My ESSENTIAL GEAR For Day Hiking!

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Essentials Day Hiking Gear:
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My Medic Hiker First Aid Kit: bit.ly/3cukgX8
My Medic Pet Kit: bit.ly/3sxpBCp
.3 Adventure First Aid Kit: bit.ly/3tVJfIK
Arcteryx Down Vest: bit.ly/3dcT7qU
Arcteryx Synthetic Jacket: bit.ly/3u4AhJb
Rain Jacket: bit.ly/31wIoC9
Emergency Bivy: bit.ly/3cwIwb1
Water Filter: bit.ly/3m2Be23
Head Lamp: bit.ly/31A6Imp
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[@roddenby]

Shemagh, Tourniquet, 4 inch fixed blade knife, Paracord and Poncho that converts to a shelter, steel container to boil and collect water, signal mirror.

[@roddenby]

Brian that’s BS. I’ve heard of cases where people have used Paracord and a stick to stop bleeding on a limb. I’ve never come across an EMT that’s dissuaded people from carrying a tourniquet.

[@RenM908]

speaking of dog first aid kits. The ruffwear evac kit is very packable in the off chance you need to carry your dog out while still carrying your pack. I have started bringing it as my dog is about 30lbs and trying to fit him in my pack would be hard and depending on the injury they sit better in the backtrack harness. Highly recommend and pray you don't need to use it for anything serious.

[@bertman4]

The ten essential items have evolved into ten essential systems. I always carry them. As for additions, many first aid kits do not have aspirin or antihistamine included. I learned from my first aid training that you should add these to your kit. Aspirin is for heart attacks, maybe not you but for your companions or even a hiker you meet. Same with antihistamine, could save someone from a bee or wasp sting.

[@SparkSurvival]

Did you have items for navigation and protection I missed?

[@bod7425]

I also pack a Rab siltarp. Its lightweight, and can be deployed as a sun or rain shelter. I've done a few rescues as a firefighter and often run into patients completely exposed to the elements (especially as you've said the sun). I have the same bivy and combined with the tarp I imagine will make the situation more comfortable if your waiting for help.

[@bod7425]

Also some paracord

[@grimper35]

quick little suggestion... I put my various liquid stuff (sunscreen, bug repellant, etc) in a sealed zip-log baggie. I've had these little bottles explode on me (in my pack) smearing the pocket with all that goop

[@ronaldrose7593]

Hello Devin, you always have an answer for all things outdoors. All the best to you and your family. Stay safe 🙏, out there. 🤗

[@waxler2]

I’d add a days supply of routine medications if needed and bug spray

[@stevenoverfield2649]

Good idea on the meds 👌 Devin had sawer bug lotion if you've never used it its quite awesome

[@waxler2]

Sorry on the bug spray. I missed it

[@BackcountryExposure]

Not a bad idea. Typically those premade first aid kits will have the basics that you'd need for a day out. Add any additional that would be important to your personal needs. :)

[@8RedBear5]

Last week I did an 11mile up and down of a local eastern mountain, Trail is rated as difficult by the park. My day pack had just about everything you had plus a small cook set. But the baffling thing I noticed while hiking down the mountain was all the people coming up who didn't have anything. No extra layers, no snacks I could see and no water. Heck grandma and grandpa that I ran into looked like they just got off the tour bus, bought a hiking stick from the gift shop and decided to go up the mountain like it was a local park. I need to get an emergency locator beacon just incase I have to deal with the unprepared and stupid.

[@BackcountryExposure]

A couple local trails where I am at see many rescues each year because many people hit the trail not prepared. It’s a bi-product of a large metropolis area backed up against dozens of trailheads 5-20 minutes drive from home.

[@8RedBear5]

@@BackcountryExposure I live near Great Smoky Mountain Nation Park so there are frequent stories of people getting into trouble, either from wild life, poor decisions, turbulent waters, or a few years back a crazy dude with a knife attacking backpackers.

[@nealbarrus9140]

Very good list. I would add; duct tape around a lighter, duct tape is great on hot spots for preventing blisters, as well as repairs, paracord is very versatile, a god GPS app and extra phone charger, extra socks, and TP, always. A day hike for some people is a 2 or 3 mile out and back, for others it might be a 25 mile Rim-2-Rim or a 16 mile 14er. Plan your hiking supplies accordingly.

[@BackcountryExposure]

Day hike covers a lot of grey area with what it means by how long you might actually be out there. Plan based on the area, route, and time. :)

[@danielsingh9415]

Poop kit: tp, trowel, sanitation &/or wag bag

[@dannmars]

I always pack a spare pair of socks. Dry feet are a good thing.

[@onionring1531]

I also took spare shoelaces, socks, underwear, and a singlet on a recent day hike. Amusingly the singlet was the only of those items I used.

[@KirstenBayes]

I tend to go heavier on navigation and signalling, as that's what's needed to avoid an emergency or get you out of it. Noting that most folks who need a rescue are day-hikers; getting lost is the main reason they need rescuing; and if you need a rescue, getting found is your job. So, on the navigation that would be a compass with rotating bevel and mirror sighting (like the Suunto MC2), pacing beads, area contour maps, a notebook and pencil, and a GPS (as well as my phone). On signalling, the headlamp, emergency bivy and whistle will serve you super-well, (I carry those too) as would the mirror on the compass and your phone. I add colourful surveyors tape to that mix and a chemlight. Surveyors tape can be used signal to aircraft ("HELP" or just three XXXs in the ground) as well as to hang dead reckoning markers on trees/bushes to guide foot searchers to your position (and to help you find your way back to a trail). The chemlight also can be used for signalling and marking your location. Stay safe out there xx

[@azclaimjumper]

Your reply is definitely spoken by someone with experience. I'm dependent on my GPS & spare batteries when hiking. I like my GPS cookie crumb trail I can follow to get back to where I want/should be. I also carry on MEeee, not in my backpack, a Personal Locator Beacon, the ACR ResQLink that does only one thing. It transmits the strongest 5-watt signal directly to a satellite along with my GPS co ords so SAR knows who they will be looking for & exactly where I am.

[@KirstenBayes]

@@azclaimjumper I have been doing this for 35 years, and grew up next to a mountain so there is that! I am really happy that PLBs and GPSes are so affordable now, and that everybody has a phone (with a map and flashlight) is amazing. The point I was making is that a good baseplate compass (say, a Silva Ranger in Europe or a Suunto A30 in US ) costs 30 bucks and weighs 50g. A 100ft roll of coloured Presco flagging tape costs 10 bucks and weighs another 50g. With these two items and a little knowledge, you are for sure coming home, provided you have told somebody where you are going and when to expect you back. With a bivvy shelter, or what we use here, a bothy bag (250g), that will be alive. And if you have water and ways to get more (a container, a filter, tablets) you will be in great shape. All you need after that is lipstick, as we like to look good for those SAR pilots ;)

[@azclaimjumper]

@@KirstenBayes I'm 76 years old & have been around the block a few times. All the items you mention except a compass & lipstick, I always have with me whether I'm day hiking or overnighting.

[@KirstenBayes]

@@azclaimjumper amazing! I suspected so, but wanted to share the knowledge for passers by. Should you find yourself with a few minutes, videos on the Silva 1-2-3 method by KZbinr Very Survival show how to use a modern compass: takes a minute to learn. Dave Pearson at Reallybigmonkey1 channel shows how a compass is used to self-rescue when you lose the trail. Dave is...less succinct, but a good teacher. x

[@azclaimjumper]

@@KirstenBayes I have a compass & have known how to use one since I was a Boy Scout, however, I now consider it unnecessary with the advent of hand held, accurate Garmin GPS's. Mine is an old 62st model with buttons that I can push with gloved hands in cold weather instead of a touch screen. Kirsten, here is something I carry that you likely have never heard about. "Wound Clot" - come in a variety of sizes will stop bleeding without the need for pressure. It's in every Israeli Soldier's First Aid Kit which should tell you something. "Wound Clot", is only available from the supplier in Israel. Yes, I know there are "similar" products, but they aren't the real McCoy - check out "Wound Clot" & buy a few. It will take 3-4 weeks for delivery AFTER you've placed your order. "Wound Clot" - my telling you about it is my good deed for today!

[@Oldsparkey]

For comfort I tent to stay away from shoulder straps when day hiking for fun. " Everyone walks to a different drummer ". For day hikes I do something different.. I use a Mountainsmith Drift ( Lumbar pack , 5 liters ) or a Mountainsmith Day ( Lumbar pack ,13 liters ) as day packs. The liter size depends on the Three W's.( Where , When and Weather ). I really enjoy the freedom of a day pack without shoulder straps. Probably nothing more then something physiological.

[@majorheadache2263]

I take a little bit less if I'm familiar with the hike and area, however with day hiking I think pack weight is so low anyway, might as well play it safe. I sometime get a gut feeling right before I leave for a hike, 7/10 times I'm right and never regret the extra gear.

[@BackcountryExposure]

That is often how I feel when I am doing a peak as my hike. Always glad I've got extra food, water and layers.

[@neemancallender9092]

Essential items... An emergency signal whistle! (cant rely on having one on the sternum strap and they are not powerful enough) Map and compass and know how to use them

[@BackcountryExposure]

Thanks!

[@JimCWoodard]

Would add a navigation system - map and compass and/or GPS. Otherwise, good load out.

[@paddle_hike]

Great gear loadout!!! I bring the same ... in the same pack but smaller (the Gregory Nano 16)... Plenty enough. Thanks for sharing.

[@anthonysarabia5058]

I would carry a small tarp as an emergency shelter with that Bivy.. Lightweight maybe 5x7.. Those two items in conjunction can be adequate in worst case scenario for cover.. Also a ferro rod and tinder.. Part of emergency fire kit witht that lighter.

[@azclaimjumper]

I'm with you 100%. FireSteel & my own home-made tinder made with fluffed up strands of hemp & then dipped in paraffin are my primary go-to means of creating a spark/fire, not a bic lighter that likely won't work because its Butane fuel doesn't like temperatures below 50º.

[@chrishinshaw6028]

Some additional items I always have are paracord and an extra pair of sock liners and socks.

[@BackcountryExposure]

Nice!

[@ItsbecauseYOLO]

Would definitely try some of the products you recommended

[@j.k.7595]

Great video, although I kept expecting you to keep pulling more and more stuff out of the pack (like a magician). I usually take a sit pad with me, nothing fancy, but at my age I'm none too comfortable sitting on the ground or a rock.

[@theoutdoordogandhikinggirl]

That first aid kit for dogs is awesome. Unfortunately I can't order from the website, otherwise I would love to have it.

[@NickandRachel]

Thanks for sharing! Very helpful

[@BackcountryExposure]

Thanks for watching!

[@NickandRachel]

@@BackcountryExposure no problem! we really enjoy making outdoor content also

[@munaadhamy]

can you plz give tips for date hike with little kids? i have a 4 and a 6 yr old girls, how long should the hike be, how can we make it safe? should we worry about stranger danger? It worries me as a woman with two kids if my husband is not available to come with us so I often opt to not go unless I'm able to arrange with friends... what should be in my kids' backpacks if it's just a 1 or 2 mile hike? etc..

[@kevinbeck6419]

I carry backpackers tarp from Walmart a long with space blanket

[@Rachel-h3n]

Personal location becon or satellite communicator ? Rei hires them I've heard. ....... First aid kit: "stop the bleed" eg: emergency bandage/Israeli bandage, CAT tornaquet etc and training! "open the airways" antihystamines, in case of allergic reaction to insect bite or plant etc Training. leukotape and gauze (the first aid equivalent of ducttape and wd40). Anti-inflammatory 'pain killer' such as ibuprofen. Any prescription medications in case you are delayed. Love the tips on water, very important :) A contractor style heavy duty garbage bag is excellent emergency shelter, cheaper that a bivy and lighter... leaving more for that all important personal emergency locator. As others have mentioned navigation, including non electronic backup and knowledge on how to use.

[@stevenoverfield2649]

Okay that's funny I just bought that day pack today in that color to match my 45L pack 🤣

[@BackcountryExposure]

It's a pretty slick little pack.

[@MichaelsPwner]

Check out the Ruffwear dog shoes. No more ripped paws.

[@BadHikers]

Thanks fo for the vid, great pack load out!

[@GearSkeptic]

Nice video, sir! Good to see somebody with a few essentials for some basic what-ifs. Sometimes it seems the “pack your fears” mentality can go a little far with its reductivism.

[@BackcountryExposure]

Thanks! You never know what could happen, but that shouldn't stop you from carry a smart load of gear that isn't excessive.

[@leehart9055]

Good afternoon. Today I watched you rvideo. My I ask where is your food, cook system?

[@untouchable360x]

You don't carry a Personal Locator beacon?

[@generator6946]

Way back in 1964 I hiked a lot. Summer. Winter. Hike. Hike. Hike. Here is what I carried:

[@GIRLplusDOGAdventures]

I don't think it's necessary to buy a separate first aid kit for your dog. Most of the human first aid kits have everything and then you can add a couple of items that will make it dog friendly. I usually recommend just adding rolled gauze (enough to wrap up a leg) and the self-adhering bandage. This saves money and space in the pack.

[@BackcountryExposure]

I would agree that having a completely separate kit isn't totally necessary. The clip of my pup with the wrapped up paw was done with my human kit. Whatever comes down to your personal preference. 😄

[@GaerHampton]

Is it a bad sign that when you pulled out the little first aid kit I immediately thought, "I......*think*.....I have one of those somewhere in one of my multiple gear totes." Sooo much gear in the spare bedroom (and garage)!

[@BackcountryExposure]

Ha! I think we all can relate to that with something in our gear stash.

[@unpavedexplorer338]

Hello, nice recommendations. Take Care.

[@justthebobby1190]

If cellphones went down who would you communicate with even when a garmin inreach?

[@johnjackson374]

Great. video. I’m just starting to hike. I’ve noticed people have dogs. unleashed. Have you ever had an issue with your dog being attacked?

[@Matthewsoxfan]

I need navigation a map or something GPS on the phone make sure your phone to charge

[@ScottANorman]

With this vid’s ad you could say you are giving Backcountry...Exposure...

[@BackcountryExposure]

Ha ha! Good one!

[@davidivers9295]

Shoes, sox, pants, shorts, shirt ,hat, glasses? Longer than "expected".

[@TheNypenfan]

That’s pretty much what I bring in general except I always take a lighter, and an extra pair of socks....I hate wet feet. Lol

[@BackcountryExposure]

On my backpacking trip over the weekend I said to my friend I was with, I think I’ve done more backpacking trips with wet feet/shoes than trips without. It’s totally normal for many of the routes I choose to do here in Utah.

[@TheNypenfan]

@@BackcountryExposure yup....I live In the adirondacks which is FULL of water crossings. I just hate wet feet so as soon as my shoes are starting to dry out I switch socks and hang the wet ones off the pack. When it’s warm I hike in sandals so they dry faster...it’s how I got the trail name ghandi. Lol

[@elizabethrice9190]

What’s a good rule of thumb for the amount of water to carry? I realize it may vary by body size, temperature, etc. but how much should we be drinking?

[@BackcountryExposure]

I always carry a liter minimum, but often as much as two liters. I’ll carry a filter if know of water sources so I can always get more water. But some hikes I’ve carried as much as 4 liters for a day hike in the desert.

[@MyLifeOutdoors]

I always feel like I’m overpacking on a day hike. I’m glad to see I’m not the only one 🤣. Why don’t you like bladders on overnights?

[@azclaimjumper]

I was wondering the same thing. I never bought/owned a so-called "Smart" water bottle. And NO cell phone. I'm still wallowing around in the dark ages.

[@BackcountryExposure]

Not a fan of the hose dragging in the dirt, and more difficult to fill up with a filter since they don’t stand up.

[@azclaimjumper]

@@BackcountryExposure I fill the 3L Hydrapak bladder through the bite valve nozzle attached to the end of the drink tube. The bladder stays in my backpack when I camel-up. My water filter of choice is MSR Trailshot. The outlet nozzle of the Trailshot fits perfectly onto the bite valve once I remove the thingey that I bite down on.

[@ScottANorman]

I went back through some of your other videos to make sure you hadn’t already answered this one but couldn’t find it so... What kind of food do you usually pack for a one day or relatively short overnight hike?

[@BackcountryExposure]

Good question. Simple food. Typically I’ll make a sandwich, bag of chips, Fruit, and then energy focused things. Nuts and a good protein bar. Even though I really don’t like bars, they have good calories.

[@rossmontes8836]

Is that pack a Citro 24 hydration pack?

[@BackcountryExposure]

Yes the citro but not the hydration vetsion

[@rossmontes8836]

Thanks

[@maureenleahy8292]

map!

[@johndub6543]

Kind of overkill for anything under 2 hours. Maybe for a full day "day hike" 8+ miles.

[@BackcountryExposure]

A lot of grey area in what is deemed a "Day Hike". Sometimes just a water bottle will do for a quick mile in and out. 👍🏼

[@EpwnaExeter]

For a really short walk/hike (less than 2 hours) I have a fanny pack plus water bottle combo that can hold a few emergency items that would come in handy for a few hours or overnight on a trail. Plastic poncho, reflective blanket, lighter, flashlight or headlamp, bandana, folding knife, sunscreen, chapstick, compass and map of trail. It also holds my phone and snack.

[@johndub6543]

@@BackcountryExposure Very true!

[@coachhannah2403]

Bottle of water and toilet paper... Period.

[@markjones2973]

Geez...I don't know if all these hiking advisors on KZbin are just trying to get views, sell products or if they are really serious about all this gear you need for a day hike. Give me a break. I have been day hiking for more than 20 years and you don't need to carry all this stuff. Some food, water, cap, map and a few other items and you will be fine. I do 16 mile / 8 hour hikes with just my water bottle and some snacks. Less is better. If things go wrong, improvise. How much safety do you need? You can always bring a mule and pack it down with 50 pounds of gear "just in case" you need it. Total insanity.

[@markjones2973]

For day hiking, you really do not need most of this gear. I have been day hiking in southern California for years, all over the local mountains and deserts. All you really need is a small waist pack, some snacks and a water bottle, your phone and a map. Geez...just trying to sell you a bunch of junk you don't need. We do 10 hour hikes, 14-16 miles, lots of elevation. Gimme a break. Think for yourself people.