Jack Redden gives his thoughts on a return to Arizona prior to the team’s departure on Wednesday morning.

Having been part of the Arizona trip last year has definitely made it easier for me to prepare this time around.

In the lead-up to last year’s camp I had no idea what to expect, so made sure I spoke to the boys who went in 2011 for some useful advice.

Now as one of the ‘veterans’ of Flagstaff, I’ve tried my best to pass on that same knowledge to those who are going for the first time this year. And there are plenty.

My first piece of advice was to bring lots of layers.

Mt Humphreys can get really cold, as you can probably tell from last year’s video when we were hiking in a blizzard.

It’s pretty hard to explain exactly how cold it was, but I’m sure the boys will find out for themselves once we get up there.

The other thing I’ve learned is what you need to bring. I’ve actually pack pretty lightly this year – but that’s mainly because I’m rooming with Ash McGrath and he packs a lot of stuff.

I’m really hoping that I don’t have to sit next to ‘Boonji’ on the plane because he gives you nothing. He just sits on his phone the whole time and keeps his headphones in his ears.

To pass the time, I’ll probably watch a couple of movies and then try to get some shut-eye. It’s a big trip (approximately 24 hours in transit), so I’ll need to get some sleep on the way.

One thing I’m really looking forward to is spending some quality time with my new teammates.

We’ll get around the new boys and hopefully get to know them a bit better.

It’s important that we help make them feel comfortable in their new environment, because it can be pretty daunting coming into a new Club for the first time.