Must Haves for a Day Hike

Over the years I’ve started to get more and more into hiking, and bit by not started venturing out more. On one overnight hike in La Reunion, not only did it start to rain heavily and get cold, but we started the hike too late, and ended up getting lost in the dark at one point and after trying to get directions to our shelter and struggling to find a dry place to stay while we waited for someone to meet us, we headed back down the extremely washed out trail and landed at the trailhead at 3am drenched, muddy, cold, and slightly traumatized. Needless to say, I learned a lot from that journey, and now am very big on bringing along the 10 basic necessities when I go on any day hike, no matter how short or a hike.

1. Shelter

While you would hope to never get stranded, having emergency shelter is a must for any day hike. The best thing you can use is an emergency blanket, which can not only protect you from rain, but if you get stuck in a hot climate can help to keep you cool.

2. First Aid

This can be either homemade or purchased at a store such as REI. They are super light weight, but can be of great use. I always keep some extra duck tape, rope, and a compass with my kit.

3. Extra Clothes

As I mentioned, being caught out in the cold rain has made me be a big advocate for being extra prepared. Having an extra sweater or under layer, a rain coat, and a synthetic jacket can help with keeping you dry and warm if the weather goes south. Also consider packing some extra socks, a warm hat, and gloves.

I also recommend carrying rain/hiking pants and waterproof cover for your backpack to keep everything from getting soaked.

4. Extra Food

When packing for a day trip always bring an extra days worth of food. Pack things that can give you energy, have a long shelf life, and require little to no cooking. These can be things like granola bars, nuts, dehydrated food, or jerky.

5. Fire

You never know if when you might need to make a fire. Wether for food or to keep you warm through the night. It’s always best to have a lighter, waterproof matches, some tinder(like rope), or a stove.

6. Extra Water

Having enough water for your trip is important. But it also is important to pack some extra water in case your hike goes longer than expected. Bringing a method for treating water can help with getting water while you’re out on the trail. That can be from a collapsible filter, to chemical treatments such as iodine tablets, or even a stove to melt snow.

When trying to determine what is the amount you should bring, remember, most people need a half of liter of water for every 1 hour of moderate activity.

7. Navigation

Something as simple as a map and a compass can help you to figure out not only where you are but how to get back if you wandered too far from the trail or road.

Other options you can use include a GPS device, Altimeter watch, or a personal locator beacon. And while many smart phones have built in compasses and GPS, being in areas with limited to no service and the need to be able to charge these devices, it is best not to rely too heavily on them when hiking.

8. Headlamp

Always make sure your headlamp is charged before any hike, and bring extra batteries with you.

9. Repair Kit

I always include a knife, duct tape, cord/rope, safety pins, and zip ties in a dry bag.

10. Sun Protection

On the flip side to the possibility of rain and cold weather, having things to protect you from the sun can be just as important. This can be a hat, sunscreen, and sunglasses, or sun protective clothing.