19 and trying to get the most out of life

[machine23]

20 in may, but that doesnt matter. my name is james. i live in northern california. nevada county. only been to one cave. hawver cave. before it got locked up thanks to a bunch of partiers and graffiti artists.. . anyway i realized i really enjoyed it when i went, and want to continue the sport. i am trying to build up a nice pile of caving equipment; headlights, flashlights, hiking boots, proper cave clothing....anyone know what the best type of material is for cave clothing? and thats my nice lil' intro. g'nite

[Amocholes]

Hi James,
I used to live out in Applegate CA so I know your area pretty well. Although I wasn't doing caving when I was there. I just spent a week in Auburn just before Christmas. I wanted to see how things have changed. Surprisingly things have not changed that much.

As far as equipment goes there's a lot of good information in the Equipment forum. http://forums.caves.org/viewforum.php?f=2
I have a Lost Creek cavesuit. Really heavy nylon coveralls. I've been wearing the same set for 10 years now. Every couple of years I go to Walmart and buy a pair of cheap hiking boots. I would suggest knee and elbow pads. You may not think you need them now, but you will have wished that you used them, when you hit 40.

I would suggest finding a local Grotto and going on some trips with them. They can fill you in on what works best for the caves in your area.

[Realms]

welcome aboard James. Hope this site helps you with questions you may have. Also incase you havent already, look up a local cave group by going to http://www.caves.org. That will get you to some local caving buddies.

good luck!

Nathan

[fuzzy-hair-man]

You're nearish to Sacramento right? I know there are cavers in Sacremento (I went to a Halloween party there ) Mother Lode? grotto is based in Sacramento if I remember correctly. I'm guessing they might be your closest grotto.