The most essential hiking gear checklist

If you are planning to head out for a day hike with your family or friend or 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:

1. Rain gear, hiking boots and Extra Clothing: The weatherman does not always come up correct weather report and as such you cannot totally rely on that report. Hence, it is very essential to carry additional clothes as well as rain gear whenever you go for hiking. Apart from additional clothing you must also have extra hiking boots or shoes especially if you have planned to hike at the harsher environment, for example, during extreme cold season. In the market you will get all types of hiking boots for every size. You will also get good hiking boots for women with wide feet in the market. Make sure you have the best boots before going to hiking.
2. Daypack: You will certainly need a top quality daypack as while you will go for 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 your essential belongings that you will carry with you at the time of hiking.

Map and Compass: While you go out for hiking, maps and compass are very essential which will help you to know where you are exactly and how far you have to move to get your destinations Apart from that it will also help you to find out water, shortcut routes and emergency exit route which becomes necessary in case of an accident.

3. Basic first aid kit: You must carry first aid kit whenever you go for 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 water proof 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.
4. Knife or multi-purpose tool: You must also carry a knife or multi-purpose tool with you while going for hiking. Knife or multi-purpose tool will actually help you in doing many activities for example, you will be able to cut strips of clothes into bandages, peel the fruits, fix your broken sunglass, remove splinter, etc. You can get various types of knife in the market but make sure that it is made up of quality steel and have a fixed blade. Apart from that the knife should be small and lightweight as well.
5. Sun Glasses and Sun Screen lotion: While on hiking you should wear sunglasses as it can protect your eyes. Sunscreen lotion or cream is also very essential as it can protect your skin from the ultraviolet ray of the sun. You should apply sunscreen lotion to your face and body properly before going for hiking.