Maine Coast Surf Equipment List
The Outing Club has a limited number of backpacks, sleeping bags, and sleeping pads for students to borrow. As such, we encourage bringing your own of these items, or borrowing from friends or family. If this is not possible please be in contact about borrowing these items before August 5th. Additional items will be available for purchase at the BOC upon arrival including wool socks, long underwear (tops and bottoms), headlamps, and water bottles; financial aid is available for those who qualify. If you have any questions about gear please contact bocOtrips@bowdoin.edu.
What to pack in: You may pack in anything that you’d like; a backpack is easiest to carry, but a duffel bag is perfectly acceptable. No wheeled luggage, please! You will want a small day pack to take with you during the day.
Essential Gear
Clothes
▢ 2 tee-shirts
▢ 2 pair of shorts
▢ 1 bathing suit/clothes to swim in
▢ 1 pair pants or leggings
▢ 2 wool or fleece sweaters, or 1 fleece and 1 lightweight puffy jacket
▢ **1 set (top & bottom) synthetic long underwear, such as polypropylene or capilene. Any types containing cotton are not acceptable. Cotton robs the body of essential heat when it is wet. One set will be for paddling in and the other for camping in.
▢ 1 wool or fleece hat
▢ 1 hat for sun and bug protection
▢ Underwear for 4 days
▢ *2 pairs wool or synthetic socks, 2 additional pairs
▢ Rain jacket
Gear
▢ *Sleeping bag (pack this inside a tough garbage bag inside its regular stuff sack to help ensure dryness. If you have a down sleeping bag it is essential that it is water tight - down loses all ability to keep you warm when it gets wet!!)
▢ *Sleeping pad (closed-cell pads or Therma-Rests® please, open cell foam pads act like sponges)
▢ Day pack (a small backpack or book bag is fine)
▢ 1 of each: cup, bowl, spoon (no glass)
▢ **2 water bottles (no glass)
▢ **Flashlight or headlamp and extra batteries
▢ Sunscreen
▢ Sunglasses
▢ Beach towel
▢ 2 garbage bags
▢ Toilet kit: its contents should be those things that you cannot live without (toothbrush, toothpaste, pads/tampons/menstrual cup, prescription medication, contacts and contact solution, etc.)
Optional Gear
▢ Surfboard - the Outing Club will provide surfboards, but if youh ave one and can bring it, feel free to do so
▢ Wetsuit - the Outing Club will provide wetsuits, but if you have one that you really like, bring it along.
▢ Camera (the Outing Club loves copies of good photos)
▢ Journal and pen/pencil
▢ Reading material (a small paperback)
▢ Beach toys – frisbees, sand castle building equipment, etc
*= Available to borrow from the Outing Club. Please request by August 5
**= Available to purchase from the Outing Club on arrival day.
Printable List (PDF)