Essential hiking tips and gear

Today we’re talking about some essential hiking tips to work with our articles on essential camping trips, since camping and hiking go hand in hand, and since we mentioned a couple of hiking-related things in those ones.

Tell someone where you’re going

This is the best and first tip that we can give you, let friends and family know where you plan to be hiking, and for how long, also tell the local ranger about it as well, it’s much better to be safe than sorry.

Water

Don’t forget to carry water with you, whether in a bottle or a waterskin, put that in your backpack or even better if you’re really into hiking, invest in a hydration pack. This is a water sac on your back with a tube threaded into it, for a great hands free source of water. We mentioned water tablets in our camping article, they are as valid a tip for hiking as for when camping, even more-so since you’ll want to keep moving, and don’t have the time to boil water.

GPS

Nowadays almost everyone seems to have a GPS capable smartphone, considering you have purchased specialized software for this goal, you shouldn’t use the in-built map feature since those will go offline if you lose mobile-phone connectivity – a distinct possibility depending on where you’re hiking.

You should however consider getting a special GPS unit which will work regardless of that, you really don’t want to be lost; for a more basic tip, never go anywhere without a compass and ideally a map of the area.

Essential first aid kit

You need to pack a very basic first aid kit, some waterproof matches or a lighter and maybe some heat packs if the nights get cold where you’re planning to hike. Also traveling with a sturdy knife and a source of light won’t be a bad idea either.