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What to Bring

Clothing List

- sun hat/ball cap

- bathing suit

- short sleeve shirts (2-3 pairs)

- non-cotton, long sleeve field shirts (2-3 pairs)

- durable field pants (2-3 pairs)

- shorts (1-2 pairs)

- socks and underwear (5-6 pairs of each)

- a warm base layer

- rain pants

- poncho or rain jacket

- a fleece or sweatshirt

- sneakers and/or sandals

We suggest bringing enough clothes for about a week of field work and a couple sets of clean clothes for town. We wash everything by hand at Sumak, and you are welcome to wash your clothes several times a week if need be. However, you should expect to get dirty everyday and reuse dirty clothes (It’s not that bad!!). Daytime temperatures average around 20°-25°C (low to mid 70s fahrenheit) and night time temps often drop to around 15°-17°C (upper 50s low 60’s fahrenheit). If you get cold easily please pack accordingly! Above are our recommendations for what to bring.

Heavy and persistent rains, which are common at SKIS, will soak through rain jackets quickly. In many cases it can be useful to have both a poncho and rain jacket. Waterproof field packs, notebooks, and writing utensils are recommended. Hiking boots do not fair well in the muddy terrain in this region, therefore it is pretty much necessary to have rain boots. Rain boots cost $8-$10 in Ecuador, so we advise you purchase these once you arrive in the country. Sandals or lightweight sneakers make for good footwear around the station.

Bring computers at your own risk- we have observed a high death rate in computers due to the wet environment and high moisture content in the air. The same thing goes for other electronic devices, though computers seem to be more vulnerable. To help protect your electronics we suggest bringing a desiccant and waterproof container in which to store your devices.

Because of SKIS’ higher elevation, the bugs are not all that bad. We shy away from the use of bug spray, and encourage visitors to bring long sleeve clothing that covers most exposed areas.

Other Equipment

-headlamp

-eco friendly soap (such as Dr. Bronner's)

-sleeping bag and pad

-field pack

-field notebook

-writing utensils

-water containers for 2+ liters

-dry bag (or a few gallon ziplocks

-sunglasses and sunscreen

Optional

-pocket knife

-GPS

-hammock

-camera

-binoculars

-travel towel

-mosquito repellent

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