What to bring

photo by Laura Cox, 2010

 

(First a few notes.)

Less is more. Our staff sometimes notices that some people (especially those arriving by car) bring way too much stuff, making it impossible for them to actually keep their things organized and accessible in their cabins. You don’t necessarily need every single item on our list below; certainly you don’t need a complete set of clean clothes for each day.

On the other hand, laundry facilities are not available during week-long sessions, so do bring socks for the whole week and extras for when it rains. Definitely err on the side of overkill when it comes to warm clothes and bedding, especially for Vermont.  

People attending the 2-week session in Oregon will have one mid-session opportunity to have their clothes washed. We suggest you bring a large zipping mesh bag (such as an extra-large lingerie- or sweater-laundering bag) that can hold all your laundry loosely in both the washer and dryer. You will not be present while your clothes are washed (by staff and worktraders at a huge laundromat in a nearby town) but they will be kept together in a batch with 1-3 other people's clothes. A zipping mesh bag might help make sure everything comes back to you.

Label your important possessions, big and small, with your first and last name. We suggest that you make a list of everything you bring with you, so you can use it as a checklist when you pack to go home. NBTSC assumes no responsibility for lost, stolen, rotted, jammed-into-the-crack-between-the-bed-and-the-wall, or otherwise disappeared items. (If you ask, we can keep cash and other small, important items locked in a relatively safe place.)

In general, you likely won’t want to wear clothes specifically made for “camping”—most of us wear “normal” clothes most of the time. (But of course you need a good rainjacket and the nice warm hats and coats about which we so often pontificate!) Some first-year campers wish (in retrospect) that they’d brought more fun, special clothes.

Oregon Weather

It’s usually hot/warm in the day, cool at night, and it rains occasionally. But for maximum fun you want to be ready for anything, because anything can happen. Nights and mornings can be quite chilly—bring a warm sleeping bag, cozy sweats, a toasty sweater, a warm hat, and a warm, waterproof jacket (or a separate raincoat and fleece, or some such). You may enjoy a hot water bottle, too. People who don’t take our advice about bringing warm stuff usually regret it. (While Oregon NBTSC doesn’t usually get quite as cold at night as in Vermont, the general advice below under “Vermont Weather” still applies.)

Vermont Weather

It’s likely to be warm (60s) during daytimes, cold at night (low 40s; and we’ve also had nights in the low 30s), and it may rain too. But for maximum fun you want to be ready for anything, because anything can happen.

You absolutely must bring very warm bedding, a warm coat, and a warm hat. Even though nighttime temperatures don’t usually dip below the 30s, many people aren’t actually warm enough in a sleeping bag that is rated for the temperature they are sleeping in. We strongly recommend a bag rated for 20º F  or colder. (You might do a little internet research on “Sleeping bag temperature ratings,” or see http://gorp.away.com/gorp/gear/knowhow/bag_temp.htm.) We also suggest cozy sweats, a toasty sweater or fleece jacket, and a hot water bottle. People who don’t take our advice about bringing warm stuff generally regret it. Most cabins are not heated—in fact, they are completely open on one side. Although we sometimes make an indoor space available for group sleeping, this is contingent on many factors and you must not pack with the idea that you will definitely be sleeping indoors.

(Conversely -- if you bring adequate supplies there is no need for you to be cold at night! I, Grace, bring to Vermont a very warm down sleeping bag and a flannel bottom sheet. When it's extra cold I sleep with a hat on; I almost always sleep with a hot water bottle. I've never had a cold night in Vermont, though I've had plenty of cold nights throughout my life when I've been inadequately prepared for a particular situation. So, I know this is not an insurmountable problem and that nobody needs to consider themselves a victim of the weather!)

You also must bring a flashlight, with adequate batteries (and probably a set of extras). Without it, you have no way of seeing anything in your cabin at night, and you are likely to injure yourself while walking on the steep paths.

Definitely bring most or all of this stuff

• watch (important – there is so much going on at NBTSC that it really helps to keep track of clock- time.)
• water bottle—labeled with your first and last names—important for bus rides, hiking, and preventing sickness (more on that topic later).
• remedies that you use both to prevent and treat simple illnesses and symptoms. Whatever you use to boost your immune system to avoid getting colds and to keep your energy up, and whatever you use when you are congested, have a headache or sore throat or allergies--good idea to bring it (and then just return whatever you don't use to your family's health supply cabinet). (Except -- new for 2011 -- please don't bring your own supply of acetaminophen, ibuprofen, or benadryl -- we stock plenty of this in our central first aid kit and it's too hard to keep track of individuals' separate bottles, which we must keep locked up per state laws.) Some people bring Vitamin C, others homeopathic remedies. We keep a well-stocked first aid kit, but cannot guarantee that we'll have what you prefer to take, or enough of it to make you happy. (We can't, for example, provide everybody with dozens of throat lozenges.) We do keep certain OTC items (like painkillers) in our lock box along with prescription meds, but our health staff can dispense them to you as needed. (We don't typically keep supplements or alternative health remedies locked up, though it's not out of the question that this could happen in specific circumstances.)
• daypack, for hiking and for carrying stuff with you during the day.
• T-shirts and/or tank tops or sports bras
• comfortable pants (and perhaps shorts)
• stretchy or loose clothing for yoga, stretching, dancing, etc.
• socks (including cozy ones and including wool or Smartwool or such for hiking)
• underwear
• athletic shoes for sports and hiking
• sandals or flip flops
• swimsuit (swimming happens rarely in Vermont, but when it does people often wish they'd brought suits)
• hat to keep the sun off you
• 1 or 2 towels & a washcloth
• rain jacket
• warm long pants and/or warm sweats (some people like the extra coziness of flannel-lined pants, or even insulated ski pants)
• toasty sweater or fleece jacket
• jacket or coat
• warm hat
• A very warm sleeping bag, and a pillow if you need one. Or warm blankets and sheets. A mattress is provided; the rest is up to you.
• flashlight—important for all camps. (Especially and crucially in Vermont, where there are no electric lights in cabins or outhouses). Make sure you have plenty of batteries, and/or a backup flashlight.
• any necessary medications*
• toiletries—shampoo, soap, toothpaste/brush, hairbrush/comb, lip balm, etc. (Please avoid strong smelling spray deodorants and hair sprays and such, or at least plan to apply them outside rather than inside cabins, bathrooms, and shower buildings.) 
• insect repellent
• lip balm
• sunscreen
• hat to help keep ticks off you while hiking (can double as sun hat)
• pens/pencils (for writing workshops, bring a smoothly rolling pen that you really enjoy using)
• clipboard and/or a good notebook—something you’ll enjoy taking notes in. If you might attend a writing workshop, consider a spiral notebook. 
• a phone card (you’ll need it if you plan on making any calls from camp—cell phones don’t usually work)
• your parents' (and other emergency contacts') phone numbers and email addresses, preferably memorized by your own brain as well as by your cell phone and other gadgets
• A checklist of everything you’re bringing
• flexibility
• 150% of yourself

Other stuff that could come in very handy

• supplies for the workshop you'll teach
• a small amount of money ($20 should do it) for miscellaneous stuff like the rare workshops that have fees for supplies, an extra T shirt, vitamin C, etc.
• umbrella -- particularly in Vermont, people sometimes wish they had one (particularly at night when they're carrying bedding from their cabins to group sleeping space). If you're an umbrella-user, camp is a good place to have one.
• gloves and scarf -- though it's not winter, many people appreciate these extra sources of warmth particularly in Vermont. (Some people bring lightweight fleece gloves, others full-on insulated winter gloves.)
• long underwear
• sunglasses
• vitamins, tinctures, herbs, homeopathic remedies, essential oils that help you stay healthy (see more under “the vitality project”) (But please do not bring ibuprofen, acetaminophen, or benadryl--see below under "what not to bring".)
• alcohol-based wipes or a small bottle of sanitizer, to quickly sanitize your hands when you don’t have easy access to a sink. (We also stock the grounds with sanitizer, but some people like having their own personal stash right at hand.)
• flip flops or other shoes to wear in the shower
• alarm clock (recommended for heavy sleepers and worktraders—we have a wake-up call shortly before breakfast, but a few people sleep through it).
• rain boots, especially for Vermont campers
• a few small items that you know make your life more familiar and comfortable (for example, Grace brings her favorite ceramic mug, which is huge, and she carries it around and constantly drinks hot tea)
• healthy snacks if you want your own private stash. (Communal snacks are available several times a day.) We discourage sugary, greasy, or salty snacks. In Vermont, you’ll need to keep your snacks small. (You can’t keep most types of snacks in your cabin—it encourages rodents. There is a small amount of storage space in the main lodge where everyone stashes their snacks.)
• camera
• hot water bottle or other securely closing non-breakable container/bottle you can fill with hot water and take to bed with you
• sketchpad
• journal
• games to share
• a favorite dancing CD labeled with your name and favorite dance tracks. (Our DJs can also work with ipods or MP3 players, but we discourage you from bringing valuable items unless you're willing to risk losing them.)
• a drum or musical instrument
• good earplugs
• Frisbees (make sure to label with your name!)
• softball mitt(s)—helpful for serious games—be sure to label with your name!
• rain pants
• shoes you can wear for wading in the ocean or creek
• something festive and fun (but not necessarily fussy or expensive) to wear for special evenings (the prom, your talent show performance, our last evening together, etc.)
• stamped postcards, or stamps/paper/envelopes. (While we have sometimes sold stamps in the past, we don't plan to continue.)
• whatever you need for your talent show performance
• Oregon Session 2 only: large (preferably zipping) mesh laundry bag, lingerie bag, or sweater bag -- for midsession laundry service (see notes above)

If you go on the Oregon Session 2 field trip to the ocean, you may want

• An extra towel
• Strong sunscreen
• Shoes in which you can walk/hike on damp rocks
• A windbreaker

What not to bring

• illegal substances
• to Oregon Session 1, bikes. (We don't see much point in bringing bikes to our other sessions either, but the Camp Latgawa staff specifically requests no bikes. But if you want to pedal to camp, certainly we can figure out a place to store your bike for the week.)
• Also to Oregon Session 1, skateboards. (But we can store yours for the week if you're traveling with it.)
• (NEW FOR THIS YEAR:) Ibuprofen, acetaminophen, or benadryl. Health codes pretty much require that we collect these and keep them locked up and then distribute them only as needed. But, we stock plenty of these in our first aid kits anyway, and dispense as needed -- so it just causes extra hassles for our health staff to have to keep track of individuals' supplies and return them at the end of the session. (If you have some extenuating circumstance, or really need to have this stuff with you while you're traveling to and from camp, you can bring it -- but do be aware that we'll need to hang onto it for you during camp.)
• valuables, unless you're willing to risk them. We are sad and sorry to report that in 2009, an ipod was stolen. Dozens of other ipods (and other technological wonders) were not stolen, and we've rarely had theft during the past 15 years, but... it can happen. (Staff can keep small valuable items, cash, and such in a lock box during the week.)
• knives. We generally err on the safe side and collect people's knives during the week. Sometimes exceptions are made -- it's up to the staff person in charge of this domain (usually one of our health or outdoor specialists). Anyway, it's ok with us if you travel with them, just know that you may not be able to hang onto them during NBTSC.
• whiny faces
• boom boxes, radios, or other music amplifiers (unless you are simply bringing equipment for workshops, prom, etc.)
• personal items you plan to share with the camp community, unless you are willing for them to be damaged. (Some campers have generously shared things like hammocks, tents, musical instruments, etc. While for the most part these items have made it through the week with only mild scuffs, sometimes they get full-on broken/ripped/etc. We love sharing and we encourage everyone to take good care of all the stuff in our midst, but NBTSC can't take any responsibility for damage to your belongings.)
• if you’re not sure about something, please ask.

*If you’re bringing medications

They must be in the original prescription bottle, with your name and instructions (time intervals and dosage) clearly readable. We collect medications (and also most OTC meds) and keep them in a central, secure place, in order to comply with state laws. Our first aid and other health staff dispense medications as needed.

 

 

Back to Handbook Table of Contents