HMI Summer Term Packing Guidelines
We want packing to be as simple as possible! While we don’t provide an exhaustive list, please use these principles to guide your preparation.
1. The “Simple in Means, Rich in Ends” Philosophy
- Historically, students tend to overpack. Remember the HMI spirit: “Simple in means, rich in ends.” With that in mind, we ask you please limit the quantity of stuff you bring with you.
- Storage is limited: You should be able to fit everything into one large backpack and one large duffel bag.
- Much of the Summer Term is spent backpacking! If we can carry everything we need for a week on our backs, you’ll find that a few extra items back on campus feel like true luxuries.
2. Clothing & Appearance
Our focus is on comfort and practicality while showing respect for our learning environments.
- All clothing should be clean, neat, in good repair, and appropriate for school activities.
- Quantity: Bring about 7 days’ worth of clothes. You can wear pants for a couple of days before washing, and laundry is available once a week while on campus. We recommend bringing 7–10 days’ worth of underwear.
3. Weather & Climate
- Leadville’s high-altitude climate varies significantly throughout the day:
- Average Lows:** 35°F (Night)
- Average Highs:** 70°F (Day)
- Record High:** 85°F
- Pack layers to stay comfortable during these temperature swings.*
4. Identification
- Because many students bring similar outdoor equipment and clothing, please label all belongings with your name to prevent mix-ups.
Things to Bring
- Comfortable everyday shoes or sneakers
- Running shoes (these should be shoes in good shape that support your foot well for running and field games.)
- Swimsuit
- Bedding: Sheets, blankets, or a comforter (for extra-long twin beds), pillow, and pillowcase (one set is plenty).
- Students will not want to sleep in their sleeping bags all summer, although some do choose to use the sleeping bag as an additional blanket on their beds.
- Towel and washcloth (one towel is plenty since you can do laundry each week)
- Laundry bag for storing your dirty laundry and taking it to the laundry room
- Watch with an alarm
- Camera and battery charger if needed
- Everything on the Wilderness Equipment List (please make sure you have filled out your pre-program Gear Room Request Form to give our team a sense of the items you will need)
Optional Things to Bring
- Musical Instruments (note: we have several acoustic guitars and a piano on campus)
- Alarm clock for the cabin (battery-powered)
- Camera and battery charger if needed
- Recreational Equipment: hacky-sack, Frisbee, etc.
- Bookbag or small backpack to store and carry things on campus. This should be different from any day pack or backpack used on expeditions
- iPod or MP3 player (If you choose to bring one, please choose one that is not Internet-enabled)
- Laptop computer (If you have access to a laptop,we encourage you to bring it but you should not feel the need to buy one as there are computers available for student use).
Things NOT to Bring
Please do not bring any of the following:
- Electric guitars, electric keyboards, or other large or especially loud musical instruments
- Other internet-connected devices such as iPod Touches, Kindle Fires, and other similar items that store movies, video games, and allow for texting functions
- Mountain bike, road bike, longboard, skateboard, rollerblades, etc. We do have cruiser bikes on campus students can use, as well as other fun activities like corn hole, Spike Ball, basketball, and more.