Best Hiking Gear: Remember These Essentials When You Explore

The Upper Peninsula is renowned for having some of Michigan’s best hiking grounds, but some of the trails are pretty out of the way and aren’t close to any stores or other services. That means you need to pack carefully and ensure that you have everything you could conceivably need during the trip. 

The goal of this guide isn’t to be comprehensive; it would be difficult for any single article to list every item that you could possibly need to handle every unforeseen event that could occur during a hiking trip. Instead, it’s our goal to discuss a few of the lesser-known items that you might not have thought of already. 

Are you planning a hiking trip? Here’s some of the best hiking gear that you need to bring.

Flashlight

A flashlight is probably the most important piece of gear that you can have for hiking because getting lost in the wilderness is always a possibility. Even if you’re not planning to be out after dark, you never know what might happen. If you have a battery-powered flashlight, don’t forget to bring a few extra batteries. It’s even better to consider buying a flashlight with a crank dynamo instead. That way, you won’t have to worry about batteries because you can simply turn the crank to provide illumination when you need it.

Don’t forget that a flashlight can do much more than just lighting your way. Some of the best hiking flashlights have useful safety features like emergency sirens and automatic SOS signals. 

Poncho

You can’t always count on good weather during a hiking trip, regardless of what the weather report says. It might be difficult to convince yourself to add an umbrella to your load when you’re expecting good weather, though, and it’s not easy to carry an umbrella when you’re hiking through the woods anyway – so make an emergency poncho a permanent part of your hiking kit. A plastic emergency poncho folds flat and will feel almost weightless in your backpack. You’ll be very glad to have it if you’re caught in a sudden downpour.

Vape

If you vape, you know that nothing is quite as enjoyable as a big puff of vapor while you’re enjoying the great outdoors – so pack your SMOK Nord and enjoy it if vaping is allowed where you’re going. It’s important, however, to understand these three things before you start puffing.

• Smoking and vaping are both banned in all national parks.
• Vapes are considered tobacco products according to Michigan’s state laws, which means that you’re not allowed to vape in places where you can’t smoke.
• Although smoking and vaping aren’t covered by a blanket prohibition in Michigan’s state parks, there may be city or county anti-smoking ordinances covering the park that you’re planning to visit. Make sure you’re definitely allowed to vape before you pull your device out.

If you’re planning to hike in a park where smoking and vaping are banned, don’t risk a fine – bring an alternative product like nicotine pouches instead.

Waterproof Wallet

A sudden downpour can happen almost any time when you’re on a hiking trip, and the last thing that you want is for all of your gear to get soaked. Hopefully you’re already using a waterproof backpack, and an emergency poncho can also go a long way toward preventing your clothes from getting soaked – but what about the things in your pockets? Your wallet is full of important items like your cash, credit cards and driver’s license, and you want to be sure that those things are protected when you’re out in the wilderness. Consider transferring your items to a waterproof wallet to ensure that they’ll stay completely dry regardless of what happens.

Extra Food

No one goes for a lengthy hike without packing at least a bit of food, but you’re going to need more than trail mix if you get lost and have an unexpected overnight stay. The ideal emergency foods for hiking are high in calories and don’t take up a lot of space. Unless you plan to start a campfire, you should also bring food that doesn’t require heating – and even if you do plan to build a fire, that’s not easy to do when it’s raining. Pre-cooked tuna in a waterproof foil pouch can be a good option.

Emergency Water Purifier

You don’t need an article on the Internet to tell you that you need to bring plenty of water if you’re going to go on a hike. What you might not have considered, though, is what your plan would be if you were to run out of water unexpectedly. If you’re hiking in a location with a nearby river or other water source, stash an emergency water purifier in your backpack. An emergency water purifier can usually connect to any water bottle and has a filter with microscopic pores that can remove dirt and most bacteria to make almost any water safe to drink.

Emergency Blanket

Don’t forget that eating won’t be your only concern if you happen to get caught in the wilderness overnight. You’ll also need to find a way to sleep somewhat comfortably. The woods can get quite cold overnight in Michigan – even during the summer – so you’ll need a way to keep yourself warm. Emergency blankets are made from a foil-like material that does an excellent job of helping your body retain heat, and they fold completely flat. They’re available in all sports supply stores and in many pharmacies. You’ll also find them in many first aid kits.

Topographic Map

Hiking on clearly marked trails is one thing, but exploring the wilderness is another matter entirely because you need a reliable way to know where you are at all times. Did you know that there are smartphone apps that allow you to download topographic maps and link them to your GPS to see exactly where you are? That’s an extremely useful ability to have, but don’t forget that a GPS can fail, and your phone’s battery can die unexpectedly. If you’re hiking in the wilderness, make sure that you have a paper map and compass available in case your phone has a problem.