- Ask a friend who did FOP or does a lot of outdoors activities if s/he has any items
you could borrow (long underwear, fleece, etc…).
- Borrow from the Outing Club.
- Go to second hand shops and buy old unfashionable wool sweaters for cheap.
Cotton kills. Once cotton gets wet in the winter, it takes forever to dry, leaving the door
wide open for hypothermia. This is an essentially useless winter fabric, so leave the jeans
at home.
Like cotton, down is useless if it gets wet. Only bring a down jacket if it will fit under
your rain gear.
In windy areas, fleeces are useless without a windshell. If you find yourself getting cold
while wearing a lot of layers, a good first step is to put on your rain jacket.
Bring layerable clothing. If you get too warm while hiking, you will sweat and get very
cold while resting.
You don’t need a change of clothing for each day. However, you will need certain
backups (an extra pair of gloves or socks for instance).
Meet us wearing clothing suitable for the trip- this way we will avoid carrying your
useless Cambridge clothing.
Lining your daypack with plastic is a great idea- you’ll have warm, dry layers even if the
outside of your bag is soaked. Trashbags work well for this.
II. THE CABIN The cabin has running water, electricity, and heat. (FYI, the heater should get the cabin
moderately warm, but not necessarily toasty.) There are no showers, and no beds—we
sleep on the floor in the loft. The kitchen is well equipped with a refrigerator, two stoves,
a microwave, and plates and silverware. There is an outhouse in the back.
III. PACKING LIST: THESE ITEMS ARE NOT OPTIONAL AND WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO TURN
YOU AWAY IF YOU DO NOT HAVE THEM.
For the Cabin • Sleeping bag. Rated to 0 degrees is highly recommended, in case we decide to sleep
outside for a night or two. Talk to us if you are unsure about your bag.
• Sleeping bag liner (optional)
• Sleeping pad
• Small overnight bag to hold your cabin stuff. (You don’t want to haul it up the
mountain with you.)
• Small pillow (optional)
• Pair of comfortable shoes/sandals for wearing in the cabin (optional)
• PJs (optional, but…)
• Fun social things for the evenings! Games (e.g, Apples to Apples, playing cards), musical
instruments (e.g. fiddles, guitars, harmonicas), etc.
Upper Body • Long underwear top: non-cotton, polypropylene recommended.
• Non-cotton, inner-layer shirts.
• 2 warm outer layers: This is in addition to your long underwear and winter jacket.
These warm layers also cannot be cotton- you could have a wool sweater and a fleece
or 2 wool sweaters or 2 fleeces- let us know if you have questions.
• Winter coat: If it is not waterproof, it must fit underneath your raincoat.
• RAINCOAT: this is very important! Umbrellas/trash bags are not appropriate
substitutes.
• Warm hat- this is crucial. Preferably wool and thick. 70% of your heat loss is from
your head!
• Scarf/neck warmer
• Balaclava, ski mask, or something similar to keep your face warm (optional)
• Ski goggles, if possible.
• Thin “liner” gloves to wear UNDER your warm gloves
• Warm, insulating gloves- wind-proof and water resistant
o Ideally have a system for keeping them attached to you if you take them off above treeline, so they don’t blow away.
o A note about gloves: you will need something warmer than the typical gloves you wear around the city. If your hands
tend to get cold easily, big windproof mittens would be a good choice. See these pictures for ideas about the type of hand
gear you'll want:
http://media.rei.com/media/478314.jpg
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41ha5zYqZQL._AA280_.jpg
To find less expensive but good hand wear, don't shop at EMS (unless you're looking at the clearance rack). First try
borrowing from friends who ski. Then try Sierra Trading Post and REI outlet. Do this now because you'll need time for them
to come in the mail!
• Strongly Recommended – backup pair of warm gloves
Lower Body
• Long underwear bottoms: non-cotton.
• Synthetic long pants if you have them
• Fleece pants or wool pants
• An extra long underwear or fleece layer is recommended
• Rain/wind/snow pants: must be waterproof.
Feet
• Hiking boots: These are one of the most important items on the list. These must be
boots that you’ve hiked in before (or at least walked in to break them in). You don’t
want to get blisters from wearing new boots. Bring them to our pre-trip meeting and
we will check them out, they must be sturdy! Preferably they will be waterproof or
water-proofable. Summer boots (with mesh holes) will make your feet very cold and
are not recommended.
• 3 Pairs Thick Socks: NOT COTTON, they should be either wool or synthetic, this
will help wick away sweat as well as keeping you warm if your feet get wet, all while
preventing blisters!
• 1-3 Pairs sock liners: also non-cotton.
• Gaiters- to keep the snow out of your boots. The HOC has several.
Equipment (will be provided by the HOC if required) • Snowshoes
• Crampons
• Skis and ski boots
• Ski poles
Miscellaneous • Hygiene related things: toothbrush, toothpaste, chapstick, etc.
• SUNSCREEN
• Sunglasses—you’ll want ‘em. Snow is very bright!
• 2 Water Bottles (about 2 liters of water total)- very important!
• Daypack! You’re going to need to carry all this stuff up a mountain, so bring
something comfortable in which to carry everything. (Of course, cabin gear will stay
in the cabin during the day.)
• Headlamp/flashlight. (Headlamp strongly recommended.)
• Money (in case we stop at a restaurant, etc)
• If you have allergies/are sick/have chronic health problems, BRING YOUR
MEDICINE. We have a med kit, but it won’t have your asthma medication if you get
an attack, for example.
• Your health insurance card, just in case.
• Big trash bag with which to line your pack.
• Plastic bags: The more, the merrier. Especially important if you don’t have a
waterproof pack-- you don’t want everything to get wet. Multiple sizes are handy.
• Earplugs. Recommended, especially if other people's snoring keeps you awake. ;)
• Whistle (optional). If you have one, they’re good to take along.
• Bandanas (optional)
• Extra batteries (optional)
• Camera (optional)
Please bring your gear to the pre-trip meeting for gear check.
*Note: Unlike many extended trips, you don’t need to worry about packing super-light
since we can leave stuff in the cabin. This does not mean you should bring your rock
collection, ironing board, calligraphy set, etc, but it does mean you should bring enough
to ensure that you will be warm and happy!