Tree-planting Gear Lists

When it comes to what to bring to camp, every planter is different. Obviously, there's the basics; a tent, a sleeping bag, some planting bags, a shovel, etc, but one person's essentials might be futile space waste to others.

Of course, you will have to consider your employer's requirements and make sure to bring every item on their mandatory list (specific equipment, protective gear, etc.), no matter how trivial you might think it is, and even if you heard comments from fellow planters about how you won't actually use the said items during the season. If you fail to bring the mandatory stuff, you might not be allowed to plant. Also, the area and type of land where you plant could have an influence on a few items that might come handy. Don't hesitate to ask your foreman/crewboss if you have any questions.

Then, you'll have to think about what might be essential to your comfort for the upcoming months in the bush (as a rookie, there will be hits and misses, your first day off will allow you to get most of the additional stuff you need) and, of course, about the packing space available. A simple rule of thumb, if you can't bring all your belongings by yourself in one trip over a short distance, you might have too much.

Treeplanting might be considered as environmentally friendly by many (whether it's the case or not is a different subject), but individual planters and treeplanting camps produce huge amounts of waste, including plenty of stuff that is left behind or ends up in a landfill when the contract ends. If some planters will start the season with an overabundance of personal items, others will simply accumulate things over time, buying (or finding...or stealing) articles varying from forgotten must-haves to trivial novelty items (among others, I've seen old bikes, sofas and a trift store three-piece suit...). A sign of our overconsumption or just a funny habit to collect silly stuff? Probably both.

So, as everybody's needs are different, and to offer a variety of choices, options and a slight idea of what you should be expected to bring, I browsed the web for many examples of gear lists. Up to you to find the one that suits you, mix them up or dress your own list.

-Tree-planter.com's list, available as a PDF document.

-Scooter's gear list at replant.ca.

-Nataram's equipment list.

-Bruin Reforestation's version of the list.

-Fellow planter and replant forum member Skibum's gear list, available as a google document.

-Greg Geir's 41 Things to Bring Planting, as featured in Tree Planting Online's gear section.

I'll post my own list shortly. It's basically the same, but I'm relatively minimalist and I'll justify my choices and provide notes on the utility (and actual necessity) of the items.

Ten (and a few more) Reasons To Hate Treeplanting

1) Your buddy, who went planting last summer, won't shut up about it!

2) You wonder what you're doing here while meeting fellow planters, first getting to camp, setting your tent and learning how to plant. Then, you regularly wonder what you are doing there for another month or two.

3) You start thinking about that girlfriend of yours, fucking other guys in Australia, while standing alone in an empty field, kilometers and days away from the closest mean of communication. Paranoia ensues.

4) You slept on the floor in your motel room because some dude felt asleep in yours, trying to hit on your roommate and another one lost her keys. You miss your tent.

5) You started shopping at Wal-Mart.

6) You brag about what you bought there.

7) There's not a lot of Belgians doing it.

8) You look, feel and smell like shit.

9) You had to wipe your ass with a leaf...to dire results.

9a) You fell in the same pond twice in one day.

9b) You don't remember what it feels like to be dry.

9c) You started considering that labour laws might only be a suggestion.

9d) You know every kind of pain, on every layer and any part of your body.

9e) Weather is your enemy, no matter what are the conditions. Wind, on the other hand, is okay.

10) You started to somewhat love treeplanting...and you won't shut up about it!

My shopping list for the upcoming season...

Here's the items I'll need for the season. Some are general treeplanting lifestyle articles, others are more specific to my duties as tree-runner.

-Boots (My suggestion: Try an army surplus)
-A new tent (Do not hesitate to spend some extra bucks on quality)
-A decent mattress (Had none last year and I didn't suffer, but then, I slept half the season in someone else's tent, with quite a comfy mattress...
-Sunglasses (Go for relatively cheap ones. Like everything else, you'll go through them...)
-Quad Goggles (Not quite a must-have, but it might be useful if your job involves a lot of quadding in dirt/rain/bugs, and it looks cool, or I'd like to think so)
-A new leatherman multi-purposes tool
-A new animal hat (A tradition)
-An iTrip for plugging the iPod in the truck (Highly helpful when driving long hours alone)
-Probably an extra pair of pants
-Work gloves
-Rain/Wind jacket
-Traction-aids (A big maybe, most won't fit or work for huge pick-up trucks, but if I find something good, it might potentially be a big time saver...)



I think that's about it. Will add stuff if it comes to mind...

The worst reasons for wanting to be a tree planter

Here's a few classical interview answers given by people who were NOT HIRED to plant trees, as seen on tree-planter.com. Enjoy and/or take notes!

Crazy Interview Question Answers

These are actual interview responses to that all important question, "Why do you want to go treeplanting?" Some of these are truly unbelievable! Needless to say, they likely did not get hired.

"I want to have the tree planting experience."
"I think it would be fun."
"I want to meet new people."
"I want to try it out and see if I like it."
"I like camping."
"I'm majoring in Forestry."
"I'm not going to make money, I'm going to fulfill some personal goals."
"I've never been to Northern Alberta/B.C."
"My girlfriend/boyfriend is going."
"I want to get out of Leduc."
"I want to save the environment."
"I want to break even and lose 10 pounds."

Sure, there are lots of great aspects to tree planting and the lifestyle that goes along with it, but if you are not prepared to thrive through the intense challenges of the job, you are going to hate treeplanting. Make sure you are going for the right reasons!

What are the Right Reasons?

"I need to make money for ____________". Now that one just might drive you to put an extra box or two in the ground each day. Or it could help you pick your butt up off the log at the cache when the weather gets crappy. Planters with a strong need or visualized dream are more likely to be consistent and hard working planters.

"I am very competitive and I have a strong desire to be one of the best in a tough industry where physical input and mental stamina will prevail." A good reason. I'd still like to see the need for cash.

There's a lot more of those gems at both the tree-planter.com website and the replant.ca message board (Links available in the sidebar)