Outdoor Wisconsin Leadership Synergies (OWLS)
Suggested Clothing List
 

What to bring:

The OWLS program places an emphasis on conducting its education programs out-of-doors whenever possible.  OWLS follows an educational philosophy founded in the belief that the use of outdoor settings creates valuable learning opportunities and unique challenges that spark personal and group growth.  Therefore, there are times when programming will be conducted in rain, snow, heat or other similarly challenging conditions.  It is important to the success of your programs that all group members are prepared for whatever weather conditions might be present.  Individual participants will need to decide for themselves what clothing they will need in order to be comfortable since each of us respond to different weather conditions in our own unique way.  All clothing should be suitable for outdoor use, i.e. it should be durable, comfortable and may get dirty.  We suggest that you bring multiple layers of clothing so that you can adjust your clothing throughout your stay.  The following suggestions will be of use in your preparations.

Spring & Fall
Warm hat (wool, fleece or other synthetic)
Mittens or gloves
Long underwear (synthetic material - not cotton)
Long pants
Shorts
Warm socks (wool or synthetic - not cotton)
Lightweight socks (cotton)
Boots (waterproof or treated hiking or work boots)
Tennis shoes or lightweight hiking boots
T-shirts and long sleeved shirts
Warm sweater (wool, fleece or other synthetic - not cotton)
Jacket or nylon shell jacket
Rain gear (top and bottom)
Bug repellant (20-30% concentration of DEET), sunscreen, sunglasses, lightweight hat
Bathing suit, beach towel and water shoes (Lake Geneva has Zebra Muscles which have sharp shells)
Small backpack to carry your things
Water bottle

Summer
Shorts
Bathing suit, beach towel and water shoes (Lake Geneva has Zebra Muscles which have sharp shells)
T-shirts
Long pants
Long-sleeved shirts
Two pairs of tennis shoes or lightweight outdoor shoes (one pair that can get wet and/or dirty)
Warm sweater, sweat shirt or lightweight jacket
Socks
Rain gear
Bug repellant (20-30% concentration of DEET), sunscreen, sun glasses, and lightweight hat
Small backpack to carry your things
Water bottle 

Winter
Warm hat (wool, fleece or other synthetic)
One pair of warm mittens or gloves and one pair of lightweight liner gloves
Scarf
Long underwear tops and bottoms (synthetic material - not cotton)
Warm sweaters or shirts (wool, fleece or other synthetic material - not cotton)
Heavy parka or warm vest (fleece, fiberfill, or down) with a nylon shell parka to go over it
Wool or pile pants with nylon wind pants to go over them or insulated ski pants
Insulated, waterproof boots (pack boots with a removable liner work well but other insulated boots are suitable)
Hand and foot warmer packets (i.e. chemical heat packets are commonly found at sporting good stores, drug stores, Walmart, etc.)
Lip balm, sunscreen & sunglasses
Comfortable indoor clothing - pants, shirts & shoes
Small backpack to carry your things
Water bottle

What not to bring:

• Please do not bring good clothing that you would not want to get wet and/or dirty. 
• While participating in the OWLS program, you will be asked to remove all jewelry including      watches, braclets, necklaces, earrings and rings.  To insure that your jewelry doesn’t get misplaced we recommend that you leave it at home.
• Shared bath housing units are typically not locked.  We therefore recommend that you leave valuables at home.
• We ask that food not be brought into your housing.  Group leaders can order snacks through our    kitchen.
• Closed toe shoes (not sport sandals, flip flops) must be worn during all program activities.  If wearing sandals during travel, etc. also bring shoes to wear during program activities.
• Electronics (IPods/MP3s, etc.)