Kit list by Debu Chaudhury

Not all of it is necessary but it should give an ideba of what is needed. Also take into consideration that all of this equipment needs to somehow fit into your harness, so having lightweight stuff is key. Otherwise you will need to get a bigger glider and take into consideration that you will be carrying extra weight so you wont be at the same weight range as normal.

Sleeping bag - I have a fairly light down bag weighing about 900 gram, it's not super super warm but I know if I am in a situation of extreme cold I can always use my glider as well, I also have a small silk liner.

Sleeping mat - I use a therma rest neo air which packs down super small and gives good insulation and is very light. Z rests are also nice as they can be used for sitting around on in camp but don't pack down very small and take up a lot of room. To pack the sleeping bag and mat I take out the back protection foam from my harness and stuff these into it I also semi inflate the mattress and it feels pretty good, almost better than the actual protection.

Tent - Not an essential item as you can again use your glider or sleep outside if it's not too cold, but nice to have. I have 3ULF lanshan, a 1 person tent which weighs 900 grams and is great and has enough space for your gear too. I bought it on ali express, there are also various other light tents available on their site .

Cooking pot cup/bowl - This is an essential item. I use a Primus lightweight pot which doubles as a big mug with a top that closes. This is also important as you will be using it a lot and it needs a top to keep the contents from fires out of whatever you are cooking inside. it doesn't have to be too big as this can be a cumbersome item. It's  always an issue of where to pack it while flying since it is a solid object and if you put in the wrong place it could hurt on a hard landing.

Stove - Not essential, but again nice to have. We will mostly be camping near the tree line so wood is available for fires, but a stove is nice to quickly make some tea etc. I will be carrying one, and if one or two of the others from the group have one then its not necessary for everyone to have one as we can share

Head torch - Essential

Knife tool, spoon - Essential

A water container - Essential  for carrying water into camp. If possible always good to fly with a few litres. I use a MSR 10Lt bag which is very sturdy and reliable but a little heavy but has been going for years.

Fire lighting stuff - Essential, a lighter or two or matches.

Some rope and a saw - Not essential, I carry 20 metres of light rope and a saw with me  incase of tree landings or rescue, but this is more because I might need it as a guide if a client ends up in a tree etc. This is also quite cumbersome so not really necessary  unless you are a regular tree lander !!

Medical kit - I always have one in my harness with the basics in it plus some strong painkillers and water purification tablets in case the water source doesn't look good, if you take any medication regularly then make sure you have some spare.

A power bank - Not essential but depends how much of a tech person you are. If you have a full flying instrument that can last a few days then it is not needed.

Inreach or spot - Essential! I would say this is an indispensable piece of kit to have with you for flying XC in any big mountains. We have the technology so it makes no sense not to have one. It could possible save your life and also handy to send the wife an SMS from the middle of nowhere.

Hiking poles - Not essential but nice to have if you need to do any hiking and also some models of lightweight tents use hiking poles to set them up.

Clothing - Usually as pilots we wear quite a lot of upper body stuff to keep us warm in-flight, that is usually enough for a night out, however most of us have pods. So make sure you bring enough stuff to keep your legs warm too in the evening. eg. extra thermal bottoms etc and a warm hat too as when we fly we have a helmet .

Food - Essential - this really depends on personal tastes. I usually take maggi noodles, which are quick to cook, light and taste ok but not super nutritious. If you are coming from overseas then maybe dry mountaineering meals would be more appropriate. (if you get the chance i would recommend buying at least 6 or 7 of these meals) For breakfast I usually take some porridge or muesli and have a bag of dried fruits. I also always have sugar, tea bags, coffee, some lemons for making brews and also a small bottle of scotch, chocolate bars and biscuits are all niceties too. All of these things apart from good scotch and dried meals are easily available in Bir. 

Fitness and Training - Hopefully we won't have to do to much walking but flying bivi can involve walking, especially if the weather turns bad and you need to walk out of somewhere. So I would recommend getting fit before the trip, its also a good excuse to get fit.

Flying wise, we would recommend doing as much as possible before, so you are comfortable in the air and practise as many top landings as much as you can, this will be an essential part to the trip. Also once you have all your gear, try going flying with it to see it all fits well and if there are any changes that you will need to make to your equipment.