HIKING EQUIPMENT

Anyone who’s gone on a five or ten-hour hike will know that hiking is all about adventure. Whether you’re going on a day-long excursion or a trek for weeks, you can expect that nothing is to be expected when you go on a hike. There are a number of things that could happen, and you never know which one of them may happen to you on a given day. That’s why to better prepare you for any situation you may find yourself in, the hiking equipment you have with you is as necessary as the air you breathe.

Below is a list of hiking equipment it is recommended you take along on your next hiking trip:

Well, the backpack is obvious. No one would on a long hike without a backpack. Your pack contains everything – all the things you need in order to survive out there in the wilderness! But while we never forget to bring a backpack with us, we rarely think to include a rain cover among our list of hiking equipment.

You may think, "Hey, if it’s raining, then we might as well stay home?" But you will soon realise that rainy days are actually the best way to get accustomed to the wet conditions that will inevitably occur when you go on longer hikes. So, you might want to get a rain coat for those shorter day hikes too.

What’s the purpose? You’ll only be out for a couple of hours or more. What’s the idea?

Well, the idea is it’s always a good idea to have some food on hand when you go day hiking. Even if you’re hike is only supposed to last two hours, but you never know when something interests you in some side trail and you end up tooling around in the woods for five hours or more. Sooner or later, you’re bound to get hungry. So food among your hiking equipment? Definitely a good idea.

A rule of thumb to remember when choosing this hiking equipment is that every pound of boot is like adding five pounds to your back. Yes, the body works in a funny way and when you put too much weight on one part, some other part complains. Your choice of boots should be influenced by the terrain. There are many trails that can be hiked with a pair of sneakers while there are trails that can only be traversed with a pair of heavy hiking boots. So, choose well.

Just think about how much time you’ve spent waterproofing your boots only to find that all your efforts have been foiled by forgetting to seal that big hole where your foot goes in. Gaiters prevent rain water from running down your legs and into the tops of your boots.

Two pairs of these are recommended. And having an outer wool sock and an inner polypropylene sock combination to drain the moisture from your feet is a valuable practice that every hiker should get in the habit of doing.