Hiking Gear
Quick-dry clothes made of polyester or nylon to keep moisture away. Choose the ones that you can wear in layers and are light so that you can easily remove them when it gets warmer or add another layer of clothing such as a jacket when it turns colder during the hike. Wear a light and breathable pair of waterproof trail runners for comfort and stability. For a day hike, choose an ultra light backpack and that’s not too big. Just enough to carry everything you might need while you’re outdoors and not too heavy so it won’t affect your speed and movement.
Hiking Accessories
Trekking poles are helpful to get you move faster and more stable in steep and varying terrains. Using these can help prevent trips, falls and getting a twisted ankle. Pack a rain cover for your backpack and a couple of trash bags if there is a possibility of rainfall on your chosen date for the hike.
Hydration and Nutrition
Bring dense foods like nuts and trail mix, snacks packed with calories. It will likely be that heaviest to carry, but water is very important especially during hot and humid days so bring 1 to 2 liter bottles to keep you hydrated.
First Aid Kit
Don’t forget to bring your sunscreen, especially when you’re going on a day hike. Wearing a cap just won’t do. An eco-friendly insect repellent will complete your skin protection set.
Bring a compact first aid kit that has pretty much anything you might need on a hike – bandages, allergy creams, pain relief medicine, gauze and tape.
Communication and Navigation Devices
When hiking with a group, communication with everyone can be difficult because we walk and hike on different paces and some of our pack members may move faster than the others and so communication devices are important to be able to keep tabs on everyone. When your phone signal is unreliable in the woods, bring a set of walkie-talkies or handheld GPS satellite communicator to be on constant communication with each other.