Caving Kit

This is the gear you bring yourself, every trip. A helmet fitted with an LED headlamp gives hands-free light underground, worn over a tough, abrasion-resistant oversuit that protects your normal clothes from mud and sharp rock. Wellington boots are the classic caving footwear — good grip, and they shrug off water — though some cavers prefer hiking boots for extra ankle support in drier caves. Gloves and knee pads round it out, protecting hands and knees as you crawl, and a warm layer underneath the oversuit (fleece, or a wetsuit in very wet caves) keeps the cold at bay.

Adapted from Wikipedia: Caving equipment

Vertical caves are tackled with single-rope technique (SRT): ascending and descending the same rope, rather than switching ropes for each direction. This needs shared hardware that NUCC supplies rather than every member owning their own — low-stretch caving rope, ascenders that lock under load but slide freely upward, and descenders that let you control your speed on the way down. Rigging a pitch also calls for anchors, carabiners and rope protectors to keep the rope clear of sharp edges. On a trip, the trip leader organises this group gear and any rigging, so you don’t need to own it yourself — just turn up having trained on it at an SRT session.

Adapted from Wikipedia: Single-rope technique

Most caving trips involve camping near the cave overnight, so a tent for shelter from the weather is the core item, paired with a sleeping bag (or blankets) for warmth. A sleeping pad or air mattress goes underneath the sleeping bag — not just for comfort, but to insulate you from the cold ground and cushion you from stones and twigs. Beyond that, a headlamp, cooking gear and rope or cord for a washing line or tarp round out a comfortable overnight setup, though exactly what you need depends on the site and season.

Adapted from Wikipedia: Camping

Getting to a cave often means a walk in first, so solid bushwalking gear matters in its own right. Sturdy hiking boots are the traditional choice for stability on rough tracks, though trail running shoes have become popular for lighter trips. Beyond footwear, the “Ten Essentials” checklist popularised by The Mountaineers is a good baseline for any bushwalk: a compass, sun protection, a headlamp, a first aid kit, a way to start a fire, and a knife, along with a hat, gloves and an emergency blanket for changeable weather. Trekking poles are also worth bringing if you’re carrying a heavy pack in for an overnight trip.

Adapted from Wikipedia: Hiking

Canyoning combines walking, scrambling, climbing, abseiling and swimming to travel down a narrow gorge, and several NUCC members cross over into it from caving since the ropework overlaps closely with SRT. The equipment reflects that mix: climbing hardware and semi-static ropes for the abseiling sections, helmets for rockfall, and wetsuits (or drysuits) that are especially important for staying warm in cold water for hours at a time. Canyoning-specific shoes, packs and rope bags have also emerged as the sport has grown, built to drain and dry quickly after repeated dunkings.

Adapted from Wikipedia: Canyoning