What to pack on your hiking adventure?

If you are planning to go on a hiking adventure you are going to have to bring certain items along with you. Some of these will apply whether you are just going for the day or if you are going on a long distance hike. Other items will only be necessary for multi-day hikes. In general you are going to want to bring as little as you can get away with.

The most important thing that you have to make sure that you bring along with you regardless of how long you plan to spend hiking is water. You will need to drink a fair amount of water during your hike to avoid getting dehydrated so make sure that you bring along plenty. You should not expect to find water along the way as much of it will likely be undrinkable. This can be a problem if you are doing a multi-day hike since the amount of water you would have to bring along will be very heavy. If you know that you will be near water on your hike bringing a water filter and purification tablets may be an option.

The other thing that you have to make sure that you pack on your hike is food. This will be true even for day hikes. You will burn a lot of energy by walking so you need to have enough food to keep your energy levels up. The best option is to choose foods that have a lot of calories but are not too heavy to reduce the weight that you have to carry. It is also best to bring along foods that don't need to be cooked so that you don't have to bring along a stove.

The next thing that you have to pack for all hiking trips is a small survival kit. This does not have to be all that complicated but it should at a minimum have a way to make a fire, a knife, some thread and a small first aid kit. This could save your life if you get lost and have to spend the night in the woods, especially if you lose the rest of your gear. Your survival kit should not be carried in your pack but rather on your body so that you will have it with you if you lose your pack.

The other items that you will need to pack are going to depend in large part on where you are going and for how long. It is almost always a good idea to bring along extra clothing in case the weather changes suddenly. For long distance hikes you will of course need basic camping things like a tent and a sleeping bag. Remember that you are going to have to carry all of this so you are going to want to choose lightweight options and not bring along anything that you don't need.