 12V charger (car cigarette-lighter plug) or 5V USB-based charger for the chargers at top camp
- Inflatable pillow
Caving equipment
- Essentials
- Oversuit, (warm) undersuit, wetsocks/woolly socks, kneepads, wellies, helmet, gloves.
- Thermal vest and leggings - could be essential. The caves are cold and there will be periods of waiting around and slow survey work.
- Balaclava - it's 4C underground.
- Headtorch. Bring enough batteries for 30-40 hours caving. There is 12V recharging at the bivi but capacity is limited and sun-based.
- Backup light.
- SRT kit. Absolutely imperative that you gear tape up the bits.
- Karabiners - the more the merrier! Have you ever seen someone with too many?
- Emergency whistle.
- 13mm spanner (open ended) for bolting. Preferably half-length. Attached with snoopy/krab and elastic/gear string to arm, wrist or harness.
- Personal tacklesack, large enough for:
- Spare batteries.
- Snacks.
- Water bottle.
- Survival bag (this could live in a pocket.)
- Extra layers / gimp mac
- Small first aid kit
- Maybe your entire SRT kit too, if you're going through a tight section or have a long way to go before you get to the pitches.
- Extras
- Spare stuff - check your jammers and descender and, if worn, bring a new one - lots of long, deep or muddy trips can quickly age your kit
- Technical underwear (not cotton)
- Extra gear attachment points on harness - e.g. Beast D-ring.
- Emergency knife (in case you are involved in a mid-rope rescue - but make sure you know what you're doing before you start slashing around!)
- Microtraxion. Indispensable for hauling (make sure you know what you're doing if it's a person). Will also work as a hand jammer if you drop yours.
- Spare gloves - you are very likely to trash a pair (or two) on expo
- Gimp mac (cheap, portable windproof jacket) - makes waiting around and surveying much less cold
- Excessive
- Skyhooks - pair of, for clawing your way across blank walls when rigging.
- Camera, packaged in a waterproof, highly visible, indestructible, tiny, zero-mass box...
- Bolting kit
- Ice gear - ice axe, crampons, ice boots, ice screws, etc - essential if you're tackling the icy areas of Eishöhle.
Phone
This is quite a bit more involved that you might wish. We blame the weird way that phone companies fail to manage GPS data properly.
- Essential: read the whole page about your phone on expo.
Miscellaneous
- Essentials
- Rucksack or pack frame. Make this a BIG one; don't make the same mistake as Aled by bringing a little 35 litre. 65 litres or more.
- Water bottle/bladder.
- Toiletries - toothbrush, toothpaste, soap etc.
- Towel.
- Glasses & spares if you need them.
- Contact lenses - get enough daily use-once ones. The upper caves are very dusty.
- Bivvy bag (very lightweight, non-breathable) - emergency shelter anywhere. The plateau can become unfriendly very quickly. Erin and Earl had to resort to bivvy bags when caught by a storm on the Hinter in 1999. You could use the one from your caving gear, or get a proper camping one too. (Warning - fancy ones can be ludicrously expensive!)
- Plastic bags/dry-bags - the secret to dry clothes/pit/gear is bags in bags, with spare bags to hand...
- Reserve supply of gear tape, in case you need to relabel anything.
- Bank card. It's usually expected that you'll pay for some communal things on expo, and this will be subtracted from your end bill. This avoids any one person being stuck with large payments at the end of expo.
- Passport.
- GHIC (Global Health Insurance Card).
- Insurance - Mandatory. Snowcard or BCA will cover expeditionary caving.
- PVC oversuit owners: appropriate patching kit.
- Extras
- Earplugs - people can be loud at night.
- Euro adaptor for charger/gadgets (UK sockets available at base camp so no need for multiple ones)
- Laptop/tablet - useful for surveying and writing logbook entries. There is a communal expo laptop normally available for this.
- Camera/phone, plus your own USB charging cable.
- GPS - or good GPS app on your phone. For surface surveying and finding entrances.
- Compass.
- Walking pole(s) for walking across the plateau. Useful for balance when stepping across big holes. Most people seem to just use one as two get in the way on the scrambly bits.
- Cash in Euros.
- Mending kit - glue, needle and thread or Speedy Stitcher.
Driving
Different European countries have different rules about what must be carried in the car. These can change so check current rules of countries you will be driving through. Some of the usual things are:
- Driver's License
- V5C (Vehicle Registation Document)
- Warning triangle (inside the car, not in the boot)
- Hi-vis vests for every passenger
- First-aid kit
- UK sticker (GB ones are no longer allowed)
- Headlight adapters
Original by Earl Merson (1999); edited and updated David Loeffler (2003), Edvin, Duncan, OllyM (2008), Wookey (2014), Philip (2018) and Jonty (2025)