Day Hiking/ Trekking/ Mountaineering must haves.

.Henry Sellers.

What kind of essentials do you guys and gals bring for a days hiking/ trekking/ mountaineering? Even for a 1 to 2 hour " Mars bar and water" stroll or a strenuous full days hiking/ trekking/ mountaineering.
Stuff that you wouldn't leave the house without or even things for the 'just in case'.

RICHIE.39

Water bottle with metal cup, appropriate clothing for weather prediction, snack, firesteel and knife, spare socks and I stick a plastic emergency bivvy bag(survival bag) at back of pack. Some steri-gel for after any ehh toiletry needs. Most important these days a fully charged mobile. :-) sometimes I carry a small first aid kit from aldi.
Richie.

hmmm

Pretty much what it says here
http://www.mountaineering.ie/trainingandsafety/tier1viewdetials.asp?ID=10&Tier1ID=15

As has been said elsewhere, you're packing not only for when things go right but also for when things go wrong - so even on a short trip, you'd need to give some thought as to what a reasonable worst case scenario is (get lost for example)/how long it will take you to be rescued/how far are you from rescue and pack accordingly.

PosNeg

Here goes, bottom of bag to top.
First aid kit (large or small depending on numbers walking), 4 person group shelter, blizzard vest, light synthetic down jacket, spare gloves, plastic bivvy bag (not sure why - never used it), over trousers, hat & gloves, raincoat (with GPS and extra medi gloves in pockets), folding bum sized sit mat & food. In the top pocket go map(s), compass, sunglasses's, head torch and whistle.
In the side pouches a water bottle & if cold a flask. In the summer there's deet, a midge net and suncream as well. On one waist strap a led lenser P7.
Enough that I can stay out comfortably longer than planned.

Mobile phone, first aid kit, compass, sometimes a map, food and drink, at this time of year waterproofs hat and gloves (2 pairs in winter), in summer sunblock and water purifier, sunglasses, buff, head torch, whistle

niallers1

Plastic bag for car keys and any other electronics is a must.Bivvy bag, space blanket, plastic poncho,map,compass,knife, food,snaks & water for the day, spare gloves,hat and socks, GPS,phone,torch,fire steel/cotton wool to start fire. Whistle,sun glasses


White out are common and weather can change quickly..it's so easy to get lost if you don't know how to navigate.

PosNeg

niallers1 wrote: »

White out are common

Are they?
How many times have you lost your balance/fallen over because you haven't been able to tell up from down?

niallers1

PosNeg wrote: »

Are they?
How many times have you lost your balance/fallen over because you haven't been able to tell up from down?

Lots of times but that was more to do with my nights out as a student;-)

Orion

I carry a hydration pack rather than a bottle - fits more and easier to sip from. Mines 2 litre capacity but I put in a litre for shorter walks and fill it for longer ones.

Apart from that what everyone else said:

• first aid kit (personal one costs about a tenner in any outdoor store - cheaper when Aldi/Lidl have then on offer).
• bivvy bag (can be used to sit on when having lunch too)
• waterproofs and gaiters
• gloves/hat/buff in top of bag if not being worn
• flask with tea and lunch and snacks (€1 for 6 own brand mars bars in supervalu)
• knife (leatherman myself but any decent, sharp, pocket knife)
• correct map for area and compass. I personally prefer the East West Mapping ones as they're higher scale and water resistant but the OS ones are fine of course. There are map reading videos on youtube if you're unsure on how to take a grid reference. If you can even tell emergency services what grid you're in that narrows down a search to a 1km square. Obviously the closer you can narrow it down the better.
• emergency whistle - should be attached to you using a clip not to your bag
• torch or head torch. I keep a maglite solitaire and my whistle on a keyring with my house key in a zip pocket - not best practice but I've got away with it so far.
• small packet of tissues (you never know when nature may come calling)
• I usually also wear a paracord bracelet (8 feet of cord may come in handy in an emergency). Always have the paracord belt on with 100 feet but I wear that all the time anyway.

The list above is what I never go on a hike without. I usually have the firestarter in the bag but that's just because it's left in the bag for scout camps. Same for the head torch. I often use Mapmywalk on the phone for logging the walk but more recently use a Garmin Forerunner that I used to use for running - it's more accurate for logging but useless in an emergency.

Alun

Depends a bit on your definition of "day hike" I suppose, but I carry most of the above, depending on the season and the nature of the walk.

One thing is guaranteed though, the more walks you do, especially if, like me, you go out regularly and in all weathers is that the amount of stuff you carry will increase with time and experience. If you're more choosy about the weather, terrain and conditions you're prepared to go out in, then you might be able to reduce it a little, but experience shows that it's better to carry "too much", but have it available than to risk being caught out unprepared.

Surprised at some of the stuff listed above. Have never even thought to bring fire making equipment, but most of my trekking is on the mountains of Kerry and West Cork which are rather sparse - not much to burn on the Reeks or Dunkerrons. And it's all private property. So fire out of the question. And wouldn't have need for a knife either. I have taken a flask and it is nice, but if walking for hours find it a bit of a drag so for me prefer water and often one sugar filled drink for variety, water can be drab after hours.

hawkwind23

the outdoor shops must love you lot!!
for a short stroll , some water and a chocolate bar would be plenty!
a day hike , pretty much the same with a mobile in case you get tired and want to call a taxi

off your heads bringing half of the nonsense mentioned above for a half days walk in ireland

Alun

Ah yes, I wouldn't be interested in making fires either, but a knife of some sort certainly comes in handy once in a while, if only to cut up cakes that some kind people bring along on the walk sometimes But seriously, the knife, or more often some of the other tools on it sometimes come in handy for running repairs on equipment.

On the drinks front, I always bring a hot drink in a flask, even on a hot day. You really never know what is going to happen weather wise, and I still find a hot cup of tea refreshing on a hot day. I dislike plain water too, so usually bring Lucozade Energy (the non-fizzy variety) and dilute it 50:50 over my water bottles as I find it too sweet and sickly on it's own. I've never liked camelbacks / bladders / hydration packs / whatever either for some reason, not sure exactly, mainly down to cleanliness concerns I suppose.

karltimber

Same as above...

but saw a lad on youtube who swears by tampons as a great fire-starter item.
Small compact and open up to a large cotton ball and light very easily. just saying as a just in case item.

and bladders. never tried one but about to buy one. The Source widepac bladder looks good and can be fully opened up to clean. Not a sealed bag like most.

My 2c

K

Rantan

hawkwind23 wrote: »

the outdoor shops must love you lot!!
for a short stroll , some water and a chocolate bar would be plenty!
a day hike , pretty much the same with a mobile in case you get tired and want to call a taxi

off your heads bringing half of the nonsense mentioned above for a half days walk in ireland

ha ha...funny!! I can picture the scenario...after crawling on hands and knees for two hours to get mobile reception....

"hi, I'm somewhere in the Wicklow mountains with a broken ankle..I'm beside a stream under a big rock....can you send a cab please?"

Tabnabs

karltimber wrote: »

but saw a lad on youtube who swears by tampons as a great fire-starter item.
Small compact and open up to a large cotton ball and light very easily. just saying as a just in case item.


K

To save you the embarrassment of buying tampons, cotton wool does the same job, the trick is to smear it with vaseline/petroleum jelly first though. A couple of these wrapped in tinfoil to keep them dry and safe will light up very easily and burn for long enough to allow your kindling to take light.

I would also add a shemagh to the above list. An incredibly versatile piece of kit that will keep you warm, cool, strap up a broken leg or arm, filter water, the list goes on and on.

hawkwind23

yeah funny all right
you can get your poncho on and survival blanket and sit on your bivvy bag , get the first aid kit out ala rambo first blood.
dont forget to wave to the passing walkers out with the kids.

get rubbing the sticks together and get the emergency rations out for a nice cup of tea, youll need your energy levels up for all the blowing of the whistles later

its Ireland not the Appalachian trail , bottle of water and a snack and you'll be grand

Alun

Believe it or not, there are parts of Ireland, including Wicklow, where you can go for an 8-9 hour hike even on a weekend and hardly see another single person all day, let alone families with kids. If all your walking is along waymarked trails, so be it, some of us like to get a bit more off the beaten track. If we were to take your description of the facts about walking in Ireland at face value, we could probably disband every single MRT in Ireland tomorrow and save them all the bother. Forgive me if I believe my version of the truth.

hawkwind23

hawkwind23 wrote: »

the outdoor shops must love you lot!!
for a short stroll , some water and a chocolate bar would be plenty!
a day hike , pretty much the same with a mobile in case you get tired and want to call a taxi

off your heads bringing half of the nonsense mentioned above for a half days walk in ireland

Oh of course. Was talking about day hikes though, like 10 hour treks across the Reeks stuff. Because the title says "day hikes".

But if I was going for a "short stroll", maybe an hour or 2 around a forest or local park, I wouldn't even bother with the chocolate and water you bring, to be honest. You seem to overpack for such "strolls. Do they tire you?

Orion

hawkwind23 wrote: »

yeah funny all right
its Ireland not the Appalachian trail , bottle of water and a snack and you'll be grand

And this is the very reason mountain rescue exists.

As others have said when I'm on a mountain of rather have what's in my bag and not need it than the opposite.

Orion

karltimber wrote: »

but saw a lad on youtube who swears by tampons as a great fire-starter item.

Never done this myself but I've been told you can keep the tampon in a condom and then you've got kindling and a container for water too :eek:

Orion

Alun wrote: »

I've never liked camelbacks / bladders / hydration packs / whatever either for some reason, not sure exactly, mainly down to cleanliness concerns I suppose.

I clean my bladder with Milton. If it's good enough to sterilise a baby's bottle it's good enough for me.

.Henry Sellers.

Orion wrote: »

Never done this myself but I've been told you can keep the tampon in a condom and then you've got kindling and a container for water too :eek:

Haha, never mind explaining to the guards why you need your knife, if they found you with the above there would be a lot more questions!

The Bivy bag is a great piece of kit to have as well as a survival blanket, not just for yourself but if you happen to find someone in distress who came out unprepared. Does anyone bring a 60 second flare? Or even a pocket mirror, would be handy for signaling and self-admiration of course. :pac:

Alun

Orion wrote: »

I clean my bladder with Milton. If it's good enough to sterilise a baby's bottle it's good enough for me.

I'd be more concerned about the tube to be honest.

hawkwind23

the OP stated a day hike or a one to two hour stroll.
i can assure you that some water and a mars bar will be plenty enough for that.
so you can all put your expensive kit away and relax.

however if one is mountaineering or climbing or as stated even doing some extensive walks over the reeks then some extra equipment may be needed , a compass and a map maybe if trekking unfamiliar territory , i am quite alarmed that some posters are off playing bear gryliss and lighting fires all over the place with tampons and the like, odd behavior in my humble opinion.

use a bit of common sense with weather conditions , wear appropriate clothes and even in Ireland wear some suncream!
wear decent footwear and watch your step , youll come back alive

but there is no harm in playing soldier boys or girls if its your thing

UDP

Orion wrote: »

Never done this myself but I've been told you can keep the tampon in a condom and then you've got kindling and a container for water too :eek:

Homemade fire straws are the way to go!

Orion

Alun wrote: »

I'd be more concerned about the tube to be honest.

The tube too. Fill it with milton solution - draw some through the tube so it's full too. Then leave it for a couple of hours. Rince thoroughly and you're grand.

Orion

.Henry Sellers. wrote: »

Haha, never mind explaining to the guards why you need your knife,

No need to explain much tbh. It's perfectly legal to carry a knife as long as it's for legal purpose. Being on a mountain hike (or even going to a scout meeting) with a knife is perfectly ok. I wouldn't be carrying a machete or anything - that would be pushing credibility but a 4" knife is fine. My leatherman has a 3" knife in it.

Alun

Orion wrote: »

The tube too. Fill it with milton solution - draw some through the tube so it's full too. Then leave it for a couple of hours. Rince thoroughly and you're grand.

Still a lot of faffing about IMO for not much advantage that I can see, plus I'd still feel the need to physically clean the inside of the tube as well as just sterilizing it.

I have a bottle holder on my rucksack waist strap that holds a 0.5l bottle which I fill up occasionally from a 1.5l one in my rucksack. Been doing that for decades now, and it serves me well.

Orion

hawkwind23 wrote: »

i am quite alarmed that some posters are off playing bear gryliss and lighting fires all over the place with tampons and the like, odd behavior in my humble opinion.

Nobody mentioned lighting fires all over the place. In fact I'd say the people discussing it are less likely to light a fire unless it's absolutely needed than others who don't come as prepared for the outdoors. But there's nothing unreasonable in having a firestarter with you for emergencies.

[edit]I did also mention that my firestarter is only in the bag cos I leave it there for scout camps - I don't pack it specifically for hiking.

Orion

Alun wrote: »

Still a lot of faffing about IMO for not much advantage that I can see, plus I'd still feel the need to physically clean the inside of the tube as well as just sterilizing it.

I have a bottle holder on my rucksack waist strap that holds a 0.5l bottle which I fill up occasionally from a 1.5l one in my rucksack. Been doing that for decades now, and it serves me well.

Everyone to their own of course. I find it handier and I'm happy enough with the hygiene of it. But, as with most things, whatever works for you