You need remarkably little kit to practise deep water soloing. Mike Robertson reminds you of the essentials.

This will not be a long and involved article! Of all forms of climbing, DWS presents the least expensive and the most gadget-free kit list.

In short, for a particularly ferocious day at the crag, you'll need a good supply of:

• Rock boots
• Chalk bags
• Clothes
• Towels

• A dry bag (to swim into route 'starts' with gear)
• Occasionally a short access rope
• And possibly a chalking stick (esp. small cave areas, like Cave Hole and the tightly-packed west cave at Lulworth).
• And of course, a camera to record those magic moments as your chums pit themselves against the rock so many feet above the water.