Helmet
Your helmet provides critical protection for your head and a mount for your lights. Wear a helmet designed for rock climbing or caving, and look for the sticker that indicates it meets standards of the UIAA
A note from the grotto president – Hitting your head on a sharp rock is not only unpleasant, but it can leave behind blood, hair, and neurons; which is not part of the “Leave No Trace” ethos that we seek to follow. We recommend a dedicated caving helmet rather than the spider-web-covered bike helmet you just fished out of the garage. It is lower profile (bike helmets are padded and taller), and it doesn’t have the gaps which allow critters to fall into your hair. If you have long hair and don’t want to keep brushing it out of the way with muddy fingers, put it in a hair tie.
Lights
Each person should carry at least three independent sources of light, and more batteries than you think you’ll need. Mount the primary light on your helmet, so that you automatically have light wherever you face, leaving your hands free to climb, or to catch a slip or stumble. Candles and glow sticks have never been reliable or even adequate sources of light
A note from the grotto president – You should always have 3 sources of light, because if you break your only source, you may never find your way out of the cave in total darkness. In addition, you really don’t want to carry something in your hand when you’re climbing, slipping, stumbling, swimming, or crawling. Therefore, you should always have at least 2 headlamps. LEDs and extra batteries are preferred.
Gloves
Gloves to keep hands warm and minimize cuts and scrapes. Gardening or thick rubber gloves are generally adequate. Gloves can be removed when handling lights or reaching into your pack to minimize transfer of mud.
A note from the grotto president – Gardening gloves or heavy rubber gloves protect those expensive manicures. Medical and food service gloves will disintegrate and leave debris.
Knee and Elbow Pads
Volleyball pads from your local Sports Authority will suffice for newbies. They don’t stay in place well, so more experienced cavers will try a variety of other styles. Nobody is ever truly happy with their pads.
Footwear
Only closed-toe shoes with a good tread, please. You can’t watch your feet all the time, so cover them up. The toe is what you will use to find that hidden rock underwater when you are about to trip. Dragging your toes on a crawl eats up the tips, so don’t wear your dress shoes. Stiletto heels can damage formations.
Clothing
Although highly variable by cave, the average temperature in a Missouri cave is around 56 degrees year round. That may sound ideal, but if you become lost or immobilized, it can lead to hypothermia. This is especially true because the average Missouri cave is a muddy, wet mess. You must have clothing that can keep you warm when it is wet such as wool or certain synthetics. Dressing in layers is preferred. A wicking base layer such as polyester or nylon with a mid layer of fleece or wool is good. Many people use an abrasion-resistant outer layer like a cave suit or other durable fabrics. The warmth layers can reside in your backpack until you need them. We will not be doing underwear checks at our events, so it is on you to dress appropriately. Some caves require specialty gear (wet suits, formal attire, etc), so ask your trip leader.
Backpack
Repository for snacks, clean water, layers of clothing, spare lights and batteries, poop bag, hand sanitizer, squishmallow, whistle, mission-specific gear, medications, and anything else you can’t do without. The good stuff should be inside in a dry bag or sturdy trash bag to keep out the mud. Get a tubular, cave-specific backpack that you can drag behind you on a leash if you plan to do this a lot.
Food and Water
Humans often eat and drink to keep their body going. Bringing water and food that’s appropriate for the length of trip you’ll be going on is important. Too little and you might run out of energy, too much and you will have trouble carrying your heavy pack. I plan for about half a liter of water and 200 calories per 2 hours of cave time. Try to bring a water bottle that will protect it’s mouth from mud and snacks that don’t need your fingers to consume.
In Your Car
A complete change of clothing and a trash bag to contain your muddy clothing. Clean water and snacks are nice.
Borrowing Gear
Don’t have all this gear yet? Once you become a member, we have gear available for you to borrow, so you don’t need to buy everything up front. Ask at a meeting or reach out to find out what’s available.