What to Pack for a Volunteer Vacation
On a volunteer vacation, each individual provides their own camping and personal gear. Food and tools will be provided and packed in for you. You may have your own preferred packing list for camping and backpacking trips - please make sure it includes the items below unless otherwise indicated for your specific trip.
Camping Gear
- Backpack to carry all of your gear
- Tent with rainfly and ground cloth
- Sleeping bag and sleeping pad
- Two or three 1-liter water bottles (or other container to ensure you have plenty of water on hand)
- Coffee mug
- Rain jacket and rain pants (should fit over your trail work clothing)
- Extra warm clothing (wool or synthetic recommended)
- Camp clothing such as shorts, shirt, sandals and bathing suit (weather dependent)
- Headlamp or flashlight and extra batteries
- Sunscreen, sunglasses and hat
- Insect repellent and mosquito headnet
- Personal items such as medication, hand sanitizer and toiletries
- First aid kit
- Lunch and snacks for Day 1
Trail Work Gear
- Boots (already broken in)
- Long pants
- Work gloves (one or two pairs)
- Long-sleeved shirt recommended
- Eye protection recommended (glasses, sunglasses or safety glasses)
- Bandannas recommended (for hot or dusty conditions)
- Day pack recommended (or use your backpack)
- WTA hard hat (provided at the trailhead, unless you already have one)
Additional Optional Items
- Camp chair
- Sit pad for lunch at the work site
- Camera
- Books, cards or other items for your free time
More Info
Please check your gear at least four weeks in advance so that you can make any needed repairs or replacements.
Your crew leader will be happy to advise you with packing recommendations prior to your trip. If your trip has a backcountry basecamp, you may find additional suggestions on WTA’s backpacking planning page.