What to wear on a swamp tour in New Orleans, and what to bring with you

What to wear on a swamp tour in New Orleans, season by season

Two things set your clothing: the month you travel and the type of boat. A covered flat-bottom boat puts a roof and sides between you and the weather, while on an airboat you sit out in the open with nothing to break the airflow, so the moving air does more to you than the daytime high suggests.

Dress for a heat index that can reach 110°F from June to September, not just for the highs often in the low 90s°F that the park records. Loose long sleeves in a thin fabric beat a bare back on a bench, because they keep the sun off without adding heat, and a spare shirt in your bag is worth the space.

One light layer usually covers October and November, when average highs sit in the 60s°F, lows fall to the 40s to 50s°F and rain turns up less often. In December, January and February the normals for the city run from 64.8°F (18.2°C) and 48.4°F (9.1°C) down to January's 62.5°F (16.9°C) and 46.1°F (7.8°C), then back up to 66.4°F (19.1°C) and 49.7°F (9.8°C) in February, and all three months want a real jacket on deck.

Layers, wind and rain on the deck

Build the outfit in three thin pieces instead of one thick one. The boat makes its own breeze once it is under way, you sit still for most of the ride, and the difference between a sheltered dock and a channel in open air is bigger than people expect in October and January alike.

The outer piece should block wind. On the large airboat sold with hotel pickup, 4 hours 15 minutes door to door and from $90, the seating is open and the boat is fast, which is exactly where a zipped windproof top earns its place. A fleece on its own flattens in the airflow.

Carry a rain shell from spring onward. The park describes frequent afternoon thunderstorms in spring, and hurricane season runs June through November, so a passing storm can keep boats at the dock; a hooded shell weighs nothing and keeps both hands free on a moving deck.

You do not need to pack flotation. Life jackets are carried on the boats, and the covered swamp boat sold with transportation lists them for guests under 16 among its inclusions.

Which shoes to wear, in any month of the year

The Park Service tells visitors to wear closed-toe shoes for outdoor activity in these wetlands, and its pre-visit guidance pairs that with insect repellent. It also warns about fire ants and stinging caterpillars at ground level, which is what you walk over around trails, car parks and launches.

For a boat ride, any trainer or light walking shoe with a grip works. Decks and landing stages get wet, you step across a gap to board, and a sole that holds on a damp surface is more useful than anything technical.

For a kayak trip, wear shoes you are happy to soak. You get in and out at water level and the footwell holds a little water for most trips, so pick a closed shoe that will dry out by the evening.

• Trainers or light walking shoes for any boat deck
• Old trainers or strapped water shoes with a closed toe for kayaking
• Socks you can change afterwards, kept dry in your bag
• Long trousers if you will be standing around on grass or gravel before boarding

Repellent, sun cover and water

Insect repellent goes in the bag whatever the month. The Park Service states that mosquitoes are active most of the year in the Barataria wetlands and recommends bringing bug repellent, and that advice holds at the Honey Island and Manchac docks as well. Apply it before you leave rather than on a moving boat.

Your hat and your sleeves are the only shade on an open boat from June to September, and the heat index can reach 110°F in those months. Take a hat with a chin strap, sunglasses that cut glare off the water, and sunscreen that you reapply after an hour; the reflection off open channels reaches the places a hat misses, including under the chin.

Bring your own water. Food and drinks are not included on the tours listed here, including the covered boat with transportation at 5 hours door to door, so a filled bottle per person is the simplest thing you can pack.

• Insect repellent, applied before boarding
• Sun hat with a chin strap or cord
• Polarised sunglasses for glare off the channels
• Sunscreen, reapplied part-way through
• Water, one bottle per person
• Binoculars small enough for a jacket pocket, if you want the birds too: Barataria's waterways and vegetation hold over 200 species and the Honey Island Swamp has 214 recorded

Dry bags for phones and cameras on kayak trips

A dry bag or a sealed hard case is the one item kayakers regret leaving behind. Paddling puts your hands, your deck and your lap in reach of water for the whole trip, and a phone loose in a pocket spends the whole 1.5 or 2.5 hours in your hand.

The Small-Group Manchac Swamp Kayak Tour covers the paddle lesson, all necessary gear and equipment and the ride out from the French Quarter in its 2.5 hours, from $90 and rated 4.9 ★ (995 reviews). A waterproof case, a strap for it and a cloth to wipe a lens are yours to supply.

On a fast open boat the airflow is what gets at a camera. Keep a strap round your wrist or neck, and put lens caps and spare batteries in a zipped pocket rather than loose on the bench.

What to leave at the hotel

A few things cause more trouble on the water than they solve on land. Fast open boats move enough air to take anything that is only balanced on you, and nobody turns round for a hat.

• Wide-brimmed hats with no strap: they go over the side in the first minute on an airboat
• Loose scarves, light wraps and anything that flaps
• Open sandals and flip-flops, against the park's closed-toe advice
• Umbrellas, which are useless on a moving deck
• Big rigid bags: you keep your kit between your feet, so pack soft and small
• Any idea of feeding the wildlife, which is prohibited in the national park and a bad habit around animals the Park Service warns can move very quickly

Questions people ask

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