To pack or not to pack?

[AZ_Hiker]

Hiking here in Arizona, I have found really different then the areas im use to, the northwest and the south. I have no proplems with the heat and spend a lot of time outdoors. but I find myself carrying a lot more gear then I ever did before. it just seems to me that there are lots more ways to get in to trouble here and therefor "to be on the safe side" more grear is needed.

so heres the question.. for an 8 mile hike.

do you plan for the worst? take everything you might need if you get hurt or cought out over night or

do you take your mule and a peanutbutter sandwhich and call it good?


the reason I ask is because I think I may be over working my self always planing for the worst. I have been doing all my hiking alone so I may be getting a little parinoid?

dont know.

[azhiker96]

I tend towards the minimalist side. My usual day pack includes; map, water, space blanket, small tube of soap, bandana, and a knife. If it's a long hike and water is available on the trail I take polar pure. I also include some food if I'm going to be out for more than about 4 hours. If I'm going off trail or a new trail I take a compass. Oh, and I take a camera if I remember it. I don't fault folks who want to carry snake bite kit, flashlight, GPS, FRS radio, cell phone, signal flares, matches, sewing kit, lighter, etc. Whatever it takes so that you enjoy the hike is fine with me. I guess the ultimate minimalist was covered (or not covered) on the thread about naked hiking.
One of my hiking buddies, GTG, carries an enormous pack but he is prepared and enjoys having it along. One one hike, one of the group lost the rubber tip from one of his hiking poles. GTG not only had a spare tip, he had two types from which to choose. I was impressed!

[AZ_Hiker]

I dont think im that extream as to carry spare parts for hiking poles. that is impressive but its easy to become a walking hardware store to.

I dont carry a snake bite kit, GPS, FRS radio, cell phone, signal flares, sewing kit, for a day hike. I might carry a GPS unit if I had one.. but matches, flashlight, lighter are things I do carry. as well as first aid, food, water filter,map, space blaket, usually at least 3 to 4 leters or water, knife, compus, binocs, camera gear, and a half a dozen other littel things that I cant think of right now but dont amount to 2 libs of weight im sure. when its all said and done I might be carrying between 20 and 30 lbs and Im thinking that might be to much.. im in shape and have no problem in that respect.. but as I look as this stuff there isnt much I want to give up.. again I dont know if Im being parinoid or not.

also I usually carry sandles tied to the outside of my pack somewhere.

[Daryl]

I usually carry the minimum I'd need if I had to spend the night, which basically means I keep a space blanket in my pack.

I always carry first aid, gps, matches...

[Snick33]

I carry a bunch, maybe 30 lbs. But I enjoy being prepared for anything and any type of hike. My problem is that I never know if I'm going to hike for two miles or for ten miles. I always carry 3-4 liters of water because like "Scarlet" in "Gone With the Wind": "As God is my Witness, I'll Never be Thirsty Again"

The same reasoning has lead Susan and I to carry camping gear with us where ever we go. We had too many occasions where we wished we had been prepared for an overnighter, and weren't. I've even taken to carrying a second spare tire on the roof racks, because when I have a flat tire in the middle of no where, our day is done until I get that tire fixed. Carrying that fix-a-flat gunk doesn't hack it beause it rarely works, and once you use it, most tire places won't patch your tire and guarentee it.

[Nighthiker]

Most hikes I take my gear that I can stay overnight or thruout the day. My jeep is equiped with gear that I can stay out up to four days.

[AK]

I carry very little. 100oz Camelbak plus maybe 2 Nalgene bottles, (depending on where I'm going) first aid kit, hiking poles, headlamp, snacks, and camera with extra batteries. I'll take my pistola with me if I'm going near bear country but thats about it for me.

[olesma]

I'm sort of a tweener here. I pack slightly heavier than most - but not as heavy as Randy or GTG. I've been on a lighter trend lately, but that is usually when hiking by myself or with someone I know is experienced. If I'm taking someone along who is a question mark - then the heavy gear comes out.

Of course - if I'm hiking with GTG or Randy, I just take water and the clothes on my back. They carry everything else necessary: food, cloting, map, GPS, first-aid, emergency flares, , port-a-john, etc.

[mttgilbert]

I'm an in-betweener also. I like to think I travel light but...

I almost always end up carrying enough to stay overnight. I have a standard first aid/survival kit wich includes a small knife, space blanket, 800 mg ibuprofen, small sewing kit, medical tape, mirror, tweezers, antibiotic ointment, firestarter, bic lighter, small fishing kit, mini multi-tool, replacement valve for my camelbak, a whistle, and iodine tablets. All this weighs under 12 ounces. All the items have multiple functions and with this kit alone I am pretty much set for an unexpected overnighter. Usually I supplement this with a hearty portion of food (which to me means a whole lot of beef jerky and dried fruit topped off with some cliff bars) and a 3 liters of water. With a few other items (thermarest, esbit stove, sierra cup, poncho, liner, scarf, and pullover) I can turn my daypack into a more comfortable overnight rig. My daypack usually weighs about 10 lbs including food and water. My overnight pack weighs in around 15 lbs and my extended trip backpack usually weighs right around 20-25 lbs (depending on where Im going and how long I intend to be there).

[Abe]

For my day hikes I pack the following:
*Cell phone
*Jansport Fanny Pack w/ 2 water bottles.
*Small first-aid kit and I added tweezers to it.
*Silva compass
*Swiss Army Knife w/survival pouch (signal mirror, small compass, pencil, fishing line and hooks, fire starter)
*Tasco monouculars 8X12mm
*AA MagLight
*Bic Lighter
*Space Blanket
*Whistle
*Cord
*Wire Saw
*Survival Kit made for Whistle Creek
*Journal
*T.P. w/ disposal baggie
*Extra pair of socks
*Grub/snack
*Military Poncho (depending on weather)

And last but not least, my faithful companion: my walking stick.

I do not really plan for the worse; although, with the above I am comfortable that should I have to spend the night, I will be cozy.

[BoyNhisDog]

I might be carrying between 20 and 30 lbs and Im thinking that might be to much.. im in shape and have no problem in that respect.. but as I look as this stuff there isnt much I want to give up.. again I dont know if Im being parinoid or not.

I don't think you are being paranoid. If you go on long hikes, some maybe off-trail I think you are well advised to be prepared for spending at least an uncomfortable night out. That means some extra clothes and a light tarp/poncho for shelter. Water is a big problem out here as we all know but the biggest killer is hypo-thermia. People die during nights that are surprisingly warm.

A couple of my most important items are a map and compass. Beyond that I carry a base load of 15 lbs before water. With the warm clothes, sil-nylon tarp and poncho, rain/wind pants, essentials bag with the signaling/fire tools/first aid/purification tabs energy food etc., I carry a camera and tripod. Most of the time I add two quarts of water/fruit juice drinks and two quarts of plain water. I carry the warm clothes even in summer. A good monsoon can drop the temps by 35 degrees or more and at altitude when wet, it can add up to bad news.

If you go out on extreme dayhikes enough times you will eventually be glad you were ready for unseen circumstances. I won’t step off pavement without these few things. I often end up going further than I set out to or changing course to an off-trail area.

[Sredfield]

I tend to the minimalist side, space blanket and rain suit seems like enough to keep you OK for one night. I try not to leave the TH without my Dromedary full. If it is a longer hike I carry an extra quart or two. Can't believe scimping on water but many of the people I hike with try to cut it pretty close.

[jmangum]

I just hiked 8 miles on Friday - 3Qt. water, a camera, beef jerky, dried fruit, pb & j, tp, and a small first aid kit. The only thing I wish I would have brought is rain gear (maybe just a small emergency poncho). But since it only got dark and didn't rain I was fine. That is pretty typical of what I bring on any given day hike (except I usually forget my camera).

Does that make me a minimalist?

However I like Abe's idea of bringing a journal. I think I'll add that to my list.

[Forget LA 76]

I feel like the less I have to take, the better. Maybe I underpack, but a lot of what is packed can be found in nature. I need a nice water purification device, because its the water that weighs me down. I always have a knife. A compass is key. Nutrition. That's about all I usually take for a day hike. But you're definitely not being paranoid considering the fact that you're hiking alone.

[tempe8]

One thing I never forget to bring is a large brimmed hat! Behind Australlia, Arizona is second in the world when it comes to skin cancer.

If I've got an early morning start or late evening finish, I'll just put it in my pack, but any other time during the day I've got it on my head. They don't weigh much and can be rolled up to fit anywhere.

[sidhayes]

40 oz. of water, less when it is cooler.

[Sun_Ray]

In response to AZ_Hiker's reply:
I hike most of the time alone and do carry what I need for an overnight stay. I did get lost about 25 years ago and learned carrying a little extra weight is worth it. One of the reason I hike is for cardo work so the extra weight is a plus on those easy trails. Also you are better prepared to help someone else in need.

[AZHikr4444]

I hike mostly alone too. I don't deviate much from my "standard" dayhike gear. I carry a xx small Granite Gear Air Space bag that contains a small Cody Lundin inspired "survival kit"- space blanket, compass, wp matches, lighter, bit of parachute cord, knife- double wrapped in ziplocks. I also keep my homemade first aid kit and my headlight in there. This is always ready and goes on every trip with me, day or extended.

Othern' that- I usually carry a 2 L camelback, plus 1 L Nalgene of water (bottle wrapped in duct tape) and usually a 500ml bottle of Propel, just to have something other than water to drink. I carry a small lunch in my pack, plus a bag of my own gorp on me and a small ziplock of caffeine laded candy, usually Nips or Wurthers. That can help on those up hill jaunts. Lately I've been including my Ipod Shuffle, descents suck for me, and I find it helps me to not focus some much on my knees when coming down.

[big_load]

I assume we're talking about 8 miles in the real outdoors, in which case I bring plenty of water, first aid kit, extra food, rain gear (usually, especially if temps could dip into the hypothermia range), and the other essentials. It's not that much altogether, but it's enough to keep me safe if something goes wrong.

I've helped out unprepared dayhikers many times with stuff from my first aid kit, drinks of water, clif bars, and most frequently, directions from my map and compass.

[SuperstitionGuy]

Reading the previous posts on this subject I notice that many of you do not carry the Extractor Snake Bite Kit. I have used mine numerous times while guiding groups to treat bee stings and to suck and clean puncture wounds. Wouldn't consider hitting the trail without one. Will I ever need it for a snake bite? Probably not. But if I ever do I surely know how to use it. As I hike solo now most of the time I consider it very cheap insurance.