Southwest Splendors Specific Packing Tips

[natureprincess]

I'm getting ready to go on Southwest Splendors very soon and I was wondering what sorts of things I should take specifically related to this destination. Do I need hiking boots? How much sunscreen should I bring? Hats, short-sleeves or long-sleeves?

Any special tips or recommendations would be appreciated! Thanks!

 

[pamjb]

We did Southwest Splendor in October and I packed long sleeves and pants. The GC was COLD and I really wished I would of packed gloves. I used a fleece as a jacket over a sweatshirt. Something heavier would of been good. Anything you can layer is good. We had temps of the high 70's at Arches and the 30's at the Grand Canyon.
Take a banadana to cover your face during the jeep tour at Red Rocks. There is a lot of dust. Your lungs will thank you.
I didn't wear hiking boots, since I don't have any. I just wore a good pair of sneakers. I hiked Arches, and didn't have any problems.
If you have AT&T service, forget about using your cellphone most of the time. Many in our group had iphones that were useless for making calls. I loaned my Verizon phone to a few in our group to call home.

 

[kristilew]

We went in June last year, and it was pretty darn hot, except at the GC at night. Short sleeves and breathable is the way to go, with a sweater or light jacket to layer in the evening.

You can get away with sturdy walking shoes or low hikers. A lot of people on our trip wore their lands end water shoes all the time, the trekkers like this http://www.landsend.com/pp/TrekkerShoes~191688_253.html?bcc=y&action=order_more&sku_0=::FKH&CM_MERCH=IDX_00009__0000000917&origin=index. These were perfect for the rafting as well. The earth is very dusty & red there, so don't get brand new white shoes for this trip - everything we wore came back stained orange!

You only need to bring a travel size sunscreen. The guides carry plenty of it, along with bug spray and water. We got by with just a little face stick and used their spray for arms and legs.

Definitely sunglasses. Hats if you like to shade your face. The sun does beat down there. And I second the bandana idea. It was great for Monument Valley.

Um, other tips, hmmmm....if you've never done an ABD, you may not know that you safely leave a bag on the bus during day trips. So you only need a little purse or camera bag, and you can have a backpack with extra jackets, batteries, etc that you have "with" you on the bus but don't need to carry all the time. You also might want to take an outfit to change into at the end of the day. We would have time on this trip to freshen up after a dusty excursion, before meeting back for dinner, and I was glad to put on something fresh. Not two outfits every day, but maybe one or two extras overall.

That's all I can think of right now. Let us know if you have other specific questions. You're going to love Southwest Splendors!

 

[glassslipper2004]

Kristilew did a great job answering your questions!

We went in August, and it was very hot. A hat is a must, for keeping the sun off your head. Sunglasses, too. We did bring lots of sunscreen, both to make sure we had the kind we liked, and in case we were somewhere without the guides (we are big sunscreen users). Bring a bathing suit and water shoes for the river rafting trip, and a light t-shirt that you don't mind getting wet to wear too (otherwise the life preserver is not so comfortable).

I bought low hikers and they were not necessary - sneakers would be fine, as long as they have some treads left (mine didn't, so I bought the hikers).

 

[natureprincess]

Thank you so much everyone for the tips. They are much appreciated!