1. Duke of Edinburgh Hillary Award

2.  Cans - too heavy for long tramps and empty tins must be carried out  Dry foods - minimal space but require water to rehydrate  Freeze-dried - available at camping shops; better than they used to be; expensive  Water - the most important fluid and can be used for cooking  Flavoured beverages - refreshing taste change; AVOID caffeine

3.  12000 - 25000kilojoules (about 2.5 times as much as you need on a normal school day  Always carry extra emergency supplies  Breakfast - hot meal is a good booster, but a quick snack means a quicker start  Lunch - Usually better to graze on a number of snacks through the day while you tramp  Dinner - a well-deserved treat after the tramp - think carefully about this one

4.  Snacks - easy to prepare, lots of energy and can be eaten on the run  eg Scroggin, bars, chocolate, jerky, nuts, dried fruit  AVOID sugary lollies - they provide quick energy but won't sustain you  MINIMUM 2 litres of water a day (or 1 litre per 2 hours of tramping)

5.  Remove extra packaging at home - consider repacking in meal-sized ziplock packages  Any rubbish left over must be carried out

6.  One-pot - boil up water for a hot drink and use the left over water for cooking  Look for fast and easy meals  Taste - don't take something you've never tried before - you might not like it!!  Energy - you will need plenty of this - do not diet on a tramp  Nutrition - slow release energy and good nutrition rule  Lightweight, compact foods are easier to carry  Price - it may be worth spending extra for easy lightweight food