We will be base camping at the field school and spending a lot of time in canoes. You won’t have to carry your camping gear far, so it doesn’t need to be ultralight. You will need a PFD (life jacket). If you’ve got a canoe or paddle you like, bring it.
• Sandals or water shoes (can be old sneakers, but these dry slowly)
• Sleeping Bag
• Sleeping Pad (foam pad or Thermarest)
• Tent – Be sure you set it up and stay in it a few times before arriving, and that it has noseeum netting
• Long pants, long sleeve shirt, hat (for sun and bugs)
• Bathing Suit
• Other clothing that can get dirty and beat up.
• Towel
• Rain Gear
• Sun Glasses
• Personal Toiletries
• Head Lamp or flashlight
• Cup for Hot/Cold drinks (unbreakable, travel mug-style)
• Plate, bowl, fork, spoon and net bag to hold them (similar to a laundry bag)
• Cook pot with a bail handle There are lots of options here.
Option A: 2 quart stainless pails (the word ‘pail’ usually indicates that it has a bail handle). These are available from feed stores or Amazon, and are usually used for milking or for pets. They are less expensive than outdoor cook pots. A benefit to a pail over an outdoor cook pot is that they nest: small on the bottom, wide on top. This allows you to take several pots but only taking up the footprint of one. The other pots listed do not share this characteristic. This is important because you’ll be using your pot not only for cooking food, but also for purifying drinking water in the field (by boiling). Consider getting 2 or 3 of them.
• 2 quart pail.
Lids for these pails were a challenge to find for a number of years. These stainless 6″ pie plates fit them perfectly, and do double duty as a plate for eating food. They come in packages of 2.
• Stainless 6″ Pie Plate.
Option B: Mors Pot. Note that multiple pots will not nest.
Option C: 16 cm Zebra pot. Note that multiple pots will not nest.
• Pot grabber. Optional, but useful for pouring, grabbing hot pot lids, etc. Fits inside pot for travel. MSR Pot Lifter.
• Water Bottle with wide mouth
• Notebook and pen/pencil
• PFD – Personal flotation device, also known as a life jacket. Get one sized to fit you.
• Extra closed-cell foam pad (aka camping pad, sleeping pad) – For use as a pad when kneeling in the canoe.
Tool List
• Sharp Knife, fixed blade (non-folding) – We recommend the Morakniv #106, as well as the Frosts Mora #2 Carbon Steel. There are many options here.
• Match Case, waterproof – You should always have matches with you. These inexpensive match cases have increased their price 100% in recent years, but they are still only $2. Coghlan’s Match Case. There are lots of others that work just as well, including expensive milled aluminum, etc. Lighters also work, but you should always have something in your pocket to light a fire.
Optional Gear
• Fishing Gear
• Axe with Sturdy Leather Sheath (no hatchets) – handle should not be shorter than 25″. Contact Pole And Paddle Canoe for old, high-quality axes
• Camera
