Hiking Gear List
3 LB Ultralight Day Hiking Essentials

Day hiking is supposed to be fun. And part of the fun is a light backpack for easy walking. Unfortunately, most day hiking gear lists are way too heavy. But on the other hand, you DO want all the right gear to be safe!

So what to do? At only 3 pounds, this ultralight day hiking gear list will help you select the right hiking essentials to keep your daypack light, a spring in your step, but still keep you safe and happy. Better yet, it has a lot of inexpensive gear so you won’t go broke in the process!

The Problem with Most Day Hiking Gear Lists

This day hiking checklist is more comprehensive & useful than other hiking checklists. Here is why:

  1. Most lists don’t have weights for their gear. This inevitably leads to a heavy pack.
  2. They don’t give specific options for light gear or budget gear. E.g. REI Flash 18 Pack or the value $40 Carbon Fiber Trekking Poles — 1/3 price but equal to the best poles!
  3. They are too focused on the 10 essentials and fail to recommend important items like packs, trekking poles; light, non-blistering hiking shoes; best strategies for Lyme & Zika protection, etc.
  4. Food and Water: They do not give good recommendations for carrying a sensible amount of food and water. Water carried should be based on water availability & hiker preferences. See more in Hydration in 13 Essentials. Food carried should be based on the length of hike & hiker preferences. See more in Nutrition in 13 Essentials.


See the full article from Adventure Alan's website here.

Medya Mansyone

Clothing and gear can be treated with a 0.5% permethrin spray, sold under names including Sawyer, Insect Shield and Ranger Ready.

Bay Area News Group
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Medya Mansyone

Sawyer’s picaridin lotion offers the longest protection windows on test — up to 14 hours against mosquitoes and ticks — and its creamy, low-odor formula goes on smooth and dries quickly.

Rachel Cavanaugh
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Medya Mansyone

The Sawyer Squeeze and Cnoc Vecto made hydration easy.

Josh King
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