Readiness Brief · For Applicants & Confirmed Participants
You don't show up to an expedition. You arrive prepared for one.
This page is the operational standard for everyone moving toward an Untamed Tribe expedition — whether you're considering an ETP weekend or 60 days out from a Cordillera Blanca rotation. Fitness baselines. Gear systems. Mental preparation. The 12-week onboarding timeline. Read it the way you'd read a flight plan, not a brochure.
Preparation is part of the program — not a prerequisite for it.
Most adventure operators sell you a trip and hope you show up in shape. We don't operate that way. From the day you submit an application, you're inside a development system — fitness ramp, gear consultation, cohort connection, pre-expedition Zoom — designed to put you on the trailhead more capable than the version of you that signed up.
That means the standards on this page are not gatekeeping for its own sake. They exist because the expedition environment doesn't negotiate. A ruck weighs what it weighs. Altitude doesn't care about your title. Cold water teaches the same lesson it taught the last team that went in unprepared.
If you're an applicant, treat this page as a self-assessment. If you've already deposited, treat it as your operating manual for the next 12 weeks.
02 // Fitness Baseline
The physical standard, by program tier.
These are not aspirational targets for departure day. These are the floor — what you should be able to execute, in training, four weeks before the expedition starts. Lead guides verify benchmarks at the Week 12 readiness call and again at the pre-expedition Zoom.
Foundational
- 3-mile ruck @ 25 lb under 60 minutes
- 5K run/walk under 38 minutes
- 20 push-ups, unbroken
- 5 strict pull-ups (3 for participants under 150 lb)
- 30-second hollow hold
- Comfortable on feet for 6–8 hours with breaks
Operational
- 6-mile ruck @ 35 lb under 110 minutes
- 5K run under 30 minutes
- 40 push-ups, unbroken
- 8 strict pull-ups
- Goblet squat @ ½ bodyweight × 10
- Back-to-back training days without crash
Expedition-Ready
- 12-mile ruck @ 45 lb under 3:30:00
- 2,000 ft elevation gain in 60 minutes, loaded
- 10K run under 60 minutes
- 50 push-ups, 12 pull-ups
- Deadlift @ 1.25× bodyweight for 5 reps
- Four consecutive loaded training days
Cordillera Blanca standard
- 15-mile ruck @ 50 lb under 4:30:00
- 3,500 ft gain in 90 minutes, loaded
- Half-marathon under 2:10:00 OR equivalent aerobic base
- 60 push-ups, 15 pull-ups
- Documented altitude exposure or training plan
- Six-day back-to-back load tolerance
Cardio is the floor. Load tolerance is the ceiling. The most common reason participants struggle isn't a slow 5K — it's that they trained without weight on their back. If you take one piece of advice from this page: ruck. Twice a week. Progressively. Starting now.
Honest tools, layered correctly.
We don't fetishize gear. We use it. Your full expedition-specific list arrives 12 weeks out and is reviewed item-by-item on the pre-expedition Zoom. The systems below are the foundation — what every participant develops regardless of which environment they're heading into.
Footwear & load carriage
Broken-in mid-cut boots (200+ trail miles minimum before departure). A pack that fits your torso, not someone else's. Hip belt that actually loads your hips.
Layering & weather
Merino base, synthetic or down mid, hardshell outer. No cotton in load-bearing layers. Redundant socks. A puffy that's actually rated for the temps you'll see at 0300.
Sleep & shelter
Bag rated 10°F below expected low. R-value matched to ground. Bivy or tent assignment provided per expedition — don't buy until briefed.
Navigation & comms
Headlamp + spare batteries. Map & compass literacy expected at Tier 03+. Team-issued Garmin inReach. Personal devices secondary to team comms.
Water & hydration
3L capacity minimum across bottles + reservoir. Personal filter (Sawyer Squeeze or Katadyn BeFree) even when team treatment is available. Electrolyte plan written down, not improvised.
Personal medical & documents
Blister kit, personal meds, tape. Travel insurance with evacuation rider for international (Global Rescue / World Nomads). Passport copy in two locations. Medical disclosure submitted at Week 12.
04 // The 12-Week Onboarding
From deposit to trailhead — what happens, week by week.
Once your deposit clears, you're inside the system. No silence between booking and boarding. Each touchpoint is structured, recorded, and built around getting you to the start point physically ready, mentally settled, and connected to your cohort.
Welcome call & readiness assessment
45-minute call with Derek or your lead guide. Baseline fitness benchmark recorded. Medical disclosure submitted. Personalized training plan delivered. You meet your cohort by name.
Cohort Discord activates · gear sourcing begins