Are you taking preparation to go for a hike? Haven’t you made a day hiking checklist yet? Okay, there is nothing to worry about at all. In this blog post, we will show you how to create a hiking checklist. Seriously, it will help you make your hiking session more successful. You should keep in mind, without making a perfect checklist, you have to suffer a lot.
The benefits of hiking are many, but if you feel discomfort because of missing something essential, all of your efforts will go in vain. Therefore, you should make a perfect checklist. And to do this, you have to be thoughtful and technical and need to advance systematically. However, let’s look at the process at a glance:
How to make and use the checklist systematically
Before packing your day hiking essentials, you should make a checklist. It will help you include everything you need to make your hiking day great. But isn’t it important to know how to make the appropriate use of the list? Yes, of course. Otherwise, it may not seem as convenient as you thought before.
That is why you can use a marker pen to mark the most hiking essentials. To do this –
- Firstly, find out ten to fifteen essential things that are badly in need and mark them using the pen. Also, you can use different colors to identify between the most and less important ones.
- Secondly, think about the difficulties you may face during the session and mark the things you may need during the situation with a different color.
- Thirdly, think about the weather condition and include important wearings that can protect you during the period.
- Fourthly, include which foods you should take. We always recommend taking light foods for the day. Otherwise, you may suffer from stomach problems.
- Finally, consider the distance and duration of your destination. If it’s long, don’t forget to take sufficient essentials.
Let’s talk about the full day hiking checklist –
Clothing and Footwear
- Shorts or Pants: It’s better to choose pants instead of shorts because you need to go through rough tracks, sometimes through bushy forests – in that case, the pants will protect you from rough boulders or plants. Where you don’t need pants, you can make them like shorts by rolling up.
- Baselayer or shirt: Both of them are convenient. But remember, you should choose a long-sleeve lightweight base-layer or t-shirt with a short-sleeve. Ensure that they are made of merino wool synthetic fabric, wool over cotton, or polyester because these clothes can dry quickly by removing sweat and remaining warm while going through a wet environment.
- Waterproof jacket: You may encounter unexpected rain or storms. In that case, a waterproof jacket can keep you dry. But remember, it should have well-breath-ability so that you can be free from heavy sweating when the rain is over.
- Hiking shoes and shocks: If you don’t feel comfortable with your feet, the hiking day cannot satisfy you, remember. Therefore, you should pick up the right one among the varieties. In this case, our blog post – “ways to buy your first climb shoes” can help you a lot. Read about hiking shoes and shocks in-depth reviews here…
When you buy hiking shoes for beginners, you should keep in mind that you will have two types of hiking shoes – waterproof and non-waterproof. Both of them are good, but the waterproof ones are generally more expensive and heavier than the non-waterproof ones. That is why a pair of non-waterproof shoes is our favorite choice. But for winter and wet seasons, waterproof ones can play a vital role.
Hiking shocks made of cotton, wool, or synthetic can make your day comfortable. But woolen ones are good for regulating temperature. They keep you warm during winter and wet and dry faster than cotton. So it’s your choice which one you should buy. Now arrange the hiking gear, pack all the essentials, and enjoy a happy hike.
Read More About Do You Need Waterproof Hiking Shoes?
Types of equipment needed for a day hiking
- Hiking Bag: It’s also known as a daypack. If you want to travel or hike far away, you cannot go there without some daily essentials. So you need a convenient hiking bag to pack all those things. Actually, packing for backpacking is an essential factor, and in this regard, a high-quality bag can ease your pressure a lot. Therefore, choose a daypack that can hold all of the things you need to make your hiking successful.
- Headlamp: It sometimes happens that you cannot finish your day before the sunsets. What if you get lost? That is why you should always carry a headlamp with you to face difficulties at that time. Don’t worry. They are compact, lightweight, and cheap. So you need to use a considerable amount to have one.
- Water pot: Naturally, you cannot finish a hike without having much water as you need to walk a lot, get tired, and become thirsty during the session. Hence, the need for a water pot or bottle. Also, the hydration reservoir works fine in this regard. We always recommend you take two or four-liter bottles depending on the season. You can carry some water purification tablets with you, too.
- First Aid Kit: If you are a newbie, you should know about hiking essentials for beginners. Otherwise, you may suffer in the long run! Whether you are a beginner or a professional, you must include a first aid kit with other things. Who can say what is going to happen next? To get relief from a sudden injury, the equipment can play a crucial role. So, don’t forget to include this one on your checklist.
- Trekking Poles: Trekking pole is mandatory to make a hike successful. When you feel tired, pushing on it for a while can give you much relief. And as you need to go through different rough tracks, it will help you save yourself from dangerous wild animals like snakes. In this regard, we suggest you buy a folding pole so that you can put it in your bag with ease!
- Navigation: A navigational tool is always helpful for any hike. It will help you not to get lost in unknown terrain. Fortunately, you will get a high-tech GPS device on the market. You can also manage a laminated map for your convenience.
- Necessary Foods: It’s my choice to avoid fatty foods during a hike. Always select high-calorie low-fat food for hiking. You can include dried fruit, cheese, bars, nuts, etc. in your food list. It may vary depending on your body and energy. But our suggestion will be not to take any food that creates acidity. Remember, the benefits of hiking are many but don’t spoil everything by overeating.
- Windproof Umbrella: Nobody can tell about uncertainty. So you may face unexpected rain during the session. To prevent it, you have to take a windproof umbrella inside your bag. It will ease your pressure a lot.
- Whistle: You may be a victim of serious injury. In that case, a whistle can play a vital role. It will help you signal to other hikers. When you face any danger, just play it three times. Then the others will come to help you. How convenient, that is!
The things you should avoid during a day hike
Not all the items are suitable for a day hike. So you need to avoid some specific things because they may destroy the peace of hiking. Here we are providing you with a list of 4 things that you should avoid. Let’s check:
- Jeans: You should avoid jeans during a hike. If it gets wet, your suffering will know no bounds.
- Cotton: Cotton clothes need more time to dry. Therefore, it’s better to put on synthetic clothes. They are sweat-wicking and can dry faster.
- Nice clothing: You should not take nice dresses because you frequently contact dirt and mud during the session.
- Jewelry: Jewelry is useless during a hike because you will get no time to impress anyone. So you should avoid them as much as possible.
- Avoid white color: If you want to collect dirt and mud, you can use white color. Otherwise, we strongly recommend avoiding them.
The Conclusion
Your hiking can be enjoyable if you advance systematically. So to make it great, you should make your hiking checklist carefully. Include the most important things first. Here using different color markers can be convenient. And of course, you should avoid unnecessary things that you don’t always need. It’s meaningless to make the bag extra heavier because you may feel uncomfortable carrying extra burdens.
