Necessary Equipment

To ensure that your stay in Siberia is not complicated by easily avoidable daily inconveniences, we advise you to thoroughly read the paragraphs below and to follow our recommendations.  These suggestions come from three years of experience, and include feedback from former volunteers, suggestions from the volunteer questionnaires, and personal field experiences of the GBT team.

First, we’d like to direct your attention to the list of necessary items.  Their absence will considerably complicate, or even make impossible, your participation in the GBT projects (see List 1).

The second list consists of items that are not absolutely necessary, but will make your life in a GBT camp much easier  (see List 2).

Finally, we have developed our own “GBT entertainment program” for the volunteer camps.  The items on the third list will help us make it even more entertaining!  (see List 3).

List 1

We placed the backpack first on purpose, since your comfort level during the project will very much depend on its quality.  Even if you are used to traveling only with a suitcase, you will need a backpack for this trip.  You can come to Irkutsk or Ulan-Ude with a suitcase, but you will have to leave it there, either at a luggage storage room or at a hostel.  A backpack will allow you to comfortably carry your possessions over large distances while crossing various kinds of terrain.  Also, on certain GBT projects volunteers move on foot every day, carrying all of their personal belongings with them.  It would be impossible to take part in these projects without a backpack.

Think about the size and the type of a backpack that will be most comfortable for you.  A 90-liter volume backpack will most likely be plenty; however, make sure that it is at least 60 liters in volume.  It should have a waist belt and, if possible, adjustable carrying positions.  Additional side pockets are not necessary but are highly useful features.  Please check if your backpack is waterproof - if not, we recommend bringing a special rain cover for it. 

 The next important item is the sleeping pad.  A sleeping pad is an indispensable item in Siberia.  Because of nearby permafrost, even during the hottest time of the year the surface layers of soil around Baikal do not warm up sufficiently. If you sleep without a sleeping pad on bare soil, you will not only get a cold but also risk getting hypothermia, which has severe health consequences.  To sum up, you will definitely need a sleeping pad!  They are commonly made from foam rubber materials with thermo-insulating characteristics.  Since sleeping pads come in different sizes and are of different thickness, choose one that appeals to you most (a thicker sleeping pad will be softer, while a thinner one will be lighter…).  

We hope it’s not necessary to explain why you need a sleeping bag.  However, make sure that it is NOT stuffed with down feathers.  This type of sleeping bag is very useful for winter camping or for extreme alpinism, but not for camping on Baikal in the summer months.  During rainy or humid weather (in the morning and evening) down will absorb moisture even if the sleeping bag is in a closed tent, and will lose its thermo-insulating properties.  If the weather is bad for a few days, you will not be able to dry out your sleeping bag.  Moist down feathers will start rotting and will smell.  Therefore, buy a synthetic sleeping bag.  It will keep its thermo-insulating characteristics even when wet.  

Generally, a sleeping bag is rated for two temperature regimes - “comfort” and “extreme.”  Even in the summer the temperature around Baikal can drop rapidly (especially at night), and we recommend getting a sleeping bag with a temperature regime ranging from “comfort” of 0°C (32°F) to “extreme” of -8 to -10°C (12-15°F).  The sleeping bag will weigh approximately 1-1.5 kilograms (2-3.5 pounds).

Proper footwear is another essential item.  The comfort of your feet will determine your mood during the project.  Poor footwear will mess up your feet  and completely spoil your work and leisure time, so choose carefully.  One pair of footwear is not enough.  First, you will need trekking/hiking boots for working on the trail.  They should have a thick sole (to protect your feet from sharp rocks and stones), good shock-absorbance qualities, and be sufficiently elastic (for guaranteed comfort on longer walks).  Furthermore, the boots should stabilize your ankles, which is essential for walking on rough terrain.  We recommend getting boots with tips that are covered with rubber or other strong plastic material, to protect your feet from physical injuries and moisture.

You will also need a second pair of footwear (such as sneakers or sandals) to wear after work around the camp site.  One important advice: your footwear should not be brand new.  Go for some preliminary walks in your boots to break them in and let your feet get used to them.

If you will have free time to shop in Irkutsk or Ulan-Ude before the start of your project, you don’t need to bring personal dishware (cup, bowl, spoon and knife) from home.  However, many settlements nearby our project sites lack stores that sell dishware, so you must have a dishware set in your backpack when you leave for the project site.

You will definitely need toiletries (toothbrush, toothpaste, towel etc.) during the project (unless you are planning on turning into a real mountain man/woman… but your fellow volunteers may not appreciate it!).   

It’s absolutely necessary to bring waterproof and warm clothes (raincoat or waterproof jacket, warm pullover and trousers, and a wool hat) since the weather on Baikal often turns cold and rainy, especially in August.  In the summer, the weather on and around Baikal is characterized by hot and sunny days and very cool nights.  The temperature usually drops to its lowest at sunrise, which is also the time when meadow dew can easily turn into frost.  Some of the GBT project sites are accessible only by boat, and it will be cold and windy on board.  Therefore, even though you may luck out with the weather during your project, warm travel clothes are indispensable items for your travels through Siberia, and we highly recommend bringing them.

Personal first aid kit. All of our camps are equipped with a universal first aid kit, which includes medications for poisoning, allergic reactions, minor injuries, the common cold, and certain other common diseases.  Upon request, we can send you a detailed list of all the drugs contained in our first aid kit.  Importantly, if you have a chronic disease and/or need to regularly take certain medications, you must consult with the project coordinator well in advance of the project start date.  Don’t forget that you will need to bring the required medications with you.  Finally, if you prefer medicine from your home country, you are more than welcome to create and bring along your own personal first aid kit.

The sun is very strong in Siberia, especially around Lake Baikal.  On sunny days the rays (increased by reflecting on the water) can seriously damage your eyes and unprotected skin.  To avoid injury, you will definitely need sunscreen, a cap or wide-brimmed hat, and sunglasses with UV/UB protection.

GBT will provide each volunteer with one pair of work gloves (“one size fits all,” relatively thin) for the project.  However, a second pair of gloves can be very useful because the first pair may get lost or torn, or may not fit your hands properly.

Safety glasses are required only under certain specific work conditions, such as when team leaders operate chain saws.  However, safety glasses may be useful for protecting your eyes from stones and sawdust while working with various tools.  Please consult with your project coordinator in advance to find out what kind of work will be performed in your camp and whether you will need safety glasses.  They should have transparent, colorless lenses, and should fit your face tightly.

During most projects the camp participants sleep in tents.  The GBT provides enough tents (designed to sleep two people) for all volunteers, as well as one spare tent for food storage.  However, if you prefer to sleep alone, you should bring your own tent.  Furthermore, a personal tent would make sense if you are taller than 180 centimeters (6 feet), since that’s the length limit of the GBT tents.

A flashlight is a very useful item since it will be your only source of light in the tent and outside at night.  Head flashlights are super useful because they free up your hands.

You will find uses for a pocket knife, a multifunctional toolkit and a travel sewing set, not only during the project, but also during your entire trip through Siberia (for example, you will be able to sew a button back on or to open a can of food at any given moment).

Some people consider rubber boots to be the best footwear for trail work and swampy terrain.  If you are sure that your hiking boots repel water, you won’t need rubber boots; however, after several rainy days, when everything is wet and soggy, rubber boots can become the coziest place in the entire camp for your feet…

The GBT first aid kit includes mosquito and tick repellent sprays that can be applied to clothes ONLY.  If you prefer repellents that can be sprayed directly on the skin, you should bring them yourself.

Biodegradable soap and shampoo are not available in Siberia, unfortunately, and  we don’t usually have them on our projects.  Therefore, if it’s possible to buy such soap in your home country, definitely do so.  By bringing it to your GBT camp you will help preserve pristine waters of Baikal!

Water filters. It is said that the water of Lake Baikal and its tributaries is among the cleanest in the world.   It is definitely suitable for drinking.  All that aside, you should be aware that bacteria in Baikal water may be different from the ones your body is used to.  First, each person has his own internal microflora and different immunities against foreign bacteria.  Second, everyone’s immunity depends on their daily living conditions and their environment, which can differ from one continent to another.  Local Siberians can easily drink untreated water from open bodies of water.  However, our experiences from the previous summer camps show that participants from North America and Australia tend to have the most intense reaction to untreated Siberian water.  Most Europeans, on the other hand, drink the water straight from the rivers and streams without experiencing any problems.  If you want to drink untreated water, we recommend bringing a water filter to the camp.  However, it is not necessary to filter water if you will be boiling it for tea, coffee or soup.

After work there is no better way to relax than taking a sun-bath on the beach and going for a swim. Therefore, don’t forget to pack your swimsuits!

For each project, our interpreters and team leaders develop an entertainment program that includes different games and competitions (everyday friendly socializing is the most important thing, of course).

The items on the third list are not vital, but they will create many pleasant moments for your GBT group.  Your favorite childhood game or a story about a funny event from your life will make evenings by the campfire more fun, help informal socializing and bring the group together.  Furthermore, sweets or typical (tasty) food from your home country are always welcome and will be appreciated by the whole group.