What should you pack with you when you go on a hike? That all depends on what kind of hike your doing. If you are going on a short little hike for 1/2 hour around a well traveled area your probably not going to need an extensive list right?, but if you are going on a extended hike for many hours, part or the whole of a day, or even for many days, the list of what you should be packing with can grow quickly. So I thought I would break it down for you and make it simple.
Easy Hike Packing List: Usually your easy hikes are going to be around well traveled areas and no more than 1/2 hour to hour to complete, so the absolute list is short.
- Sunblock
- Water
- Cellphone
Medium Hike Packing List: These hikes can last a couple of hours and tend to be in slightly harder terrain.
- Sunblock
- Water – a hydropack (bladder system) usually works better for these hikes. 2-3 liters of storage capacity.
- Cellphone
- Food
- Identification ( I usually just have my wallet on me, I don’t want to leave it in my car anyways in case of break-ins, but if you don’t like carrying that around think about a pair of dog tags with important information on them) http://www.mydogtag.com/
- First Aid Kit
Hard or Severe Hike Packing List: These hikes can last many hours and possibly all day long, your going to need lots of water, food, and any other supply’s that you may need and can’t wait for.
- Sunblock
- Water- a hydropack (bladder system) usually works better for these: 3 liter system is a minimum, you may even want to carry a couple of extra water bottles as well.
- Cellphone
- Food
- Identification ( I usually just have my wallet on me, I don’t want to leave it in my car anyways in case of break-ins, but if you don’t like carrying that around think about a pair of dog tags with important information on them) http://www.mydogtag.com/
- Extra Pair of Socks and Underwear ( I usually take them roll them up tight and seal them into a sandwich baggie so they are water-tight and Dry! Carry-over from my military days)
- First Aid Kit
- Lighter – or fire starter
- Water filter – or some way of making water safe to drink
Prolonged Hike Packing List ( more then a day): This takes some planning. Not only do you have to plan out what you may need for multiple days, but you need consider the weight of what you may be carrying as well.
- Sunblock
- Water – a hydropack (bladder system) usually works better for these: 3 liter system is a minimum, you may even want to carry a couple of extra water bottles as well.
- Cellphone
- Food-Mulitple days of Food ( the ligher the wieght the better, also is it ready to eat or do you need to heat water – dehydrated food)
- Identification ( I usually just have my wallet on me, I don’t want to leave it in my car anyways in case of break-ins, but if you don’t like carrying that around think about a pair of dog tags with important information on them) http://www.mydogtag.com/
- Extra Pair of Socks and Underwear ( I usually take them roll them up tight and seal them into a sandwich baggie so they are water-tight and Dry! Carry-over from my military days)
- First Aid Kit
- Lighter – or fire starter
- Water filter – or some way of making water safe to drink
- Tent
- Sleeping Bag
- Sleeping Mat