The 24-Hour Pack: Hike Smart, Be Prepared, Be Safe

Suggested Contents Of A 24-Hour Pack 

Not An Exact Science

The following list may seem extensive to some and lacking to others, so pick and choose, add and subtract, as you will. This is what I carry in my own 24-hour pack when I go for a recreational day-hike.
(I take even more for SAR missions.)

• Daypack (Duh!)
• Light source--I recommend a headlamp, but a hand-held flashlight will certainly do. Better yet, why not take both! Or at least extra bulbs for one or the other.
• Water bottles--at least 2 liters--and you might as well fill 'em before you go. Just sayin'.
• Map, preferably a USGS topo. I know, you're following a trail, but still ... humor me.
• Compass and a GPS (But it's best to know how to use them before you put these instruments in your pack. If I had to choose one as more essential than the other, though, I'd certainly take the compass.) Visit Basic Map & Compass and How To Use A GPS: The Basics and Background for some pointers on how to use these tools.
• Extra layers of clothing (ie. non-cotton, long-sleeved shirt; a jacket; rain- or wind pants; a fleece top)
• A hat and gloves (or glove liners) ... Yeah, even in the summer
• A small multi-tool or pocket knife
• Extra batteries for your light source/s and, if you take one, your GPS
• Fire-starters (I'd recommend more than one kind: waterproof matches, lighter, flint, etc.) and a small candle or two to help get a campfire going.
• Emergency bivvy and/or space blanket (There are "all-weather" blankets with grommets at each corner, so the blanket can be rigged as a shelter while the bivvy provides the extra warmth.)
• Hand and foot warmers (You know, those little packets you whack to get goin'.)
• Sunscreen (even just a packet or a wipe; don't have to take a whole bottle)
• Food: Energy bars, salty snacks, dried fruit, etc.
• Electrolyte replacement drink packet/s
• Water purification product (Tablets or drops are lighter and less bulky than a filter, but a filter is fine too. I've heard good reports about the Steripen as well.) For more on water purification options, visit Backcountry Water Purification.
• Personal First Aid kit (You don't have to go prepared to perform surgery, just take any meds you might need--allergic to anything? diabetic? asthmatic?--including some Benadryl and some basics like bandaids, gauze pads, alcohol wipes, and I recommend tweezers and a mini pair of scissors if your multi-tool doesn't include them.)
• A closed-cell foam pad or at least a piece of one. Sitting directly on cold and/or wet ground can be a real bummer for the bum (and the rest of you, too).
• Small notepad and pencil in a plastic baggie. Handy for making notes/reminders to yourself (or possibly even leaving them for others).
• Signal mirror--It's small, weighs next-to-nothin', but it can be seen for miles and from way up high. You can also get a compass with a sighting mirror and use that as your signal mirror instead.
• A couple of glow sticks (You crack them to activate; some last up to 12 hours. Glow sticks can be seen by a rescue helicopter.)
• Roll of flagging tape (Helps mark where you've been, as in when you're not sure if you'll recognize the route on the way back. Some flagging is biodegradable.)
• TP (beats using leaves) and one of those little orange cat-hole diggers, though a boot heel or a good stick can work just fine, too. I also throw in a little bottle of hand sanitizer.
• Nylon cord, about 50 feet. (I just always have this in my pack. If nothing else, it works for making emergency spare boot or shoe laces. I've used it for lowering my pack at times, too, not to mention for rigging an all-weather blanket as a tarp.)
• Emergency whistle
• And, if you're good and take at least some of the above, you can take your cellphone too. Might wanna turn it off unless you need it, to save the battery. My point is, this shouldn't be the only piece of "just in case" gear in your pack.