You’ve heard of the 10 Essentials – those 10 really important items you should always have with you when you’re hiking:
- Navigation (Map & Compass)
- Sun protection (Hat, sunglasses, sunblock, and SPF rated chapstick)
- Insulation (extra clothing)
- Illumination (headlamp or flashlight)
- First-aid supplies
- Fire (a firestarter and matches)
- Repair kit and tools (knife)
- Nutrition (extra food)
- Hydration (extra water)
- Emergency shelter
So what first-aid supplies are necessary? What’s a good, loud whistle? And what kind of emergency shelter should day hikers have in their backpacks?
Hiking Lady’s Favorite Emergency Gear:
Fox 40 Sharx Whistle: This is a fantastic whistle for hiking – it can be heard miles away, it is lightweight, waterproof, and very well designed. Check out the Hiking Lady review of the Fox 40 Sharx whistle!
Hiking first aid kit: The Adventure Medical Kit Light & Fast Series is a great starter kit for hikers. It has the essentials for wound care, bleeding, and basic medical instruments. Check out the Hiking Lady review of the Adventure Medical Kit Light & Fast Series
An ultralight emergency shelter: The Brooks Range Alpini Bivy Sack is the most reassuring piece of gear I keep in my daypack. This is an extremely high quality, very lightweight (under 1 pound!), sub zero temperature bivy sack. If I ever have to make an unintended overnight stay due to injury or being lost on a dayhike, this little hi tech bivy sack will be a life saver!
Natural Fiber Cellulose to control bleeding: BloodSTOP helps stop bleeding fast! It works as a non-irritating hemostatic agent, that resembles traditional gauze. What it does is adhere to a wound, without the discomfort of an adhesive bandage. Therefore, less bleeding, and more comfort.
Leatherman Raptor multitool: The Leatherman Raptor is a well made, durable, functional tool that can handle multiple types of emergency situations.
See how your hiking gear can come in handy in this Hiking Lady blog post about using your hiking gear for emergency preparedness.
Thank you, Hiking Lady, for listing down the emergency gears actually I’m new to hiking and getting so much knowledge through your website. Well done lady!