Questions about gear

orangegato

Hi, I'm a novice and have only been going out on trails for a year, but very sporadically. Pretty short stuff, usually ~4 miles. Longest was 6.8 miles today, but nothing w/ any significant elevation in my opinion. I want to get out a lot more b/c I really like it. Can anyone give recommendations on basic gear to buy? Like a small pack, and what stuff to carry in it the would be useful/smart etc? I'd appreciate specific recs w/ favorite brands too. Thanks

T1DCarnivoreRunner

For day hikes, I use a pretty generic pack that was on clearance a few years back. Make sure to carry the 10 essentials, and that includes plenty of water and a way to get more water. These days, I'm using both a filter (for bacteria) and chemical treatment (for viruses). A lot of hikers are still just using filters, which is more and more risky these days.

Here's what I typically have in a day pack: Water, water filter (Sawyer Squeeze Mini and a bottle/bag for contaminated water collection), iodine tablets, map, compass, GPS, knife, lighter, emergency bivy, first aid kit, food, personal meds (3 days extra), rain jacket, possibly extra socks, sunscreen, bug spray (seasonally), and headlamp plus extra batteries.

orangegato

midwesterner85 wrote: »

For day hikes, I use a pretty generic pack that was on clearance a few years back. Make sure to carry the 10 essentials, and that includes plenty of water and a way to get more water. These days, I'm using both a filter (for bacteria) and chemical treatment (for viruses). A lot of hikers are still just using filters, which is more and more risky these days.

Here's what I typically have in a day pack: Water, water filter (Sawyer Squeeze Mini and a bottle/bag for contaminated water collection), iodine tablets, map, compass, GPS, knife, lighter, emergency bivy, first aid kit, food, personal meds (3 days extra), rain jacket, possibly extra socks, sunscreen, bug spray (seasonally), and headlamp plus extra batteries.

Thanks

T1DCarnivoreRunner

Something I forgot to list - wag bag. A small dry bag with trowel, toilet paper, and an empty ziploc for packing out used toilet paper.

NorthCascades

midwesterner85 wrote: »

For day hikes, I use a pretty generic pack that was on clearance a few years back. Make sure to carry the 10 essentials, and that includes plenty of water and a way to get more water. These days, I'm using both a filter (for bacteria) and chemical treatment (for viruses). A lot of hikers are still just using filters, which is more and more risky these days.

Here's what I typically have in a day pack: Water, water filter (Sawyer Squeeze Mini and a bottle/bag for contaminated water collection), iodine tablets, map, compass, GPS, knife, lighter, emergency bivy, first aid kit, food, personal meds (3 days extra), rain jacket, possibly extra socks, sunscreen, bug spray (seasonally), and headlamp plus extra batteries.

I have the regular Sawyer Squeeze, love it. Really love the tiny size and weight, it's easy to always have it when you need it.

I've personally found Osprey packs the most comfortable out of everything I've tried. But stores will let you try backpacks on with sand bags, so everybody can figure out what works best for them and not just rely on my opinion.

patrickjd9

On the Sawyer Squeeze vs. Sawyer Mini, I don't think the weight savings is worth the slowness of the Mini. Also, don't let either one freeze once it's been used once. They are not recommended for use after that.