Starting Out

Backpacking gear is crazy expensive.

How to save when the budget is tight?

Make your list and see what you already have on hand.

Any clothes you are thinking of taking do this:
Don't even bother with cotton.

Wash your options and then lay them around the house or on a line to dry.  Anything not dry in 2 hours in the sun or overnight in the house, leave at home.  Anything that feels exceedingly heavy wet, leave at home. You will be hauling it around wet at some point.

You WILL break and lose things while backpacking.  Especially when you are first starting out and before you get your packing routine down, so I recommend everyone, including folks not on a tight budget, go the budget route to some extent. Losing a $12 headlamp isn't as bad a hit as the $60 one!

Bras and underwear are a big deal, if you wear them.  Some women forgo both while backpacking. I have the letter E in my bra size.  Bra non-optional!  Sports bras in full-figured sizes are around $50. So, off to Dollar General where they have very lightweight polyester sports bras for $7 that last through 6 months of steady use and dry in minutes and hold the girls steady enough to avoid discomfort. They DO get soaked through with sweat, so I carry a couple extra in case I need to change midday for personal comfort. Quick rinse, clip it to the pack, keep on walking.  Same with underwear, I get the seamless undies from DG and they also rinse and dry quickly.  If I am going to be gone a few days, I wear bamboo.  They are antimicrobial and fairly cheap if you get them online ahead of time.

Socks-wool.  Find them however you can and be SURE they fit well and are not baggy.  I buy boys socks, even with a size 7-8 foot, to ensure they are snug because a sock for size 7 to 9 is made to fit someone size 9. Keep your toenails short all the time but especially ahead of a backpacking trip.  It will save your socks and could save your toenails.  3 pairs.  One to wear, one to have clean and dry and one to be drying on your pack, I usually whack the used socks on a tree or rock a few times, turn it inside out and do the same, then let it air out really well.  If they are filthy, I will wash them out with some water and a couple drops of camp soap.  Otherwise, I good whack-n-air will have them back in hiking shape.

Liner socks with toes work like magic to keep blisters from forming when you have overlapping toes. These are worth the expense, your feet will make or break your hike and the best socks you can afford are what you should go with.  Look for sales.  Inijini, Darn Tough, Thorlo and nearly any merino wool and merino wool and silk blends are good socks.  The wool socks in bundles from Sams Club or Costco will work for a whole hiking season.  They are the only socks I have walked holes in, though.

I also have a pair of fuzzy house socks for sleeping in.  Most people just use their clean pair to sleep in, but I like a loose cozy sock for sleep.  If you do, too, bring it.  It's your hike.  Most of your 'luxury' weight (optional things you decide are worth carrying) will probably be related to getting decent rest. It's more vital than decent food on the trail.

Good rain gear.  The basic rain set from Frogg Toggs is around $20 and is light, packs smallish and works.  It's also HOT to hike in and every time I have used mine, I end up with a sweat soaked shirt. So, I just use the pants and use a poncho to cover my upper half and pack.  Some ladies hike in a rain kilt or skirt.  I have yet to find one that keeps my lower legs dry and I really dislike a wet sock and shoe and mud splashes up on my lower legs-no fun!  If you are not hiking in heavy cover, an umbrella can be a good alternate piece of rain gear to combine with rain pants.  It will keep the sun off as well.

To keep your pack contents dry, line your pack with a COMPACTOR (not contractor) bag. You can add a pack cover to the outside as well, or use your poncho to cover it.  Think about the doodads you will have in the outer pockets not in the body of the pack-map, light, first aid, snacks, camera/phone...plan ahead so you have those items in a Ziploc at the very least.

Sun hat, sock hat, easy enough.  Just use your favorite mowing hat or the hat you wear at the beach. Make a knit hat or buy one at Wal-Mart.  These are not items that need to be pricey.  If you make your own, you can make it match your pack, a truly dorky move that I encourage.  I had a mental 'thing' a couple years ago and made about 30 hats, it's not even remotely difficult.

You can use your regular sunscreen, bug spray, chapstick and first aid supplies.  You'll want to add moleskin to your first aid kit.  Look for them in travel sizes.  For staying clean, use baby wipes from home, just lay them out to dry out, pack them up and then wet to use at camp.  You can then re-dry them out to pack back out.  Anything wet is heavier than anything dry-every single time.  Do not leave wipes in the woods!  Even in a hole.

Flashlight-go for the lightest LED headlamp with the most lumens that you can afford.  There are some good options for $12 out there.

Backpacking towels-go to Dollar Tree and get a microfiber car wash towel for $1.  Or get several and use one for a washcloth and the other to dry with.  Some folks just use a bandanna, but I like the softy-soft towel.

PUD-grab a small angled oil change funnel for a buck while you are getting your towel.  A hard sided funnel won't warp or collapse.  Just cut the end off to personal length preference with a serrated knife and go.  A pee funnel keeps you from having to take off your pack and your pants down to pee. Some trails lack underbrush and big rocks to give you any privacy.  A hiking skirt would be good in this situation

If you have a wicking shirt that needs to be retired, cut it into big squares and use those as pee rags. A pee rag clips to your pack and that's what you use to wipe with, then hang it back up to dry.  No TP to deal with packing out!  It dries fast, can be rinsed at camp and does not hold odor.  Some folks swear the sun hitting them kills all the germs, but I just know that they work really well and means there's less trash in your pack or if you are a total asshat, litter in the woods.

Footwear:

You'll need 2 kinds of footwear-hiking shoes and camp shoes.  Camp shoes can be any lightweight shoe that you put on while in camp, Crocs are very popular and knock-off Crocs are pretty cheap, too. Flipflops will work, but in general, a shoe that covers the toes is better-one of the reasons you wear a camp shoe (other than to give your feet a break and air out your boots) is to protect your toes from stubbing and to slip on for that middle of the night potty run.  Some folks use a river sandal for their camp shoe and this is a good option if you will be crossing lots of creeks and need to wade.  Crocs would be useless as water shoes, going barefoot is dangerous and wearing wet boots all day is misery. River sandals can also weigh as much as a pound each, so plan accordingly.  It may be worth it for safety on some trips.  Lightweight trail runners are also a good option, they make them out of what feels like hollow foam these days that just weigh ounces each. You can often find them on sale for under $30 if you are not picky about color.

Hiking shoes-Chances are you are a hiker heading into being a backpacker, so start off with what you already hike in unless you know you need the ankle support of a boot to carry a load.  Anything that feels good and has good support is a perfect choice.  After a few trips, you will have a much better idea what type footwear you will need and you can start looking then.  Don't go buy brand new boots with hiking the entire AT in mind, use what you have or what you can buy to also use in your every day and see how far that gets you.


Food:

You can go a long, long way on Ramen and Snickers and jerky.  Don't worry about $$$ backpacking meals if you aren't going to be out for a week or more with no way to resupply.  Which is RARE, I will just go ahead and say it:  There are few long trails a beginner would tackle that don't pass near towns, so don't sweat backpacking meals.  Lipton cup of soup, ramen, hot chocolate, candy bars, protein bars, dried fruit, foil packs of tuna, chicken and salmon, pasta sides in pouches, instant potatoes-all of these you can find at even the smallest of grocery stores and they are all easy to pack, cook and consume.  On a 3-4 day hike, you are not going to run short of nutrients of drop dead from scurvy if you don't have prepackaged meals.  Cheese, boiled eggs and avocado all pack well, if heavy.  Don't limit yourself to just what's freeze dried, try out lots options!  You can dehydrate foods in your oven if you think you want to try it yourself before you buy a special dehydrator that you may decide is not worth the space.  Vegan, Paleo and gluten free diets can all be accommodated with regular grocery store food even for several days of hiking, get some goodie to look forward to and slog through with the staples.

Hiking Poles

To pole or not to pole.  That is an oft-asked question!

Poles really do help, they take some of the weight off by distributing it through your arms.  They help keep you steady going down steep hills, they help keep you upright when crossing water and they are great for poking into holes and knocking webs out of the trail.

Downside includes: takes up both hands and they are with you the WHOLE time.  And you have to shorten and lengthen them to accommodate various terrain.  You want your arm at a 90 degree angle, so shorter on the uphills and longer on the downhills.  They can collapse if you lean too hard on them.

This does not bother most folks, but I feel panicked/trapped if I have both hands full.  It's not entirely logical, but it's true.  For many years, I would not take poles because I don't like that feeling.  Then, I started falling. A LOT.  Slips, falls, butt busters, so I started carrying poles again.  And had the worst fall of my life resulting in a badly injured ankle with one pole going this way and the other going that.  Back to no poles, and a reinjury.

I hit upon the perfect solution, one I have tried out on several trails and am quite happy with.  I use one long wooden pole with a brass pointy end, it comes to my chin, it's just shy of 5 feet tall.  I can move my grip up or down instead of fiddling with the height, I don't worry about putting my weight on it because there's no way to collapse it.  To go up hills, if I need both hands to help haul me up, I plant it sideways across the trail and push off with both hands.  It's light so when I don't want to poke the ground every step, I just hold it in one hand parallel with the ground.  It has enough heft that if I needed to whack a dog in the head, I think it would do the job. Sorry, dog lovers. I have been attacked before, so it's always in the back of my mind.  I have 4 of my own and would never strike an animal unprovoked.  But if you are out in the woods, you need to be aware of your limits.  Mine include fending off dogs barehanded.

I like the security of a single pole, though I do wish it had the following: a PEZ dispenser with caffeine tablets, a gnat zapper, a level to see if my head will be going downhill in the tent that seems to be on level ground until I lay down and a camera mount!  Those are all the modifications I have daydreamed about, though to be honest, I'd take just the zapper and be happy.

Food

A few meal ideas I thought I would go ahead and post, mainly to make them easier for me to find.
And if it helps someone else with an idea or two, yay!

I shoot for 2,000 calories because I only hike around 10 miles a day.  If you hike more, you need more.
Add nuts!

Breakfast: ProBar Meal Bar
Mid-morning/long climb: sport beans
Lunch: Tuna and tortilla
Dinner: potatoes with tuna and dehydrated mixed greens
Snacks: Snickers
trail mix from coconut and salad toppers

Breakfast: ProMeal Bar
Lunch:
rehydrated beans/tortilla and Taco Bell sauce (I ask if I could take a half dozen extras, they usually don't mind, but do ask)
Dinner: soup!
Snacks: Snickers, meat bar and snack bar

Breakfast: ProBar meal
Lunch: nut butter and tortilla
Dinner: precooked rice (measure it out, you won't want to haul the whole packet) and tuna
Snacks: Snickers, meat bar, Clif bar and salad topper mix

Breakfast: ProMeal Bar
Lunch, Tuna and tortilla (So glad tuna comes in so many flavors!)
Dinner: noodles
After dinner: cookies/crackers and nut butter
Snack: Snickers and gummy bears

NO COOK:
ProBar breakfast
Lunch: bars, usually one around 11 and the other at 2
Dinner: Tuna and tortilla
Snack: Granola/pecan trail mix
Snickers

ProBar breakfast
Hummus and tortilla lunch
couscous and chia (or other seed/nut) dinner
Snack: Snickers, protein shot and energy gels

Usual breakfast
Lunch: Honey and hemp seeds with tortilla
Dinner: Quinoa and tuna
Snack: Snickers and energy chews and...mashed potatoes!
Some days you just need the carbs

Other snack ideas:
Um.  Snickers
Peanuts/other nuts, tuna mixes, meal replacement bars, dried fruit (I love plantain chips!) hard cookies

Drinks!
Tea, electrolyte replacement, various flavor mixes and of course, Emergen-C
If the water is discolored or warm, I dump one of the big Crystal Light tubes in there.  You have to stay hydrated and if you need to treat your tastebuds, do it.

Other meal ideas:
be sure to add protein.  I use a lot of tuna, but there's salmon, chicken, even SPAM slices in individual foil packets.

FLAVOR:
When the tuna gets dull or you find all that's left is instant potatoes, a packet of flavor can help save the day.
Mixes for dip or soup add-ins are easy and light.  McCormick is doing a series of pre-measured herbs and spices for recipes, a card of 3 is $1, but they are sealed and ID'd and weigh nothing.
Dipping sauce comes in loads of flavors and if it's a shorter trip where weight is not as big of an issue, it can be a great addition!  Taco Bell sauce, and don't forget plain old salt.  If you carry paper tubes or packets, keep them sealed in a baggie with a moisture absorber.

Finally, whiskey.  Red Stag to be exact.
2 things.  Don't drink and hike-be in camp and set up for the night.
Don't drink whiskey in place of water, it's not hydrating.
Oh, and be sure it's okay where you will be camping! 

There are so many more foods to eat while hiking and camping!  Think about your calorie burn (flat walking, no weight burns around 110 calories a mile, a hard climb with a pack would be closer to 200 a mile) and how much you want/need to replace.  If you have fat to burn, you have more leeway.  Keep in mind, the more you hike, the more efficiently your body will work, so you will burn less as you get stronger.  But if your muscle mass increases, you will burn more calories just from having muscles to fuel.  It's a balance for everyone and to assuage worry, always take along a couple extra bars.  Some days you will not feel like eating much and some days your stomach demands more food, more food.

I usually eat my dinner for breakfast, as setting up camp happens when I am tired out and there's so much to do already without cooking and cleaning up added in there.  So I will eat a hot dinner the next morning, my bar at lunch and have tortillas and tuna at camp. This works really well, though it sometimes takes as much as 2 hours from when I wake up to when I hike out. Not usually a big deal, but sometimes you want to be ahead of a rain, move out while it's still cool or you have a lot of miles that day and want to get a move on.  Plus, dallying is taxing for some partners.  Which I will discuss later.

01: Common Problems

There are a few universal issues that plague hikers and backpackers.  I will deal with three here.

1.  Earworms.
You will be hiking along and a snippet of song will lodge firmly in your brain.  A snippet because you won't know all the words and then it becomes a loop of a partial song and your sanity begins to wane.  In really bad infestations, it's in your head when you wake up to pee at 2 a.m. and it's still there when you greet the new dawn with bleary eyes because you never did get back to sleep.

The best thing I have found to do is just treat the passing song like a snatch of music heard from a passing car.  Let it flow across your brain and continue on.  If it digs in, listen to it go by again and start looking for certain colors or count trees or think through your menu plan, check your map.  Engage your mind and the earworm will have less room to latch on.

You can also counteract it by changing channels and singing a whole song you DO know.  Even that one about Mary and her Lamb and the public school's vicious controlling ways.

(•_•)  <)   )╯ 'Cause I just wanna look good for you   /    \     (•_•)  <(   (>   good for you    /    \     (•_•)               (•_•)  <)   (>  uh    <)   (>     huh    /    \              /    \

2. Wicking material starts to stink, even after washing.

As best I can tell, this is the antimicrobial features of the wicking shirt, bra, leggings and so on being bombarded by detergent and clogged up, so the material can't shed stink and even picks it up from other clothing. Washing like normal with a cup of vinegar added at the start seems to do the trick.

3. Chapped thighs/chub rub

I covered this in a trip report blog, but not everyone is into reading those, so I will do it here, too!
I discovered recently when I was hiking with bare, wet legs, that even if they are not hot at the time, chub rub can happen!  Water, aloe, neosporin all HURT.  What does not hurt is hydrocortisone cream.  Plus, it cools the burn and heals within a day or two.  I wish I had known this before!

Snakes

How To: Pee and Poop in the Woods, a Guide for Girls

How to Pee in the Woods

Surprisingly, I get asked this often.

Method One, The Freewheeler:

Pull your panties/pants down to your knees-no further. Plant your feet wide enough apart to avoid the spray and give you balance, then squat. The aim here is to pee between your feet and a little back, just level with your heels. Practice in the shower first. Not exactly dinner-party conversation, but it beats hiking with a warm, wet sock.

Don't pee on vegetation, you can kill plants with your pee powers.
If you have to use nature to wipe, look for wide deciduous tree leaves, grass or snow will work. Avoid using plants along the trail or vines, many can cause irritation, not just poison oak/ivy.

Method Two, the PUD

Personal Urination Devices are all the rage-and with good reason.  Now girls can pee standing up! This was the only reason I wanted, very badly, to be a boy when I was a little.  No squatting!  I use a P-EZ, but they are all pretty much the same-a funnel.  In fact, several women I know use the small oil changing funnel you can get for a buck in the automotive section.   They don't squash down to pack, but they won't crumple under use, such as if you needed to keep on your gloves and couldn't control your hand pressure as well.  Or if you are wearing lots of layers you have to keep out of the way, it's handy to have a sturdy funnel. (update, I have since moved to this myself after a collapsing funnel left me hiking in my spare undies!  I still carry my PE-Z in my every day bag in case I encounter a gross public toilet.)

The basic gist is the same and each device has it's own little perks and drawbacks.  You don't have to pull down your pants, either.  Or take off your pack or do much more than get the required 200 feet from the trail and water and weeeeee.  Don't press it up against you too tightly, it will create a seal and the pee won't go out the end and might backflow over the top.  I get mine in place, start her up and then tip it down a tiny bit to release the vacuum and-no problems!  Try at home a few times so your confidence is high.

The advantages are huge, and you use much less toilet paper.  The silicone funnel sheds water, you just have to blot it (maybe) and pop it back in the bag.  A rinse at the end of the day and you are good to go. 

An alternative to  TP for peeing is a pee rag which is just that-a rag you use to wipe after peeing. Clip it to the back of your pack to dry!  And, use silk or something else very fast drying. Cotton just does not shed the moisture quickly enough.  You still need TP or wipes for pooping.

How to Poop in the Woods:

The most common way to deal with poop is to bury it.  First you need to be 200 feet from the trail and from water, then dig a hole 6 inches deep to bury the poop.  When you are done, wipe and bag your TP. (if you are in a wet wooded area, in some places it's okay to bury the paper, too because it will break down, ask if you are unsure of the policy where you will be hiking).  Put some of the dirt back in the hole and then stir it around with a stick  Leave the stick poking out and fill in the rest of the hole.  In high-use areas, finding a stick poking up is a good indicator you don't want to dig just there.

Some areas you simply have to bag your poop and take it with you, the environment is too fragile. Above the treeline, you don't dig because it will kill tiny plants.  There you leave it on the surface. Each park will have their own guidelines, follow them.

In a hurry or helping a younger kid with no aim? Poop first and then dig the hole and roll it in with a stick.

You can use the 'balance on a log' method from above or face a small tree, grab it for balance and squat or free squat no-hands, though that's hard core!

An aspirin in the used TP bag will help with the smell.  Keep your poop trash totally separate from your food trash.  Some people use a little bleach in the used TP bag, or borax or even baking soda. A tablespoon or so, you don't need a whole bunch.  Wrap your bigger TP bag in duct tape or use a black odor-free bag like for used coffee grounds to really ID that it's non-food.  It will still need to go in with the food and toiletries if you bear bag.

Encourage your youngsters to pee and even poop in your yard before heading out on a trip that they will have to go in the woods. Some kids could not care less and some panic or are embarrassed and try to hold it until you are back in civilization. It's scary having your most private bits out there for any squirrel to see! If you have never tried it yourself, you may want to practice at home as well.

Checking in on what's coming out is a good way to check in on what your body needs. Dark/smelly urine or trouble pooping? Up your water intake!  Mushy?  Get some rest and eat some fiber-which seems like an odd idea, but nuts and dried fruit will keep things moving and firm things up.

How To: Wrap a Weak Ankle

Resident expert here!  I do this nearly every time I hike.

You will want to talk to your medical person about what type of sprain it is to see if this is the best way to wrap it.

Mine turned outward, tearing all the tendons out along the outside of my foot and damaging the nerves.  It's been a year since the initial injury and it STILL hurts, more at the end of the day.  And it still swells-I can tell I am pushing too far when my boot starts to suddenly feel 2 sizes smaller.  Let your body tell you what it needs when it's injured. 

Wrapping the ankle gives it stabilization to prevent a sudden injury on the trail, especially under a load.  But this is just a small part of healing such an injury.

If you have a chronic sprained ankle or just one you need to rehab fast, the best thing I can tell you is that as soon as the swelling goes down, start using it!  Do ankle exercises in bed, trace out letters as if your toe were a pencil.  Point your toe and pull it back up over and over.  As soon as you can start taking weight, stand on it.  Do balance exercises and when you are able, use a wobble board.  Stand close enough to your wall that you can touch it with your fingertips, keeping your arms at a 90 degree angle.  Back up just a bit until you are not touching the wall and stand on your injured foot and keep your balance.  When you can do that, shut your eyes and try to keep your balance.  Don't touch the wall for support, just know it's right there if you get too wobbly. Just push your arms forward!

Ice it every time you over use the joint.  Even if it's months later.  15 minutes, max, and never directly to the site, use a cloth buffer.  It will heal!  Wear good shoes, use a hiking pole in uneven terrain and walk, walk, walk.  Try not to limp, even when it's hurting.  That throws everything out of whack and gives you more pain in more places to deal with.  And it's horrible for your back!

Until you can get up and move freely, try yoga in bed and do stretches, keep limber and work on your core-that's your biggest ally in balance.  

Swim ALL you can, it will help more than anything.  I remember very well being about 6 weeks out from the accident and being in the pool.  I decided to jump, since I was in the water to my shoulders.  My ankle groaned and popped and felt SO tight and then-BAM.  It loosened up as the newly mended tendons seemed to snap into place.  I walked better from then on!  

The offending foot

The tools!  Wool socks, a gauze square, self-sticking sport wrap and non-pulling tape.

What helps me most is the weirdest thing.  It's the above tiny strip of tape that I apply starting under the ankle knuckle, which is what I call that bone that sticks out, and apply a little tension to pull it back and up slightly, then lay the tape in place.  The moment I started doing this, I was able to hike again-that day.

I have heels that peel, so to keep it drier and keep it from rubbing at all, I put a piece of gauze over it before I wrap.

Start from the middle of the foot and go up, not at the ankle and go down, which is how every doc has ever had his nurse wrap my foot for me.

Wrap the foot a couple times, then up to the ankle, keeping the wrap flat

Go around the heel from the ankle, wrap the foot one more loop and back up to the ankle.
This keeps the wrap flat and keeps it from rolling in your sock or shoe.

Continue wrapping up the ankle, well past where it 'hurts'

This method keeps the ankle stable while still giving plenty of flex.
Wrapping this way also keeps the wrap flat and not stretched out, so you can use it again if it's not wrecked from your hike!

Last tip-apply socks carefully, roll it like a pair of pantyhose and pull the end over the edge of the wrap until the toe is snug and then pull the sock on.  This will keep it from rolling up, which you don't want because it will cause a hot spot or even a blister if you neglect it.

When you are walking on level ground, using a treadmill, biking or swimming-don't wrap it.  The more it's wrapped, the more your ankle will rely on the wrap and it won't develop all the strength it needs to eventually function without the outside support.  

You will know when you can start leaving it off more and you can always take wrap with you and apply it mid hike if you need it after all.  

List:07 Emergency Situations

A few typical backcountry emergencies and how to handle them:

Splinter or sting: use the needle from your sewing kit or the tweezers from your first aid kit. If it's a sting, take a Benedryl if it starts to puff up.

Something in your eye: flush with water bottle or hydration hose. You could also use the backflush syringe from your filter kit. If this possibility really scares you, add a small squeeze bottle of eye drops to your kit.

Something in your ear: use the eye wash method to flush your ear out. You can also use warmed cooking oil to float it out if there is a bug in there. Seriously.

Chipped or broken tooth: Use your tooth cement. You will have to head home ASAP in this situation.
For normal sensitive teeth that act up from time to time leaving you in discomfort, get some sensitive tooth gel from your dentist or OTC (dentist has better stuff) and use that instead of regular toothpaste for the duration of the trip. Keep in mind you should not eat or drink for half an hour after using.

Sprained ankle or knee: Let it rest at least 24 hours. Take Tylenol to keep the swelling down, put it in a cold stream if at all possible and before putting weight on it, tape the ankle (watch a YouTube video before you head out) and wrap it well. Dispurse as much pack contents to others as you can, use hiking poles or stick to take as much weight off the foot as possible, head home.

Scrapes: wash to remove any grit from wound, smear with ointment, leave uncovered unless it's too painful, such as a knee getting rubbed by pants leg.

Bruises: soak a cloth in cold water and lay on the spot, take some Tylenol.

Cuts that bleed: let them bleed a short while to clear out any debris, then stop the bleeding with a clean water soaked cloth, pack with ointment, cover. Keep clean.

Cuts that REALLY bleed: if it's bad and gashed open, put pressure directly on the gushing blood vessel and leave it there for at least 15 minutes to allow the body to form a clot. Don't try a tourniquet, don't press the nearest pressure point. Cover the wound and get help. If it looks deep enough to need stitches, get to the ER. Digging around for debris, trying to close it up without actual training can cause it to start bleeding again. 

If it stops bleeding and stays stopped, wash out and around the wound with just clean water with or without soap and cover it with ointment and gauze or a clean bandanna. If it's just a good gouge and they want to keep going and you have the first aid supplies to keep it clean and disinfected, keep going.

The most likely thing on this list, other than scrapes, will be tummy disorders. If you know you are prone, take what you need in your first aid kit. Keep in mind working your body all day and then eating 1000 calorie dinners and getting right into bed can lead to some interesting bowel activity. Heartburn is very common as is diarrhea. You can pick up all kinds of gunk from not having clean hands, keep them washed after you poop and use a little squirt of sanitizer from time to time.

List:01 10 Essentials

When packing for a trip, it's always easiest to work from a checklist. As soon as you return, make note of what you did not need or use and consider leaving it behind the next time. Same thing goes for some gadget you toted along and only used because you had carried it the whole time. Also, make note of what you did need or are running low on and be sure it's on the list for next time.

There are 10 essentials that should be packed for every single trip. The list was created to ensure hikers would have a way to bail themselves out of most situations. These are not in order of importance.
1. Illumination
2. First Aid
3. Nutrition
4. Fire starter
5. Knife
6. Hydration
7. Insulation
8. Navigation
9. Sun Protection
10. Emergency Shelter

1. Illumination:
Flashlight, headlamp, backpacking lantern-it does not matter as long as you have a way to light the darkness. LED bulbs of course, use much less battery life. If there is any chance you will be in a cave, have 2 sources of light. Even just a tiny flashlight on your key ring or as a zipper pull on your pack can save the day. Night. Trip.

2. First Aid:
The lists for this vary and reading what individuals take is like a checklist of their worst fears. When the kids were young, I carried a full 2 pounds of first aid gear even on day hikes!
Now, I carry Tylenol (Vitamin I), bandaids (all waterproof, 3 sizes, a dozen total) and antibiotic ointment. Moleskin and tiny very sharp nail scissors, a sports wrap, tweezers and a couple Benedryl. I have never needed anything beyond this list. I also carry a tiny plastic thermometer strip that is heat activated which I have never used, but can't seem to ditch.
A whistle is always good to have along, 3 toots at a time is a signal for help.

3. Nutrition:
More on food in general below, this is the essentails list for every hike and on every hike you need a couple protein bars, some trail mix (with nuts and dried fruit at least) or some other calorie-dense snacks, enough so that if you are stuck out overnight, you can have something to eat. If you need a calorie count, 1200 is what I go for, that's what you will burn walking 10 miles on easy terrain at a 2.5 MPH clip. If you know you will be walking up hills, running, climbing or out when it's below 40 degrees, take more calories.


4. Fire Starter:
Flint and steel, lighter, waterproof matches-your choice. Some folks like to have along something to get the fire burning, a film canister filled with dryer lint soaked in parafin or a small fuel tablet are good choices. Always store it in a waterproof baggie.


5. Knife:
I will go one more level here and suggest a multi-tool with a good blade or as a seperate item altogether. The knife will be useful in obvious ways, but small pliers can come in all kinds of handy for repairs and while on repairs, a strip of Gorilla tape (it's waterproof) can save the whole trip. People wrap it around their hiking poles or water bottles, but I just carry the remainder of a one inch roll in my kit, 2 feet max.


6. Hydration:
Extra water or a way to purify water along the route. Tablets are the lightest way and have come a long way in the past few years. They used to leave your water orange tinted and tasting funky. Now they have neutralizers you add as a second step and it clears the water and the taste. It also takes about half an hour, longer if the water is cold, and up to 4 hours for cryptosporidium (Cryptosporidium is a genus of apicomplexan protozoans that can cause gastrointestinal illness with diarrhea in humans. ) . Most folks have this system as a backup, if not first choice just because it is light, cheap (under $10) and fairly fool proof.
Filters are a good way to go, you can haul out water and hang to filter via a gravity filter, pump water through a filter into a 'clean' bottle, add a filter to your hydration line and just have 'dirty' water in your bladder or bottle or drink straight from the creek or bottle using a filter straw. Drawbacks include clogs from debris, potential damage from falls or freezing temps and back home, you have to dry them out. You need extra things in the field because there's always the chance with squeeze systems (where you collect creek water in one bag and force it through a filter to another bag for use) that the squeeze bag will break. So you need a syringe (to backflush debris) and backup bag. This method runs anywhere from $15-$90 for a group sized filter.
UV light is new and what I use myself. It kills off everything filters filter out and more-filters can't get viruses, but the UV light kills them. Drawbacks include the fact that it runs on batteries and when it's not in the case, it's an exposed long glass bulb. Water isn't filtered, so any debris needs to be pre-filtered via a coffee filter or bandanna. These are around $80.
Boiling the water works-kills everything. This is a good choice for water with lots of debris or that has been standing as the boiling will cause the gunk to settle at the bottom of the pot. Drawbacks include time, fuel usage and waiting for the water to cool. It's also flat after being boiled and should be poured back and forth between 2 clean containers to get some air back in there and improve the taste.



7. Insulation:
Protection from the elements! Rain gear, a poncho at minimum, and a jacket. Most people eliminate the jacket in summer, but a lightweight puffy packs down to nearly nothing and can add comfort like nothing else if you end up lost or injured. Being able to keep warm and dry is essential.


8. Navigation:
At the VERY least-a trail map, even on your phone (or take a photo at the kiosk), is better than heading out thinking you will follow this one trail or use blazes to navigate.
Best case would be a topo map and compass (and the skill set needed to use them) and a gps.


9. Sun protection:
Slip, Slap, Slop is the mantra they teach in Australia to all the kiddies and it's one you should follow year round hiking anywhere. Slip on your sunglasses, slap on a sun hat and slop on the SPF. The only thing is, not in that order. Hahaha. Sunscreen first, then hat and glasses and don't forget lip balm with an SPF factor as well. A sunscreen tube, like a big chapstick, is great for your whole face, it won't run into your eyes when you sweat and can go right on your lips.


10. Emergency shelter:
A large trash bag and a space blanket, a bivy sack, a tube tent or a lightweight tarp. Backpackers would have some type of sleep system along, so this is more for day hiking, but always have a system in place to keep dry. None of these items weigh much at all or take up much space.