<p>having been shopping for DOC equipment (i;m leisurely hiking), i realized how expensive everything is! a frame pack ranges from $70-100+ and hiking boots are cheapest at $45. so the question at hand is for current dartmouth students and parents: is it worth it to invest in a good pair of hiking boots, an expensive frame pack and high-quality woolen clothing? will i ever use these things other than on the DOC trip?</p>
<p>IF you are not planning on using the equipment again, then the answer is no. Check through your paperwork as the DOC office once had packs/sleeping bags available for loan (call/e-mail the DOC office if you do not see it in your letter to see if this is still the case). </p>
<p>IF you can borrow this stuff form friends I would suggest doing so (with the exception of the fleece, D's stuff from the DOC trip is home collecting dust having never been used again)</p>
<p>Quick answer Xsam - no, don't invest in lots of expensive equipment for leisurely hiking. You may want to contact the DOC and confirm whether or not you are backpacking or just hiking. If you carry your stuff one time into a base camp, and then one time out, you can get by with different equipment than if you are actually backpacking even 5 or 6 miles, and weight becomes a real issue.
If you are just camping, then hiking out of camp, you may want to buy a sleeping bag and take some warm clothes. You can use the sleeping bag later in the dorm. D was camping on the river bank, so she would have been fine with a very standard sleeping bag (falling asleep on top of the bag, then crawling inside during the night) but if she had been backpacking in the mountains, she would have needed a warmer bag or warmer clothes and lightweight gear. If you are backpacking start asking around to borrow gear. The DOC will also be able to tell what temp your sleeping bag should be rated to. Take less stuff than you think you will need - you aren't going to change clothes much! Lots of socks, though.</p>
<p>check out ebay. i wasn't going to invest in a backpack for my son, but i checked ebay and they had quick a selection. i figure he will use it at least as an extra bag for flights home.</p>
<p>thanks for the good advice! i emailed the DOC office to ask to borrow a sleeping bag and frame pack, items i think i won't use again (i already have a cotton sleeping bag of my own). being a finaid student, i'm supposed to have priority so hopefully it'll work out. i also went on ebay and amazon to check out hiking boots and socks and will probably order from there. anyway, once again thanks for the good advice (especially sybbie - you always have the answers!)</p>
<p>From personal experience, I'd recommend checking out Campmor. Lots of brand-name sales and overstocks.</p>
<p>Here's the home page:</p>
<p>The next two items may not be exactly what you want -- but just an example of Campmor's prices on gear that might work for leisurely hiking:</p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>For the Leisurely Hiking trip, is it necessary to have hiking boots on the trip? And if anyone has been on the leisurely hiking trip, can he/she tell me if we stay in the same cabin for all 5 days, or do we actually have to backpack?</p>
<p>My D is signed up for the Leisurely Hiking trip. You'll be dropped off near your cabin and walk either a few steps or as much as mile to your cabin. You'll drop your big pack inside and be there for 2 nights. Bring a small day pack too cause you will do day hikes from the cabin but won't have to lug all your gear with you. Not having to hike far with all your gear on your back sounded good to my D. Hiking with just water and lunch in a small backpack sounded great! After 2 nights (you'll have spent the first night in a Dartmouth dorm) a van will pick you up and bring you to the big lodge for one night. My D bought hiking boots because the letter said to, but I won't be surprised to find out she makes do with sturdy sneakers.</p>
<p>D went on the leisurely hiking last year. For leisurely you are sleeping in a cabin. That is why D chose leisurely. So you just have to get to the cabin and then back to the van after a few days. They told me what someone else has already said, that they wouldn't be dropped off that far from the cabin. After talking to the DOC office I sent her with a small backpack so that she would have one to carry during the day, and a larger bag that she carried over her shoulder. She said they were dropped FAR from the cabin and it was a real trek to get the bag on her shoulder to the cabin. I'm not sure what we would have done differently because I would NOT have purchased, for any cost, a frame backpack. We had hiking boots and bought the heavier socks and she did not wear either; she wore sneakers and quarter socks the whole time. We already had a fairly warm sleeping bag from camp, and I did invest in the pad to put underneath which was very inexpensive and which she said made a big difference. The DOC office has pads that they can lend you as well. I think I paid under $20. We bought the plate, bowl and silverware they suggested as well as the large water bottle and she used them all year in her room. We also bought the fancy small flashlight which again she took to school in case of blackouts, which do happen. It does get pretty cold though, and the item she really used was a partial zip up thermal top (not thermal underwear, but something you wear over a t shirt). But the bottom line is that you should not invest a lot if it is leisurely hiking.</p>
<p>On the first day of the DOC trip, so the day that you spend in hanover, should I dress in the clothes I'm going to wear on the trip? </p>
<p>this is probably a really stupid question ;)</p>
<p>Dress in whatever makes you comfortable: jeans sneakers, etc. just go to weather.com to get a guage of the forecast for the next couple of days. Today it is 59 and overcast (so it will be chilly in the evenings).</p>
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should I dress in the clothes I'm going to wear on the trip?
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<p>by day 5 you will be all unwashed and smelly so it won't make a difference ;) have a great time.</p>
<p>if you're one of the lucky people who gets to move your stuff into your dorm before the DOC trip, then you have the luxury of changing when you drop your stuff in your room. Otherwise, you're going to have to wear some of what you are carrying for your trip. But you don't actually leave for your trip until the next morning so you can dress for the day/evening according to the weather and what you want to wear. Also, you take a swim test when you get to Dartmouth, so put your bathing suit and towel on top of the rest of your clothes.</p>