3 Most Important Accessories for Hiking Enthusiasts

By James Barton •  Updated: 06/13/18 •  4 min read

Are you enthusiastic about your new hobby – hiking? You can’t wait to venture out into the great outdoors, but you have your doubts about what you should carry with you? Don’t worry, you are not the first or last one to experience this. The fact is that it’s hard to figure out what to bring on hiking adventures.

If you bring more than you need, you can easily get over encumbered on your journey, slow down, and need to take a breather every few hundred feet. To help you out with this, we’ve put together a list of three most important accessories for hiking enthusiasts in the making.

Consider a Bug out Bag

bug out bag

Since you are going to devote your extra time to hiking, you need to be practical. A standard hiking bag has only one purpose – hiking. If you want to be practical you should think outside the box and go for a solution that provides more value. Bug out bags are very handy for hiking, but one of these can also be your go-to bag for all kinds of situations.

Bug out bags are carefully designed to be very comfy on the wearer, while still being large enough to contain a considerable amount of gear. As a matter of fact, after checking out the complete bug out bag guide, you’ll see that they are designed to help their owners survive for three days, if not longer.

What makes them a great option for hikers beside volume and comfort? Thanks to the multiple carefully implemented reinforcements, they are impact and water-resistant and capable of sustaining severe pressure.

On top of that, they come with multiple compartments where you can store all the important things you need to get your hands on the go, without having to stop and unmounted the bag.

Map and Compass

map and compass

No matter how well you think you know the terrain, a map and compass are must-haves. We completely understand your adventurous hiker’s spirit, but you should make sure that your safety always comes first.  

A compass is a very easy-to-use and light device that has saved countless lives on many occasions. It tolerates bad weather and cannot run out of power.  You can hang it around your neck or let it hang freely from your bug out bag.

When you want to check where you are going, take out your map put the compass on it. Make sure to get a protective case for your map. You’ll never know when it might rain, especially if you like to take your hikes in mountainous areas.

Essential Survival Toolkit

There are a few small items we have to add to this list, as hikers usually remember they should have brought them only once they are in need of them. As you might have guessed, some of these items can save your life in unforeseen circumstances. Also you can read a ultimate survival gear checklist.

Let’s start with fire-starting gear. Yeah, let’s guess, you won’t need it. Trust us, there is no harm in bringing matches or a lighter and fire starting material in a waterproof container. You’ll thank us later.

Having a knife with you is generally a great idea. It will become especially handy if you are hiking for more than a day. You can use it to peel fruit, open food packages, baton and shave wood, or even start a fire by striking fire starter rods. You should also consider bringing a multi-tool with you.

As the last item in the survival toolkit, we suggest a first-aid kit. You can make one on your own, or take a prebuilt one. If you don’t know your way around antiseptic wipes, gauze pads, non stick sterile pads, and so on, a prebuilt first-aid kit might be a smarter idea. They are very light and contain everything you’ll need to patch things up before a real doctor takes a look at it.

There you have it – an essential survival toolkit, map, compass, and resistant and comfy bug out bag to effortlessly carry everything you need with you. Keep in mind that this is not the ultimate list of hiking accessories, just these few items that we think you should no venture into the wild without.

James Barton

James Barton

Hi, I'm James. I am the founder and main editor for The Survival Corps. I have been a part of the survival and prepping community since my mid 30's as I downsized and started to prepare to be self sufficient in a time of crisis.