Summer Day Hike Packing List
October 12, 2013
The always up to date guide to what’s in my pack! Geared for a sunny Pacific Northwest day hike.
Last Updated: 9/09/2015
This is a full gear list including both packed and worn items.
- Trekking Poles – Black Diamond Ultra Distance Trekking Pole (length – 130 cm)
- I like a longer trekking pole if its the “z-pole” style. That way I can choke up and adjust my length when needed but still have a long option when crossing streams or on steep descents.
- Backpack – Black Diamond Bolt
- Hammock – Hummingbird Single Person Hammock + Tree Straps
- Nothing makes people jealous like busting out a hammock at the edge of a lake and kicking up your feet.
- Water Bladder – Hydrapak Reversible Reservoir with Shape Shift – 2 Liters
- Bic Lighter
- Headlamp – Black Diamond Storm Headlamp
- 160 lumens in a small dependable, waterproof package.
- Sit Pad – 1′ by 2′ piece of foam I cut from a sleeping pad
- One of my favorite items to take with me. Great for sitting on at lunch, around the fire, using as a small table to keep from losing small items, placed under a pack in your vestibule to keep the bottom of your pack dry, and many more uses.
- Emergency Beacon – Delorme InReach
- GPS – Garmon 62s
- Watch – Suunto Core
- Sun Glasses – Smith Dolen ChromaPop Polarchromic Ignitor Sunglasses
- Light Upper Body Insulation/Weather Protection – Outdoor Research Halogen
- Hiking Shorts – Outdoor Research Ferrosi Shorts
- Hiking Shoes – Adidas Terrex Fast R Low
- These are great trail shoes for rugged terrain. They are more supportive than the minimalist trail runners that are so popular right now but I’ve found I really prefer more supportive shoes but not quite a full hiking boot. Also, they do not have a GORE-TEX liner. This is important because in the summer, when you don’t need to worry about your feet getting wet and freezing, GORE-TEX actually makes you feet a bit swampy since it doesn’t breath nearly as well as non-waterproof shoes.
- Gaiters – REI Trail Running Gaiters
- I wear gaiters almost more in the summer than the winter to keep dirt and small rocks from getting in my shoes and causing irritation.
- Boxers – ExOfficio Give-N-Go Sport Boxer Brief
- Socks – Darn Tough Ultralight hiking socks
- Shirt – Outdoor Research Echo 1/4 zip
- Hat – Trucker Hat
- Emergency Survival Gear – Emergency + medical gear packing list
Alternate Items – These are items I swap in or out when the weather changes.
- Sandals – Teva Barracuda
- I like bringing sandals with me when I’m going to be around a lot of water. Either fly fishing or just crossing a lot of streams/rivers.
- Fly Fishing Rod – Tenkara USA Sato Rod + Flys
- I use a traditional fly rod when I’m not backpacking but I like the quick setup time of a tenkara rod when I’m backpacking for quick casts while hiking.
- Gaiters – REI Alpine Gaiters
- Swap in when going somewhere with tons of brush to protect your lower legs.
- Hiking Pants – Prana Zion pants
- Swap the shorts for these if you are going to be doing a lot of bushwhacking or the temps are a little on the cool side.
- Water Filtration – Sawyer Squeeze Mini + Platypus Platy Water Tank
- If there is any question that I might use more than 2L of water this comes along.
- Scrub Gloves – Any lightweight gardening glove
- It might sound odd to carry gardening gloves but when I’m not already carrying a good pair of gloves to keep me warm and there is the possibility of bushwhacking through some nasty terrain I like some protection for my hands to help push through thick thorny brush.