Long ago I realized that I didn’t like most formal exercise. I thought I disliked exercise in general because I wasn’t willing to do endless burpees. However, with reflection it turns out that I do like exercise when it is paired with other activities. I love to ride a bike, go on walks, and do day hikes. All of these things give me quite a bit of pleasure.
A day hike is somewhere in between a walk and a backpacking trip. For me, it involves going to a trail, often for the first time, and exploring my surrounding. I’m a photographer, and hiking gives me many opportunities to shoot photos.
By the way, you may wonder why a day hiker would need emergency supplies. There are many cases where people went on a simple day hike, often on a well used path, and got lost, injured, or died. It is easy to go off trail to “do your business,” and become disoriented, take the wrong fork in a trail, or face weather/trail problems. Everyone has to decide what level of risk that they comfortable with.
I remember going on a day hike with two of my kids when they were very young. I asked some hikers who were leaving the trail if the trail was clean and if it was an easy hike. They said yes. However, it turned out to be a three mile hike with fallen trees, washed out parts of the trail, and stream crossings. There were a number of twists and turns and side trials, and I got disoriented. Because of the nature of the path it was very difficult to turn back, so we forged ahead. I had to motivate my kids to keep going and kept telling them, “Every step brings us closer to the camper.” At one point towards the end I wasn’t sure to turn right or left, but I had a little compass on my watch band and a simple map from the visitor center. I used those tools to go the right way. To go the other direction would have taken me right back on the loop that we spent most of the morning trying to get off of. We had to share one little bottle of water and I brought along only one little packet of Fig Newtons because I thought we would only be gone for a half of an hour. I should have been more prepared, but the little compass on my watch band and the park map saved the day.
If I am hiking anything more than a short distance I always bring my backpack and supplies. I have designed my hiking backpack system to be light and efficient. Everyone should design a system that meets their needs, and mine is certainly not the most comprehensive. However, after years hiking these supplies work for me. Let’s take a look at my necessary hiking gear.
I can’t stress how important a decent pair of shoes is. I was recently visiting friends in Florida and packed a cheap pair of sandals to wear to the beach. We did a little walking, and I was rewarded with three blisters on my feet. When I first started to hike, I bought a pair of decent hiking boots that I thought fit me. I used those shoes for several seasons and wound up losing my big toenail several times. I couldn’t figure out what was wrong until I went to REI and they told me that I needed to size my shoes up. Since then, I have retained my toenails! I now like to wear trail runner-type shoes. A good brand makes all the difference in the world. If you are going to spend money on anything, spend it on your shoes. Good shoes wear out, so be prepared to replace them. Everyone has their brand preference. If possible, go to a place where you can try on several brands. Additionally, good socks are important. I like Darn Tough socks, which are made of a Marino wool blend. I am a big fan of trekking poles. They steady me on declines and over streams, and they allow my arms to help my legs when going up inclines. You don’t have to buy the most expensive ones, but avoid cheap poles. I have had these poles for years. My wife bought a cheap pair at a big box store, and they cracked in half. Check reviews to find a sturdy yet reasonably priced set of poles, or opt for a brand name. For a day hike, you don’t need to go ultra-light. I bought carbon fiber, but in retrospect, an aluminum pair would have worked out just fine. I like cork grips as they don’t get slippery with sweat. Having a pack is a must. I like the Osprey brand as they make quality packs at a reasonable price. Avoid those little back sacks that use strings instead of straps, as they will undoubtedly make any long hike miserable. You can purchase more affordable packs that may better suit your budget. However, I have read reviews of no-name packs where straps have ripped off or zippers have frozen, so caution is advised. I used to use a larger Osprey pack (this one is only 13 L), but I’ve found that I over-packed it, which weighed me down. Beyond backpacks, you can get sling packs, and some find that a big “fanny pack” (called a “bum bag” in the UK) works for them. This Osprey pack model is called “Daylite.”This is everything that I carry in my backpack. the pouch has a lot of individual “kits” in zip-lock bags.This is what I carry for navigation. I’m using my phone to take these photos, hence the sticky note phone substitute. I mostly rely on my phone, but I try to carry a paper map. You can get them at a park’s visitor center for free. I also take an inexpensive compass. I’ll double-check to ensure it still points correctly at the start of the season. There are several excellent hiking apps available for smartphones. I use All Trails Pro. I have a PLB (Personal Locator Beacon) that can send a distress call in the event of a life-threatening emergency. I purchased this around 4 years ago, but the price has increased considerably since then. Its advantage is that there is no monthly fee. I have also used a Garmin InReach device, which features maps and allows for text messaging. That device requires a subscription to work. Newer iPhones can now use satellites when out of cell service (US and Canada only), so that may be enough for some. Remember, a 911 call is NOT carrier-dependent. If your cell phone carrier doesn’t have a local tower, the call will bounce to a different carrier. However, sometimes there are no cell towers, such as in National Parks. That is when a satellite device of some sort may come in handy. Not in the photo is my emergency whistle. Three blasts followed by a pause and repeated is the distress call for hikers. If you scream, you will quickly become hoarse. Some backpacks have a whistle built into their straps; the Daylite does not.You never know if a hike will take longer than expected. I have had to rely on illumination to get back to my car. A headlamp is ideal and inexpensive. I also carry a tiny flashlight and extra battery as a backup. Additionally, my battery bank has a little flashlight on it. Of course, your phone also has a flashlight, but it is best to save its battery for navigation and communication.Protection from the sun is a must. I always wear a hat and try to use sunscreen. My eyes have become more sensitive as I’ve aged, so sunglasses are always part of my kit.I carry some simple first aid supplies that fit into a sandwich bag. You can go more minimal or extensive with such kits. I do have a more elaborate kit in my car. I have absolutely used many of these items on the trail, from mole skin to band-aids to ibuprofen. I have watched some YouTube hikers who say that you don’t need a knife. I don’t understand, as I use one all the time. Why three knives? I always carry the Leatherman in my pocket; it is my EDC knife. I have a small SAK knife on my keychain, which includes scissors and tweezers, and I leave the white knife in my backpack as a backup. It weighs nothing. When push comes to shove, I’ll grab the Leatherman in my pocket.I do carry a minimal fire-starting kit: a small Bic lighter, some fire tinder, including some cotton balls with Vaseline on them. I have never had to start an emergency fire. However, on a long hike, I may bring a cook kit. Usually, one of us will carry the pot/stove and the other the dehydrated food. Some sort of emergency shelter is another essential item. These are Mylar emergency sleeping bags. They are very compact. They are essentially large, sealed emergency blankets that are orange on one side and silver on the other. I have two because I’m often hiking with someone who is less compulsive than I am. Sometimes I’ll carry paracord too. Paracord has 100 and 1 different uses.I always bring more food than I think I’ll need. For most hikes, this would be in the form of snacks. If I’m going on a longer hike, I may bring “real” food or a Mountain House type meal. Yes, I usually bring enough snacks for my less prepared hiking partners.Water is incredibly important. I always pack more than I think I need, and I also have ways to get more if needed. I’ll sometimes sub out my flask for a Smart Water bottle. I also have several ways to purify stream water if needed. Lastly, I have some electrolyte tablets in my first aid kit.I have an expensive hiking puffer jacket and a raincoat. However, I can’t find them in my camper or house. I’m blaming my cat for hiding them. Better that than admitting that I put them/lost them somewhere! For now, this hoodie will do. I also bring some “just in case” emergency rain ponchos (a second for a hiking partner). If I suspect rain, I’ll bring an old, clunky plastic rain jacket that I have. It’s not as light or fancy as my lost raincoat, but it does the job.I always carry a charged battery bank. This one includes the charging cords. I have used my battery bank many times on a hike, as GPS hiking maps use a lot of energy. Don’t forget to bring a charging cord if your bank doesn’t have one built in. I also carry some duct tape. Another item with 100 and 1 uses. I have this cute little pack, but you can also roll a few feet onto a Bic lighter from a regular roll.
Additional items: I always carry an empty gallon Ziploc bag that has many uses. However, I mostly use it to carry out garbage. I’ll also carry a little travel pack of wet wipes to clean my hands or for an emergency potty run (so far I have never had to go number 2 on the trail). If you go “poo” frequently on the trail bring along an ultralight trowel. They are cheap and better than digging a cathole with a stick. Remember to bury any organic matter at least 6 inches deep and carry out any TP or similar wipe. Leave no trace! Another common thing I carry is a tiny bottle of hand sanitizer. Hand sanitizer is mostly alcohol and can be used to sanitize your hands, as wound antiseptic, or to start a fire. You can also get compressed towels that are the size of two TUMS tablets. There are usually 11 of them in a tiny tube and each one will expand to the size of a paper towel by adding 1 teaspoon of water to them (I think they are fun/cool). You can even buy a tiny bidet made for hikers (Culoclean) that attaches to a water bottle. However, wet wipes are multi-purpose and work best for me for many of these functions.
