If you are planning to head out for a day hike with your family or friend or by even by yourself then you must have a hiking gear checklist. This hiking gear checklist will help you in a great way to prepare for your hiking adventure as well as make your trip safer and enjoyable. However, the hiking gear checklist may vary from person to person depending on various factors, for example, the type of hiking that you have planned for, the duration of your hiking, the time of the year when you have planned for hiking and the destination you have chosen for hiking. But whatever the case may be, you must have some common and essential things in your hiking gear checklist that you will always require while hiking.
Some most essential things you will require in every Hike
No matter whether you are planning to head out for a hike for a couple of hours or for several months you must have the following items on your hiking checklist:
Daypack
You will certainly need a top quality daypack as while you will go hiking you will require more gear than what you can carry in your pocket. The daypack that you usually get in the market looks almost similar but actually, they have a lot of functional differences. So you have to determine which daypack will be the best for you. Check the capacity, features, length and the materials it is made up of. Before purchasing the daypack you should make sure that it can hold all the essential belongings that you will carry with you at the time of hiking.
Map and Compass:
The next essential things that you must have while going to hack map and a compass. With the help of a map and compass, you will be able to find out where you are and how far you have to travel to reach your destination. It is true that nowadays you get the app for compass and map but you cannot totally rely on your smartphone as the battery may not last long and it may get switched off in the middle of your hiking. So you should always have a magnetized compass and a paper map along with you whenever you go for hiking.
You must carry first aid kit whenever you go hiking. Make sure that you first aid kit contains all the essential items such as personal medications, roll bandage, adhesive tape, antiseptic wipes, tissues, plastic bags, eye drops, safety pins, scissors, burn ointment, aspirin, ibuprofen, snake bite kit, heat/cold pack, diarrhea medication, pain relief tablet, etc. Apart from that, it is also necessary to keep your first aid kit in a waterproof container. You should also make sure that you keep your first aid kit have a strong zip-lock so that there will not be any mess while hiking.
Wrist-Based Heart Rate Monitor:
You should also have thebest wrist heart rate monitor while you go hiking. This device will not only help you to get the exact time but also provide you much other essential information that you must know while hiking such as your heartbeat rate, blood pressure, pulse rate, number of the steps you have taken while hiking, number of calories you have burnt, number of miles you have covered, etc. Nowadays you can get some added features in wrist-based rate monitor such as it comes up with barometer, altimeter, and compass. Such types of wrist-based rate monitor are more suitable for hiking.
