Category: Outdoor Planning

Information on planning backpacking, hiking, and camping trips.

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What I Carry On A Day Hike

What To Carry On A Hike Card

Hey Guys, today I want to share with you a video on what I carry on a day hike. I have included the content list below.

This is a question I have been asked over and over. “What should I carry on a day hike”? While the simple answer could be as easy as, the 10 Essentials, it can also be a lot more. What I would like to point out here is that even someone who has never hiked before believes they should at least carry something! I ALWAYS carry a backpack or day pack with me on every hike. That being said, I suggest investing in a comfortable backpack in the 18-20 liter range. These can be purchased anywhere on any budget. I used one for a couple years from a low budget store that lasted long enough that I passed it on and upgraded to my current favorite bag to this date – the Osprey Talon 22 (22 liter). This bag is not only very comfortable, but holds everything I could ever cram into it for a day hike.

The 10 Essentials:

What are the 10 essentials? These are 10 systems you should always have with you. Some items, such as the satellite messenger can be valuable. I have plans to purchase one soon for some of my longer adventures. You may never use some of these things for months of hiking, but at some point, you may be in a situation where you really wished you had them, or even worse yet, you could end up in a situation where your safety depends on one of these items. Lets take a look at these items and if you aren’t sure what some of these things are, a quick internet search will fix that.

  1. Navigation:
    1. Map and compass
    1. Altimeter
    2. GPS device
    3. Personal Locator Beacon (PLB)
    4. Satellite Messenger
  2. Light:
    1. Headlamp or flashlight.
  3. Shelter:
    1. Rain poncho that doubles as a shelter.
    2. Tarp
    3. Bivy
  4. First Aid:
    1. Bandages, gauze pads, wound dressing, foot care, etc.
  5. Fire:
    1. Tenderbox
    2. Ferro Rod (Ferrocerium)
    3. lighter
    4. Matches
  6. Water:
    1. Water bottle
    2. Water filtration system
  7. Food:
    1. Energy bar
    2. Ready-to-eat meals
    3. Meat sticks
    4. Jerky
    5. Trailmix
  8. Knife:
    1. Pocket knife
    2. Victorinox type multi-knife
    3. MultiTool
  9. Clothes:
    1. Wool sweater
    1. Rain gear
    2. Socks
    3. Warm hat
    4. Gloves
  10. Sun Protection:
    1. Sunglasses
    2. Lip protection
    3. Hat

So you might wonder if you need everything listed in a particular system. For example, under Navigation, I would normally have my phone for photos. I also have apps on my phone with maps loaded that I can view when I am even out of cell coverage. However, it is my professional opinion that putting all your safety of staying found in an electronic device is about as smart as texting and driving – at some point you are going to be screwed. I will also carry a map and compass with me because it is a valuable tool that does not rely on power.

Having a tool and not knowing how to use it can get you in serious trouble or even dead! To make a point, here are some “tools” that can be deadly if you do not have proper training. In land surveying a machete is used, sometimes for hours, chopping through blackberries, better known as “weeds” in Cascadia. Not knowing how to use one could get your shin chopped in half, or worse, chop into someones head that you let get to close. A firearm is another “tool” that can be deadly without proper training. Same with map and compass. Having it in your bag is not going to save you. Enough said.

For the Fire system, I think it is wise to typically always have a mini Bic lighter and a tinderbox. I always carry a Ferro rod, which will work even when wet…a Bic will not work when wet. Most times I have two different items from the Knife system. As the seasons change, so does the contents of my day pack. Rain gear and my wool sweater usually are left out in the summer months – the two months of the year when it doesn’t rain. There are times I may carry a stove and food to cook a meal or coffee once I arrive at a scenic location such as in the image below. The best advice is to start with the ten and as you gain experience, adjust items you may want to add.

What to carry on a day hike
Firebox stove cooking sausages next to a creek in Cascadia.

EQUIPMENT LIST:

Below is the list of the equipment I went over in my video.

image of EDC
This is what I carry everywhere I go even if I don’t have a backpack.

If this post has helped you, or should you have any questions, please leave them in the comment section. I also ask that you subscribe to my YouTube channel and blog to stay informed.

Adventure awaits!

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Planning A Day Hike for Beginners

Hey Guys, today I am going to answer the question of “How do I plan a day hike?” and show you how easy it is.

There has been many times someone that knows me has come up to me and said that they want to go on a hike, but do not know the first thing about what to do. I decided to offer a few basic steps that you can go through to help you go on a day hike. Lets look at the list first and then break it down a lot more than I did in the video.

  1. How much total time Do I have?
  2. How far do I want to hike?
  3. How difficult do I want the hike to be?
  4. Do I want to see anything in particular?
  5. What do I bring?

1. How much total time do I have?

First we need to determine how much time we have from home and back. The time we have will determine all the other questions. Here are three scenarios:

  • 1 hour) For me, If I only have one hour, then I probably will have to just take a walk around my neighborhood. I would not make it anywhere in that time frame, and if I did, I would not have any time to hike. But I can get four miles in in that time on the street.
  • 3-4 hours) Now we are getting somewhere. In this time frame, I can travel to the local trail system in the woods and hike about two hours, regardless of miles. However, for me, on that trail system, I usually cover roughly six miles in two hours. Another alternate hike in this time frame could be driving to the river path system in the city. It is a paved path system on both sides of the river and I know I can get four miles hiked in an hour. If I add round-trip drive time of one hour, that is three total hours.
  • 6-8 hour) In this range I have a lot of options. I could drive through the woods about an hour and fourty-five minutes to a trailhead that has three awesome waterfalls. The hike would take about two hours, include about two miles of hiking and is a relatively easy hike.
Upper Kentucky Falls Photo
Upper Kentucky Falls

2. How far do I want to hike?

As you can see from the above scenarios, the time I had available determined the length of the hike I had available. If I had one hour total time, deciding to hike six miles is out of the question. There are, however, times when I can choose how far I want to hike. For an example, lets say I want to hike ten miles. I could travel thirty minutes to the local trail system, hike about ten miles in under three hours and drive back home thirty minutes. With this option, ten miles in just under three hours, plus an hour of driving there and back equals four hours. Make sense?

3. How difficult do I want the hike to be.

With this option, you would need to search for a hike based on skill level. To do this, you will need to have either advanced mapping and route planning skills or will need to rely on guide books and apps (see my All Trails app guide). With the All Trails app you can search by difficult level and then choose the closest trail. You will have less options for where you can go in a specific time frame with this option.

4. Do I want to see anything in particular?

Do you want to see wildlife? Waterfalls? a lake? a creek? With this option, You choose what you want to see and the miles and time will more than likely be determined for you. Lets say I want to see those big furry white mountain goats. Well…I will have to travel very far away. I will have to hike some pretty treacherous terrain. I will also have to hike pretty far. When I lived in Colorado, I did this. I drove way up into the mountains about an hour one way. I then hiked about fifteen miles out and back. The elevation gain was colossal considering I climbed a fourteen hundred foot peak in the process. I did see lots of those mountain goats though. The downside was I got a blister on my heal the size of the full moon. Ouch!

5. What do I bring?

This is probably the question I am asked most. I have covered what I bring in the following video. I also list the contents below.

EQUIPMENT LIST:

Image of Everyday Carry organizer
Everyday Carry Organizer (EDC)

Well, this concludes this post. If you found this information helpful, please let me know. If you have any questions, please leave them in the comments. You can stay informed of my posts and more by joining my e-list. Adventure awaits!

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My Backpack Contents of Equipment for Two

image of backpack contents
Image of backpack contents

Equipment in my backpack when I hike with my friend:

Anyone who is new to backpacking may wonder what to carry in their backpack. I know I wished I knew where to find a list of what to carry; however, since that was before pagers, cell phones, and the internet, I made do. My first backpack weighed in at about 75 pounds! Luckily for me, I wasn’t adventuring very far out into the Mojave Desert where I lived that day.  I have learned a little since then. My pack is extremely minimal compared to this on solo trips (I use a Warbonnet hammock instead of tent, Solo Stove instead of canister stove and Titanium cup instead of GSI pot setup); however, I make up that lost weight and more with lots of camera gear.

When I hike with my best friend, I want them to enjoy the trip so that they will want to go backpacking more and more. I only ask that they carry their personal items, which I consider to be:

  • Toiletries
  • sleeping bag and pad
  • Snacks
  • Clothes.

In my backpack, I carry everything else. My pack for the last trip weighed in at 30 pounds, and I could have left all the extra clothes at home; however, I have issues with climbing in my sleeping bag at night in dirty clothes. Below is a list of everything in my pack that I took on my last trip:

  • Osprey Aether 70 Backpack
    • Rain cover
  • REI Half Dome 2 plus
  • REI Lumen 20 degree Sleeping Bag
  • Term-A-Rest Sleeping Pad
  • GSI Two person Set
    • 2 insulated Cups (with lids)
    • 2 bowls
    • 2 Sporks
    • Stove
    • fuel can
  • Snow Peak GigaPower Stove
  • MSR Fuel Canister
  • Food
  • Mesh Bag-O-Lights
  • Maxpedition Beefy Pocket Organizer (This is also my “Every-Day-Carry” bag)

    • Snow Peak Titanium Spork
    • Straw (for Sawyer water filter)
    • Leatherman Tool (unknown model)(not shown)
    • First Aid bag
    • Sawyer water filter bladder
    • Trusty Silva Ranger CLQ Compass in Bearings (Have used in the field for 27 years)
    • Write-in-the-rain Weatherproof Journal
    • Sawyer Water Filter
    • Fox 40 Whistle
    • Mini toothbrush
    • Tiny toothpaste
    • Tinderbox
      • Vaseline soaked cottonball (in a tiny medicine ziplock)
      • lots of Birch bark
      • Light My Fire mini Flint and steel
    • 8 Starbucks instant Italian Roast Coffee single servings
    • 2 Yerba Mate tea bags
    • lotion
    • Sea To Summit HeadNet (for mesquitos)
    • Survival Bracelet (usually worn in the field)
  • Garmin GPS 60
  • Gerber Sheath Knife (instead of 9mm Taurus)
  • 100 ft of paracord
  • 1.75x Reading glasses
  • Canon G16 Camera
  • Ultra-Pod 2 Tripod
  • Canon Cable Release
  • Oregon Pinot Gris in a 1 ltr Platypus bladder
  • Boonie Hat to hold up the Mosquito HeadNet
  • Clothes
    • Socks, 1 pr
    • underwear, 1pr
    • Thermal “long johns”, 1 pr
    • Switzerland Military issue wool sweater (From military surplus store)
    • Pants with zip off legs, 1 pr
    • Long sleeve sports shirt with zippered chest, 1
    • Fleece gloves, 1 pr
    • “beanies” or “skull cap”, 2
  • Collapsible fleece pillow

There were a whole heck of a lot of things I didn’t need in my pack this trip. I could have left out the Wool sweater, pants with zip off legs, 100ft of para cord, AlpineAire food, Tent rainfly, tent stakes, long sleeve shirt, and a few other things. Hope this helps someone out there.

If anyone has any questions, feel free to ask in the comments section.

UPDATE: You have to take into consideration many factors when backpacking. One thing I was unsure of is what the temperature where we were backpacking to was going to “feel” like overnight. The reason I said I could have eliminated the aforementioned items is because  I didn’t use them, however, that is hindsight.

Cost of equipment: I am a firm beleiver in buying what I can afford and upgrading from there. I do want to say, on the other hand, There have been many times I have purchased some piece of equipment and immediately after the trip replaced it because it sucked frog lips! That being said…You get what you pay for; however, buying a $39 collapsible bowl that cooks on the stove may be replaced by a cheap a$$ 5 pound Goodwill pot and a $0.50 plastic bowl. That doesn’t mean that someday when you find an extra 40 bones in an old pair of pants you wouldn’t want to buy that collapsible pot/bowl…It would be worth it… IMHO.