What the people who run these places ask visitors to bring, and why, in their words. Item types, not products: no brand is named, and nothing here has been tested by us.
Places this kit covers (32)
- Arches
- Atacama Desert
- Bisti/De-Na-Zin Wilderness
- Bozzhyra
- Coober Pedy
- Cueva de las Manos
- Etosha
- The Flaming Cliffs
- The Grand Canyon
- Great Sand Dunes
- Hamelin Pool
- Ischigualasto
- Jalapão
- Kati Thanda–Lake Eyre
- Kharkhorin
- Kobuk Valley
- Kolmanskop
- Laguna Colorada
- Lake Mungo
- Lençóis Maranhenses
- The Makgadikgadi Pans
- McMurdo Dry Valleys
- Moynaq
- The Nazca Lines
- The Pinnacles
- Purnululu
- Racetrack Playa
- Richtersveld
- Salar de Uyuni
- Sossusvlei & Deadvlei
- Tsodilo
- White Sands
What the places ask
Sun-protective clothing and a wide-brimmed hat
There is no shade on the dunes, pans and salt flats in this kit’s places. The Park Service’s Ten Essentials put a hat, sunscreen and sunglasses under sun protection. At Great Sand Dunes the Park Service adds that skin burns easily at the visitor center’s elevation, 8,200 feet.
Asked for by: National Park Service, the Ten Essentials (last updated 28 May 2026); National Park Service, Great Sand Dunes: Safety (last updated 1 May 2025).
Borrow, rent or ask first: A long-sleeved shirt you already own does most of this job.
Read 21 October 2026.
Water, and a way to carry it
There is no drinking water at the Wolfe Ranch trailhead for Delicate Arch in Arches, and the Park Service asks for at least 2 quarts (2 litres) a person. Other parks set their own figures; each entry gives the authority’s.
Asked for by: National Park Service, Wolfe Ranch Trailhead (last updated 29 April 2025).
Borrow, rent or ask first: Bottles you already have will do; what matters is the amount.
Read 20 October 2026.
Closed, sturdy footwear
At Great Sand Dunes the Park Service says surface temperatures on the dunes may reach 150°F on summer afternoons, and asks for closed-toe shoes on the sand.
Asked for by: National Park Service, Great Sand Dunes: Safety.
Borrow, rent or ask first: Any closed shoe works on the sand. Sandboards and sleds are a different matter; the entry says where they are hired.
Read 21 October 2026.
Eye protection for glare and dust
Sunglasses are on the Park Service’s list of essentials. The glare off a salt pan is severe, by this library’s Makgadikgadi and Etosha entries.
Asked for by: National Park Service, the Ten Essentials; our entries on The Makgadikgadi Pans and Etosha, which name their sources.
Borrow, rent or ask first: Nothing to rent here.
Read 20 October 2026.
Navigation that works without a signal
The Park Service’s essentials name a map, a compass and a GPS. On the open dunefield at Great Sand Dunes there are no trails or markers, and the Kati Thanda entry asks for a means of communication that does not rely on a mobile network.
Asked for by: National Park Service, the Ten Essentials; our entries on Great Sand Dunes and Kati Thanda–Lake Eyre, which name their sources.
Borrow, rent or ask first: Ask your rental company or tour operator whether a satellite messenger is available before you buy one.
Read 20 October 2026.
Being a good visitor here
- At Kati Thanda, swimming, boating and driving on the lake surface are restricted or prohibited, for cultural reasons, for safety and for nesting birds. From our entry on Kati Thanda–Lake Eyre, which names its source.
- At the Flaming Cliffs, anything that looks like bone, shell or fossil stays where it is. From our entry on The Flaming Cliffs, which names its source.
- At Arches, the Park Service advises against the Delicate Arch hike in the midday summer heat. From our entry on Arches, which names its source.
Sources are named in each item, with the date we read them; a few come from our own place entries, which carry their sources. Rules and seasons change; the place’s own entry and the authority’s page have the latest.