What do you carry on dayhikes?

[Toolshed]

Here's my list - I am open for comments.....
BTW, I usually keep everything except food and water ready to go in the waist-pack in the closet and can quickly dump it into a daypack if I need one.

In High Summer (J/J/A) on hikes of less than 6 hours or 8 miles, I normally try to get by with a large waist-pack which I normally carry:

- An old spare Marmot Precip Jacket
- Small BD Headlamp
- Swiss Army Knife "Camper model"
- 2-1 Ltr frozen water bottles
- Small Dark Brown Glass eyedropper Bottle of Iodine and several coffee
filters to filter and treat water (bottles are available from any pharmacist
and Dark brown keeps sunlight off the iodine)
- Small first aid kit with:
- - 1/2 oz tube of Bacitracin antibiotic (cream or ointment)
- - 2-3 band-aids each of various size,
- - half dozen Tylenol, ibuprofen and
- - 2 dilaudid
- - Point end Tweezers
- - Small roll of Gauze
- - Small Roll of Duct Tape (3 feet wrapped around a pencil stub)
- - 2-3 cough drops or hard candies
- - Large Safety Pin
- - Small roll-on of Body Glide
- Small essentials kit with:
- - Spare headlamp batteries
- - Pad and pen
- - 1 each gallon and quart size plastic Ziploc brand bag
- - 1 Trash compactor bag
- - Compass
- - Spare 10' piece of 3mm cord
- - Button sized Photon Light
- Map of area
- Light Snacks
- Toilet paper and tiny refillable tube of hand cleaning gel.

I can get most of this in the waist-pack. Water bottles in the outside pockets and jacket strapped to top of waist-pack.

In Spring or Fall or longer dayhikes of 10-12 miles, I bring a 2400CI daypack and:
- Double (or triple) water,
- light fleece,
- brim hat
- GPS
- Extra food
- foam sit-pad (old piece of ensolite)

I really like the idea that was mentioned about carrying a Hennessy Hammock. For an extra 2 lbs, you have a nice place to setup quickly (No canopy) and take a snooze. Might be worth it to carry a daypack with it in it from now on since I always have the space in my regular daypack.
Great tip thanks!!!!!

[Mags]

All of these lists seem like a lot of planning. Do you guys actually have time to hike? Don't get me wrong I carry the essentials and emergency stuff but the main thing for me is to enjoy nature.

If I may be serious for a moment...


My day pack is almost always pre-packed (depending on the season which gear is pre-packed). For three season use, I have a stuff sack prepacked with a light shell, fleece hat, liner gloves, a small first aid kit and a headlamp. My water bottle(s) are already in the pack. I shove a jacket in as I leave the house (or wear it)

My hiking clothes are all in the same spot. (Dorky sun hat, shorts, shirt, socks, shoes)

Likewise with my backpacking gear (and ski gear).

Basically, I can be packed in minutes for a day hike or ski. For an overnighter, almost as quickly.

The key is organization and having everything ready to go.

[travis71]

It takes me longer to fill my bladder & get my boots on than it does to grab my pack.. .most of that stuff stays in the pack....

[musicwoman]

I always have my "survival pack" in a quart ziplock. In it is:

Small first aid kit (a few bandages, neosporin, tweezers, Advil)
Survival blanket
Small lighter
Cotton balls soaked in Vaseline
Whistle
Compass
Some safety pins
Mini LED flashlight

For food and drink I have:

1-2 liters of water depending on the length of the hike
protein bars
usually a lunch like pb&j on bagel
Snickers or Reeses

Other assorted:

TP
Small swiss army knife (redundant because I never hike without my Leatherman Micra anyway, but I feel safer having a back-up)
duct tape
Fleece hat
Maps

[sofaking]

bowling balls...three of 'em, 16 pounders.
x-large proni pizza, thin crust to cut down on weight
5 liters of red wine
inflatable pool and patio furniture set, i get the big chair!
horseshoes or badmitton set, depending on what's in season
katana with sting ray grip, 'cause i beleive in stealth camping ninja style
magic flute, bracers of endurance(+5 hp, +7 if a double roll) and cloak of warm and fuzziness
if the terrain is challenging i bring chuck norris and he pretty much takes care of that right quick

[J5man]

I bascially carry the same stuff in my daypack as overnight pack with all the essentials everyone has listed. The biggest difference that lightens the load (besides not packing the tent, pad, and sleeping bag) is the amount of food and clothing depending on the weather. Part of everyone's answer could also be modified by the length of your day hike. A two hour jaunt on the trail is a little different that a 10 hour dayhike. I am glad to see so many people list a cell phone. It is the best piece of emergency equipment you can carry.

[gungho]

I normally use day hikes as a training ground for overniters, so I will carry everything I need to survive.Tent,sleeping bag,food,stove,etc.

[JAK]

Lately I've been carrying a kelly kettle, matches, hot chocolate, and a whole mess of kids clothing that they peel off as soon as they get out of their mother's sight.

[Wags]

toolshed what's the coughdrops/hard candy in your 1st aid kit for?

[hnryclay]

Not to answer for toolshed, but I always carry hard candy of cough drops when I hike. It keeps my mouth from going dry, and helps me breathe better. When I jog, I usually use them as well.

[mudhead]

Lately I've been carrying a kelly kettle, matches, hot chocolate, and a whole mess of kids clothing that they peel off as soon as they get out of their mother's sight.

Easier that way. Did you stumble upon it to placate her, or did the kids start throwing excess clothes on the ground?

[JAK]

A little of both. After carrying armfuls of clothing and a packful I figured out that it was redundant for me to carrying extra clothes for them and their mothers have them wear them. So I start off dayhikes now with my pack half empty, which being an eternal optimist, I consider half full.

[pure_mahem]

I'ld like to add that I've recently decided to just take my pack with me I just don't take all the extra food and clothes. I take enough for an overnight just incase I decide to stay or have to stay. Besides a lot also depends on what your doing or hiking to. Do you plan on swimming, do you plan on fishing, taking a comfortable nap, sitting out for lunch. I find it's nice to just hike for a while set up the hammock and cook lunch and hang for a while before I move on. Most of the time I'm in no hurry to get back After all I'ld rather stay.

[earlyriser26]

Water pump, first aid kit, small ammount of food, rain gear, matches, cell phone. Unless I'm going in winter, my rain gear would keep me warm through the night. I learned my leason in 1977 when I climbed Katahdin in August. I was wearing just a t-shirt. It was 65 at the base, but started raining, and then snowing near the top. I should have turned back, but at 21 you do some dumb things. Never again do I hike without a hat and rain gear.

[Mags]

I am glad to see so many people list a cell phone. It is the best piece of emergency equipment you can carry.

Debatable. Esp if you don't have coverage.

[Bulldawg]

When I go out for a short dayhike I usually pack pretty heavily. I often get strange looks from people I run into who find out I'm only out for the day. But I pack heavy for two reasons. Dayhikes for me are dry runs for longer overnighters. I don't want to get too spoiled by packing lightly. I will usually carry a change of clothes, my hammock, food for 3 or 4 meals, cookset, stove, two one quart water containers, a fleece blanket, a rain jacket, extra socks, and a fleece or wool cap. While if something were to happen that forced me to spend a night out, it would not be the most comfortable, I would live through it. But I was in the Boy Scouts, so I live by the be prepared motto.

[4eyedbuzzard]

Cell phone, whistle, compass, knife, space bivy bag, firestarter(lighter with back up matches), very small emergency kit(tape, needle, floss, tweezers, micro LED light) shell jacket, clothes suitable for the season and climate(hat and warm layer - that means good to about 40F here in NH in the summer). Don't need food or water purification or complex medical kids, etc - it's all about simply avoiding dying from hypothermia before finding your way out or getting rescued, not starving or dying from pathogens or infections.

[Bulldawg]

God, forgot first aid and cell phone since those are so in grained in my mind. I also always have the camera of course!!

[Wise Old Owl]

Hey this is awkward, if it is less than 10 miles in the woods & 40 degrees lat? Just a 10oz waterbottle, knife, small lighter, & a peice of jerky.

HAVE ANY OF YOU TRIED TO SLEEP IN ONE OF THOSE FOIL EME BLANKETS BELOW 45 DEGREES?

Waste of time.

Have any of the older group tried to walk in the woods with a single LED lamp?

Don't trip.

[4eyedbuzzard]

Hey this is awkward, if it is less than 10 miles in the woods & 40 degrees lat? Just a 10oz waterbottle, knife, small lighter, & a peice of jerky.

40 deg lat east of the Mississippi that may be okay. Wouldn't be too bright an idea in parts of CO, UT, NV, or CA.