KitsAll seasons
Level 1 Field Session Kit
What to carry to your first NBWSR field session, mapped clause by clause to the Level 1 Kit Specification.
This is the specification rendered as a shopping list, not a requirement. NBWSR does not require any particular brand, and nothing on this page is a condition of certification — the controlling document is the session-specific gear addendum sent to registered students 14 days before start.
Where a clause allows several valid answers, we list the one we would hand a first-time student and say why. Bring what you already own if it meets the clause; instructors check kit on day one and would rather see honest gear than new gear.
On your belt
The three items you should be able to reach without taking the pack off.
Morakniv
Morakniv Garberg
A 109 mm full-tang Scandinavian fixed blade — the least interesting knife on this page, and the one we would hand a first-time student.
Meets L1-CUT-01
Light My Fire
Light My Fire Swedish FireSteel 2.0 Army
A 12 mm ferrocerium rod rated for roughly 12,000 strikes. Works soaked, works at −30 °C, works with cold hands.
Meets L1-FIR-01
Suunto
Suunto M-3 NH
A northern-hemisphere baseplate compass with adjustable declination — the tool the Level 1 navigation module is taught on.
Meets L1-NAV-01
Shelter and cordage
Tarp plus line. Count the tie-outs before you buy — that number sets how many shelter configurations you can practise.
DD Hammocks
DD Hammocks 3×3 Tarp
A 3×3 m ripstop tarp with 19 attachment points — enough configurations to teach every shelter form on the Level 1 syllabus.
Meets L1-SHE-01
Atwood Rope MFG
Atwood 550 Paracord (30 m)
Seven-strand 550 cord. Thirty metres covers a tarp rig with enough left for repairs and the knot practice the syllabus assumes.
Meets L1-COR-01
Water
Two independent methods, per L1-WAT-03. Filters fail in ways that are predictable and seasonal; the backup exists for exactly those days.
Katadyn
Katadyn BeFree 1.0 L
A 0.1-micron hollow-fibre filter in a collapsible flask. Fast flow, field-cleanable by shaking, and light enough that people actually carry it.
Meets L1-WAT-02
Aquatabs
Aquatabs Purification Tablets
Chemical backup that weighs nothing, cannot freeze, and has no moving parts to fail.
Meets L1-WAT-03
Fire and cooking
Zebra
Zebra Loop-Handle Billy Can 12 cm
Stainless billy that boils over an open fire without a stove, and takes the abuse that implies.
Meets L1-COO-01
Bahco
Bahco Laplander Folding Saw
A 190 mm folding pruning saw that cuts green and seasoned wood faster than an axe twice its weight, and fits a jacket pocket.
Meets L1-CUT-03
Carry, layers, and light
Get the pack fitted rather than ordering by capacity alone.
Osprey
Osprey Atmos AG 65
A 65 L pack with a suspended mesh back panel and a hip belt that genuinely transfers load off the shoulders.
Meets L1-PCK-01
Icebreaker
Icebreaker Merino 200 Oasis Base Layer
A 200 g/m² merino base layer. Warm when damp, and it does not start to smell on day three.
Meets L1-CLO-01
Petzl
Petzl Actik Core
A 600-lumen headlamp with a red mode and a rechargeable core that swaps for AAAs when the battery dies in the cold.
Meets L1-LIG-01
Personal first aid
Personal scale only. The instructor team carries group first aid, and NBWSR requires instructors to hold an external wilderness first aid certification.
Adventure Medical Kits
Adventure Medical Kits Ultralight/Watertight .7
A personal kit sized for one person for a weekend — blister care, wound care, and the basics, in a dry bag.
Meets L1-MED-01
This is a shopping list, not a requirement
NBWSR does not require any particular brand, and nothing on this page is a condition of certification. The controlling document is the session-specific gear addendum sent to registered students 14 days before start — if it disagrees with this page, follow the addendum.
Bring what you already own if it meets the clause. Instructors check kit on day one and would rather see honest gear than new gear.