UC Davis Northwestern California Field School

UC Davis Archaeological Field School

in Northwestern California

June 27- August 5, 2005

Below is a list of gear that you should have for field school. You could obviously spend hundreds of dollars on all of this stuff if you wanted to. If this is the only time that you will be using this stuff I recommend staying as cheap as you can. Beg, borrow or steal what you can and then purchase the other stuff. Remember that comfort is key in the field. If you are uncomfortable you are going to be miserable. There will be a lot of time in camp and on the weekends. Bring a book or 3 and other various things to do. Please don’t hesitate to ask if there is anything that is unclear here or you want further advice on what to get.

-Backpack or Duffle: This should be something that you don’t mind carrying 4 miles fully packed with all your stuff. I will be using a backpacking backpack but I wouldn’t buy one just for this unless you think you will use it in the future!
- Tent: Probably a 4 person tent is best, to give you room to move around a little. Cosco and Target both have pretty cheap tents ($60-$80). Don’t skimp too much on this, it is going to be your home for 6 weeks. A good rain fly will be key with the amount of moisture the coast gets.
- Ground Cloth for Tent: a tarp works fine, if you want to get fancy you can buy a “footprint” tarp for most middle to high-end tents.
- Sleeping Pad: Comfort is key, big air mattresses work well, single bed size is recommended so that more than just your pad can fit in the tent
- Sleeping Bag: You don’t need a super cold-weather one but make sure you have something that will keep you warm. Nighttime temperatures will likely be in the low 50s
- Pillow: Even though it’s bulky you can’t beat it for comfort!
- Flashlight or Head-lamp. Headlamps work best since they are hands free
- Mug: A good multiuse mug for hot and cold beverages
- 2 Water Bottles: Nalgene’s work best and come in so many pretty colors but anything that holds water and won’t break is fine.

Clothing
General Notes: When working on the coast layering is key. It is generally cold in the morning and warmer in the afternoon and evening. Be prepared for coastal weather including fog, sun, wind and rain. We will be unable to wash clothes for the 3 weeks except in the stream. I will likely bring 3 changes of field clothes (pants, shirts) and 2 changes of camp clothes. More underwear and socks is better…

Field Clothes:
- Pants: Old Blue Jeans work well. I’ve also worn old khakis in the field. If you are a gear-head the convertible pants/shorts that they sell at places like REI are pretty cool because they are perfect for changing temperatures and they are still warm
- Shirts: Old t-shirts that can be ruined work best, don’t count on being able to wear shirts you use in the field anywhere but the field (the dirt is pretty hard to get out, same goes for pants). As long as you keep it dry cotton t-shirts are fine (see socks).
- Socks: WOOL SOCKS!!!! It will likely be wet some portion of the time, cotton holds water and makes you cold. Wool wicks water away from you. You’ll be fine with 3 pairs of socks, you just have to wash them every couple days (like you would backpacking)
- Shoes: The jury is out on this one. I work in beat-up Tennis shoes (well actually indoor soccer shoes). Boots are fine and can keep your feet dry. The key is comfort, there is nothing worse than hurt feet. While working we will need to be wearing closed-toe shoes
- Hat: A hat of some sort will protect you from the wind and the sun. A bandana works well for this too. It will probably be too windy for straw hats, a good ball cap or floppy hat will work best.
- Top Layers: A good windbreaker which is nice and light will help out a lot. Fleece is light and warm and fairly cheap. Cotton Sweatshirts are fine too, just make sure you will be warm!
- Rain Gear: A good set of raingear is important if it rains. Any hardware store should have a 2 or 3 piece set of raingear for under $20. You may look like a fisherman but you will be toasty warm and dry when it rains. We may also use raingear if we wet-screen

Camp Clothing:
Bring a couple changes of clothes that will be comfortable when we are hanging out at camp after work. A warm sweatshirt or fleece and jacket are a good idea. A beanie or other warm cap is nice when it is cold. Think camping here.

Most of this stuff is optional. There is nothing like feeling well equipped in the field, though. Find a nifty way to label all your gear (a personal symbol you can write on it works well)

Required Gear:
- Pointed Trowel: A Marshaltown size 5 trowel is the standard model people go for. Look for it with masonry equipment at a hardware store, NOT in garden supplies.
- 5m Metric Tape: Make sure it is Metric! Its okay if it has standard and metric but we’re doing science so no standard!
-Line Level: Plastic is fine, should cost about $2, most are red or black.
- Paint Brush: Nice to have at least one, go cheap here, it doesn’t matter what quality
- A Field Bag: People do different things here, an electrician’s bag if you want to be fancy, an ammo box from an army surplus store works well too. Just make sure you have something that you can put all of your stuff in.
- A Lunch Box or Bag: Have something reusable so that we minimize trash.
- Sharpie Pen: Black, fine point
- Pencils and Pens: Bring lots of cheap ones, they get lost
- A bound field journal: The 6x8inch ones with the black and white cover that most school bookstores sell is fine.
- Leather Gloves

Optional but recommended Gear:
- Flat-nosed Trowel: Great for edging, if you are going to get one optional piece of equipment get this.
- Metric Folding Ruler: Also great, be wary of most folding rules, they are standard but look metric. Ask before you buy it if it is truly metric.
- Toothbrush: Great for cleaning off artifacts
- Compass: If you are going to buy a compass make sure it is declination adjustable. If it is not you are out of luck. A good Silva compass it the best.
- Clipboard

- Water Filter: If you have one bring it, it will help us out with getting drinkable water quickly.
- Sunglasses
- Sunscreen
- Swimsuit
-Towel
- Camp Chair
- Bug Spray
- Sandals or Flip Flops
- Personal Medications
- Personal Toiletries
- Cooler for the last portion of the field season
- Cards or other games
- CD Player or other personal music listening device
- Batteries for everything
- Books to Read
- Gum / Candy / Snack you really like for personal consumption
- Earplugs