Stuff to bring on your camping or hiking trip

I pity the fool who doesn’t bring the proper camping and hiking gear to the outdoors.

What do you want? Backaches, blisters, and other blunders?

Read below for the best things to bring when you’re going camping and hiking…. or else!

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1. Hiking Watch

Bring a good hiking watch, son! And no, it’s not just for telling time.

Don’t you know that many modern hiking watches provide extra features?

• current altitude
• sunrise and sunset times
• air pressure. 
• G
• P
• S
• baby!

Do you even know what a GPS does, noob?

GPS helps navigate your way to campsites and it also prevents you from getting lost. In fact…it stands for Global Positioning System. This means it’s gonna find yo butt on the globe and help you track where said butt is going!

BOOM!

And if that isn’t enough for you to be safe out there in the wilderness, features you might find in the best hiking watch include:

• Robust cases
• Heart-rate Monitor
• Visible display (even under direct sunlight)
• Smartphone synchronization
• User customization

But don’t forget these two key factors to buying a hiking watch

You’re going to need one with long battery life. All those awesome features don’t work if the battery is dead. #duh

And last, don’t blow your whole stack o’ cash on a camping or hiking watch. You’ve got other stuff to buy, you know.

2. Sun Protection

Camping and hiking trips are outside, no? You best carry something to block your skin from those vicious rays coming at you from the sun.

Bring and apply a good amount of sunblock and sunscreen for the travel. And yes I mean to do both!

What’s the difference, you ask?

Well I’ll tell you, fool.

Sunblock acts as a barrier to shield your skin from ultraviolet (UV) rays.

Sunscreen acts as a secondary defense mechanism to prevent UV rays from penetrating the skin. 

#themoreyouknow

You know what though? You really should get yourself some outdoor clothing with a high Ultraviolet Protection Factor (UPF). (Yes, it’s a real thing. Look it up, Bob.)

Sure, that plain cotton T-shirt Linda got you for your anniversary 5 years ago might still fit, but hiking clothing with UPF helps prevent skin damage from the sun.

3. Food

Man, are you going to be starving if you’re outside hiking all day. And chances are you’re not going to be satisfied with waiting until you get back to your campsite. Don’t let yourself get hungry, yo!

It’s crucial not only to your rumbly-in-your-tumbly belly, but to your literal life to pack food. Some good trail snacks are

• trail mix (duhhhhh)
• fresh fruits (I love apples on a hike)
• whole grains (if you’re into that sort of thing)
• energy bars (yummo, condensed carbs)
• tuna fish pouches (shoutout to the guy who invented that!)

Certain brands sell foods that are fit for camping and hiking if you’re planning a low-cost adventure, 

And because I feel like if I don’t say it someone won’t do it…

Ration your portions accurately for the entire trip, for heaven’s sake. Don’t eat all the food or drink all the beverages in one go. Otherwise, you’re gonna have a bad time.

4. Backpacking Multi-Tool

A lot of prep and set up goes into every camping and hiking experience. You never know what kind of hell you’re going to come up against.

Be prepared.

The easiest way to be prepared is to get a multi-tool. You know, like a Swiss Army knife or something. These are great for setting up tents, helping in an emergency, or getting things ready for outdoor games around the campfire at night.

Here’s one that I really like. Bonus points ’cause it looks cool.

Conclusion

Get the best camping and hiking gear to help eliminate risk of unfortunate incidents. Nature ain’t nothin’ to mess with.

For more information on hiking, check out this blog post and video I made to help you get the most out of your next backpacking trip.