How "prepared" are you when you go on short dayhikes?

[Lone Wolf]

i never go on short day hikes. or long ones

[The Cleaner]

Loving it! It's like... you always know where you are.

I can see how you could really get in over your head with one and be up the creek if it were to malfunction.

Are you LOST when you know where you are,but it isn't the place you wanted to be?

[Sickmont]

Are you LOST when you know where you are,but it isn't the place you wanted to be?

Now THAT one truly made me laugh.

[nitegaunt]

Good question and it's interesting to see all these responses. I usually take only some water and a snack. Most times I don't even take a day pack. But if it looks like it's going to rain or get dark or if I'm going to be gone more than a few hours I'll take what I need. Most of my hikes are out and backs of about 4-8 miles or similar loops. Usually the water and snacks will suffice.

[nitewalker]

usually when i go on a day hike the mileage ranges from 10 to 25 miles for the day so i usually bring most of this stuff...headlamp, wind breaker/rain jacket, emergency poncho,two lighters,dry newspaper, cell phone,map[new terrain],food for the day hike and some extra morsels jsut in case of the scenario mentioned, hat and gloves[depending season], aqua mira, lg trash bag, knife, multitool, radio. i will always add some other misc items that i cant think of off hand but thats the jist of it...

[enurdat1]

Really depends on where I'm going and the weather. The farther from a populated area and worse the weather is expected to be, the more I take.

[nitewalker]

Really depends on where I'm going and the weather. The farther from a populated area and worse the weather is expected to be, the more I take.

that about sums it up!!

[berninbush]

I bought a bunch of Photon-style lights (dealextreme sells a 10 pack for ~$5) and have them on all our keyrings. They come in handy quite often, and are plenty bright enough for a trail.

Yeah, I have a nice little flashlight the size of my little finger that I usually bring "in case of emergency." I just forgot it this time. If you're truly stuck out after dark, even a little light makes a big difference. I felt better when I realized my cell phone would serve as backup lighting.

[sheepdog]

I usually have a fire starter of some kind, and a knife where ever I go. Water and a snack are good to have also. A few Iodine pills take up very little room.

[sheepdog]

i never go on short day hikes. or long ones

yepper, it makes you late for supper

[10-K]

Are you LOST when you know where you are,but it isn't the place you wanted to be?

No, but I can see how you could be overconfident on being able to find your way back based on a marked location then having the batteries die or the unit quit working leaving you with a predicament to get out of.

[Harrison Bergeron]

For me the whole point of short hikes is to train for long ones. I try to carry at least 20 pounds, so I throw in lots of water and a poncho and a emergency kit and bunch of other stuff I know I'll never use, mostly just for the weight.

Fair warning, though, you'll feel like a fool when you're sitting having lunch in the woods five miles from the nearest parking lot, and some jogger runs past carrying nothing but a water bottle on his belt!

[Wise Old Owl]

Enough to amputate my arm if the need arises.

Hope its not Chinese

[kolokolo]

I just bring my SPOT. Then, if I need anything else...I press the button.


Seriously, though, I try to be prepared. Especially if it's a hike that I haven't done before. Food, water, matches, flashlight, tarp, maybe extra clothes.

[Joker4ink]

On day hikes, I always carry:
-Mini Bic lighter
-First aid kit (bandaids, alcohol wipe, rubber gloves, Katadyn tabs)
-Small leatherman
-Camera
-Cell phone
-Compass
-Headlamp (exploring or just in case I make it back late)
-Food (snacks) & Water
-Bandanna (Useful for many things!)

I always leave a note on my dashboard with the date and which trail & direction I am heading.

[mweinstone]

i carry a full pack everywhere i go. allways. i allways carry the same amount of food and fuel. the max. i have never been in the woods without my pack. ever. more times than not, i arive in towns with 2 and 3 days worth of food and fuel left. i like carrying weight. and all my stuff even in the winter, even headed into the smokeys, weighes 38 lbs. comming into town in the summer , empty, my pack weighs 12.

[Erin]

We have this area south of here called Hercules Glades where good hikers get lost. I just had two friends get lost there last year. Overnight in the fall. Leaf cover on the trail. They did fine, had a lighter so they had a fire, and they are good outdoors people. They ran into Boy Scouts the next morning and were just literally feet off the trail. We call this area the Bermuda Triangle. So now I take a headlamp, fleece, and a lighter just in case. but then I always carry a headlamp since we have alot of copperheads here on the trial in the fall, it is a safety deal walking after dusk even on the trails in the nature park.

[Ironbelly]

If you havn't read between a rock and a hard place I advise you do. Being at least somewhat prepared and letting someone know where you are are the most important things.

What I carry doesn't weigh a whole lot, but is more than enough to get me by if I happen to suffer some kind of accident. I am not worried about getting lost, it's more of an injury type of situation from a fall etc.

Even if you only carry water, at least tell someone where you are going and a rough estimate of when you will be back.

I typically always carry at least the following
1L water-more in summer
a few snacks and a lunch
compass
cell phone
lighter and small baggie of tinder
knife
headlamp
firstaid kit(has things like duct tape and paracord in it too)
extra layer of clothes depending on the season. Usually just something as simple as my nano puff
rain/wind shell

[10-K]

So I made my "adventure pack" yesterday and took it with me hiking from Spivey's Gap back to Erwin...

In a quart ziplock:

1. small compass
2. Gerber shorty (knife)
3. mini-bic
4. 2 esbit tabs
5. 20' of twine
6. 2 Clif bars
7. space blanket (potential ground cloth)
8. headlamp

Also took a 4 x 6 silnylon tarp.

I guess the whole thing weighs less than 2 lbs. Now when I head out I'll just grab the baggie and tarp and be on my way.

[berninbush]

I always leave a note on my dashboard with the date and which trail & direction I am heading.

I totally agree it's prudent to have a way for people to find you, should you be lost/injured on the trail, but I'm wondering about this strategy. Of course it's helpful to park rangers if you don't turn back up, but could it also be a hazard if someone with evil intent sees it while you're gone? If they're intent on stealing your car, it gives them some indication of whether you're likely to come back and interrupt them. If they're intent on doing you harm, it tells them which way to go to find you.

My personal preferred strategy is to leave this information with a trusted friend who isn't hiking with me. I give details of where I plan to hike, and a deadline by which I expect to be out of the woods-- I allow a few extra hours so as not to incite panic if I'm running a little late. Then I call and check in with the friend once I'm done. If I don't call, they are instructed to notify local authorities that I may be in trouble. Thankfully no one has ever had to do that.

I like the fact that my friend is really watching out for me, and if I don't turn up the authorities will be notified pretty quickly... if you're depending on a note on a dashboard, you have to wait for someone to notice that your car has been sitting there too long.