Packing
What to Pack for a Full-Day Hike
A field list for national-park days, not a 40-pound backup kit for a two-mile boardwalk.
The always list
Water in bottles you have used before (bladders leak in luggage). Food you will eat when you do not feel like eating: salty, sweet, a little protein. A rain or wind layer even in ‘clear’ forecasts. Sun hat and sunscreen. A charged phone with an offline map, plus a paper backup for longer days. A headlamp if there is any chance of a slow descent. A small first-aid kit you have opened at home once so you know what is in it. Toilet kit: bag, trowel where required, hand sanitizer. Park regulations on human waste are not identical; read them.
Shoes you have walked downhill in. New boots on Half Dome is a tradition with a medical clinic at the end.
Desert extras
More water than your mountain instinct suggests. Electrolytes. Light-colored sun clothing. Extra snacks because heat suppresses appetite until it does not. Know the water status of rest houses (Grand Canyon) instead of assuming spigots work.
Mountain extras
Insulating layer, not only a shell. Gloves in shoulder season. Microspikes if the trail report mentions ice. For Rainier and the Front Range, assume a thunderstorm plan: be below exposed ridges by early afternoon in summer.
What to leave
Speakers. Drones where prohibited (most national parks). A full camp kitchen for a day hike. Cotton as your only layer in the Olympics. Valuables visible in the car at the trailhead.
After the hike
Eat and drink in town before the long drive. Wet layers out of the pack so tomorrow’s start is not a mold bag. If anyone in the group had a concerning heat or altitude symptom, do not ‘walk it off’ with a second hike.
Practical tips
- Weigh the pack at home. Curiosity ounces add up.
- Put the rain layer on the top of the pack, not the bottom.
- Tell someone when you plan to be back.
FAQ
How much water?
There is no universal liter count. Desert corridor trails and long Sierra days often need more than 3 liters of capacity plus a treatment method. Short forest walks need less. Heat, altitude, and your sweat rate matter more than the internet’s round number.