Multiple layers of clothing:
Good outdoor jacket
Fleece
Long underwear
Shorts
Light T-shirts
Good hiking socks
Sun hat
Cold weather hat
Rain gear
Sturdy hiking boots (not sneakers)
Gloves
Day back-pack
Multiple water bottles
Sunscreen
2 professional-quality field books (not looseleaf notebooks)
a package of graph paper
a field map board **
hand lens with lanyard
small set of binoculars (optional, but very useful)
small bottle of dilute hydrochloric acid
regular compass (we’ll provide you with a brunton compass)
colored pencils
fine-tipped (000) pens: black, blue, and red
protractor
ruler/straight edge
marking pens for labeling rocks in the field
white-out, and green correction fluid
a couple of mechanical pencils

** You will want a field map board so you can view your map while it is protected from rain, dust, and rocks. Most students use two pieces of plexiglas with duct-tape hinges. A couple of bicycle inner-tube strips or large rubber bands are a handy way to hold the map down on the map board. Our largest maps are about 14" X 11" and can be folded.

The University of Montana Geosciences Department provides Brunton compasses, stereoscopes, maps, air photos, GPS units, and necessary computer access.