The personal gear you’ll need for plein air painting depends primarily on your chosen medium. And of course, over time, every painter finds the setup that works best for them.
This overview is meant to offer beginners a bit of guidance.

Gouache or Oil Setup

• Easel
  There are various easel types commonly used outdoors:

  • A regular camera tripod with a quick-release or screw attachment for a pochade box. The box opens up: the top holds your painting or sketchbook, and the lower part usually contains the mixing palette.
  • This is closely related to the so-called French easel, which is essentially a wooden box with integrated, extendable legs.
  • If you're attaching only one or two flat boards to the tripod (rather than a full box), where you clip your paper/sketchbook and palette, this is often referred to as a sketchbook easel or even a James Gurney easel.
  • Another option is the folding or field easel (often made of aluminum), which collapses like a tripod but usually has a built-in shelf or canvas support that can be raised or unfolded.
    Many tripod setups and field easels allow for a small accessory tray to be attached — for holding paint tubes, containers, and other tools.

• Simplest alternative: a firm backing board
  If you don’t want to invest in an easel right away, you can simply clip your paper to a sturdy board or paint directly in your sketchbook or pad.
  Unless you’ve got serious upper-body strength, a camping chair or folding stool is highly recommended — your arm will tire quickly if you're constantly holding your painting surface. With this setup, your palette and paper rest on your lap, and your paints are usually nearby on the ground.
  The advantage: this painting posture is familiar, like writing.
  The disadvantage: you can’t easily step back from your work to check the composition, and you'll frequently need to bend down to reach your paints.

• Palette
  If your palette isn't built into a pochade box, you'll need a separate mixing surface.
  Because oil paints stay wet for a long time, it's a good idea to use something that can be closed up when you're done — like a shallow aluminum container (for example, a repurposed pencil tin).
  Tear-off palette pads are another option: simply discard the used sheet when finished.
  Gouache painters can use any washable surface — even something as simple as cardboard inside a plastic sleeve taped shut, which can later be rinsed clean under running water.
  Palettes are typically medium gray or white.

• Paints and mediums
  Most plein air painters bring their paints in tubes. Gouache painters sometimes use Stay-Wet palettes — airtight containers preloaded with wet paint at home.
  Oil painters typically need to bring their painting medium as well: either water/modified mediums for water-mixable oils, or oil/solvent for traditional oil paints — along with a container.
  Gouache painters only need water, though many also bring a small spray bottle to rehydrate the paint and keep it workable.
  Artists using fast-drying, non-rewettable paints (such as acrylics or acrylic gouache) should be sure they can clean their brushes right after use — or at least keep them moist.

• Painting surfaces
  Outdoors, oil painters usually work on canvas panels or special oil painting paper; gouache painters often use sketchbooks.
  The size is a matter of personal preference and how much time you plan to spend on-site.
  For beginners, it’s often best to go with a small format, no larger than A4 (and often smaller).
  Most people finish 1–2 paintings per outing, so it’s wise to bring multiple surfaces with you.

• Rags / paper towels / trash bag
  While gouache painters often manage with a single cloth for wiping brushes, oil painters typically go through a lot of paper towels — and will also need a trash bag to carry out used materials like rags, palette sheets, and possibly even brushes.

• Brushes
  A detailed recommendation would go too far here. As a general rule: larger brushes are better than too-small ones, as they help you avoid getting lost in unnecessary detail.
  Gouache painters usually also bring a pencil and eraser for rough sketches.

• Clips
  It’s rarely windless outside, so you’ll be glad to have a way to secure your paper, panel, or palette.
  Clothespins, small spring clamps, or binder clips (bulldog clips) can all come in handy.

• Clothing / sun protection / rain protection / insect protection
  In the Hunsrück region, summer temperatures are usually 3–4°C cooler than down in the Rhine valley — and there are typically fewer mosquitoes.
  Still, a sunhat can be helpful.
  And for painters who don’t need to flee at the first sign of rain (e.g. when using water-mixable media), some kind of rain protection might be worth packing.

• Bag
  Choose a backpack or bag depending on your setup.
  In most cases, the walk from the parking area to the painting spot isn’t far; longer hikes will be announced and coordinated ahead of time.
  Trolleys or folding wagons may be impractical on uneven terrain or where accessibility is limited.