Trail runners: what do you carry with you?

nathalier71

I always have water -more than I think I will need, a silver blanket (you never know -you could get stuck overnight -or get injured -you then get cold real fast), some sort of energy -maple syrup is my go to, salt pills, and my phone, a whistle as there are often bears in the area. As well, I make sure someone knows which trail I'm on and how long I expect to be gone.

RunsWithBees

For anywhere from 5k-13k trail runs I wear a “Bandi” belt and in it I carry:
• An old expired drivers license
• A whistle
• 3 hard caramel candies
• 3 salt packets
• a mini tin of beeswax salve with a tiny mirror glued on the bottom of it
• couple of folded paper towels
• mini pepper spray
• couple of band-aids
• $20 bill
• iphone in a waterproof case
• car keys in a little ziplock bag
• headphones

If I bring water it’s in one or two hand-held water bottles, I rarely wear a hat or cap unless it’s cold/raining, always have my Xero sandals with me even if I’m barefooting just in case, always sunglasses unless I’m running at night. I live in Northern Ca so the weather here isn’t super extreme but I still check the weather report to see what to anticipate. I always tell someone my route and expected timeline.

Happy trail running/hiking to all!