ORION Gear List—What should I bring?

Having an enjoyable experience on your ORION trip is greatly influenced by the way you prepare yourself. Your local outdoor retailer can help you find many of the listed items. You will be quite comfortable in any situation if you bring all of the gear on the list. You shouldn't need to bring any other items. The following is a check-off list of all the items you will need—please consider what you wear to the arrival day as part of the list (i.e., if you are wearing shorts do not pack a second pair). Pack lightly because you will be carrying everything you pack plus additional group gear.

WHAT TO BRING
	Rain jacket—lightweight, waterproof, breathable. Essential for keeping you dry when it rains. (Ponchos aren't recommended.)		Sneakers—pair to wear around camp at night and for the high ropes course or canoeing.
	Mid-weight fleece jacket or wool sweater—for those cool summer nights. (Summer evening temps can be as low as 50 degrees.)		Headlamp/Small Flashlight—bring an extra set of batteries. The smaller and lighter the better!
	Underwear—2 to 3 changes should be sufficient.		Water bottle—1 wide-mouth quart or liter size (leak-proof) plastic bottle (e.g., Nalgene). A second one will be provided for you. Camelback (water bladder) also works well.
	Long pants—1 pair, nylon wind pants or hiking pants preferred. Encouraged but optional. (No jeans.)		Mug (optional), bowl, spoon, fork—they should be durable, lightweight plastic (metal or ceramic is too heavy). Insulated 12 oz. plastic, mugs are great, but only if you drink hot chocolate, coffee, or tea.
	Short sleeved shirts—2 for warm hiking days. A 50/50 blend or all-synthetic material is recommended (e.g., nylon athletic type of shirt). NO COTTON! Cotton gets wet and heavy and will not dry. It also can cause chaffing while backpacking.		Sun screen, lip balm, bug spray—use very small containers. Sun protection factor (SPF) of 15 or greater. Mosquitoes are abundant.
	Hiking Shorts—2 pair, loose fitting nylon hiking or athletic shorts.		Plastic trash bags—1 or 2 large bags (extra heavy duty makes storage bags more waterproof).
	Socks—3 pairs. Socks should be made specifically for hiking (nylon, polyester, or wool). Do not bring cotton socks.		Personal Stuff—toothbrush, toothpaste (travel size), camera, personal medications (inhaler for asthma, EpiPen for bee sting allergies, ibuprofen). Females should bring extra feminine supplies, just in case.
	Bandana—useful for a variety of purposes.		Bathing suit—for canoeing.
	Hiking boots, the most important piece of equipment!—1 pair of sturdy boots with good ankle support. They need to be comfortable and fit properly. If you are buying new boots, give yourself a sufficient amount of time to break them in. Boots not broken-in cause blisters, which makes for a miserable trip. (See below for more information).		Small duffel bag/daypack—you will have the opportunity to shower at the end of the backpacking portion of the trip for the cookout. You will not be carrying this bag on the trail with you. It will be stored while you are out on the trail and delivered to you on the last night before the cookout. The SMALL bag should include a towel; soap, shampoo, and other toiletries you may need or want; clean clothes (can be cotton) for the cookout and the last day; and a comfortable pair of shoes.
Please do not bring electronic items such as mp3 players, games, or cell phones.
OPTIONAL ITEMS
	Camp chair (Crazy Creek chair)—it makes sitting around camp more comfortable. We'll have a few of these for sale for $36 at the Ag Arena on the first day (until supplies run out).		Money—you will not need any money while on the trip. However, some groups will pass through state parks where there are vending machines. So, if you want to bring $1 to $5 you may. Keep in mind, however, that some vending machines accept only coins.
	Pocket knife—one small, Swiss-style folding knife is sufficient. Don't buy one if you don't already have one.

Additional Information

ORION will provide all of the necessary group gear for the trip, including: tents/tarps, first aid kits, maps/compass, stoves, cookware, journals, great food, water purification materials, a backpack, and a sleeping bag and pad. Before you venture out on our backpacking trips, an instructor will look over your gear to make sure that you are ready. You may bring your own personal gear if you would like. Leaders will determine if your equipment is appropriate for our program on the first day. We do have storage available for items you decide not to carry on the trail.

Appalachian Ski and Outdoors is a local State College outdoor retailer. As a sponsor for the ORION program, the store is providing a 10 percent discount to all ORION participants as well as a great Web link to help you with gear selection. Go to http://www.appoutdoors.com or stop by the store to find everything you need to be properly outfitted for ORION. Look for the ORION symbol on their Web site.

Weather—Generally, we have summer temperatures in the 80s and 90s, but we have seen it all… RAINY days, HOT days, and COLD Days! Even on warm days, temperatures can be considerably cooler in the evenings, dropping as low as 50 degrees at night. Since you can never be sure what the weather will be like, you need to bring a range of clothing for various conditions. By having a variety of layers of clothing you can adjust your layers to suit your activity level and the weather conditions.

Re: Clothing—(Excerpted from Rick Curtis' The Backpacker’s Field Manual)
The clothing layers should consist of several different types of fabrics. Cotton is comfortable and breathable, but it absorbs and retains water, and therefore it will not keep you warm if it gets wet. Also, it can be difficult to dry. For this reason you should NOT bring heavy cotton clothes such as sweatshirts, sweatpants, or blue jeans. We strongly encourage you to wear nylon, polyester, or synthetic clothing. Wool, synthetic fleece, and polyester fabrics don't absorb water so they keep you warm even if they get wet. Fleece also dries very quickly. A wool sweater or fleece jacket provides warmth on a cold evening. These are essential to your comfort on the trip!

A combination of these types of fabrics creates a layering system. The inner layer keeps the skin dry and comfortable. Synthetic T-shirts and shorts are lightweight and will dry quickly when wet from perspiration or from rain. The outer layer provides insulation and is usually a wool sweater or fleece jacket. You will wear this around camp at night. The shell layer protects you from wind and rain. A waterproof rain jacket is essential in case of bad weather. A coated nylon rain jacket is lightweight, inexpensive, and works well. Waterproof-breathable fabrics like Gore-Tex also work well but can be expensive. For the head layer, bring a brimmed hat for sun and rain protection. At night, a wool or synthetic fleece hat can be helpful for warmth. The feet layer includes a wool/nylon-blend hiking sock. Since wool or synthetic material doesn't absorb water it passes the moisture from your foot outwards, keeping your foot drier. If your feet get damp, they get wrinkled and are more prone to blisters. Wearing synthetic socks means that your socks will not absorb water and therefore will not be as likely to cause blisters.

Re: Hiking boots—1 pair of lightweight hiking boots: Hiking boots or hiking shoes should provide ankle support. Boots should fit comfortably while wearing a synthetic hiking sock. Above all, make sure that your boots are well broken-in before you arrive. Otherwise your feet will pay the price. We cannot emphasize this enough. Non-broken-in boots invariably cause chafing and blisters.