For personal gear, I would recommend a hat, sunscreen, a thin long sleeve shirt, a light daypack, water bottle, Tech-nu (if you are allergic to poison ivy/oak), maybe a small lunch cooler (if you are going to be near the trucks during lunch), and a small swiss army/leatherman type knife.

For field gear for a Phase I (which may be provided by the company you are working with), I always carry a clipboard/field notebook, Sharpies, mechanical pencils and lead, small metric tape measure, compass, trowel, and flagging tape.

One other tip, if you are walking/hiking long distances with a camera and/or gps receiver (or any other electronic device) be sure to take some extra batteries- it can sometimes be a long walk back to the truck!!!

Have Fun!!

Thanks, WAarch, for replying; very helpful, especially since the crew chief suggested almost the exact same thing..trowel, bugspray, clipboard,mechanical pencils, compass, etc. I'm leaving tomorrow (sunday 4/22). I'm looking forward to getting back in the field after all these years. Thanks again!

Maybe also a 2nd pair of boots (unless your main pair is absolutely waterproof).

Also, you might want to think about bringing along items that might make living in the hotel a little easier to take. This could include things like a hot plate, coffee pot, mp3 player, cell phone or calling card, books to read, or whatever little bit of home you might find comforting to have on the road.

If you know what town you're going to, it might be helpful to print out an area map from the net before you leave. I liked to do this sometimes to see what was in walking distance of the hotel (if I knew where we'd be staying), as well as to pin down the location of the nearest public library, parks, or other points of interest.

Good luck with the project,

I've been a hiker for pretty much the majority of my life. I've noticed that there is some hiking gear that can make life on the road much easier. A hot plate could be replaced by a small hike stove and pot. I use a folding solar panel (5 watt output, weighs about 6-8 oz.) on longer trips to charge my PocketPC (Dell Axim 51v) and my phone. If I carried GPS, it would charge that as well. BTW, the PC carries field notes, books, manuals, movies, games -- all kinds of helpful things (there is even a drop-in GPS expansion for this model). Plus, it's wireless, so if you were able to get to a hot spot, you could upload your field data back "home".

I've been thinking a lot lately about how there is "crossover" items from backpacking that could be used out on the dig site. Camelbacks are real handy for a quick sip of liquid while working.

Tons of sunscreen. All of your field clothes should be long pants and long sleeved shirts--no shorts or short sleeves. Wide brimmed hats.

Prolonged exposure to the sun can cause skin cancer, despite the great tan, and it will age your skin.

Skin cancer can kill you, so cover up and protect yourself.

"All of your field clothes should be long pants and long sleeved shirts--no shorts or short sleeves."

Perhaps some convertible pants?

I'm also putting together some items for field school this summer. Just as an side (just curious), how many archaeologists use metal detectors? I know that there are limitations of the equipment (and limited situations in which you would employ the use of one). In my area there is a lot of urban archaeology going on, but I don't recall our professor saying anything about their use.

[quote:="rtx2"]"All of your field clothes should be long pants and long sleeved shirts--no shorts or short sleeves."

Perhaps some convertible pants?

I'm also putting together some items for field school this summer. Just as an side (just curious), how many archaeologists use metal detectors? I know that there are limitations of the equipment (and limited situations in which you would employ the use of one). In my area there is a lot of urban archaeology going on, but I don't recall our professor saying anything about their use.

Metal detectors certainly have their place on historic sites. I know they were used on the Red River Battle sites in the Texas panhandle to identify firing locations. By finding and then mapping the location of the spent cartridges they were able to demonstrate how the army was positioned during the battle. My company used them on another battlefield site in Texas. I have also used them on historic sitesin Arkansas. Generally, I see people follow up on positive results with shovel testing. It is just another form of remote sensing. But, as with any techonlogy, you need to know its limitations and apply it in a manner that will meet the conditions of your research design.

I'm doing some field work in the tropics this summer, does anyone have any good tips that help beat the heat....or tips for extreme hot weather and high humidity in general. I've got the general basics covered (wide brim hat, long sleeved shirts etc), but I know there are some things you just know from experience (and I have none).

all I know is from basically being active in the south is you better drink a ton of water, at least 2 liters worth and you should be good to go. I think you just become adjusted to the weather more than anything.

Try:

rei.com

campmor.com

sierratradingpost.com

All good sites for active wear, packs, etc. They also have good deals on all kinds of clothing. As a hiking rule, cottons are worthless, but I don't know how it performs out at the dig site.

cotton is fine unless you can spend the few extra dollars to get some nice synthetic fabrics like the cool max type stuff, although this stuff is coming down in price. In hot weather, both humid and dry, I find that a nice thin long sleeve cotton button up over a thin cotton tank (like a cheap Hanes A-shirt) helps to keep you cool rather than wearing either exclusively. I would imagine some of these new cool max underarmor type shirts would be pretty similar in that regard. Seems to me that you would want an undershirt that wicks away perspiration and an outer shirt that dries quickly. That way you stay relatively comfortable, but keep you evapotranspiration at a nice pace.

At some point though, it is too hot and humid that your clothes really aren't going to make the difference. The nice thing about investing in synthetics is that they also translate well into the cooler months when you will be wearing heavier clothes over them, in which case "cotton is death" as many mountain hikers will tell you.

Thanks for the tips...I've heard the "cotton is death" thing before, I found coolmax products to be a good substitute.

I'm still not sure on jeans though, I've seen so many pictures of people in the tropics digging in jeans....this must be hot, and if not hot then they would suck to get wet and hard to dry in the high humidity.

I have never liked digging in jeans, but they are fine I guess. I typically wear military utility trousers (camo pants). These are available in all sorts of colors and patterns now so you don't have to go with camouflage. Things I like about utility trousers:

*thin and comfortable-there are usually two "weights" of utility trousers, summer and winter. You can tell the summer trousers if you can see the ripstop grid in the fabric.

*ripstop fabric-you're gonna tear you pants and ripstop helps keep it to a minimum. Whether it is barbed wire, greenbriar, skinning your knee, etc. this helps with the life of the pants.

*cargo pockets-I carry 90% of the things I need on survey in cargo pockets... compass, notebook, tape, flagging tape, etc. are all right there and easy to access.

*button down pockets-rear poskets and cargo pockets all button closed with less risk of losing your wallet, cell phone, keys, etc. in the field.

*adjustable waist- the old waist size fluctuates from time to time, so yeah they have those :oops:

*quick drying-I like to trudge through creeks, or get soaked in a field of tall grass full of early morning dew. The pants will dry more quickly than jeans.

I personally like taking a good hat, a decent bottle of water (http://www.nalgene-outdoor.com/), and like the previous poster, a strong pair of cargo pants. Call me old fashioned but a Kendle Mint Cake or bag of Gorp still goes down well :)