What to Pack for a Day Hike

Happy first day of Spring! Even though it doesn’t really feel like it, its officially Spring. Tomorrow I’m taking the day off to go for a hike near Lake George. I was organizing my hiking bag and then realized it might be helpful to let you all know what I typically bring on a short day hike!

(bag with gear–I don’t usually bring the cat…)

Since we won’t be going into the High Peaks area of the Adirondacks, I’m going to bring my smaller 28L backpack. My other pack is much larger at 45L. Here’s what I’ll bring tomorrow for a hike in the Lake George Wild Forest of the Adirondacks that will take around 4-5 hours round trip.

Bivvy – Emergency blanket

Headlamp and extra lithium batteries

SPOT device – satellite messenger

Waterproof matches

Compass

Waterproof and tear resistant map of the area I’m hiking

Snacks – Clif bar, Larabar, trail mix and an apple

Ace bandage

First aid kit

Even though it’s technically spring, its pretty much still winter in the mountains, so this is what I would bring for a “winter hike”.

Bungee cord – for attaching snowshoes to my backpack

Katoola Microspikes

Waterproof Gaiters

Other things I usually bring that are unpictured:

Waterbottle – for short hikes I bring my 32oz Nalgane bottle, for longer hikes I bring my  75oz Platypus bladder

Thermos of hot coffee or hot chocolate

Extra wool socks

Extra long sleeve shirt

Blister treatment

Rain shell or jacket

Hiking poles

Camp Stalker Universal Crampon (for winter hiking) – I have yet to use these on a hike, but make sure to bring them in case of icy conditions!

Tubbs Mountaineer Snowshoes (for winter hiking)

Can I just take a minute to say how excited I am for summer hiking? Out of the 10 mountains I’ve hiked since August 2013, only four of them were during the “summer” season. Wow.