What to Bring
Below you’ll find a list of personal camping gear as well as communal and fun stuff to bring. We will camp relatively close to our cars, but be prepared to carry your things a short distance.
It’s a good idea to label your gear with your name, since many people have similar looking items, and we always have a big lost and found pile at the end. Click here for a printable version.
Packing List
Essential Items:
- Your own plate, bowl, mug, wine cup, napkin, and utensils
- Picnic Foods for lunches (see below)
- 2 1 liter water bottles to fill up
- Your lunch food (see ideas on our website)
Optional Items You Might Not Have Thought Of:
- Something to read
- A journal to write or draw in
- Camera
- A pillow
- A camping chair
- Yoga mat
- A solar shower (please bring your own water if you are bringing a solar shower)
- Sandals
Optional Ritual Items:
- Your siddur if you use one
- Objects that have special meaning for you to place on the main mizbeach (altar)
- Musical instruments/drums
- Stories, songs and poems for around the fire
Communal Items:
- Decorations for the Tent of Meeting and other spaces – tapestries, rugs, pillows, pretty things that hang, flags, etc.
- Food from your fruit tree or garden to share
- Anything else you’d like to offer the group
Personal and Camping Gear:
- Warm Jacket
- Fleece or Sweater (not cotton)
- Thermal underwear (not cotton)
- Warm socks (not cotton)
- Hiking boots or shoes
- Comfortable shoes
- Short-sleeved shirts (at least one not cotton)
- Long-sleeved shirt
- Long pants
- Comfy, warm clothes to sleep in
- Comfy, loose clothes to lounge in
- Rain pants
- Rain jacket with hood
- Sunglasses
- Sun hat
- Underwear
- Gloves (not cotton)
- Winter hat and scarf
- Bandana or kerchief
- Sleeping bag (rated 20 degrees or below)
- Sleeping pad (thermarest, ensulite, or other)
- Tent, ground cover, and rain fly
- Stakes and hammer to stake down your tent (trust us)
- Sunscreen
- Lip balm with SPF
- Pocket knife or multi-tool
- Toothbrush, toothpaste, soap, etc.
- Flashlight and/or headlamp and extra batteries
- Any medications you need
- Small daypack
- Plastic/paper bags to pack out your personal garbage
- Alcohol based hand sanitizer
- Personal first aid kit (band-aids, pain reliever, Neosporin, aloe vera, stuff for blisters, etc)
- Bathing suit and towel for river hike
Suggestions For Picnic Lunches:
Below are some suggested items you can bring for picnic lunches. Our snack table will always be open as well, with fresh fruit and maztah, nut butters and other snacks, and we will serve a hearty breakfast and dinner each day. Remember, most people eat way less in the desert heat, so you probably need less than you think. If you’d like to cook, feel free to bring a small stove, but we don’t feel it’s necessary.
All food served by Wilderness Torah is kosher and kosher for Passover.
While we invite you to be in the Passover spirit, the food you bring does not need to be kosher since it will not be stored in the kitchen, and you will use your personal dishes. There will be a shaded area for you to store your food. Please be sure that it is in an animal proof container such as a cooler. We have a separate dish washing area for the Wilderness Torah kitchen for those who would like to wash their dishes in a kosher kitchen.
Lunch ideas that require no refrigeration:
- Cans of salmon (wild caught), tuna or dried salmon
- Cheese (most hard cheeses are fine for a few days)
- Dried meats/fish
- Fruit/veggies that don’t go bad quickly like oranges, apples, bananas, carrots
- Nuts, seeds, and dried fruits
- Energy bars, fruit strips, and/or granola type bars
- Anything canned (don’t forget a can opener)
Why not cotton? Wet or damp cotton is associated with hypothermia – it continually wicks heat away from the body. Other fibers, such as wool and synthetic fleece insulate even if they’re damp or wet, and are therefore preferred for outdoor recreation and especially wilderness use. However, loose cotton clothes (old school desert attire) are great for lounging around camp.
