Dear Goodegg Community,

Annie here. Recently, my 10-year-old went on a 3-day camping trip with her class. They went to Point Reyes, within close proximity to the beach. Sounds like a dream, right? Swimming in the waves, exploring the tidepools, campfires and s’mores, tent camping with friends – what could be better?

However, unlike last year, when the class went car camping, this year’s campground was a hike-in site. That meant that each kid had to carry everything they would need for the 3-day trip in their backpack, then hike 2 miles to get to the campground. Gulp.

On top of that, we’re talking Northern California beach in May, where the temperatures swing from windy and cold at night (40s and 50s) to warm and sunny during the day (60s and 70s). Add to that the potential for rain, and you’re basically packing for 3 seasons all in one not-so-large backpack.

How does one prepare for so many different potential outcomes? In a word, layers. Layers is something every Bay Area kid learns about early on. In any given day, you’re likely to start out with chilly cold and windy mornings, and by the time the fog burns off in the middle of the day, you’ll likely be hot and need a hat.

So, within every kid’s backpack were not only their sleeping gear (sleeping bag, sleeping pad, and camping pillow), but also contingencies for every potential weather outcome, including rain – which was a good thing, because it rained the whole night their last night there!