Daily hike gear?

kamagong

kamagong

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I'm going on a hike with my girlfriend in a couple of weeks. We're not really the outdoors type, but we are in relatively good shape and want to actually get out and see the beauty that is the Bay Area. We'll be going on a day trip to Mount Diablo in the Bay Area.

What gear should I bring? Right now I'm thinking of bringing a couple of knives, water, sweaters/windbreakers, lighter, flashlight, cellphone, sandwiches, and some candy and beef jerky. Should I bring anything else?
 
I never enjoyed sandwiches on the trail (make me sluggish), but bananas give me an almost instant energy boost. Easy to digest, I supppose. I also like Kiwis for the same reason. Fruit also replenishes electrolytes.

Beef jerky is usually salty and will make you thirsty.

I would also:

1. Bring a first-aid kit
2. Make sure that my boots have good, well-articulated soles (riding on one's behind is not as funny as it may seem to passerbys)
3. Bring more water than I think is necessary
4. Bring sunglasses and sunscreen and headcover
5. Learn to recognize poison oak :)
 
Sluggish huh? I guess I need to reconsider our lunch choice. Maybe instead of sandwiches I should bring some fruit and California Rolls. The sunscreen idea is a good one, and I was already going to bring headgear and sunglasses.

I'm about to go google poison oak so I know what it looks like. I already know to avoid poison ivy. How does the saying go? Leaflets three, leave it be?
 
Yep, and you will find way more poison oak in that area than poison ivy. Here are a couple of pictures of poison oak in two stages of its development (young and mature) I took on various hikes in SFBA:

Young
Mature
 
Yes, everyone forgets a roll of toilet paper, and wipes. especially, if you're going with a woman

Alan
 
H20!H20!H20!, I also hiked Mt. Diablo, by myself, on a reptile/amphibian in natural setting hike. Once I got half way through I was out of water sweating like a hog. By the time I got back to my car I passed out in it for two hours. Also hiked with a fishing buddy at a Sonoma lake where the campsites were a "mile" from the water. Since we thought it only a mile we only took a couple waters and mostly beer plus poles/bait/etc. After what felt like a 3 mile hike up hill and another 3 down we finally reached water. Drank, swam, caught one fish and decided to take an alternative trail back. The waters lasted about 20 minutes, the hike 3 hours. My buddy had way more water than I did. All that was left was warm beer we couldnt touch. (I almost never say that) The trail seemed to last for days. When we finally reached road my buddy was so exhausted I had to walk the rest of the way back to the suv and come back and pick him up. The next week (it took that long to recover) I bought a water purifier (catydyne, or something like that). The best thing for hikes, one multi-tool will do it, water purifier, know how long the trails are really, keep the carrying weight down. Oh yeah, beer will take everything out of you unless your just sitting around a campfire.
 
hwyhobo said:
Yep, and you will find way more poison oak in that area than poison ivy. Here are a couple of pictures of poison oak in two stages of its development (young and mature) I took on various hikes in SFBA:

Young
Mature
Click to expand...



Thanks for the great photos.:thumbup:
 
Knife wise i always bring:
1: Buck 110
2: Timberline Zambezi 6" (or any fixed blade between 3" and 7" depending on what type of hicking your doing)
 
I would suggest one of those heavy duty space blankets (not the thin mylar ones) to keep off reain or keep warm if you get stuck outdoors.
 
Comprimise , comprimise . A good bananna sandwhich with a good amount of nonhydrogenated margarine will have you doing backflips . Of course I would add a little peanut butter and a slice of bacon but thats just me .
 
Take some salami and flat bread and cook up a kebab on the trail. Stopping to cook, gives you a longer break rather than just stopping for an out of the bag chow down. Also get the chance to put a brew on and have a cuppa'

It's also an excuse to use your knife and start a fire, real man stuff :-)
 
Water, First-Aid kit, cell phone, GPS, water -- the rest of your gear should be okay assuming the flashlights are LED, the knives are small (no reason to carry a wilderness blade) and the sweater/windbreaker are not cotton. If you run into trouble the cellphone and your GPS location is your best out.

Dump the candy and beef jerky, and take something nutritious.
 
NIB pretty much nailed it with that link. I would also add a Tarp and some paracord in case you need to pitch a waterproof shelter.

The suggestion of a Swiss Army Knife is good too. I would suggest a Victorinox Huntsman - Large & Small blades, Saw, Scissors, Screwdrivers, Can & Bottle opener, Awl, Tweezers, and a Toothpick.
 
Whistle. Three blasts - repeated. Any ex-military, law-enforcement, search-and-rescue, boating safety-trained, hunter safety-trained, Boy Scout, Girl Scout, outdoor knut -- will know that's a distress signal -- within a good mile of your location. Yells may be dismissed as kids playing (or pea fowl calling).
 
kamagong, to follow up on the Poison Oak pictures, I took a picture of their natural environment today to illustrate what it might look like when you walk the trail.

Trail with poison oak on both sides

Mind you, this is typical of our area. On the East Coast they are usually much lower, hugging the ground.
 
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