If you’re an explorer you must know that there are terrains you traverse which are not easy to do you feel the need for rest, good food and of course water. These are all basic bodily needs which you have to provide yourself in order to be alive. But there are other requirements too. When you’re so high up in terms of altitude that you feel like you can’t breathe properly, or the terrain is so windy that you wish you had glares on, the list of things I’m about to mention is going to be of utmost help to you.
The list of materials I’m about to mention not only help you finish the trek you’re about to take in peace but also will make you worry-free in the face of less-than-perfect situations when you don’t’ know when or where you’ll be getting the resources you need the most at that moment.
- Water bottle
This is, of course, THE must have while making any kind of long journey to any part of the world. When you make long tours on foot, especially, when you’re traveling uphill you feel like you have to drink something constantly in hot weather. On the other hand, when you’re traveling someplace cold and exhorting yourself during the hike you don’t even understand that you’re sweating in the cold temperature and you lose necessary body moisture. So, it is a good plan to keep yourself hydrated throughout the trek or the journey for the overall health benefits.
- Food stock for sustainable energy
It is easy to lose your stamina while you’re out on the ‘wild west’ traversing through terrains you have only dreamt of going on your own, not only watching it in some TV show. That is why you keep necessary energy-enriched food with yourself at all times. Energy bars, chocolate bars, stock of dry fruits, pack of trail mix or any such food product which may seem energy-providing supplement to you but doesn’t have a chance of major spill-over incident all over your clothes and your other essentials.
- Choosing your bag
Choosing your bag is an essential part of going on a trek or a hiking trip. If your bag is too large for you then you will be thrown off balance while trying to manage your way through difficult roads. On the other hand, if you’re carrying too small a bag then all your essentials will not come inside the bag which will make you compromise on packing stuff and necessary items may get cut out. Remember to carry a bag which spreads out the weight on your back so that you don’t get sore too easy. A good daypack or backpack is something you should be looking for when you’re trying to balance out the necessity of all gears fitting into one bag, the look of the bag when you carry it as well as the cloth material which better be waterproof if you’re going to a hilly area with possibility of sudden rain or snowfall.
- Choosing your footwear is essential
If you’re going on a trek or hike and plan to camp at the destination you’re planning to reach you should have at least two kinds of shoes with you at all times. One non-skid, deep-treaded, high-ankle boots or trekking shoes and a pair of lights sandals or slippers. The first will be very helpful in traversing the uneven roads and the dirt roads and the smooth as silk boulders which will make your hand sweat if you are not accustomed to taking on challenges like this.
The slippers, on the other hand, are the option for you to chill at the top of the mountain or at the beach whichever you have hiked to in the first place. When you and your mates have started a bonfire and all are sitting in circles and you want to sit cross-legged you will be missing the slippers (trust me I have been there). If you have both the options with you, you can be considered all set.
- Clothing
When you’re packing for your clothing requirements for a trek or a hike you have to keep in mind that you need necessary clothing articles like socks and undies for daily changing and upper and lower garments like a tee-shirt or track pants that can be used as one article for two days. Same goes for your woolen and warm clothing requirements that can also be taken as one article usable for two consecutive days. Thermals, sweaters, warm jackets are all times of things you should have with yourself even if you’re trekking in the summer months, you will be surprised how soon the temperature drops at the summit of a hill or even at the beach at night.
- Toiletries are underestimated
Toiletry kits like paper towels, toilet paper, face wipes, face washes, bar soaps, toothbrush, toothpaste, moisturizer for your face and your hands and feet (those tend to get itchy and dry for some people under a sudden and acute change in climate).
Two things I feel so strongly about that I’m putting it in a separate paragraph. These are – lip balm and sunscreen lotion. Do not forget to keep these two things with yourself because you will more than regret the chapped lips and the monkey-red skin for the entirety of your tour.
- Utensils and other often forgotten but necessary articles
First of all, if you’re a tea or coffee person you need to understand that in remote places the availability of caffeine especially, of good quality of scarce. So, don’t forget to keep good quality tea bags or coffee powder with you along with spare paper cups so that you can have a good cuppa while you’re enjoying the view sitting on a boulder of rock somewhere. Along with paper cups, it is also a good idea to carry paper plates, mugs plastic spoons and other basic cutlery because if you’re making your own food you will definitely need it and even if you’re buying local foodstuff, you may want clean and reliable options instead of the germ-infused utensils that only God knows how many hands it has been dealt with.
- Medication – basics and most importantly the personal ones
If you have some sort of medical condition, be sure to keep that with you in your waist pouch or the smaller bag that you carry with personal articles only. In case of an emergency, you shouldn’t have to rummage through all your articles to find the important medication. Apart from that, also keep the usually important articles with you at all times. For instance, medication for vomit, fever, headache, and sprain (very handy when you’re hiking or trekking) are all necessary articles you should have with yourself.
