What to wear, What to bring

Attire
We require all of our guests to dress Western. You will be required to wear a cowboy hat, long-sleeve shirt, denim jeans and cowboy boots. Every aspect of a cowboy's attire has a purpose, we'll tell you about it along the way! Besides the goal of offering a spectacular Western experience and sharing this wonderful West of ours with you, the Cattle Drive serves as a publicity arm of the Reno Rodeo. Members of the media will join you on the trail and we want there to be as authentic an appearance as possible.

We encourage "period dress" or "vintage clothing," but contemporary cowboy outfits are fine as long as they conform to the "cowboy dress code."

So there is no confusion, you may NOT wear baseball caps, English riding attire, tennis shoes, shorts, kilts, midriff shirts, tank tops or other contemporary clothing AT ANY TIME DURING THE DRIVE.

If you get truly authentic and wear longhandles, the rear hatch MUST be secured at all time!

Attitude
We'll teach you a bit about Cowboy Attitude. But we need you to bring a positive attitude, a willingness to learn new and exciting things, and the desire to learn more about a disappearing lifestyle that we all dearly love.

This is a REAL cattle drive. There may be significant hardships involved. It may rain, snow (it's possible in Nevada!), or blow so hard we'll be eating dust the entire 100 miles. We camp at places where there are corrals available for the cattle at night. This will cause us to ride about 12 miles a day, with a 20 miler in there as well. These are not "prepared" campsites. We'll be simply camped on the range at locations where we can care for the livestock. Our first priority is always the cattle and horses.

As with cattle drives of the 1800's, the Trail Boss is the Law of the Land as such, he reserve's the right and duty to excuse from the Drive, immediately, any crew member or guest who demonstrates behavior that is unsafe or impairs the quality of the Drive for everyone else. Your crew is 100% volunteer. We will all take a vacation from our lives, to give you the vacation of your dreams. Just keep that in mind if you need to chew on someone because there are rocks under your bedroll!

To us, a Cowboy Attitude means pitching in when needed, heeding advice or warning from those that know, making the best of any situation and by gosh having a grin on your face at every moment!

Conditioning
Two things will be a bit new for most of you. First, the altitude will be between 4,600-6,000 feet for most of the Drive. You need to drink lots of water, especially if you are prone to dehydration or come from sea level. Second, get out and walk every day for twenty minutes, or hit the stair climber or do some kind of cardio/leg exercises. Ideally, if you can some horseback riding at your local stable or home. These horses are great, comfortable riding and easy for novices, just make sure you can keep up for five days of riding.

What To Bring

Your clothes and personal items must be in a soft sided duffel bag. No wheeled or hard sided suitcases. Your gear will be carried in authentic 1800's wagons, so pack light! You MUST be able to carry your bag! If you have never been camping and aren't sure what to do, e-mail us and we'll offer some suggestions!

Cowboy Bedroll
A cowboy bedroll is simply a very large piece of waterproof canvas, with a foam pad and blankets inside. Buckaroos keep their gear in this as well, and it can be rolled up and secured with leather straps for ease in transporting in the wagons. Check out our official purveyor page, or you can make one your self. A tarp, foam pad, sleeping bag and some straps will take good care of you. Make sure your sleeping bag is rated to at least ten degrees, it can get cold at night. Here's a Martha Stewart hint…Put a top sheet in your sleeping bag for added comfort!

Cowboy boots
Don't bring your two-steppin boots. You need to bring a pair of riding boots. They should be comfortable, and have a substantial heel. This keeps your feet from passing through the stirrup in a wreck.

Denim Jeans (2 or 3 pairs)
Denim jeans have long been the choice of cowboys, due to their comfort and durability. And did you know that a man named Levi Straus invented the denim pant right here in Reno when it was still called Lake's Crossing! However, we like Wranglers, and you want to get them a little long so they will hang down over your boots when in the saddle (it's called "stacking").

Long-sleeved shirts (4-5)
Long-sleeved shirts are mandatory. They don't have to be "western style, but they should be durable and have a tail to stay tucked in. You can get a few long sleeve shirts at Wal-Mart or Sears in their work wear section. Stay away from polyester or other odd fabrics as they don't breathe. Long sleeves will keep the bugs and trees and other various inhabitants of the desert from nagging at you.

Jackets
This really depends on your own comfort zones, but we are in the high desert, so cool in the mornings, hot in the afternoons, back to cool in the evenings. Layers is the key! A light weight jacket that can be taken off and tied to your saddle if needed, and a heavier coat for mornings and nights is good.

Saddle slicker or rain gear
A yellow saddle slicker that will cover you while in the saddle is what you want. Our pals at DbarM can set you up (See the Purveyor page). Try and stay away from the heavy vinyl rain jackets. You'll have a pool of water in your saddle!

Personal gear bag
Pick up a zippered bag (for man or woman), and use ziplock bags inside it. Bring a small metal mirror (available at sporting goods stores), sunscreen, lip balm, moleskin (to cover chafed hide), Band-Aids, aspirin, hand lotion, soap, etc. There are great camping stores in Reno and a bunch of Wal-Marts if you wait until the last minute.

Underclothing, socks, etc.
You'll know what you need to pack. A couple tips. Always carry an extra pair of socks and underwear in a zip closing plastic bag…just in case! Have a trash bag in your duffel to load the dirty laundry into.

Here's another tip from the Martha Stewart Cowboy Manual-Try wearing a pair of bike shorts, or tights/pantyhose under your jeans while riding. It will keep the rubbing and chafing down.

Towel
A face towel and wash cloth are handy as well. You will be given a bucket to bathe with. No one will be permitted to bath in the cattle or horse troughs, as soap would be harmful to our animals.

Cowboy hat
This is a mandatory part of the gear. Cowboy hats are a practical piece of gear as well as conforming to our dress code, it will protect your from sun and rain. Please make sure it fits well enough not to blow off in wind. Please consider buying a stampede string, which will keep your hat on your head. Felt hats are best. Straws are okay, but be aware that many outfits won't hire a guy with a straw hat, because he'll spend so much time chasing it, he can't get much work done.

Flashlight
After the nightly entertainment, or an evening stroll to the outhouses, this is handy to have to find your way to and from your tent. Remember, we will be 50 + miles from any kind of streetlight. The plus side to this is the night sky and stars are so much more beautiful that way.

Definition: A cowboy's OUTFIT refers to all his/her stuff, not just the clothing they are wearing that day. An outfit will refer to bedroll, saddle, everything.

Please remember: You will be limited to 40 pounds of gear including bedroll and tent.

Here Are Some Optional Gear Choices To Bring

Pocket knife
Lock-back type only please.

Chaps or Chinks
In this country, we mostly wear the "chink" type, which will shed rain, but allows for warm weather and leg motion. Light batwing or shotgun styles are okay, No nylon, competition or motorcycle chaps please! DbarM has chinks for purchase at a reasonable price.

Tent
Small, light, backpacker-type tent that is easy and fast to put up. It should be waterproof. Or just sleep under the stars! After riding all day, the last thing you want is to spend hours working on your tent.

Saddle Bags
Saddle bags are not allowed on the Frontier horses. We will provide you a very cool pommel (horn) bag that has a water bottle, so you will have a place to carry a few things with you.

Sunglasses
The Nevada sun can be extremely bright when riding all day and glasses can offer some protection from blowing sand and trail dust.

Camera & Film
A small camera or "throw away" is great for recording those special moments on the trail. (You can get the all weather cameras that keep the dust out, and have it scanned at the time of developing. It's a risk bringing your cool digital camera out.) We will have a photographer out with you on the trail, will post images on a special website for you to purchase after the drive.

Moccasins
These come in handy if one needs to get up in the middle of the night or if you need a break in camp from your boots. Remember, no sports shoes, sandals or other funky footwear. It's gotta be western. Uggs are ok as well.

Cash
Some of the entertainers bring CD's and tapes to sell. Also, it is customary to tip the horse wranglers from Frontier Pack Train. These kids keep your horse fed, watered and saddled all week. The amount is up to you and the level of personal service you received. Your Drover can assist you more once we get going. 

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