Day walk kit list: what goes in your rucksack, ready to print and tick off

Half past six, the kettle’s on, and the rucksack sits open on a kitchen chair. That is often where the day is won or lost: in goes a third jumper ‘just in case’, while the head torch that would have come in handy that evening, when the walk back drags on, stays in the drawer. The fix is a list, always the same one, gone through the night before and ticked off.

This list follows a simple idea, the ‘Ten Essentials’, a system devised by the American club The Mountaineers and promoted by the US National Park Service: what you carry should first help you deal with a minor injury, a sudden change in the weather or an unexpected emergency [1]. In the UK, the AdventureSmart UK safety campaign and Mountaineering Scotland publish kit lists of their own [2, 3], as do the French Hiking Federation (FFRandonnée), France’s sports ministry and the Swiss Council for Accident Prevention (BFU) [4, 5, 6], and they largely overlap. It expands on the ‘Kit and rucksack’ step of our guide to planning a hike.

The rucksack itself: 18 to 32 litres for a day

For a day walk, the BFU recommends a rucksack of 18 to 32 litres, adjustable and suited to your build, well ventilated, with outside pockets and somewhere to attach walking poles [6]. There’s no need to go bigger: the bigger the rucksack, the more you tend to fill it, warns the French Hiking Federation [4]. Mountaineering Scotland’s summer kit list for the Scottish hills suggests about 35 litres, and adds waterproof over-trousers, a spare layer and an emergency survival bag [3]. For a night or more, see how many litres you need.

On weight, the French Hiking Federation recommends no more than 20% of your body weight for a walk of several days, which is 11 kg for someone weighing 55 kg, and considers that too much for a simple day’s walk [4]. With the list below, water included, you will usually stay well under it.

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The kit list, section by section

On your feet

• Sturdy walking boots with a well-treaded sole, already broken in: most mountain walking accidents are caused by trips and slips, the BFU points out, and it advises wearing new boots before you take them on a walk [6].
• Good walking socks, which reduce the risk of blisters [6]; AdventureSmart suggests breathable ones rather than cotton, and a spare pair [2].

Water and food

• Water: at least 1.5 litres per person for a summer walk in the mountains [7]. In a heatwave, France’s sports ministry advises drinking more and setting off earlier [5]. On a long walk, find the streams on the map and treat the water before you drink it.
• Snacks to nibble as you walk: cereal bars or flapjack, dried fruit [4]; AdventureSmart wants them high in energy, for a boost when you tire [2].
• Lunch, and a little more than you need: the US National Park Service even advises carrying an extra day’s food, in case your plans change [1].

For the unexpected

• A head torch and spare batteries: it leaves your hands free, which is why it wins over a hand torch [1].
• A first aid kit, with any medication you need, and spares [5, 1, 2].
• A survival blanket: a few extra grams, and indispensable if things go wrong, as the French Hiking Federation puts it [8]. UK kit lists also include a survival bag, or bivvy bag [2, 3].
• A whistle and a knife [5].
• A tick remover, or fine-tipped tweezers, to take a tick off as quickly as possible, without waiting until you get home [9].

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Against rain, cold and sun

• A waterproof jacket, even in glorious weather: in the mountains, the weather can change quickly, and it can be cold even in summer [6]. AdventureSmart says never leave home without it [2].
• A warm layer, a jumper or a fleece, thin or thick depending on the season and the temperature [4], on the three-layer principle.
• Sunglasses, sun cream and a cap or sun hat: solar radiation increases with altitude [6].
• A hat and gloves as soon as the walk climbs or the season turns colder [5].

Finding your way and staying reachable

• A 1:25,000 map, the scale of OS Explorer maps, and a compass [4], even if you use GPS [2].
• A charged phone, with the map of your walk downloaded for offline use [6], and the emergency numbers: in the UK, dial 999 or 112 and ask for the police, then Mountain Rescue [10]. Don’t rely on it alone: phone signal is unreliable in many places [11], and calling for help without signal takes some preparation.
• A power bank for the phone, in a ziplock bag to keep it dry [1, 8, 2].

The little things that save the day

• Toilet paper and a bag to take your rubbish home [4, 11].
• A pair of spare laces [4, 2].
• Your ID and some cash, in a ziplock pouch [4].
• A waterproof rucksack cover, or a large bin bag inside as a liner: a rucksack is never completely waterproof [4].

Packing your rucksack: heavy things against your back

A well-packed rucksack is easier to carry. The principle, as the French Hiking Federation explains it: the load rests mainly on your hips and a little on your shoulders, and the centre of gravity stays as close to your body as possible [4]. The BFU turns this into simple rules: heavy things (water, food, a thick jacket) close to your body and at shoulder height, light things in the bottom compartment, small items in the lid, and as little as possible strapped to the outside [6].

What you use often stays within reach: water bottle, snacks, sun hat and sun cream, the map, and your protective layers at the top of the rucksack [4]. Drinks are heavy, the BFU notes, but they lighten the load as the hours go by; anything superfluous is carried all day [6].

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What changes with the season and the walk

The basic list stays the same from one season to the next; it’s the additions that change.

In winter, the French Hiking Federation insists on gloves and a hat or headband, with a thin pair of silk gloves under the main ones for when you need to rummage in your rucksack, and on protecting your neck; it also advises a flask of hot drink and a change of clothes to stay dry [12]. Our guide to winter walking covers the rest. In autumn and winter, also check the rules for walking in the hunting season.

What stays at home

I suspect every walker of being a closet gram-counter, myself included. For a day out, though, there’s no need to saw the handle off your toothbrush: the real savings lie elsewhere, in the third jumper ‘just in case’, the big camera and its three lenses, or the pork pie that would feed six. The BFU puts it plainly: anything superfluous is carried all day, and you feel it more the further you go [6]. The unexpected is another matter: a survival blanket weighs a few grams [8].

The printable kit list

Tick it off the night before, run through it again in the morning, and adapt it to the length and season of your walk. It brings together the lists of AdventureSmart UK, Mountaineering Scotland, the French Hiking Federation, France’s sports ministry, the BFU and the US National Park Service [2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 1].

• Walking boots, already broken in, and walking socks
• Water: at least 1.5 litres per person
• Snacks and lunch, plus one extra snack
• Waterproof jacket
• Warm layer, fleece or wool
• Sunglasses, sun cream, cap or sun hat
• Hat and gloves, depending on the season
• 1:25,000 map and compass
• Charged phone, map downloaded, emergency numbers
• Power bank
• Head torch and spare batteries
• First aid kit and personal medication
• Survival blanket or survival bag
• Whistle and knife
• Tick remover
• Toilet paper and rubbish bag
• Spare laces
• ID and cash in a ziplock pouch
• Rucksack cover or bin bag liner

Guillaume Hoarau

Camping, wild camping, bushcraft and hiking

Guillaume Hoarau writes for Outfarer about camping, wild camping, bushcraft and hiking. A survival-skills enthusiast and a collector of old field manuals, he likes clear explanations, lists that earn their place and other people’s stories, which he tells well.

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