Hight Adventure Personal and Troop Gear Inspection

High Adventure Crew,Thanks to RJ, Aman, Arnav, Isaac, Noah and Roman for coming out on Sunday night to inspect and pack troop gear and to (for some) an inspection of their personal gear. We are holding our another inspection and preparation meeting on Thursday, 16 July to finish preparations so please plan to be there with your bags packed and wearing your travel clothes (or representative substitutes) so we can verify that everything fits. Please remember, everyone needs to save space in their packs for troop gear (tents, pots/cook stoves, tarps, etc.) and about 7 lbs of food. In terms of additional volume required, I would plan for approximately 2 soccer balls worth non-personal equipment/food.Please note, this is a required meeting and is critical to ensure we are adequately prepared for a save and fun trek through Norway! Mr. Chesley and I expect each of you to make every effort to be there, however if for some reason you cannot make it, please notify us immediately so we can make alternate arrangements to check your pack and distribute troop gear. We look forward to checking in with each of you, and please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any last minute questions as you are packing.Just a couple notes on personal gear. The weather around the Hardangarjokulen (our hiking area) is highly variable and can receive snow any time of year (and did less than 3 weeks ago!). Therefore, it is absolutely critical that everyone brings essential layering components to ensure we all stay comfortable and dry throughout the trek. I’ll paste the entire packing list below for your reference, but I want to call out a few items specifically. Everyone MUST have a waterproof breathable jacket and waterproof rain pants. Ideally, both should be a waterproof breathable membrane — commonly referred to as gore-tex — but that is just one brand, and there are many effective alternatives on the market at lower prices. These will help to shed any rain — which we will almost certainly see — as well as help to block the wind, which we will likely be very accustomed to by the end of the trip. Everyone must also have several layers to combat cold temperatures. The long-term forecast has been looking increasingly more favorable (as of todays, the highs are ~46-55 F and lows in the mid-low 40’s), but we are still outside of the extended forecast range for the latter half of our hike. To ensure everyone stays warm, you must have appropriate layers: one pair of light polyester (a.k.a polypropylene) wicking base layer top/bottom (NO cotton please, it absorbs moisture and you WILL be cold) and one thermal layer such as a light fleece or compressible puffy jacket. When combined with your (ideally long-sleeve) wicking sun shirt and your rain coat/pants, this affords you 4 layers on top and 3 on bottom. A knit cap and a light pair of water resistant (or water proof) gloves will round out the necessary protection from the elements.I am also requiring that everyone have a a dry bag for their sleeping bag, and while optional, you should consider one for your clothes as well. We will line our packs with thick plastic trash bags to help keep your gear dry, but if we experience sustained rain, things could still get wet and your sleeping bag is an essential piece of safety equipment and must stay dry, hence the dry bag. To help protect any other equipment (including clothes), I purchased a box of 1 gallon and 1 qt freezer bags which I encourage scouts to help themselves to at Thursday’s meeting. Lastly, please ensure you have a rain fly for your pack for all the aforementioned reasons. If you do not have one, I have a few that may fit, so please let me know. Alternatively, they are available at REI for ~$40. To close this out, I’ve pasted my recommended packing list below (also available on the High Adventure Google Sheet, here.) A couple of key points for packing. Each scout should have 3 bags total: their hiking backpack, a duffle or sack to protect the hiking backpack during airline transit (so the straps don’t get caught in any machines), and a small day pack to bring on the plane. Your city clothes should all fit in your day pack, and one set will be worn on the plane, which will carry you through the next day. We will plan to do laundry when we arrive in Bergen, so we can wash your city clothes to provide 2 more days of clean clothes. For your hiking clothes, you do not need changes of trail clothes. This eats up space and weight and they will just get stinky/dirty anyway. Instead, I recommend you pack one spare set of socks/underwear/shirt/shorts to change into for sleeping. This will keep you comfortable and will help prevent rashes, chafing, etc. Additional note, you will wear your trail clothes when we depart Oslo on Wednesday, 22 July, so you might consider packing them in your day pack, not your hiking backpack.That is a lot of detail. I am happy to answer any question you have at the next meeting, or via text/email. We will plan to meet again on Sunday morning to divvy up food and make any last minute preparations prior to departure on Sunday night.We look forward to seeing you all Thursday!-Matt
My mostly exhaustive packing list:City Clothes2 pairs socks – wear one on the plane2 underwear – wear one on the plane2 shirts – wear one on the plane1 pair zip-off pants – wear on the plane; doubles as shorts if warmSmall lightweight backpack – for the plane and to store city clothes during the hike; a simple drawstring bag worksHiking Clothes1 long-sleeve hooded sunshirt (polypropylene) – long sleeves give more sun protection and layer better in the cold1 short-sleeve t-shirt (polypropylene) – keep clean for sleeping2-3 pairs polypropylene underwear (no cotton) – keep one pair clean and dry for sleeping2-3 wool or wool-acrylic blend socks (no cotton) – keep one pair clean and dry for sleeping1 pair zip-off pants1 belt1 lightweight thermal top and bottom baselayer (polypropylene, no cotton)1 light fleece or puff jacket thermal layer1 waterproof breathable rain jacket (2.5 or 3 layer) – make sure it’s good quality; conditions could be very wet1 pair waterproof rain pants – waterproof breathable is best; cheaper slicker pants work but feel clammy (Frogg Toggs are NOT durable enough)1 knit/beanie cap1 ball cap or sun hatAccessories~100L duffle bag – required to protect backpacks during air travel; must be reasonably compressible for limited locker space (example – the one Mr. Perfilov and Mr. Chesley are using)Eye mask (optional) – sunrise is ~4:15am and sunset ~11:00pm in NorwayMicrofiber wash cloth – to wash your skin at the end of the dayMicrofiber towel (optional) – for drying yourself, tents, or gearWind-blocking / water-resistant gloves – NO fleece; it gets wet and won’t protect youDry bag(s) – use one as a stuff sack for your sleeping bag (15-20L range); handy for clothes too (example multi-pack)Sleeping bag – lows could be in the 30s, so at least a 35F bagSleeping padPillow (optional) – a stuff sack filled with clothes works tooWaterproof hiking boots – wear on the planeWater shoes (optional) – for camp or swimming (no swimming without footwear with toe/heel coverage)SunscreenBug repellent lotion – more space-efficient than aerosols; Picaridin works better than DEET and won’t damage Gore-Tex style fabricsBug head net – mosquitoes and midges can be bad at the lower fjord elevations in late July; get ultra-fine mesh so midges can’t get throughLip balmSunglasses2 NalgenesKnife / Leatherman – must be in checked luggageMess kitHead lamp