what to bring when coming to wheaton labs

Food

If you are coming as a boot, we provide basic staples.  Mostly vegan, with some eggs and sometimes fish and cheese.   If you enjoy a richer diet, you might want to bring your favorite stuff.  We don't provide coffee, but we do provide tea - so if you are a coffee drinker you might want to get that.  

If you are coming to a workshop or event:  Some events are basically extensions of the bootcamp - so you get the same staples and you cook for yourself.  Some events might have somebody cooking food, which you can have - but it might not be what you are keen on.  

If you are coming as a SEPPER, Ant or deeproots, you generally provide your own food, but if you help in the bootcamp for half a day, you can join the boots for a meal.   If you help for a full day, you can join the boots for three meals.  

Reasons why you might want to bring a LOT of snacks:

402:  Maybe sometimes the food served is not the stuff you think is the tastiest.

403:  Sometimes the food served does not meet your dietary restrictions.

404:  Sometimes you like to eat your food at a time that is different than when the food is served.

405:  you like lots of tasty snacks between meals.

406:  you are socially awkward, but if you share snacks with others, you make "friends."  

407:  you have some sort of super cool food you would like other folks to try.

408:  you stopped by missoula and found some really cool stuff to try.  

408.1:  and for the other folks in class

409:  In the evenings, you like to spend a little time sitting around a campfire eating snacks

410:  You want to experiment with the many rocket cook stoves, TLUD cook stoves, solar ovens, etc.


maybe bringing something for the community pot:

507:  maybe you are bringing some beef, chicken, pork or cui you raised yourself!

508:  maybe you did a bit of a walkabout and scored a bunch of morel mushrooms, or other wildcrafted foods.

509:  maybe you were at the farmers market on the day off and you picked up a bunch of fun things to add to a meal

510:  maybe on the day off, you stopped by the good food store and thought "ham, everybody should have more ham."



Safety Gear

- safety glasses
- ear protection
- gloves
- water bottle
- small backback with a first aid kit
- good work boots


Tools

We will provide all the tools for all the tasks, but some people develop a deep relationship with their tools and like to bring their own.



Clothes

It can get cold in montana.  And we work outside.   The key to working outside when it is cold is layers.  Natural materials are best:  wool and silk.  Cotton is good for cooling.  In a cold climate, there is the expression "cotton kills", although many people seem to do just fine with a lot of cotton.


Tent and Sleeping bag and stuff

All boots will get a warm bunk in the winter.  And most boots are offered a bunk in the summer, but seem to prefer the privacy of a tent.  

We have a few tents, sleeping bags, pads and cots that people have donated over the years.  I think we could use a few more ...



Your junk is our treasure

Maybe you are driving here and have some stuff that didn't sell in your last yard sale.  You can drop it off here and we will try to put it to use.

- hand tools
- nuts, bolts, screws, doo-dads, wire, rope, hose clamps, washers, all thread, nails, doomaflotchies, hooks, pipe, hose, cotter pins, spring pins, zircs ...
- blankets and pillows
- broken (yet repairable) tools
- books (fiction and non-fiction)
- fishing gear
- bows, arrows, targets ...
- duct, stovepipe, brick (especially clay brick)
- metal barrels - espeically the ones that are smaller than 55 gallon.
- wood barrels, or even wood half barrels
- lumber (nothing with glue, like plywood, waferboard or particle board please)
- hardwood branches or logs for making handles or other projects
- lawn chairs
- tents
- sleeping bags
- wool: hats, socks, blankets, anything. Including raw wool
- steel scraps for welding bits and bobs (we have a welder and a plasma cutter)
- metal roofing
- cedar shakes
- bicycles and all sorts of bike parts/tools/baskets/racks/etc.
- plates, cups, utensils, knives ... all sorts of kitchen gear
- seeds and plants