What you need to Be prepared for a Hike

Good afternoon Ladies and Gentlemen,

How many times do you think I should take for my trip? These shoes or the others? Rain gears or not? So What you need to be preapared for a Hike.

The answer is always travel light and if you are not going to visit some remote countries you have the chance to buy something that you really need there too. To be prepared for a hike is the base to a great day in nature, bad preparation might end up in problems. First check, how many days i’ll spend away? Most of the hikers are staying outside for just 1 day so if you don’t have to lead any group, a 25lt backpack is more than enough. For more than a day there are many scenarios, let’s say a weekend hiking and staying in b&b or hotel, then 35/50 liters is enough. My last trip in Devizes(UK), i spent 3 days walking under the rain for a total of 60km i have used a 25 lt backpack, all super squeezed and most of the space was occupied by raining gears.

Here’s something to understand what you need to be prepared for a hike:

1)Study the trails to understand distance, climbing positive and negative, type of terrains you’ll walk on. 2)Control the weather forecast the day before and before leaving, raining gears are fundamental to have a more enjoyable hike in bad weather. I recommend you to always buy a pair of hiking shoes in goretex, you have it and they last up to 5 years(depends how much you walk). Gore-Tex is less breathable than normal shoes so i would use it only if i go away for days expecting weather changes, otherwise a good trail running shoe or hiking shoes(no gore-tex) are perfect for most of your hikes. Buy a good gore-tex jacket and cover for your trousers to use when it’s necessary. So Imagine you want to visit the Cinque Terre or the Chianti Classico by foot in a day. Similar terrains, sandy chalky soils but Cinque terre has more steps and more climbing in shorter length, so cushy shoes are better. Cinque Terre is more likely to have more unexpected storms then Chianti Classico even if today the weather alerts are working very well so they can predict surely when a storm is dangerous, so bring with you always your rain gears.

So, to be prepared for a hike: 1 day, chalky sandy terrains and steps. I would start packing my rain gear (hardshell jacket and cover for treasures) at the bottom of the backpack(25 lt or slightly less 20lt) than 1 lt of water in a soft flask(i love them way more practical and lighter than hard flasks), comfy closed trail running shoes (less protective than hiking shoes but lighter and more cushy), hat for the sun, sunscreen lotion, a pen, a pack of tissues, 1 t shirt extra just in case, phone charger, a first Aid kit, a map of the area and if you are by yourself always tell someone what’s your hike from where to where and expected times. In Italy there’s an app called GEORESQ https://wp.georesq.it/ that you can turn on and in case the Helicopter knows exactly where you are and save your life. Enjoy nature in a safe way it is always very important and don’t overestimate your potentials, better less but safe.