Hiking Pack List: Make It, Then Check It TwiceA hiking pack list seems too organized and deliberate for free spirits like hikers, right? Wrong. A hiking pack list is a great starting point for new hikers. But it is also useful for seasoned hikers. There are the famous "10 essentials". Then there are my personal "must haves", followed closely by my "consider these" items. Let's get the 10 essentials out of the way first. "Essential" implies you gotta have 'em. Oh, so true! In no particular order, they are:
1. FOOD : Extra, that is. Over pack the lunch sack just a tad, and don't begrudge the extra weight. It provides you a margin of safety you just might need if you don't make it back to the trail head on schedule. 2. CLOTHING : Flash forward in your mind, beyond the day's warm, sunny conditions. What would nightfall in the forest feel like? Today's fleece and microfiber clothing is so lightweight, there's no excuse for not having an extra layer along even in the height of summer. I'm never without a pair of fleece gloves, a change of socks, and a fleece pullover in the bottom of my pack, along with a wool hat. 3. SUNGLASSES : Your eyes are a navigational tool. If you can't see, you're not going anywhere and will have to rely upon the people back home to find you (you did leave an itinerary or at least the name of the trail with someone you trust, didn't you?). If there is snow travel involved in your plans, you must shield your eyes from the UV rays bouncing merrily up from the snow surface into your eyeballs (snow blindness). 4. KNIFE: How "old school" - a knife, just like they taught us in Girl/Boy Scouts. To fend off a bear? Nope. To prepare some kindling for starting a fire. Or to gut a fish for emergency rations. To do whatever needs doing in a first aid situation. And so much more! Just add it to your hiking pack list, 'cuz you just never know when you'll need a sharp blade. 5. FIRESTARTER: Some people like to carry candle stubs, others carry some sort of flammable chemical. Me? I carry an old film canister filled with dryer lint coated with petroleum jelly. I also carry a few tea light candles. To each her own... 6. MATCHES: What good is your knife and fire starter if you can't start a fire?? I inherited an old metal pull-apart canister to carry my waterproof matches, but a ziplock bag and some wooden matches would do the trick. Don't bring book matches, they get damp and might not ignite in less-than-ideal conditions. 7. FIRST AID KIT: You can buy a fancy one from REI. You can cobble together one of your own. Or you can purchase a lightweight bare-bones one, too. What do you absolutely need in your kit? It depends somewhat upon where you are hiking. For instance, snakebite supplies are not needed in the Pacific Northwest area west of the Cascades, but make sense in Eastern Washington. However, there are some universal essentials no hiker should be without: pain relief, antiseptic, soap or sanitizer, band aids, gauze, cotton balls and tweezers. 8. FLASHLIGHT: I carry a headlamp instead, because it's a good idea to leave both hands free to navigate in the dark. But a lightweight flashlight, using LED illumination, would be a good idea on your hiking pack list. Just remember to do a battery check when you switch out your pack contents at the turn of the season. And turning the batteries around so there's no chance of accidental "ON" position in the murky depths of your pack is also recommended. 9. TOPOGRAPHIC MAP: I never used to include a map on my hiking pack list, back in my wild youthful days. It is embarrassing to admit that now, knowing how many ways I could have gotten lost. In my defense, I always stayed on well marked trails and I always had a good idea of how far away from the trail head I was at any one time (well, that's mostly true...). But yeesh! no map??? Rookie mistake! Now I love to pour over maps, stitching together big areas in my head, visualizing what's just over that next ridge, and building a huge mental map of the Pacific Northwest in my head. I consider it a game, and not an easy one for a spatially challenged person such as myself. But this mental exercise really pays off when I'm hiking, because I can cast "as the crow flies" mental tendrils in any direction and know, really know, where I am. But there's no way to reach that level of comfort with directions unless you carry maps with you, take them out during breaks, and study them. It's a great form of entertainment at your lunch spot, too. So promise me that you'll pull out the map and figure out what's in front of you, then behind you....and be sure to check out Google Earth and World Wind for fantastic satellite images and well marked maps for any spot you're heading to. 10. COMPASS: Goes along with the map on your hiking pack list, right? Take a navigational course if compasses confound you. I confess that I'm still building my skills, relying upon my hiking partner (a.k.a. husband) for navigation when I really shouldn't. It's one of my vows this hiking season: learn to navigate using a map and compass, AND GPS. I'll let you know how it goes! OK, so there's the bare-bones essentials hiking pack list. Ho-hum, right? Just common sense. That's exactly right. Common sense can get you through all sorts of scrapes. Look over the list again. Notice how there are "themes" embedded in the list. For example: If you're lost and are going to stay put, you need to be warm (extra clothes, fire starter, knife and matches) and not hungry (extra food - a great aid for thinking clearly in an emergency situation). If you're going to be traveling, perhaps in search of your destination or back to the trail head, you need these to navigate safely: sunglasses to reduce glare, and navigation tools, Insect repellent might also be necessary on your hiking pack list.And if there's an injury, you need to deal with it efficiently (certainly use your first aid kit, knife, extra food, shelter & warmth until help arrives). Now for my own personal "MUST HAVES" which I add to my hiking pack list, and change seasonally. In my opinion, each of these deserve a spot on the "essential" list: 1. EMERGENCY SHELTER: I carry an ancient blue "space blanket" purchased in Houghton, Michigan in 1976. It has a few chunks of duct tape patching some tears, but will serve me well as a tarp or insulating layer on the ground should I need it. You'll probably notice it in a few of the pictures on this website. (I have a red one, too, in with my camping gear. If memory serves, the store was running a "2 for 1" sale that day...). This worthy little tarp rides along in my pack through every season, having earned its place on my hiking pack list. In winter, I spread it out on the snow, put my pack on it, then sit on my pack to keep from getting cold muscles. In summer, it makes a fine picnic blanket on rough rocks or wet soil. There are thinner "mylar" types of space blankets, and I do carry one of those in my pack, to be used as a reflective surface to signal my location from the air. But I find that it's too thin to stand up to much wind or rain. That's why I am never without my trusty tarps. 2. SUNSCREEN: This should probably be thrown in with sunglasses above. I am a firm believer in preventive medicine. Why treat skin cancer when you can prevent it? I always carry SPF30 or higher, and stop at least twice on a hike to reapply it. Caution! Sunscreens stings like crazy when it gets into your eyes, so wear a bandanna or hat to prevent drips in your eyes. 3. EXTRA WATER: Some people complain about the weight of the water they carry during a hike. I consider water a blessing, and try to have a little extra in my Kleen Kanteen at the end of every hike. So I'd caution you to think through the hike(s) you have planned, and know where your water sources are. Bringing water treatment technology along is an absolute necessity if you are doing anything other than a straightforward day hike on a popular trail. 4. EMERGENCY REPAIR SUPPLIES: I have a nylon zippered bag in the bottom of my pack, filled with nylon cord, strong safety pins, needle and thread, nylon cable ties of various lengths, extra zip lock bags of several sizes, a few extra bootlaces. I've wound lots of duct tape around my larger water bottle (the one I use in every season), and use it for blister prevention , field repairs to equipment, and patching holes in my pants. 5. PEN AND PAPER: If you get into a jam, chances are you will be rattled and perhaps mentally confused about what to do. Have the mental discipline to sit yourself down, write down the last time you knew where you where (When did you leave the trail? How long ago? What landmarks can you recall?) and pull out your topographic map. Try to back track in your mind, keeping notes on the paper, to where you came from. If you can't back track for some reason in your physical reality, at least you can get a mental grip and fight off the panicky feeling that always leads to bad decisions. Another use for pen and paper? Leave a note detailing your situation at a trail head or somewhere along the trail for others to find. I'm sure you can think of other uses for paper, too (such as adding to your hiking pack list on the fly, fire igniter, fly swatter...). 6. BABY WIPES: Not just for babies! Be sure these make it onto your hiking pack list! I use these as toilet paper, or to clean my hands prior to eating. NOTE: I pack used wipes back home for proper disposal in a zip lock bag. Hiding it under a rock is not cool. And CONSIDER THESE on your hiking pack list: a metal bowl or cup with a handle to melt snow or boil river water, a whistle or other signaling device ( mirror, CD, or smoke canister), and an illustrated list of wild edibles in your area (in case you can't remember and don't want to risk being poisoned on top of everything else in an emergency situation). There's lots more to say on this issue. Stay tuned for additions to the hiking pack list.... |