We would like to show you what should we take to hiking. We will start with the list of things that are essential for every hiker, and then – with additional recommendations.

It might be difficult to plan your route by yourself, especially if you are new at this. However, it is very important not just to pay attention to time weather conditions, but also to prepare your equipment well.

So, what should we take? Let’s see:

– Map or a compass (if you can’t find the right direction in the forest)

– Mobile phone (to call for help in case of emergency) or GPS device (for example Garmin Forerunner 10) (optional)

Every person who loves hiking should have a small backpack with this equipment in it.

What else can we add? Here is our five-point list:

1. Protection from the sun and insects – There are a lot of different types of creams or sprays, which you can buy at any supermarket, to create a barrier between your skin and insects. They also provide protection against the sun’s ultraviolet radiation.

2. Sun glasses – In addition to protecting your eyes from glare, they will protect them from UV radiation as well. Even if there is not so much light outside you should keep them on – how many people do you know who got cataracts because of too much sunlight exposure when they were kids? Sunglasses cut your risk significantly! But pay attention to the fact that they should be able to provide protection from ultraviolet radiation.

3. Hat – It is important to protect your head and hair, so use a hat! Generally, it will protect your face and neck from direct sunlight.

4. First-aid kit – The contents of the first aid kit in our backpack will depend on what kind of trip we plan: if we take a longer camping trip in wild nature we will surely need more stuff, but for shorter trips maybe we don’t even need any bandages or painkillers.

5. Emergency Shelter – This is another essential thing for longer trips when you definitely want to be safe (also it can be useful in case of sudden bad weather). Of course, you do not need to take a tent with you if you are going hiking for one day. It might be enough to spend the night in your sleeping bag, but if there is no tree nearby (which happens quite often) it will not be very comfortable.

And finally, here is our bonus list:

6. Sweater – Even in summer it can get cold in the forest at night or early morning, so bring something warm! Depending on how much time you expect to spend outside and weather conditions it’s better to wear an additional sweater when sleeping than wearing heavy outdoor boots …

7. Insect repellent – If you follow the first four points listed above, this point should not be necessary for most of us. But nevertheless, we would like to mention it because there are people who get bitten by insects even in the city.