Recommended Gear

Here you will find the outdoor gear recommended by your facilitator and families who have attended many nature meetups. If you aren’t already a part of the CT Homeschool Nature Meetups & Field Trips Facebook group, please join! There are a lot of discussions about favorite outdoor gear.

Brands we love & favorite pieces they offer:

check back often, as brands and gear recs will be added regularly

Oaki- one and two-piece rain suits, neoprene waders, neoprene rain/snow boots

BOGS- insulated 3 season boots (waterproof, great for rain and with wool socks in winter)

Reima- one and two-piece rain suits, snowsuits

Helly Hansen- two piece rain suit

Kuling- rain coveralls

Cuddl Duds- base layers

Hot Chilly’s- base layers and a fan favorite for wool socks (soft, not itchy)

Darn Tough- wool socks (lifetime guarantee)

turtlefur- hats, neck warmers, balaclavas

Osprey- Poco Plus child carrier

Deuter- Kid Comfort Pro child carrier

Kelty- Journey Perfectfit Child Carrier

Can’t go wrong with L.L. Bean, Columbia, Patagonia, North Face or Obermeyer for most snow gear (*these brands can be found at Sierra Trading for much less than regular retail price and I always recommend checking in local social media groups/Marketplace for discounted and often free or traded gear!)

DEET Free Bug/Tick Repellent Recommendations:

*We are unfortunately in a spot of the country where ticks run rampant, so while there are repellents we’ve found can help, the best thing is to do tick checks multiple times throughout your time outdoors, before getting in the car to go home, then again before bedtime.

*It also helps to wear long pants, and tall socks along with light colored clothing where ticks are easily visible and can be pulled off before biting.

Sawyer - Picardin Insect Repellent Lotion and their brand of permethrin formula spray or soak (for gear, socks or other clothing)

Badger - Anti-Bug Shake & Spray, DEET-Free Natural Bug Spray

Murphy’s Natural - Lemon Eucalyptus Oil Insect Repellent Spray

Ranger Ready - Picardin Insect Repellent Spray

*Products containing DEET also repel ticks, mosquitoes and biting flies