Be it a casual hike to a favorite river or a full-fledged climb to the summit of a mountain, the success of your conquest is highly dependent on how well prepared you are. When things go wrong, as often they do, your backpack may be the difference between an inconvenience and a disaster. There are tons of theories on what and how to pack for a day hike; some websites theorise on lighter backpacks, while others believe having an item ready just in case you need it is ultimate preparedness. All the theories are correct and should be considered as you pack for a day hike.
- A potential list of items for your day hiking checklist
A list of articles recommended by most experts that you should consider for your day hike.
- A hiking backpack
A backpack is a must for any hiking trip. Consider one that holds 11 to 20 liters for a short and straightforward course, while a bigger one will help in courses where you might be required to bring more food, water, and clothing.
- Hiking boots/footwear
Determine what based to wear on the terrain. On smooth trails or gentle hikes, essential hiking shoes or trail runners would do. For rugged or rocky landscapes, boots will provide better support.
- Plenty of food
Nothing beats the joy of having lunch with a great view. Snack bars, fruit, sandwiches, and other snacks will provide the required energy boost on any hike. The metric of how much is dependent on the length of the course.
- Plenty of water
Some say 2 liters, others three but the amount of water will depend on your physiological function. The general advice is half a liter for every hour of hiking. For example, you could begin the day with a 3litre fill-up, then pack 2 liters for the hike. There is no such thing as plentiful water. Therefore, it is necessary to function our bodies, filling as many liters as we need.
- Weather appropriate clothing
A little check on the forecast will help you pack accordingly—plan for changing weather or an unplanned night out. Therefore pack a little extra clothing such as rain pants if the course isn’t the desert or the region isn’t transitioning seasons.
Part of the ten essentials, but the type of hike or personal preference will determine what you might need. Other navigation items include a Locator beacon, altimeter watch, GPS, and a guidebook.
- First aid kit
There should never be compromises on our health. Pack fully short or long trips; you never know when it might save your life. With this item, it’s better to have it and not need it than the reverse. Most fatalities on hiking trails are down to insufficient first aid kit supplies.
- Pocket knife
Highly dependent on the trip. However, pocket knives can be an essential accessory used to cut cloth, string, and other materials.
- Rest of the 10 essentials
The ten essentials are guidelines to help hikers backpack appropriately and are necessary for a beautiful experience in the backcountry.
However, the above checklist is comprehensive and intended for courses in the backcountry where self-sufficiency is a mandate for survival. Items like a compass and pocket knife are pretty unnecessary for advanced courses such as city parks. Packing for a day hike will come down to few factors such as weather, course, and even comfort in some sense. To decide what you need to bring for a walk, you will have to contemplate how distant you plan to go, how remote the trail is, and what the weather forecast predicts. The longer or more isolated the course is, and the fouler the weather, the more clothing, food, gear, and water become necessary.
- Factors to consider while making your checklist
These will help answer questions on the applicability of certain items on the list and thus give you context on what checklist to make for your day hike.
- Weather
Checking up on the weather forecast of the course will save you some dead weight in the backpack. Of course, there is no need to take rain pants to the desert. But, just as there is no need to bring shorts to a hike in the rainy season or a snow-capped summit, see local weather listings before you start stuffing the bag; it will do your back a lot of good.
- Course (location, landscape, and length)
In some courses, you might never find a use for the compass. Therefore do a little research about the course in terms of location. If the trail is in a well-planned environment with the route marked for hikers, then a compass ceases to be of use. However, it should be on your list with no clear direction pointers if the track is remote.
Research on the landscape of the course will do you a lot of good. Not all shoes should be thrown into the backpack. Bringing spiked hiking shoes on a simple hike to a waterfall is not suitable for your back.
Research the length of the course will help with metrics in terms of food and water.
- Comfort and personal convenience
Not all items in your backpack are actual hiker necessities, and some are for your general comfort and personal convenience. I, for example, could never leave for a hiking trip without my camera. It is an item that is always on my checklist. Extra socks, extra shoes, a hat, water sandals, binoculars, and others you might think of are items whose necessity is subjective.
- The 10 essentials
The ten essentials have become the standard for every hiker of how and necessary for a hiking trip. According to the American Hiking Society, there are ten essentials for every hiker to pack. However, the list doesn’t translate to ten items but rather ten factors: food, water, navigation, fire, first aid, sun protection, insulation, shelter, lighting, and tools. A proper day checklist will have these in consideration.
