Topic: Day hike kit --> what do you carry - What should you carry (Read 14441 times)

Oisín · « **Reply #15 on:** August 23, 2012 »

I felt the need to comment again explaining a few things. A day's hike to me might not be what it is to others, I don't live particularly close to the Mournes nor do I have a car like lots of you lucky ones. So therefor, a days hike to me could be walking for a few hours through forested land or around the lough shore. This might explain why I carry next to nothing with me, I don't feel I need it, some may disagree, but its me who will learn over time what I need to carry, I'm still technically a teenager. (Can you old ones remember that far back?

)

Now I could give you a list of what I would carry for an overnighter just so everyone can see I'm not mad.

What I carry: (In order of what I pick out to put into my rucksack, so this is possibly subconsciously what I feel I need the most)
-Sleeping bag
-Bivvy bag
-Sleeping mat
-Water bottle
-Emergency food supplies (high sugar, long life - never needing to be used)
-Pre-prepared food that doesn't need cooking
-Hat & Gloves (commonly forgotten)
-Small First aid kit (bandage, plasters, iodine, gauze, foil blanket)
Optional extras: ear plugs, buff, spare socks, knife

Thats about all I can think of, which leads to

What should I carry:
-Spare clothes, socks, gloves, fleece I don't feel the need to change my clothes and have not yet needed to change because of clothes becoming wet. Drying them won't always be a possibility, but I'm aware of that. Neither have I lost a glove or hat in high winds
-Spare torch I have a led on my mobile so if worst comes to it this can be used
-Map and compass I've never walked alone and I feel one of these between a group is plenty.

What should I carry but don't because I disagree with them: (Disagree is a strong word, to put it better I just don't see the need for these items)
-Walking Poles - (This could be seen as blasphemy to some but I think they are silly, I would rather have my hands free for balance or to grab onto rocks for descents. And I don't feel any knee pain so these are pointless)
-GPS (Map and compass don't require batteries and signal)
-Music player & headphones (Again, some may disagree, but you go a walk to get outside and away from modern distractions, I don't see why I'd bring them with me)

There we go thats another list to compare, review and discuss.

harveymt · « **Reply #16 on:** August 24, 2012 »

Quote from: Oisín on August 23, 2012

-Music player & headphones (Again, some may disagree, but you go a walk to get outside and away from modern distractions, I don't see why I'd bring them with me)

And I'd never go out without mine. Podcasts rather than music usually.

Fred · « **Reply #17 on:** August 24, 2012 »

I made up a small pouch containing my first aid kit, spare bootlace, firelighting kit, miniature sewing kit, whistle, glow stick, small knife, mylar survival bag, compass and a few other things. Whenever i go into the wilderness I always take it and its kept in the bottom of my rucksack, rather than a pocket so that its less likely to get lost. It gives me great peace of mind knowing that I have the resources to deal with a variety of situations.

The contents of a first aid kit will always be the source of debate. My personal one is quite small, mostly plasters, dressings, sterile wipes etc. and a pair of latex gloves. Many of my friends have larger ones but unless you have the expertise to use the stuff, theres no point carrying it. One thing that is useful is asprin. Apart from being a mild pain killer, ut is a good thhing to give a heart attack victim.

Regarding knives, I dont see much need for anything bigger than a small pocket knife like a swiss army one, at least not in the mountains. If I encounter bears in the mournes I may revise that iopinion!

Fred

cerbera147 · « **Reply #18 on:** August 24, 2012 »

This is an old setup picture of my geocaching bag. A lot of the stuff has been changed or upgraded but still essentially the same.

I have a few bags I'll use depending on how long I'm out and if the DSLR comes too

but this would be a minimum for me.

It's not so much about survival, etc. but comfort and convenience. If one of the kids trip and scrape their knee a plaster works wonders; same for someone else's kid. Sometimes we'll find something cool but a bit yucky; into the plastic bag it goes.

A lot of the stuff is Geocaching oriented but still equally useful in all situations such as the pen & paper, gloves, etc.

I must do an updated picture.

1. Maxpedition Fatboy with Nite Ize Clip Case attached that holds my GPS
2. Gloves, nobody likes thorns and nettles
3. Wet Wipes
4. Lucozade Carbo Gel
5. Laser pointer & red spy capsule with some meds
6. Titanium foldable spork
7. Romisen RC-A4 flashlight, for those dark hidey holes
8. Grappling hook, for grappling things obviously and for the fun factor
9. Batteries, CR123A on top for Romisen light and Eneloop AA for camera and GPS
10. Sweet tin, got some hard boiled sweets for me and the kids
11. First aid kit, basic but does the job. Included is sting/bite cream
12. Cable ties
13. Blank geocaching logs
14. Heavy duty zip lock bags
15. Individual wipes
16. Whistles
17. Garmin Dakota 10
18. Leatherman K502 knife
19. Leatherman Juice S2 multitool
20. Leatherman Squirt PS4 multitool
21. Victorinox Compact Swiss Army Knife
22. Duck tape wrapped around a Starbucks card
23. Chewing gum
24. Maglite Solitaire
25. Parker pen
26. Paper, card and business cards
27. Bandana
28. Trash bags
29. Spare SD card for camera
30. Tripod
31. Peanut lighter
32. Stainless steel Sharpie
33. SWAG
34. Geocoin/travel bug
Not shown is a water bottle and point & shoot camera.

In terms of sharp stuff I'll always have my legal carry Spyderco UKPK on me and at least one SAK and / or Leatherman in the bag. I usually try to keep them non-locking unless I'm off to the wilderness. In that case I bring the big boy knives

I also have a few lights now including a glowstick with at least one on me no matter the time of day.

A FAK is essential for any person on this site. Even just a few plasters in your wallet. You never what you'll come across; you may be a fully competent outdoorsperson but you could stumble upon a few Bear wannabe's

What if you you're out on your own admiring the wonderful views when you trip on a rock straight into a broken beer bottle (yobs

). It makes a mess of your arm and you're at least 30 mins from help

Wipes and a dressing would make things much better; even a bandana would work wonders

You don't need to be a boy scout to be prepared or an old fogie just a bit of forward thinking along with some whatif scenarios.

twentyclicks · « **Reply #19 on:** August 24, 2012 »

Very nice organised list Cerbera.

Fred -
one thing I would consider is...putting your FAK at the bottom of your pack may be safe, but it's not very accessible (I imagine, don't know your pack). If one hand was injured or there was a bleeder that needed attention it would be difficult to get the kit. Also, secondary aid items for an emergency (like bivvy or insulation) need to be tipped out to access the FAK, they may get lost or wet.
I sewed a daisy chain into my pack top-pocket that I can clip small/essential things to with mini carabiners. I mainly use it for keys, but headtorch, FAK etc could also be clipped in. Maybe you could even rig something inside the main pack but would hold it at the top? It's also an idea to tell people you are with where your FAK is before you set off. My noobie mates never bring first aid even if you advise them, or your partner may lose their pack in whatever crazy incident has you unconscious.... this more applies to high mountains where fall, rock-fall or avalanche are dangers.

Fred · « **Reply #20 on:** August 24, 2012 »

You have a fair point Craig but my reasoning is that if it were near the top of my pack, it would get turfed out when I need to access other things. I have considered fitting an internal zippered pocket within the body of my rucksack but just never got around to making one. Actually, your daisy chain is a good idea, I might consider fitting an internal lanyard for essential items like the FAK.

fred

twentyclicks · « **Reply #21 on:** August 24, 2012 »

Oh, a wee pocket would be good inside single-compartment bags!
I know some newer bags have a hook or something to hang bladders from, could be useful too.

Oisín · « **Reply #22 on:** August 24, 2012 »

Cerbera how much does that kit all weigh out of interest?

cerbera147 · « **Reply #23 on:** August 24, 2012 »

Quote from: Oisín on August 24, 2012

Cerbera how much does that kit all weigh out of interest?

No clue. As long as it's not too heavy I'm happy

To be honest I probably pack too much but better to have and not need and all that. Another good rule is one is none and two is one

I'll get the scales out later and weigh it. The one above is shoulder bag so you are limited as to what you pack but I've also got a gearslinger style bag and a backpack which helps

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Author Topic: Day hike kit --> what do you carry - What should you carry (Read 14441 times)

Oisín

Re: Day hike kit --> what do you carry - What should you carry

harveymt

Re: Day hike kit --> what do you carry - What should you carry

Fred

Re: Day hike kit --> what do you carry - What should you carry

cerbera147

Re: Day hike kit --> what do you carry - What should you carry

twentyclicks

Re: Day hike kit --> what do you carry - What should you carry

Fred

Re: Day hike kit --> what do you carry - What should you carry

twentyclicks

Re: Day hike kit --> what do you carry - What should you carry

Oisín

Re: Day hike kit --> what do you carry - What should you carry

cerbera147

Re: Day hike kit --> what do you carry - What should you carry

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