Top 10 Essential Items For Your Hiking Trip

I love adventures that are off the beaten path. There’s nothing quite like a day outdoors checking out all the beautiful scenery whether it’s mountains covered with snow, meadows that are lush and covered in flowers or jagged rock faces. Being outdoors is awe-inspiring, energizing and peaceful all at the same time. And hiking is a great way to experience the outdoors. Not to mention the many health benefits that come along with it!

But, hiking also has plenty of challenges. Some trails take you to remote parts of the world. You may find yourself walking a fine line between safety and danger. When hiking, it’s important to be prepared. There are some important things that you need to consider taking with you on your next hike.

Here are the TOP 10 ESSENTIAL ITEMS for your next hiking trip:

Backpack

You can definitely go on some trails without a bag. But, if you’re going to be hiking moderate to strenuous trails or a distance that is more than a short stroll, I would recommend purchasing a quality backpack. You can find them all around. It doesn’t have to be fancy. But you need something that you can easily carry without being too much of a burden. And you need one that is big enough to fit all of your supplies. A backpack like the Osprey will work great!

A Towel

I learned my lesson early on: always bring a towel. You see, we tend to find trails with plenty of mud. And, if we’re lucky, we get to hike a trail with some great waterfalls. I love waterfalls and will go out of my way to get the perfect picture of them. Bring a towel to wipe off or dry off when you get finished with your hike. That way, you can clean up a little bit before getting back into your vehicle and transferring all that nastiness inside.

A Map and Compass

It’s important with any hiking adventure that you know where you’re going. Before you head out on your next adventure, find a map of the trails you’re visiting. Download and save it on your smartphone (because you may not have internet service) or have a hard copy of it with you. Spend some time familiarizing yourself with the location. Check out the terrain, potential danger spots and also mark the location of the places you definitely have to check out while hiking. And when you go, take the map and compass with you. I know that may sound primitive, but you can easily get lost while hiking if you’re not familiar with the area and/or you go off the main trails (I wouldn’t advise this, especially if you don’t know the area).

Good shoes

On my many hiking adventures, I have seen a number of people wearing inappropriate footwear for the trails. This is not the place to wear your flip flops or sandals. If you’re going on a serious hike, then you would do well to invest in some good, comfortable hiking or trail shoes like these. You want something that will give your feet and ankles plenty of support. Make sure that they will give you great traction. You will thank me for that advice if you find yourself up on rocks or steep ledges.

Trekking Poles

I have completed hikes with a walking stick and without. I have my own that we carved down from a small tree on our property several years ago. You can go that route, or you can check out trekking poles on Amazon or in your local sporting goods store. These poles or walking sticks will help you maintain your balance in certain locations as well as provide a little help when stepping up or down around larger rocks. You can find some that fold up and easily be stored in your backpack when not in use.

Water Bottle

You absolutely need water when hiking. I recommend taking plenty even if you think you’re just going for a stroll. I learned this lesson the hard way a few years ago. We started walking through the woods at a nearby state park. We ended up going a few miles before we realized, we all left our water bottles in the vehicle. Fortunately, it wasn’t too hot or that strenuous of a hike. But from then on, we’ve always made sure to have plenty of water. You can find a good, insulated water bottle that can clip onto your backpack or fit inside for a reasonable price online. I would fill it up and then put another bottle or two in your backpack as backups. You’d rather have too much than not enough.

First Aid Kit

When it comes to hiking, you’re probably going to find yourself bruised and bleeding at some point. You’ll find yourself trudging through dense thickets. You’ll scrape your knees or arms over rock ledges. Or it could be a little worse than that. It would be great to have a first aid kit to clean any scrapes or cuts and bandage them up, if need be. There’s no need to go out and spend a lot of money. Just a basic kit would work fine for most hikers.

Wipes

While hiking, you’re most likely going to get your hands dirty. There will be times where you have to hold onto a tree or rock to continue on the trail. And you will most definitely break a sweat while on the trail. So, a container of wipes will come in handy. When you get ready to stop for a snack, pull out a wipe and clean your hands. These also come in handy if you are out in a remote area and nature calls (if you catch my drift).

Trash bag

Last, but certainly not least, bring a trash bag (or two) of some sort. It doesn’t have to be one of the biggest ones. Even a plastic bag from your latest grocery store shopping will work. But bring it along for the hike. When you have trash, PUT IT IN THE TRASH BAG! I just went hiking a few days ago and came across an area of the trail where people had dumped their trash everywhere. There were food wrappers, plastic bags, bottles, etc. Take care of the areas where you hike and clean up after yourself!

Hiking has been one of the most enjoyable activities I’ve ever experienced. I’ve found that it’s where I’m most relaxed. For many people, it’s an outlet to relieve the stress of daily life. Whatever the case may be, you owe it to yourself to be prepared. Don’t forget these items when you go. There may be others on your list that I didn’t get. So, what items do you take when you hike?

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