California GEAR LIST
All items must be labeled with your child’s name.
Appropriate clothing and gear are essential for students to be able to have fun and succeed on a wilderness course. If possible, please send a combination of synthetic and cotton clothes. Synthetic materials are better for staying warm when wet and for drying quickly. Cotton is good for comfort and sun protection. For more information on gear contact SOAR or check out our Gear Guide at
To Download the California Gear List as a PDF, click here.
** PLEASE BE SURE TO NOTE ANY COURSE SPECIFIC EQUIPMENT BELOW **
Clothing2 pair Pants/ Jeans 2 pair Shorts 5 Shirts (two long-sleeved) 1 Swimsuit 6 pair Cotton Socks Underwear (8 pair) 1 pair Tennis Shoes Fleece Sweater Hat/Cap Water Shoes (no Velcro straps please) 2 sets Sleepwear General NeedsDay Pack Duffle Bag or similar soft bag/luggage Sleeping bag (synthetic only) Ensolite or Therma Rest type pad 2 Nalgene Water Bottles (quart size) Head Lamp with extra Batteries Insect Repellent (non-aerosol) Rain Suit (Parka and Pants) Pen and Paper Sunscreen (non-spray, waterproof, maximum protection) Full Body Wetsuit 1 Pillow/Pillowcase 1 Box Gallon Size Ziploc Bags
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Eating GearPlastic Bowl and/or Plate Eating Utensils Plastic Cup
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CA Expedition OnlyBackpack with good hip belt (~3500 cu. in) Lightweight Hiking Boots 2 Pair Wool Socks Hat (Fleece or wool) Wool Mittens or gloves Long Underwear (Polypro or equiv.) Heavy Jacket Bug Head Net |
CA Standard OnlySwim Shirts/Rash Guard (2 recommended)** Full body wetsuit** Diving Mask ** Snorkel** Diving Fins** Extra Swimsuit |
NOTES1. All clothing and personal items must be labeled! * See Gear Guide at http://www.soarnc.org/gearguides/gearguide.html for description of swim shirt. |
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Philosophy: SOAR believes all individuals identified with learning disabilities (LD) and attention deficit disorder (AD/HD) possess inherent talents and gifts. These abilities can mean incredible success in adulthood once these students negotiate the challenging obstacles of childhood, adolescence, and a traditional education system, usually unable to respond to individual learning styles.
Therefore, the SOAR model is based on two fundamental principles. First, youth with LD and AD/HD flourish when they are encouraged to focus on their strengths in an experiential setting. The second principle acknowledges that success can be generalized by encouraging our students to develop and utilize strategies, enabling them to compensate for those challenging characteristics of LD and AD/HD. To this end, SOAR staff strive to ensure success for each student across a wide range of experiences. Such success, in turn, builds essential self-esteem and self-confidence.
Based on these two foundations, SOAR participants develop problem solving skills, effective communication strategies, increased self-awareness, and social skills. Program activities include a broad base of wilderness adventure experiences that empower students to make healthy choices, learn more about themselves, overcome challenges, and establish relevance from these experiences to other aspects of their life.
SOAR's Specialty Courses are open to SOAR alumni and students with the maturity and experience level to be successful on the course. Acceptance is conditional on the approval of the course director. Most specialty courses are led by one of SOAR's year-round staff including Jonathan Jones, John Willson and Logan Walters.
SOAR’s programs are designed to allow students the opportunity to increase their independence while away from home. Independence is gained through self-motivation and life skills instruction. With this in mind, we involve our students in many decision making processes, such as setting individual goals, developing group guidelines, as well as trip and meal planning. This also comes into consideration when developing SOAR’s communication policy, detailed in our Parent Handbook.
SOAR is dedicated to serving the needs of individuals with learning disabilities (LD) and attention deficit disorder (AD/HD) and is proud to be the finest: