Day Hike Packing List: What Goes in Your Pack, Ready to Print and Check Off

It’s 6:30 a.m., the coffee’s brewing, and your daypack sits open on a kitchen chair. That’s often where the day is decided: in goes a third sweater “just in case,” while the headlamp you’d have wanted on the way back, when the hike runs long, stays in the drawer. The fix is a list, the same one every time, that you run through the night before and check off.

This list follows a simple idea, the Ten Essentials, a system developed by The Mountaineers club and promoted by the National Park Service: what you carry should first help you handle a minor injury, a sudden change in the weather, or an unexpected emergency [1]. In Europe, the French Hiking Federation (FFRandonnée), France’s sports ministry, and the Swiss Council for Accident Prevention (BFU) each publish their own list, and the three overlap to a large extent [2, 3, 4]. It expands on the “Gear and pack” step of our guide to planning a hike.

The pack itself: 18 to 32 liters for a day hike

For a day hike, the BFU recommends a pack of 18 to 32 liters that’s adjustable and fits your body, with good ventilation, outside pockets, and a way to attach trekking poles [4]. There’s no point going bigger: the bigger the pack, the more you tend to fill it, the French Hiking Federation warns [2]. For a night or more out, see how many liters you need.

As for weight, the federation recommends no more than 20% of your body weight on a multiday trip, or about 24 lb (11 kg) for someone who weighs 120 lb (55 kg), and calls that too much for a simple day hike [2]. With the list below, water included, you’ll usually come in well under that.

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The packing list, section by section

On your feet

• Sturdy hiking boots with a deep-lugged sole, already broken in: most mountain hiking accidents come from missteps and slips, the BFU points out, and it advises wearing new boots before you take them on a hike [4]. For dirt and gravel trails, the Park Service recommends sturdy, rubber-soled boots with ankle support [5].
• Good hiking socks, which reduce the risk of blisters [4]: wool or synthetic socks that wick moisture, plus a spare pair, the Park Service suggests [5].

Water and food

• Water: at least 51 fl oz (1.5 liters) per person for a summer hike in the mountains [6]. During a heat wave, France’s sports ministry advises drinking more and starting earlier [3], and the Park Service asks you to think about how much water you’ll need for the day [5]. On a long hike, find water sources on your map and treat the water before you drink it.
• Snacks to eat on the go, such as trail mix, nuts, and granola bars [5].
• Lunch, and a little more than you need: the National Park Service even recommends packing an extra day’s worth of food, in case your plans change [1].

For the unexpected

• A headlamp and extra batteries: it keeps your hands free, which is why the Park Service recommends it over a flashlight [1].
• A first aid kit, with any personal medications you take [3, 1].
• A space blanket: it weighs next to nothing and is indispensable if something goes wrong, as the French Hiking Federation puts it [7].
• A whistle and a knife [3]: a whistle helps people find you, and it saves your energy, since you won’t have to yell [8].
• A tick remover or fine-tipped tweezers, to remove a tick promptly instead of waiting until you get home [9].

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For rain, cold, and sun

• A rain jacket, even on a bluebird day: in the mountains, the weather can turn fast, and it can get cold even in summer [4].
• A warm layer, a sweater or fleece, light or heavy depending on the season and temperature [2], built on the three-layer system.
• Sunglasses, sunscreen, and a cap or sun hat: the sun gets more intense the higher you climb [4].
• A warm hat and gloves once the hike climbs or the season turns cool [3].

Navigation and staying in touch

• A detailed topographic map and a compass: the French Hiking Federation recommends 1:25,000 [2]; the USGS’s free US Topo maps are mostly 1:24,000 [10].
• A charged phone, with your map downloaded for offline use before you reach the trailhead [4], and the emergency numbers: 911 in the US [8], 112 anywhere in the EU [11]. Don’t count on it alone: there may be no signal [3, 5], and calling for help without cell service takes some planning.
• A backup battery for your phone [1, 7]: searching for a signal drains it fast, so switch to airplane mode until you need it [5].

The little things that save the day

• Toilet paper, and a bag to pack it out with your trash [2, 12].
• A pair of spare laces [2].
• Your ID and some cash in a zip-top bag [2].
• A pack cover, or a big trash bag inside as a liner: no backpack is completely waterproof [2].

How to pack: heavy stuff against your back

A well-packed backpack carries better. The principle, says the French Hiking Federation: the load rests mostly on your hips and a little on your shoulders, with the center of gravity as close to your body as possible [2]. The BFU turns that into simple rules: heavy items (water, food, a bulky jacket) close to your body and at shoulder height, light ones in the bottom compartment, small items in the lid, and as little as possible on the outside [4].

What you use often stays within reach: water bottle, snacks, sun hat and sunscreen, map, and your protective layers at the top of the pack [2]. Water is heavy, the BFU notes, but your load lightens as the day goes on; anything you don’t need, you carry all day [4].

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What changes with the season and the hike

The core list stays the same from one season to the next; it’s the add-ons that change.

In winter, the French Hiking Federation insists on gloves and a warm hat or headband, with thin silk gloves under your main pair for when you have to dig through your pack, and on covering your neck; it also recommends a thermos of something hot and a change of clothes to stay dry [13]. Our guide to winter hiking covers the rest. In fall and winter, also check the rules for hiking during hunting season.

What to leave at home

I suspect every hiker of hiding an ounce counter somewhere inside, and I’m no exception. For a day hike, though, there’s no need to saw the handle off your toothbrush: the real savings are elsewhere, in that third sweater “just in case,” the big camera with three lenses, or the family-size jar of peanut butter. The BFU doesn’t mince words: you carry anything superfluous all day, and the farther you go, the more you feel it [4]. The unexpected is another story: a space blanket weighs next to nothing [7].

The printable checklist

Check it off the night before, run through it again in the morning, and adjust it to the length of your hike and the season. It’s built on the lists of the National Park Service, the French Hiking Federation, France’s sports ministry, and the Swiss Council for Accident Prevention [1, 5, 2, 3, 4].

• Hiking boots, already broken in, and hiking socks
• Water: at least 51 fl oz (1.5 liters) per person
• Snacks and lunch, plus extra food
• Rain jacket
• Warm layer, fleece or wool
• Sunglasses, sunscreen, cap or sun hat
• Warm hat and gloves, depending on the season
• Topographic map and compass
• Charged phone, offline map, emergency numbers
• Backup battery
• Headlamp and extra batteries
• First aid kit and personal medications
• Space blanket
• Whistle and knife
• Tick remover or fine-tipped tweezers
• Toilet paper and trash bag
• Spare laces
• ID and cash in a zip-top bag
• Pack cover or trash bag liner

Worth watching

For REI, Miranda talks through what goes in her daypack so she’s ready for the trail ahead: a quick, visual run-through of the kind of gear on this checklist, in under three minutes.

The video is hosted by YouTube (Google): nothing loads until you play it, and Google may then set cookies.

Guillaume Hoarau

Camping, backpacking, bushcraft and hiking

Guillaume Hoarau writes for Outfarer about camping, backpacking, bushcraft, and hiking. A survival-skills buff and a collector of vintage field manuals, he loves clear explanations, lists that actually help and other people’s stories, which he tells well.

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