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So, I am planning to resume more regular day hikes for health purposes; good for physical, great for mental health. My parents gave me a really nice backpack for Christmas, so I am working on building a new setup. Since the weather sucks, I'll be doing short ones soon, but longer ones when things start to clear.

For those that do all day hikes:

  • What do you pack in your own gear?
  • If you were to also be hiking with an adult woman and two small children, what additional items would you add?
Thanks. :)
 
moleskin if not already in the "boo and advil" kit mentioned by @Taco_lean above
Wife and I are avid hikers, and have done so (with and without kids) in many parts of the world.

Moleskin has saved many hours of pain on hikes for us :)

oh - and extra socks for everyone!
 
Spare mag, fire starting methods, knife, GPS or off grid device for phone, battery pack, body leak stop items, rain/shelter gear micro weight, pen/pencil, another knife, pain pills and aspirin, water, energy food items and a lot of redunant items, all for a day hike. Spare key.sometimes, another gun depending on the area. I'm certainly not a minimalist by any means.
 
A day pack? Consider Maslow's hierarchy of needs.

1) Immediate Environment. You can not survive in outer space. Or 1000 fathoms down. Or inside an active volcano inside molten lava.

2) Air. You need oxygen. Air is better. Enough is enough. Not enough oxygen or air is not good.

3) A certain amount of constant heat. Ice cold is not good. Wet cold not good. Boiling water not good.

So on and so on. Figure it out for yourself. Many links to Maslow's Hierarchy Of Human Basic Needs.

A day pack implies exactly that. Not an overnighter except in the extreme. A day pack is NOT AN OVER NIGHT PACK!. Different animal. It is easy to learn up on the differences between the various packs going from a 3 hour hike pack to a 7 to 10 day winter season earthquake survival back pack which may not be pack pack able.

Anybody with common sense can sit down and figure out exactly what whey want do do with their back pack and what exactly should be inside said back pack. All the way from 3 hours summer time daytime to that extreme 14 day expedition winter time conditions expedition back pack which may be in three or more pieces.

I for one out of many just finished re packing my summertime earthquake/wildfire 7 to 10 day evac bag from summertime to wintertime. Much more warm clothing plus many redundant ways to stay warm and dry, (winter) vs ways to stay cool and dry, (summer) with enough water.

CAUTION!. Lots of ways Mother Nature can kill you dead. Knowing and understanding the ground rules can save your life plus the lives of your loved ones. The real deal stories I can tell but will not. No point.

Added Extra ... Your should see all the optional items inside my multi bag winter earthquake evac bags. Hee hee hee.
 
A roll of toilet paper!
Multi tool (like a leatherman, Gerber, etc)
Compass
One of those winding generators in case cell phone runs out of power.
A flashlight that can charge via USB (see above for recharging)
Mirror (to signal for help if needed.
A kit similar to this: The Ultimate Survival Tool Multi-Purpose Folding Shovel
Duraflame fir starters (or similar): duraflame firestart CUBES Firelighters – 18pk - Walmart.com
Sparker/igniter
Protein bars
In addition to your carry piece, a small lightweight .22 pistol and a few hundred rounds of ammo.
One of those $5 "spools" of para cord (from those bargain bins placed around stores)
 
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Depending on the hike. I could have no backpack, to a full on kitted out bag.

Hiking up to 6 hours in a place I've never been, probably will have a pack with all the usual stuff in it.

Taking the dogs for the loop at Reehers camp, usually just the dogs and maybe a water bottle.

Start light at first, on easy trails. Once you grow your list of trails, go from there.

Don't be the guy to go on a 1 mile loop in the woods with a 60# rucksack. Also, don't be the guy that goes on the 10 mile hike with nothing but a water bottle.
 
As far as the question at hand, everything you and yours need do survive a night or two in the woods if something bad happened.

The key word is survive. Not camp comfortably.

There is plenty of information on the basics out there but the particulars are different for everyone and different environments.
 
My day hiking currently consists of three to five miles during my lunch break at work. So my pack is fairly simple.

Business casual attire that I've changed out of, water bottle, flashlight, extra socks and shower gear for when I get back.

However, I am putting together a patrol pack; more on that later on.
 
Water
First aid kit
E blanket
Lighter
Multi tool
Paracord
GPS with extra batteries
Snikers bar (high nutrient density)
Flashlight
Whistle
Compass
Map
Extra mag/ammo

I keep these in my hydro pack. Really easy to carry and could save you if you need to spend an unexpected night.
 
So, I am planning to resume more regular day hikes for health purposes; good for physical, great for mental health. My parents gave me a really nice backpack for Christmas, so I am working on building a new setup. Since the weather sucks, I'll be doing short ones soon, but longer ones when things start to clear.

For those that do all day hikes:

  • What do you pack in your own gear?
  • If you were to also be hiking with an adult woman and two small children, what additional items would you add?
Thanks. :)

  • 10 essentials, UL puffy coat, water, lunch
  • a space blanket for each, gummy worms, wine and chocolate for the lady and a pocket canister stove; 3 camp cups and instant hot chocolate for the kiddos.
 
puffy coat

maxresdefault.jpg
 

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