<H1>Setting up, using and removing underground camps</H1>
<H2>Overview</H2>
<p> Underground camps have been established most recently in Fischgesichhoehle (2023), Heimkehrhoehle (2024) and Balkonhoehle (2024). Each camp differs but here is some advice based on those and earlier camps.
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<H2>Good stuff to do</H2>
<p> - it is crucial that <b>everyone on a camping team shares responsibility for making the trip a success. Don't rely on somebody else to sort stuff</b> - there is no place for freeloaders who just want to brag that they have camped underground. Do you know the route to get to camp? Do you know what the caving objectives are? Have you helped to sort the caving gear, food and other kit needed? Have you checked that everything you need has actually been packed into bags? Once at camp, are you sitting around sipping a hot drink and chatting whilst somebody else fetches water, cooks, organises kit or gets ready to go then has to wait, shivering, for you? Don't do that!</p>
<p> - before taking the Cavelink set underground check that it works on the surface then make sure everyone camping knows how to use it and somebody on the surface will be checking it. We need to make Cavelink for dummies laminated notes for each set. We should try to set it up to text to phones</p>
<p> - list everything taken down to camp and share this list (eg put a photo of it on Signal) so the next team can see it </p>
<p> - idiot check the essentials before leaving - have you enough mats and sleeping bags? Is the toilet stuff packed? Are you <b>*sure*</b> the previous team has left at camp the survey kit / drill batteries / thru bolts or whatever you are relying on?</p>
<p> - ideally, leave time on the surface for the exiting camping team to give info (leads, state of camp) to the next team because this will influence what gear, food, etc the next team takes ... discuss this timing before the first team goes in to avoid the next team waiting ages and/or having a late start </p>
<p> - use stoves that will work well at the temperatures in an Austrian cave. We have used gas stoves in recent years, but these have often proved to be sluggish. This can be mitigated by using a stove with a heating coil such as the <ahref="https://www.optimusstoves.com/en/ch/9-8018505-optimus-vega">Optimus Vega</a>. Other alternatives are petrol or meths stoves. Petrol is probably the best fuel for low temperatures, but requires more skill to use. An MSR field repair kit is strongly recommended. Meths stoves are simple, but can be slow - have not been used in Austria in recent times. </p>
<p> - whenever a team leaves camp list *everything* left both at the camp and elsewhere (eg drills, charge left in drill batteries, rope, etc left further in the cave) plus any rigging that needs fixing and, once out of the cave, share this list (eg put a photo of it on Signal)</p>
<p> - make laminated cave surveys (large so detail legible) and descriptions and rigging guides. Prepare these before Expo starts to highlight the best QMs</p>
<p> - label any bags of powder - eg milk, custard, etc which are confusable</p>
<p> - do NOT overpack food ... each of the 2024 Balkon camps took in more food than they ate leading to the camp derig including a 15kg tackle bag of food that, exhaustingly, had to be dragged back out. To help with this, a) try to give time between camps so food can be adjusted based on what is already in, b) check with camp-goers if they are taking personal food so the group food can be reduced accordingly. It is a good idea to have enough food in reserve at camp so that a camping team can cope with an unscheduled extra day in camp - but probably not much more than this. </p>
<p> - do NOT pack the kitchen sink - be minimal eg if you think you will use 2 x 18650 batteries then pack max 2 as spares, not 4; do not pack more clothes than you can wear at one time; do not pack kit that you haven't checked works or probably won't use</p>
<p> - do NOT leave stuff you brought down to camp and didn't use that you have, conveniently, persuaded yourself somebody else might find handy - nobody wants to have to drag it out at the end</p>
<p> - hammocks were trialled in Balkonhoehle in 2024; they were fine to set up but all 3 who tried them found them colder than the tent - this might be improved if tarps could be rigged more effectively</p>
<H2>Packing list - water, sleeping, poos</H2>
<p> - Daren drums for water collection (for Balkonhoehle; not needed in Fischgesicht) - 1 big, 1 small is ideal, camp First aid kit can be transported to camp in the small Daren drum then be moved to a bag; other camps may need different water collection eg a large sheet of plastic on a slope can collect small drips</p>
<p> - Daren drums for poo collection plus toilet roll, hand sanitiser and compost bags; each camping trip brings their drum out so every trip needs to take a poo drum down. There are 2 designated poo drums</p>
<p> - tent (not essential but helps keep mud out and a bit of heat in; keep the doors tied wide open otherwise you get heavy condensation) - can sleep up to 5 people if they lie top to tail and this improves warmth!</p>
<p> - thin string for rigging tent and making gear and tarp lines</p>
<p> - sleeping bag for every camper - there are 3 good quality Expo underground sleeping bags (green Snugpack brand) and two others which are nearly as warm; Expo goers can also use their own pits</p>
<p> - quality karrimat for every camper - Expo owns 4 of these specifically for underground camping </p>
<p> - camp notebook and 2 x pencils for writing lists and leaving a note of where you are going on pushing days</p>
<p> - 3 or 4 bum-sized bits of foam for insulated seats</p>
<p> - multiple sets of laminated cave surveys with leads highlighted; ideally update these during expo + descriptions + rigging guides; have another set of these on the surface so exiting teams can show the next team what has been done</p>
<p> - as many large tacklesacks as you can find; leave the really big ones at camp for the derig as they are too big for anything but fluff; the derig of Balkonhoehle in 2024 needed about 11 tacklesacks</p>
<p> - plenty of dry bags and bin bags to keep sleeping bags etc dry during transport and for rubbish</p>
<p> - fully charged underground Cavelink set in pelicase - make sure you have all the bits, know how to use it and have the surface kit set up with someone to use it; do NOT rely on it for comms</p>
<p> - concrete screws and appropriate small drill bit for rigging lines at the camp</p>
<p> - brush to clean mud off SRT gear, bags, etc</p>
<p> - alarms on watches and/or phones - it is very easy to oversleep on underground camps; alarms should be checked as not audible if inside sleeping bags </p>
<p> - main meals - we have used dehydrated expedition meals, try to maximise calories and minimise cooking time. In 2024, we used meals from <ahref="https://adventurefood.com/en/">Adventure Food</a> which provide 600kCal. Curries and couscous would also work</p>
<p>To avoid over-catering and ending up with a massive bag of uneaten food to take out at the end, here is a suggestion for daily rations per person:</p>
<ul>
<li>60g instant porridge (equivalent to 2 x Oatso packets) plus supplementary fruit/seeds</li>
<li>1 x instant noodles</li>
<li>1 x dehydrated expedition meal</li>
<li>4 x hot drinks (2 morning, 2 evening)</li>
<li>Everyone should carry their own cave snacks in and out as they would on a day trip</li>
<p> - survey kits - CALIBRATED instuments, survey phone, backup survey notebook and pencils, nail varnish, powerbank and USB leads; take <b>at least 2 kits</b> if 4 people, more for redundancy</p>
<p> - group shelters / bothies</p>
<p> - drill + tether + 2x krabs, drill batteries in their own foam and dry bags, drill bits, hammer + tether + 2x krabs, drill foam padding, drill dry bag - ideally this will stay down for the duration of the camp with only the batteries going up and down</p>
<p> - everything you would normally pack for caving trips on Expo</p>
<p> - quality spare light - hopefully you already take this on all caving trips</p>
<p> - gilet or jacket - you may already take this on all caving trips, if so you shouldn't need another</p>
<p> - MINIMISE what else you take and check with others to avoid excess eg share one tube toothpaste for the team and check how many powerbanks are going</p>
<p>- sleeping bag liner - this keeps the sleeping bags clean and keeps you warmer. Silk liners are the best compromise between warmth, bulk and cost</p>
<p> - spare socks and thermals so you have clean, dry clothes to sleep in; optionally gloves and a hat. These should not leave camp. I usually sleep in my furry suit, thermals, balaclava etc but with sleeping socks on and I keep my caving socks in my pockets in the evening to try to dry them out</p>
<p> - the first team who have to set up camp will take a long time to reach camp (as many bags) then will need hours to set up camp so its best if they pack the night before and set off early </p>
<p> - in Balkonhoehle in 2024 the 4 day / 3 night pushing camps seemed most productive. Ideally these would leave mid-afternoon (after talking to the previous camping team to get info on food left at camp, gear needed and leads left) then get to camp in the evening, sleep night 1, full day pushing and sleep night 2, full day pushing and sleep night 3, pack up and exit</p>
<p> - camping teams in the middle of Expo have it very easy (no set up needed and no heavy derig) so they should make an effort to take out anything they can eg old rope to be retired or excess gear at camp</p>
<p> - the last team who have to remove camp will need to take down plenty of large tacklesacks and, unless they have many people, they will need the surface derig team to help them to empty camp, ie 2 or more people are needed to do a bounce trip to camp to take bags out. In 2024, the Balkonhoehle camp had around 11 tacklebags (including Cavelink, 2 drill sets, tent, 5 sleeping bags and mats, multiple Daren drums, ropes, metalware, excess food, etc) plus 2 large tacklesacks of rope derigged from Mongol Rally. This is way more than the 3 person camping team could bring out by themselves. The ropes on Honeycomb (1 tacklesack) and Hangmans (1 tacklesack) were left rigged in 2024 so there was not that much rope that needed washing (Mongol Rally plus stuff removed from below camp) but a lot of camp bags to shift</p></body></html>
