A quick guide of what to wear when starting fieldwork
The links below are affiliate links. Items purchased through them mean I may receive a commission, although at no cost to you. It’s field season!!
Field season most likely started a month ago for most places, but since it’s the beginning of summer, I’ve decided to compile a list of products that I’ve used for my fieldwork. I’m a girl on a budget - so the things I’m linking should hopefully fit in your budget as well!
For my first field season three years ago, I wore old jeans with old T-shirts. Although this worked well, unfortunately, jeans becoming soaked with the morning dew was unavoidable, especially in tall grass. So, the next field season, I decided I needed to up my game. Field pants for the win!
Clothes I used for the field
Pants:
I don’t have any photos of myself wearing my field pants, but here are the two options that were my favorite out of everything that I tried.
These two pants are both extremely breathable - I would wear them in 90-degree Spanish heat and wasn’t sweating like crazy (unlike me in my tight old skinny jeans). Their pockets are also a LIFE saver. If you haven’t done field work yet, trust me, you need to get pants with pockets. My current fieldwork isn’t in any thick rose bushes, so I cannot comment on how well they are resistant to poking, but so far, I have had any rips.
The reason for the $37 khaki ones…I bought these because they cinch at the bottom. Not necessary, but on days that I was more likely to run into ticks I liked wearing these.
T-Shirts:
Highly recommend wearing fabric that is able to get rid of moisture (aka your sweat). I personally bought this shirt from Amazon in white, since I didn’t want to attract any bees or insects with the other neon shirts they have. Whatever you do, just don’t buy black because you would be extremely hot. I like sticking to neutrals, greens, and blues!
Boots:
This is a hard one. The first time around, I bought higher-quality shoes that cost a bit of cash (they were Timberlands…). I figured they would last longer…they did not. Now, to be fair, I did wear them for 40 hours a week for a whole summer, but because of that, the next pair I bought was not as expensive. I figured they’d get dirty anyway, so I bought this pair from Amazon. They were about $35 although it seems they aren’t in stock now. I would probably try these if I were buying another pair. The moral of this story: your field shoes don’t have to be fancy, just comfy.
But, if you’re working in a job that requires a lot of wading into the water, I’ve heard Muck Boots are extremely amazing. I will be purchasing these from Amazon if I end up needing them in Canada.
Binoculars:
When I started my birding field job, I bought the Nikon 7576 Monarch 5 8 x 42 binoculars. 3 years and 2 countries later, they’re still working well and I wouldn’t recommend any other binoculars to anyone. They’re relatively cheap, easy to use, and come with a back harness. The harness is a necessity - wearing binoculars for 8 hours a day would have been much worse if I only had a neck attachment.
Although almost $300 for binoculars seems like a lot, I do recommend looking in that price range. Anything lower than that will not satisfy your fieldwork. Secondly, if you're birding, try and find an 8 x 42 version. I used the 8 x 42 in the field and still was able to see really far. The view is also wider with an 8 x 42. The 12 x 42 binoculars are bigger and more bulky and are best for distance work. It makes it really hard to track a bird.
The Amazon link where I bought them from is currently not available. Instead, here are so others that are basically the same:
Nikon Monarch M5 8x42 Binocular Bundle (includes the harness!)
Nikon Monarch 5 8x42 Binoculars (no harness included)
It’s not an extensive guide - but it works for me! Enjoy your field season!