Campers

What do I need for my canoe trip?

While numbers differ for every age group, please ensure that your child is equipped with all of the necessary “hard goods” prior to the summer. By investing in these staple items your child will be warm, dry, and comfortable.

General

• Rain Jacket
• Dry Bag (we recommend the 30L MEC brand dry bag or any other rubber alternative (as opposed to nylon or other fabrics)… they are inexpensive, and siblings can share since they won’t be going on trip at the same time. One important thing to keep in mind is that the dry bag must fit your camper’s sleeping bag as well as their clothing for the entire canoe trip)
• Wet Shoes (an old pair of running shoes/hiking boots to wear during the day… in most cases they get wet and muddy!)
• On site shoes (any shoes that have an ankle strap… we recommend Teevas, a second pair of running shoes, Crocs, etc. Absolutely NO flip-flops)
• Tooth Brush (campers’ will be thankful when you pack them an extra toothbrush for their canoe trip)

Night time:

• Sleeping Bag (this is another ‘sibling share’ item… investing in one good one will cost you around $150 at MEC and it will pack tight and keep them warm)
• 1 Hooded Sweatshirt or Fleece
• 1 pair of warm sweatpants
• T-shirt/Long sleeve
• Underwear
• Socks

Day time

• 1 Litre Water bottle (One with a loop that can be hooked onto a pack work best… that way nobody has to carry them across portages)
• 1 pair of shorts (boys can wear a bathing suit bottom, but quick dry bottoms for on top of a bathing suit are a good idea for the ladies)
• Bathing suit
• HAT! Every camper must wear a hat  all day, every day. No exceptions!
• T-shirt (NO tank tops!)
• Socks

Some important things to keep in mind

All of the preceding items (except for ‘General’ items) must fit comfortably into your camper’s dry bags. Clothing will most likely get dirty so we suggest sending old clothes! As with all items sent to camp, we don’t expect that these articles will be ruined, however they should be appropriate for the normal wear and tear of athletic play. We also recommend that you talk to your child about each item and make sure that they are aware of its purpose so that when they unpack at camp they keep everything organized in one spot.

Most of the gear listed above can be purchased from outfitters such as Tent City (in fact, Walden families who refer to Camp Walden while shopping at Tent City will receive 10% off of their purchase of any regular priced items).