Essential Day Hiking Gear For Your First Hike

I have been there...trying to figure out what I want and what I actually need for a hike. Ehem, I am guilty right here, for being an over-thinker. I assume you are planning or thinking of doing your very first-day hike, hence, google helped you find this page, right? I spent hours figuring out what is best or what others recommend and I hope you will just keep it simple in the beginning. So, let's not over complicate it and ruin the fun before it can begin.

What you want to ask yourself after your first hike are these two questions.

1. Did I enjoy it?

2. Do I want to do it again?

If the answer is YES to both questions then you can invest in some gear.

Okay, now let's check out my recommendation. I call the below the TGE - trail, gear & extras checklist.

Day Hiking Trail Checklist:

• distance 3-10 km what makes you feel comfortable

• phone signal along the route

• ascent and descent less than 100 m

• not far from home and civilization

Day Hiking Gear Checklist:

• Any comfortable backpack (10-25 l volume)

• Rain jacket preferably one that you can store in your backpack

• 2 l water bottle

• Food or snacks

• Comfortable shoes with a good foot sole

• Phone with an app to check your route like outdooractive

• plastic bag as a temporary trash can

• tissues

Day Hiking Extras Checklist:

• Camera to save some digital memories or maybe a film camera

• Blanket or a sitting mat to relax and sit in a dry spot

• Sunglasses

• Thermos to enjoy a hot chocolate

• Disinfectant to feel clean especially during these times

Before you go out into any new environment, it is important that you check the weather and also tell your family or a friend about your plans. What I like doing before hiking is checking out what other people are saying about the trail. Note, everyone has a different perception of what an easy or moderate hike is. I’ve experience this misjudgment in Slovenia. I learned a lot from my first hike and you can read about the “5 mistakes to avoid when planning a hike”.

Conclusion

Hiking is fun and should be fun if you start it nice and slow - remember it's all about feeling comfortable. Some people think hiking is only for senior citizens. I honestly could not disagree more. It is an activity for all ages. I recently went on a road trip from Slovenia to Italy and found my love for nature and hiking. All this walking feels rewarding, too. Especially when you are hiking on a mountain and see that 'instagramable' view on its peak. Gosh, just had to double-check on google if this is an actual word...yup, this term has been used before explaining that a view of something is so nice that you have to take a picture of it, as it is worthy to be posted on Instagram.

Remember, colors are the smiles of nature!

OliveHiking

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