Thoughts on Day Hiking, and Needed Gear

Since moving to Boulder, I have been doing a lot of day hiking. An activity I grew up doing as a kid, is now more accessible and awesome than it ever was in the past. Yet, when you spend seven or so years away from an activity like this, you feel a little out of touch and (if you are like me) start researching what people are using and carrying these days.

That lead me to a lot of confusion. The lists were odd to say the least. Filled with a lot of extraneous gear, or almost no gear at all. I thought I would share my day hiking list after my first year back with the activity, giving you about 12 months of an obsessive and prepared gear focused list as possible.

But, before we get to that, we need to tackle a few different philosophies people take when they hike and compare it to mine.

Philosophies I Hate

The first philosophy is preparedness. The idea that you need preparation to an extreme level. You need paper maps, and a compass with a pen and paper. You need an emergency shelter as well. You need backups of your backups. While I do gravitate towards carrying far more gear than necessary, I do find this approach to be bordering paranoid. There are times when you might want this (e.g. long hikes in very remote areas), but for the most part: this is nothing but too much weight for you to enjoy the hike.

At the other end of the philosophy spectrum is the ultralight crew. Slightly different than the ultralight backpacking crew, this group likes to carry next to nothing. I’ve seen tons of people out on trails with nothing more than a 20oz water bottle, and a cellphone. But, more commonly, this group is carrying a few odds and ends in a small lumbar pack, or tiny backpack — just the absolute bare essentials. Except most of the time it’s not bare essentials, it’s comfort items. A water bottle, candy, and a sitting pad — for example. For me this group is asking for a bad experience, as they are gambling that they’ll never hit a bump in the road. The people I usually see loading out like this are those with bigger egos about their skills (e.g. over confident ‘tough guys’ and college kids).

The next last is the “I bought all the stuff that looked like stuff I should have, in the camping aisle of a big box store”. This is not REI we are talking about, this is Target, Walmart, Dick’s, Sportsman’s Warehouse, etc… While I can appreciate that these folks are wanting to be prepared, they are all too often carrying gear that is far from worth its weight. An emergency bivvy, a space blanket or four, some iodine tablets, a literal roll of duct tape, and an entire ass first aid kit with all the packaging to go with it. For me, I wish there was a large donation bin at the turn around of popular trails, to allow these folks to donate out 90% of the this crap, especially since I often see this gear come out still in original blister packaging. Wild shit.

My Philosophy

I believe that there’s no such thing as a core kit for a day hike. You should adjust for each and every fucking hike. And while that’s a massive amount of work, it’s the best path forward. Just as you change out what you would pack for a work trip versus a personal vacation, the gear needs to be dependent on what you are about to do:

Are you alone, with another adult or two, with kids?

What’s the two-day weather forecast look like?

What are the temps and rain chances?

How long is the hike?

How many times have you done hikes of that length?

Is there water along the hike?

How remote are you at different points in the hike?

Is it a popular hike, or a hidden gem?

What is the expected wildlife activity?

Every single one of those questions means I either add, or subtract certain items from my backpack. To make things really simple: if there’s no water sources on the hike, I am not going to carry a huge water filter with me, but I likely will carry an extra bit of water with me. If there’s a forecast for rain, I am going to carry a comfortable and well suited rain jacket, but if there’s zero chance I might only carry my lightest rain jacket. If there’s a chance for a powerful thunderstorm to roll over, but I am trying to beat it, well I might toss a SilNylon tarp into my pack just in case there’s huge hail, otherwise that tarp can stay home.

Something longer than I typically do, in tough terrain: toss a dehydrated meal into the pack just in case. Lots of animal activity: grab that bear spray. Popular trail? Shed almost everything except first aid and snacks. Hidden gem of a trail: make sure I have enough to spend a very uncomfortable night if I need to. That trail right behind my house that is an asshole of an uphill: water, candy, and something to deal with a twisted ankle.

The Gear, My Gear

Alright, well as I said already, I change out my gear based on a lot of factors, so I’ll list out the gear and when I might add it, or pull it from the bag. I’ll give you the links and brand names and items to save you an email to me, but unless I say otherwise, I am using it because that’s what I have, not necessarily because I’ve done extensive testing and found that one to be the best.

Backpack: I always use a backpack, even if it is mostly empty. A shoulder bag is simply annoying, and a lumbar pack is fine, but not as comfortable. My top choice is still the Kifaru Echo, as it is supremely well made, durable, and functions exceptionally well. I can add/remove the framesheet or stay as needed to handle different load amounts so it scales well for different hikes in varied climates. I would have no qualms about using any of these packs though: Mystery Ranch Radix 31; Mystery Ranch Front 2.0; Fjallraven Singi 28; Hyperlite Mountain Gear Daybreak.

Phone: a fully charged phone with Alltrails’ offline maps for the hike, and/or Apple/Google Maps offline maps saved for the area. This is going to be better for 98%+ of people than a map and compass (myself included). Also most trails around here can cause you to lose reception while driving, so I always have offline maps stored to begin with.

Battery Backup: I carry the Nitecore NB10000 with me and a short Nomad charging cable. If the phone is your best bet for maps, then you better be able to recharge the phone. The battery bank I carry is really compact and light, but if you only have huge ones, then a 5000mAh should be your target for most day hikes as that will get a a fresh charge, the NBAir is really killer at that size.

Bear Spray: I never used to carry this, but there’s a very real chance of seeing wildlife when you hike in the Front Range of Colorado, so I have started carrying it. I’ve seen a mountain lion about 70 feet from my front door, so this isn’t overkill for me. There are a few hikes where I’ll leave this behind, mostly because the area is very popular and I know many people will be on the trail before and after me. In that case I’ll swap out to a standard personal sized pepper spray, mostly for protection against a dog (dog attacks are unfortunately common here on trails). I also have a Mystery Ranch holster to carry bear spray in, but I don’t usually have it in that. The holster only makes it on trail when it’s an area where there’s been recent sightings, so I can wear the spray if needed. Otherwise: water bottle pocket.

First Aid: I don’t carry any pre-made first aid kits with me. My kit focuses mostly on the things I am likely to have to deal with which are cuts and scrapes. I keep mine in a waterproof pouch and well stocked. This almost always goes with me. I might add more items to the bag for longer or more remote hikes.

Water: there’s no good reason to leave without a water bottle. I tend to carry a 20oz bottle on most trips, and some water purification tablets in an emergency pouch just in case. If I know the hike has water access on it, I’ll carry an Ultrapress with me (empty) so I can quickly grab more water if needed. If there’s no water access, a 32oz Nalgene gets tossed in my bag for any hike where the miles exceed 5 from the closest road/parking lot/people. For very chill hikes, I might scale down to a 12oz bottle.

Nite-Ize Plastic S-Biner Size 4: I keep one of these clipped to the outside of my packs most of the time. It’s a really great size, and super low-weight in the plastic model. From clipping hats, jackets, or any number of other things — even using it to hang my bag occasionally. Good stuff, have yet to regret taking it with me.

Garmin InReach Mini 2: I don’t know that I would re-buy this again today. It’s been basically not important at all. With satellite on my iPhone, and generally always being on somewhat busy trails (I typically see many other people) I have never used this. That might change in the future, and it’s certainly on the nice to have list, but not necessary in my opinion. The only time I carry this now, is when I am alone, or alone with just my kids (they know how to use the SOS on it), or if I know I am deep in the middle of nowhere. I never assumed I would need this, and it certainly is an item you’ll never need until you really do. I am pretty whatever on it.

Sunglasses: I don’t care if it is dark and gloomy with no forecast for anything different, protect your damned eyes. I have moved to the Zeal Selkirk Sunglasses which have removable side wings, and a bridge filler — nice optics, light, comfortable, with the ability to really protect my eyes (important in snow). I am also a fan of the Roka aviators, which I wear often as well. I never hike without sunglasses, and typically I am always wearing them. So along with water, this is one of the few “always have it” items.

Maven CM.1 Monocular: this is heavy and I rarely use it, but I love to carry it. I have always loved monoculars and binoculars, and this monocular offers excellent optics in a smaller but weighty package. It’s easily the best monocular I’ve ever used. I love it, the kids love it, and it’s fun. Hiking should be fun, so pack fun things.

Camera: speaking of fun, I usually carry my Leica Q2 with me. That’s heavy as all hell, and while I could use my iPhone, I carry the Leica to keep me focused on what’s around me, not what notifications are on my phone screen. I leave the Leica behind when I have scouted the trail pics from Alltrails and decided there’s not a lot to see, or often if I am hiking alone I leave it behind and focus on a more meditative aspect of the hike.

SilNylon Tarp: This is a fairly compact item, but a touch heavy. You can spend more and get something much lighter for sure. I rarely take this. The only times I take this is if there’s threat of bad weather, plus a long hike, plus I am with my kids. Outside of that, this stays home. The reason I take it is that if there’s a bad passing storm, I may want to pitch it for cover and let the kids eat snacks while the storm passes instead of hearing the complaining if we were to power through the storm.

Shit Kit: I have a small and light kit for if you need to shit in the woods. It’s in a Mystery Ranch Forager Pouch, and contains: personal tp, ziploc bag, wilderness wipes, The Deuce #2 trowel, chem light (this is also my backpacking kit, so chem light is nice if it’s a night time adventure). I only take this kit if I am hiking with my wife/kids or I am pulling double digit miles.

Live the Creed Trauma EDC Pouch w/ Trauma Sheers: this is different than my first aid kit. It has some duplicate items, but where I’ll dive in and out of the first aid kit on hikes, I reserve this for the worst case scenarios. This is for serious injury, and thus I know it’s always fully stocked and ready to rock. I carry this on most trails which are not swarming with people.

Waterproof Maps: I have commercial waterproof maps for the area, and topo maps I printed on Rite in the Rain paper with a laser printer. I carry this off and on. Generally only on very long hikes, I don’t see a ton of value in this if you have offline maps on your device and a backup charger. Backups are nice, but it’s far too easy to go too heavy.

Shemagh in Waterproof Bag: I usually have a Shemagh in my bags, and this is no different. I keep it in a waterproof bag as I don’t bother carrying a waterproof cover for my bags.

Pouch of Bullshit: this also usually goes with me and is a pouch I stash random shit in, here’s what is in it when I went to write this: 2x empty Ziploc sandwich bags; 2x elastic hair ties; 1oz bottle of hand sanitizer; lens cleaning cloth; 3x different protein bars; 1x mini stroop waffle pack; Wet Ones antibacterial wipes; 25 feet of 550 paracord; ultrapod mini tripod; large hunter orange bandana. On that last one, most of my clothing and gear is earth tones, so in a situation where I need to be seen, I take this cloth to help increase my visibility.

Survival Pouch: inside a robust Kifaru pouch, I keep some survival gear. I only take this with me on longer/harder hikes. It’s very unnecessary for most of what I do, so I need to feel the risk warrants the weight on this. But I keep this packed and ready so that I know to grab this if things look like it is warranted. Here’s what is in it (a lot of these are in smaller waterproof bags):

MKM Swiss Army Style Knife: upgraded steel quality, but heavier. A good mix of tools.

Zippo with Butane Torch Insert: I carry this because I have an undying love or flipping open a Zippo. I figure if I am in a survival situation this is not only fire, but also a fidget toy. But the lighter fluid based Zippos are highly unreliable long term, the butane inserts rock though.

Nitecore NU25 Headlamp: still an amazing little headlamp.

PDW Cam Straps 2x: these are amazing, and I carry them as a tool for lashing which is much easier than tying a tight knot.

Battery Bank (I keep it here, pull it out if I don’t take this pouch)

Incharge X Mini Cable: it can charge a multitude of different devices.

Rite in the Rain Journal: waterproof notebook for writing note things.

Emergency Contact Details Card: I have these stashed in most of my hiking bags, but it has who I am and where I live. It also has contact information for my wife and parents and sisters. Additionally, notes about regular medications and allergies. I have no clue if anyone would ever find these, but it’s a 4×6” piece of waterproof paper, so not a lot of downside to having this.

Field Notes: this is two fold, I can hand this off is someone else needs paper. But it also burns well if I need to start a fire.

Hankerchief: You never regret having an extra clean and dry bit of fabric.

Zebra Pen F-701: hard to break, reliable as hell.

Tarred Bank Line: when you need to tie a knot and you need to know it will hold, this is the stuff you want. It’s also very tiny — I end up using this stuff more than any other cord I carry.

Dyneema Cordage: when you need it really strong, but don’t have a ton of width to weave stuff through. This shit is useless, I should stop carrying it, it doesn’t hold a knot for shit.

TurNord Compass: I love this thing.

Signal Mirror: important.

2x 8” Zip Ties: these are carried for gear repair. Quick and strong.

Exotac Match Case and Storm Matches: backup to the lighter, always have matches.

Water Purification Tablets: I only carry two tablets in this, and I think that’s becuase I stashed more in another pouch somewhere.

6x 1.5” Mini Chem Lights: these are very cheap and very light and easy to carry. They are also pretty nicely bright.

1x CR123a Battery: I typically would swap this for whatever battery type for the flashlight I am carrying in my pocket.

Nite Ize Figure 9 Carabiner: a nice little gadget for easily hanging or stringing line.

Finger Nail Clippers: what will not happen, is I will not die from a hang nail. I’ll tell you that.

Norrona Lightweight Wool Beanie: weighs very little, packs down well, and is surprisingly warm. I love it.

Ok that’s my base hiking gear that I keep in my bag and pull in and out based on my hike. But there’s an entirely separate bag that is my supplemental gear. Since this post is long anyways, I say screw it, let’s go through that.

Photo credit: Erin Brooks (erinbrooks.me)

One caveat to this next list, is that everything on it is largely useless and unnecessary. If I do take any of this, it’s only going to stay in my car, unlikely to be carried with me. I would need to be doing something pretty risky to think I should have this gear on my person, but some might get tossed in an overnight pack if I am not just dayhiking.

Ok, this is all is inside a Kifaru Sherman pocket, which can easily attach to a lot of the bags I use:

Benchmade Anonimus: this is my ‘don’t think about it, you can’t destroy it’ knife. I have nicer fixed blade knives which I would select if I thought I needed a large fixed blade. But this is my ‘tool’ fixed blade. Hard steel, easy to replace, etc.

Malkoff MDC in TAD S2: I don’t get people afraid of storing excellent lights as their backup light. Like, if things are so bad that I am going to need my backup flashlight, then I am going to be pretty pissed off at myself if my backup flashlight is crap. The S2 pouch is also great, as I can attach it to my belt, or to the daisy webbing on my backpack strap so I can get to it easily. This light also has a long dummy cord on it, so it’s hard for me to lose.

Compression Bandage: I might toss this in my main pack for a very long hike. Bulky, but light.

PDW Waterproof Backpack Cover: most of the backpacks I hike with are not waterproof, I toss this in my pack when actual rain is forecasted. But not snow, as snow here is not wet enough to really cause me issues.

OR Sun Gloves: I’ve had these forever, and they are fantastic at keeping the sun off your hands, without actually overheating your hands. I very rarely wear them, but that’s mostly because I try to stay off trails that leave me fully exposed.

OR Silencer Gloves: these are like a really trim work glove. If it’s a day where I don’t have any other gloves I think I might wear, and this is a long trail, then I toss these in. Not a lot to add, but a high potential of being “thank god I have these”.

Hydrapak 2L Seeker Water Bottle: This 2L bottle is really for filling from the Ultrapress. But there’s got to be a reason to carry it, so unless that reason presents itself, this hangs back.

Toaks 550ml Ti Cup/Pot with Lid, inside: Snow Peak Giga Power Burner, Fuel Canister, and Water Purification Tablets. This is basically my overnight food warming kit. I focused pretty hard on getting it super small, but capable of rehydrating a backpacking meal. Only if I thought I was overnighting would I take this.

Nite Ize Metal S-Biner Size 3: never have too many.

SilNylon Dry Bag: these come in handy all the time, mostly I use them to keep wet things from soaking my dry things, but you can reverse that if needed.

Swiss Army Tinker: most underrated knife in the world.

Large Omega Pacific Caribiner: for serious weight.

Exotac Nano Striker XL: to make me feel better.

Field Sharpner Ceramic Honing Rod: to make me feel better.

Wenger Survival Ligher: because I own this, they don’t make it any more, and it’s cool as hell. Way better than a Ferro rod for most people.

Often, if I am heading to an area where I have a low confidence in the ‘on the ground’ conditions, or I might have to do some light off roading to get to a trail — I toss this bag of gear in the car. It has a few extra items which might help me in a bad spot, but nothing too extraordinary in there, mostly backups to my backups. Importantly, also all gear that I would not lose sleep over losing if someone broke into my car while I was on the trail.

My only advice: carry water and first aid. Then try to convince yourself to carry very little beyond that. Best of luck, I can’t do it.