Equipment

Essential Equipment

Whether it's a day trip deep into the forests or a brief excursion, we consider some pieces of equipment to be
essential:

Breathable Basket - Our choice is a plastic, grocery-type basket with many holes in it.  We selected a red basket so it's easy to spot if we forget where we set it down!  The holes allow air to freely circulate around the mushrooms, helping to keep them in prime condition.

Bear Repellent Spray - We always carry this in our basket, not knowing what animal we might encounter in the forest. 

Compass - We check our compass before entering an area, even a well known area, so that we always know how to come out of the area. 

Knife - Even if we don't intend to cut the mushrooms, we find that having a knife is handy.  For example, it can be used to scrap away debris, cut up an apple for a snack, etc.

Mushroom Diary - We keep detailed notes of what we picked, when and where in a loose-leaf, pocket size binder that allows us to arrange the pages in date order.  Being able to compare the forays from year to year is invaluable information for future outings, and enhances our knowledge of mushrooms!

Paper Bags - When we come upon an interesting mushroom that we don't recognize, it goes straight into the paper bag for immediate isolation and later identification.

Plastic Bags - Be a good citizen!  Pick up trash and carry it out of your gathering spots!

Whistle - Long before we acquired walkie talkies, whistles were our mode of communication.  One whistle meant:  where are you?  Two whistles meant:  let's go, I'm ready to try another spot.  And, three whistles meant:  come see what I found! 

Walkie Talkies - The whistles served us well for many years, and we still use them for backup when batteries start to fail.   Walkie talkies, of course, are great because they allow extended communication rather than the one, two or three whistle blasts.

Optional Equipment

Some equipment is optional.  It just makes sense, given the location, time and/or the duration of the foray:

Blanket - Part of our emergency plan.

Field Guides - Sometimes we simply can't wait until we get home to identify a mushroom, so having field guides in the vehicle is a really good thing.

Be sure to respect private property
when you mushroom in Curry
County!

Fingerless Gloves and/or Hat - Cold, damp weather in the Curry County fall prompts us to consider wearing extra garments.

First Aid Kit - Accidents really do happen!

Hand Lens - Being able to view a specimen under magnification
is extremely valuable and increases our admiration of these fabulous fungi.

Insect Repellent - We don't need it often.  Still, it's nice to know that it's readily available.

Matches - Just another part of our emergency
plan.

Pencil and Paper - It's a lot easier to make notes in the field than to try to remember data when we get home!

Prescriptions - Just in case there is any difficulty making it back home (or, in case we decide to stay in the area overnight), we always carry a week's worth of medication in the vehicle.

Ruler - Sometimes it's handy to have a 6" ruler to take measurements of mushrooms in the field. 

Safety Jacket - During hunting season, you'll find us wearing some kind of fluorescent jacket, vest or hat to be more visible to other people in the forest.

Snacks - Some fruit or other snacks refresh during an outing.  We also carry several cans of food such as tuna fish (along with a can opener!) in the car as part of our emergency plan.

Spare Clothing - Packing rain gear, polyester or wool clothing, or a change of clothing is often useful.

Sunscreen - Yes, there are times when we do have concerns about the sunshine in Curry County!

Toilet Paper - Need we say more? 

Toothbrush or Paint Brush - Great for brushing way excess debris from the specimen or the area around a mushroom.

Walking Stick - Very useful addition to the foray.  The walking stick serves a dual purpose, allowing us to walk more securely in hazardous terrain as well as to easily investigate what's under the duff.

Watch - My, oh my, how time does fly when one is mushrooming!

Water - Always a welcome and refreshing beverage!

A foray in Curry County affords the opportunity
for viewing spectacular scenery!