What Gear Do I Need on a Day Hike?
By Bernie Heer
My mother has been a lifelong hiker, starting in the Swiss and Austrian Alps when she was a young girl. She’s now 85 years-old and still goes out for a five or ten-mile hike once a week or so. Even in the winter.
She’s a minimalist hiker and shakes her head at people who carry excessive amounts of gear for a short day hike.
Bottom line: you don’t need a lot of gear to get outside. That’s especially true if you select places that are close by and have well-developed trails, of which there are a lot here in New Jersey.
Here’s a list of gear that I think even my mother would approve of:
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Common Sense. Okay, this isn’t technically gear, but it’s possibly the most important thing you can have with you. For example, don’t start a late-fall hike at 3:00pm knowing it’s going to get dark at 5:00. Don’t set out ahead of an incoming torrential rainstorm.
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Solid Footwear. You do not need to go out and buy a pricey pair of hiking boots. A pair of comfortable sneakers that you already own will do you just fine on most of the trails in our area. Don’t wear flip flops. Or sandals. Or fashion boots that look dope but are murder on your feet.
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Backpack. Here again, no need to buy a fancy backpack. Use last year’s school backpack. You’re not going to be carrying that much stuff.
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Water. If you have honest-to-goodness water bottles, great. If not, fill some rinsed-out Gatorade bottles or any other clean, plastic bottles you have. For a five-mile hike, bring along at least a quart of water for each person.
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Food. Having a picnic in the middle of your hike is great, especially if you’ll be at an overlook or a summit. But that means a lot more planning and carrying a lot more weight. Better to bring a few granola bars for each person and then have a nice meal together when you get back home. Your fellow hikers will really like you if you bring along some trail mix to share along the way. There are a number of different recipes you can use. You’ll find plenty more if you search trail mix recipes.
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Map and Compass. Most National, State and even local parks have trail maps you can print from their websites before you leave home. Bring more than one copy. Some have trail maps available onsite, but you shouldn’t count on it. You can get a decent compass at a sporting goods store for a few dollars. Take a few minutes to learn how to use it before you head out on your hike.
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Flashlight. With fresh batteries. Look, you just never know what might happen that could cause a delay in your hike. Each member of your hiking party should have a decent flashlight. (And, no, the one on your cellphone doesn’t count.)
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Clothing. It’s best to wear light-weight clothing that dries quickly. In cooler weather, wear multiple layers rather than one heavy layer. You’ll start out with all your layers on but, as you warm up from hiking, you’ll want to peel some of them off so that you don’t sweat. If you can avoid it, don’t wear jeans; they’re too heavy and when they get wet are super uncomfortable. And never wear cotton socks. If there’s one item of clothing that you’re going to buy for your hike, make it non-cotton socks.
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Extra Clothing. It’s never a bad idea to put a fleece and a light rain jacket in your pack. If the day promises to be wet, extra socks are a good idea.
There you have it. You may be wondering why I didn’t put a cellphone on the list. Well, for one thing, many generations of people have hiked all over the world before cellphones came along. Also, cell coverage is sometimes spotty when you're hiking, so you shouldn’t count on being able to make a call. Mostly, though, I didn’t include it because I know you’re going to bring it along anyway.
Do yourself a favor, though, make sure it’s charged up and put it on airplane mode when you start out. If it’s in your backpack searching and searching for a signal, it’ll run down in no time.
If, after doing some day hikes, you decide that you’d like to be a little more adventurous in your hiking, you may want to invest in some additional gear. Doesn’t have to be expensive. There are lots and lots of articles on the internet; this one is pretty good.
And, you might run into my mother out there on the trail. You’ll know it’s her because her trail name is Oma. She’ll probably give you food.