Packing List for Adirondack Day Hike:
This is what we bring for a typical 10 mile Adirondack day hike:
What to wear:
What to pack:
What we personally like to eat (per person):
Extras to consider:
What to wear:
- Proper hiking boots (with orthotics if needed for your knees)
- Smartwool socks (these mid-weight ones are my favourite)
- Lightweight long pants (protects from cuts)
- Breathable t-shirt (NOT cotton!)
- Long-sleeved, breathable shirt (often used on a windy summit!)
- Sunhat
What to pack:
- Proper lightweight hiking backpack that distributes weight to your hips (We love the Osprey packs for men and women and have never, ever regretted this purchase!)
- At least 3L of water per person (we use these Osprey water bladders)
- Water filter (we love this Survivor filter)
- Hiking gloves (really protect your hands - just look for lightweight cycling gloves)
- Hiking poles (any collapsable poles like these will do - we do like the cork handles. Hiking poles save your knees!)
- Sunglasses
- Sunscreen (I decant a bit into a very small container)
- Toque (sometimes a warm hat can save your life in cool, windy summit conditions)
- First aid kit (moleskin, big bandaids, polysporin, Aspirin/Tylenol/Advil in a small ziploc, regular bandaids, alcohol swab, scissors, tweezers or a tick key)
- Extra hiking socks (if you think you might have wet conditions)
- Flashlight (ALWAYS - you never know how long a hike will take...)
- Hiking map and compass (in Ziplock to waterproof it)
- Your phone and the ADK Mountain Rescue Phone Number (518-891-0235)
- Extra battery phone charger AND the cord you need to connect it to your phone (if you are taking lots of pics/videos, and running AllTrails, you will need to recharge your phone battery). We use this one and it recharges our iPhone 11 Pro several times over.
- Whistle
- Emergency bivy
- Toilet paper
- Spork
- Lightweight cup and electrolyte mix (to recharge/recover). Do not put electrolyte crystals into your water bladder.
- Raincoat
What we personally like to eat (per person):
- GORP trail mix (small bag)
- PB & jam (decanted into small containers) with crackers
- An avocado and crackers (with salt and spices in this container)
- KitKat for the summit!
- Energize powder & recover powder
- Two tangerines
- One apple
- Two granola bars
- Two hard boiled eggs
Extras to consider:
- Passport to enter US
- Load the AllTrails app onto your phone, and pre-download the map you will need (we can track our hikes on airplane mode by doing this!)
- Make sure your phone is 100% charged
- Pre-research your route well and have a backup hiking plan if you can't get parking at the trailhead
- Email a note to your family where you will be hiking and give them the ADK Mountain Rescue Phone Number (518-891-0235)
Packing List for Adirondack Camping Trip:
If you are camping (for two nights, three days) pack the following in addition to the list above:
- Lightweight tent (or bivy or hammock) with all poles/tentpegs/footprints needed
- Sleeping bag (waterproofed)
- Sleeping pad
- Bear canister (and the quarter you will need to open/close it!)
- Different , warm clothes to sleep in (I use a Smartwool merino wool top, a fleece vest and a toque for a 15C night, but I'm always cold). Include different socks as well. Never sleep in the clothes you hiked in that day!
- Small cloth for a "tent shower" after your main hike
- Enough TP
- Flashlight
- Small lightweight trekker pillowcase (something like this) to stuff with clothes as your pillow
- Toothbrush and small toothpaste
- Big garbage bag to waterproof your big pack overnight
- Earplugs & eye cover
- Any personal hygiene items
- Lightweight camping stove and fuel (we survive on 100g fuel for a two night camping trip)
- Lightweight camping pot
- Dehydrated dinner (we enjoy this one)
- Instant coffee, instant whole milk powder and sugar (if you are like me and still want coffee in the morning!)
- Any extra food you might need (our favourite breakfast is instant oatmeal with a bit of granola and a banana)