Hiking Staples: what I bring, whether its 2 or 20 miles.

Hello, adventure buddy!

All the blog how-to’s out there that said writing the first post is going to be hardest, are wrong. Writing the second post is so much fucking harder (**side-note I didn’t write about in my About Me; I write like a talk: laced with profanities. I apologize if that bothers you, but this blog reflects myself, and that reflection likes to swear).

I figured the best way to kick off my real writing was to start with what I pack in my day pack. I don’t know about you, but sometimes all I do is lay around my house scrolling through Instagram or YouTube when I have a free hour instead of hitting the trail, even when I know I am much happier choosing the latter. I’ve learned to minimize procrastination by having my bag packed with the basics so that I can grab and go.

Over the years I’ve narrowed down my gear to the things I like but, everyone needs different things depending on their activities. With that said, there are things everyone should keep on them; those items are indicated with an asterisk (*).

All (most) of my staple gear in my day pack.

1. Rain jacket (doubles as a windbreaker);
2. Basic first aid*;
   • Gauze bandage
   • Various sized band-aids
   • Mole skin and other blister aids
   • Benadryl
   • Aspirin
3. Your favorite day pack*, mine is the Gregory Mountain Products Jade 28 Liter;
4. 1-2 liters of water* (dependent on the distance and weather.I would also recommend a lighter bottle, like a Nalgene.);
5. Flashlight or headlamp*;
6. Light gloves;
7. Pocket knife or multi-tool*;
8. Baseball cap and beanie;
9. I always bring along a tripod (which I forgot to include in the picture, and I am too lazy to lay everything back out). After a few trials my current favorite is the lammcou flexible tripod;
10. Snack, usually a few granola bars or a fresh piece of fruit; and
11. Trail Map* (not pictured).

My 5 am and early morning hikes are packed the night before with the above items and the following:

My early morning staple gear.

1. A Jetboil Flash or stove set-up to boil water;
2. Coffee mug;
3. Homemade oatmeal;
4. Sea to Summit Alpha Light Cutlery (Long Spoon);
5. My current favorite ground coffee (coffee is vital for my morning hikes); and
6. Jetboil Coffee Press or AeroPress Coffee and Espresso Maker (not pictured for the same reasons as the tripod);

Right now, I am fairly happy with my base set-up but, am always looking to upgrade or add new gear. Is there something you always carry that I don’t? Let me know!

Cheers from your over-caffeinated friend,

Carly

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I’ve linked the items in my picture in case you want to check them out yourself. Or if you would like my thoughts, let me know, and I would be happy write a review about the item!

These are affiliate links because I feel like that’s the blogger thing to do.