Gear and Equipment

You will find a packing list that is specific to your HIOBS course on your Course Page. Your Course Advisor will have sent you a link in your Welcome Email, or you can find it here.

Bringing the required clothing on your course is crucial to being prepared for ALL the weather conditions you may encounter.

On expedition, you carry a lot less than when you travel in the regular world. The items included on your packing list are designed to keep you warm if it is cold or wet and be flexible enough to allow you to pack away items if it is hot.

Please bring everything on the list.

Sizing & Layering

Packing several light layers rather than fewer heavier layers allows you more flexibility as the weather and workloads change. Inner layers should fit closely, middle layers should fit loosely and outer layers should be just a little bit baggy. When shopping or packing, it is a good idea to try on your layers together.

Packing

Before your expedition, your instructors will check your gear; they will assess your clothing with the actual route and the anticipated weather in mind. Items you don’t take on your expedition will be stored safely at the base camp. We suggest leaving the tags on any items you purchase in case you don’t actually pack them for expedition, but please note that you should check with each store to see what their return policies are. 

If there are items that you would like to bring but which are not mentioned on your list, feel free to ask your course advisor or email [email protected].

The clothing and equipment we require is widely available in many places. Specialty outdoor stores such as L.L.Bean, REI, Campmor and Eastern Mountain Sports will have a range of appropriate items to choose from. Discount retailers, like Sierra Trading Post and the REI Garage often have good prices on name-brand gear and clothing. You may also locate many first-quality clothing and equipment items at military surplus stores and area consignment stores and thrift stores, such as Goodwill and The Salvation Army. 

The HIOBS website has some great items, which you will find hyper-linked within your packing list. A complete collection of HIOBS-recommended-for-course items can be found HERE.

Outward Bound Provides

Please note that Outward Bound provides all other equipment, including (but not limited to) sleeping bags & pads, backpacks or duffel bags, dry bags, lifejacket (Personal Flotation Device), and foul weather gear. There are no additional fees for the use of our equipment.

Tick and mosquito-borne diseases are an increasing risk of traveling in the wild regions of the Americas, including our course areas in Maine, New Hampshire, Florida, the Bahamas, Brazil, and Costa Rica. Fortunately, there are prevention steps that are very effective and, in most cases, treatment is relatively simple and recovery complete, so long as the diagnosis is made early. Students and their families should educate themselves on the risks, prevention measures, and signs and symptoms of tick-borne illnesses.  Since prevention is always better than treatment, we STRONGLY recommend pre-treating your footwear, long pants, long-sleeve shirts, jackets, and hats with a chemical barrier containing permethrin, at least two days before traveling to your course. Applied correctly and allowed to dry before wearing, the treatment remains effective for up to a month. 

For even longer-lasting protection, you can either purchase clothing with permethrin embedded within it, or send your clothes to Insect Shield®, who will treat them and ship them back to you, ready for your course. Use the Coupon Code “HIOBS” to receive a 15% discount on both clothing and treatment services at this website (please note that you need to use the coupon separately for products/ service).

Permethrin spray is readily available at many retailers, including: Dick's Sporting Goods, Campmor, and Walgreen's. 

For more information, please download our Vector-Borne Disease General Fact Sheet.