Packing List
With whale camp on the bluff, just a few feet from the water, the oceans influence is great. There are impressive daily tidal and wind-shift patterns (offshore breezes in the mornings and onshore in the afternoons and evenings). Land temperatures vary twenty to thirty degrees, from the low 50s F. at night to the mid 80s at midday - this is the desert. Mornings and evenings are a bit chilly and moist. The wind is a constant factor; an average temperature of 80 F. with wind off the water will feel like 70 F.
Suggested Personal Items List - From Baja Discovery
The items in dark blue are from the Baja Discovery packet that you will be receiving in the mail. The light blue items are notes from Joyce.
CLOTHING:
- Wide brimmed hat (baseball caps are fine). Be sure that you can tie your hat down; between the wind and the whales, loss can be great.
- Waterproof windbreaker with a hood and pockets (big enough to quickly stuff your camera next to your body for sudden whale spouts!). I stuff my camera in my pack; the life vest makes it hard to reach my pockets.
- An inexpensive top and bottom thin plastic rain suit (just in case it rains)...this could also serve as the windbreaker listed above. We pack the windbreaker and rain pants that we have had for years. I wear the pants in the boats just to keep me dry.
- Warm jacket, or a combination of a wool sweater with a down vest. I pack a lightweight sweater, fleece vest and a lined flannel shirt. I also wear my windbreaker plus other items listed below.
- Two warm long-sleeved shirts. I take one cotton turtleneck and one silk turtleneck (silk takes almost no room and is light weight).
- Light airy long-sleeved shirt. I wear this in the boat, but make sure you can push your sleeves up. I spend a lot of time splashing in the water, trying to coax the whales to come visit.
- Top and bottom underclothes and socks. I bring an extra pair of sock - socks just get wet on the point.
- Two pairs of jeans and/or sweatpants. We bring one pair of jeans (great for around camp in the evening) and one pair of lighter weight pants that I can roll up past my knees. I guess my calves are too big to roll up my jeans.
- One or two pairs of shorts. See Joyce's note about this on the TRAVEL DAY page. Bob doesn't bring shorts.
- One pairs of shoes. Tennis shoes work great for everything. We wear a pair of tennis shoes
- Sandals / beach shoes / surf walkers as your boat shoes. We take a pair of "surf walkers" like those found at Boaters World.
- A set of comfortable, casual clothes for air travel. There is a note about this on the TRAVEL DAY page.
- A towel and two washcloths.
- A pair of gloves. I know - cold hands warm heart, but they do feel good.
- A fleece headband. See below.
- A neck scarf. Fleece, wool or other material. My ears get cold at night and this really helps.
- One to two short sleeve T-shirts
- Thermal underwear. I like silk long johns; Bob prefers polyester. You can use them to sleep in if you are cold and in the evening under your jeans.
Below Bob models his wind/rain jacket, rain pants and surf walkers. This was after the worst rainstorm on record at the lagoon.
Amanda show off her inexpensive top and bottom thin plastic rain suit. She wore it to get from our tent to the dining tent and never again. Coated windbreaker and pants may be better. (Same rainstorm).
NON-CLOTHING ITEMS:
- Flashlight with extra batteries - Very important. You will need for walking at night.
- Sunglasses (polarized are recommended and a neck strap.
- Sunscreen and sunscreen chap stick (15 rating or better).
- Biodegradable soap for body (PHOSPHATE FREE). George is researching soap for us; it may not be necessary for each of us to bring this.
- Kleenex and Wash 'N' Drys. I also like hankies.
- Skin cream
- Prescriptions (KEEP PRESCRIPTION DRUGS IN THEIR ORIGINAL PRESCRIPTION LABELED CONTAINERS TO GET THROUGH CUSTOMS EASILY).
- A small canteen or water bottle.
- A fanny pack (or small frameless day pack). We like those waterproof bags they use in rafting with some extra padding. My bag usually ends up in the bottom of the boat and it gets wet and pushed around.
- Binoculars will come in handy when on land (but not on moving boats).
CAMERAS AND FILM
I will let you read the recommendations from Baja Discovery. If you do bring a camera bring along something to wipe it off with. I have made chamois covers for our cameras and we carry small terry towels (they are really rags).
JOYCE'S PACKING TIPS
- I prefer the soft-sided duffel bag with a large zipper opening on the top (in a big U-shape) or a small soft sided suitcase.
- I pack things in large zip lock bags. I use everything from 1 quart to 2-gallon size bags. I try to press the air out of the bags before I seal them that way things mush down nicely. This way you can rummage through the pack without unfolding everything. I might pack shirts in one bag, pants in another, etc. I tend to let the dirty cloths be loose and sink to the bottom of the pack.
- Don't forget, we will be leaving bags at the hotel that have our "city clothes" in them, plus things like hair dryers.
- Prescription drugs are in their labeled container and in one zip lock bag. That way if it is checked the agent can just look at the labels without opening the zip lock bag.
