No matter how far you’re hiking or where you’re hiking, there are always things you need to take into account and make sure you’re prepared. Here’s 7 hiking tips for beginners, and even those regulars!
Over the past year I’ve been on quite a few adventures in the peaks (including some outdoor bouldering!) and in doing this I’ve discovered that there are a number of things that you need to prepare for whilst hiking. Some more obvious than others – some you just don’t think will be important until they are.
#1 – Take Plenty of Water When Hiking
…or have a bottle with a filter. This is definitely dependent on the distance and the weather conditions, but just make sure you have enough liquid to keep you hydrated. On especially hot days in the summer, it becomes really difficult when you’re having to ration yourself when you realise you don’t have enough!
It’s also a good tip to bring something like an electrolyte drink or tablet to add to water, just in case you feel like you need the sugars/salts on the way around. Sometimes you may come across a little cafe, a truck stop or something similar selling drinks but this is something you cannot and should not ever rely on.
#2 – Wear & Pack the Right Clothing for Your Hike
‘Right clothing’ is mostly dependent on the weather conditions, but the thing is, with the UK you can never really trust the weather conditions as they are when you first set out on the hike. Packing clothing items such as waterproofs, base layers, extra layers for top and bottom, and socks are always useful just in case you get too cold or wet.
You never know when it’s going to rain, or suddenly get cold and windy.
Likewise, having thinner layers for hotter days is also useful if you end up being too hot and want to wear less. Experience of setting out in long trousers only for the sun to quickly make an appearance makes me now also pack shorts to change into when I inevitably get too hot. If I’m heading out on a chilly morning but the weather forecast is set to be really good, I’ll wear shorts and pack trousers just in case. Quite often the hike will quickly warm you up.
#3 – Pack Your Weather Accessories
Following on from clothing in a similar vein, these items do need their own section. By weather accessories I mean those that you may not necessarily use much, if at all, but when you need them you really need them.
Things such as sun cream, a cap/visor, sunglasses, gloves, hat, buff.
A cap and sun cream are absolutely essential on hot days, and you will thank yourself later for bringing them. Caps especially as they help to keep sun off your head and face. A buff is useful for both hot and cold days, though I mostly use them in the cold to either keep my ears warm or to put around my neck.
Read more: Benefits of Osprey Women’s Backpacks (Buy Osprey here)
#4 – Portable Chargers are Useful For Longer Hiking
Nowadays there are good mobile apps for hiking trails such as the OSMaps and AllTrails ones. however, if you’re going on a long hike, your battery will be hit hard using these apps in areas where signal might not be the greatest. Using a mobile app to track your map is good when hiking as a beginner, because it makes getting lost harder to do. That said, map reading is an important skill, and I’d recommend learning to do it.
You might also be tracking your hike through an app on your phone, or want to use the camera often. It all drains your battery and really, it’s just better to be safe with spare battery power available.
I have this Anker Portable Charger. It provides a few full charges and is quick too.
#5 – Pack a Cool Bag (for afterwards)
Something we started to do after a couple of hot climbs and a hiking tip I’d suggest to anyone. Pack a cold drink in a cool bag with ice, leave it in the car and then when you get back at the end of your walk you’ve got an ice cold drink to enjoy. You could also include food in this. It’s a good idea though to give you something refreshing to drink when everything else you’re holding has warmed up.
