What to take on a hike?

The level of skill and self-confidence in doing one’s self determines very much what it is worth to carry along with hiking. A more experienced hiker will do well with less, and may omit some things from the pack. Particularly on long hikes, it will probably make you think of your total weight you are carrying. Of course, the means of transport also has a considerable impact. It is clearly easier to move stuff with a canoe or slouch, compared to a backpack. I personally use a few guidelines to help with packaging: overnight, eating, medicine and other products.

Overnight hiking

Overnight and dining are the easiest of these. Simplified accommodation includes a sleeping bag for the accommodation (tent, hammock, tarp canopy) and sleeping pad. Dining again in a dish where you boil water, a spoon and a drinking cup. As a hostel I usually stock a tent, this is useful both in the worst of the guttural seasons and in the winter snowstorms. The hammock is a great tool for light hiking, with this gram-file saves you a kilo, if any. The tent now is especially useful for longer hikes because of the interior, but some models also have an abside, where you can cook lunch or dinner in the event of a storm. There are huge differences in sleeping bags, so you should think carefully about what you are getting from the sleeping bag. The sleeping bags are roughly divided into two types, down bags and synthetic fiber-filled bags. The down wraps in a small space, is lightweight yet has a high temperature value. Fiber bags, on the other hand, are slightly larger and heavier, but have the advantage of a fairly tolerable price and slightly better moisture resistance.

For light hiking, the tarp canopy is ideal, the advantage of a tarp is its small size, light weight and versatility. I have a tarp with me every hike, sometimes even in the middle of the wilderness after a night under the tarp, or alternatively under the sky next to a warm fire. However, it should be noted that the sleeping bags have a relatively low resistance to sparks. Even after a night of sleeping next to a campfire, you may see several small holes in your sleeping bag. So it’s a good idea to take good care of your sleeping bag, and not to burn the bag full of holes. The choice of sleeping pad is largely determined by the desire for user comfort. Basic decent foiled foam sleeping pad will do well in any season, anywhere. Inflatable pads provide a great deal of comfort for excursions, and their popularity is growing rapidly. High-quality sleeping pads are manufactured by Thermarest and Exped, among others.

Cooking

Many like to take the Trangia or a similar boiler set with a gas or spirit burner for hiking. Gas burners are quite efficient and I recommend these for direct use. They go into a small space and the gas consumption is quite reasonable. It is much nicer to wake up in the morning in a little rain to brew tea or coffee in the gas stove, than go out to collect some wet trees from the woods – if you forgot to do it the night before. You don’t really need much more than just a kipon to cook and a spoon to eat meal. I also carry a small amount of spices myself, which gives little extra for the day’s food.

There are many types of carriers, but I recommend 75-90 liters for men and 65-80 liters for women. You can fit a lot of stuff in this size backpack, and the items needed for a week’s hiking can easily go into the bag. It is worth spending some time on the medicine bag, I pack the medicine itself is a brightly colored dry sack, so it is easy to find it by its color. It is also relaxing to know that the medicine bag will not go under water, even if you fall into water. It is a good idea to carry a painkiller, patches, bandages and your own personal medicine in your medicine bag. All you need for a hiking tool is an ax and a knife; If you find it useful, you might want to grab a multitool as well. I walked a few times with only an ax and you can use the ax as a knife substitute. Particularly in autumn and winter hikes, it is also advisable to pack either headlamp or a torch. It should be noted, of course, that the battery life is much shorter in winter than in the summer, so it is almost worthwhile to include spare batteries. For example, it is advisable to place the fire making equipment in a 1.5 liter dry sack so that you always find dry matches in the bag.

I include the following products whenever I head to outdoors: Backpack, tent, tarp, sleeping pad, sleeping bag, soup pan, kettle, Mug, spoon, matches, medicine bag, head light, ax, underlayer, compass, map.

Especially at the beginning of the hobby it is worth carrying some extra gear with you, so then nature will not surprise you. With good preparation you will find help for every situation from the backpack.