5 things I always carry in my hiking rucksack

The 5 things I always carry in my hiking rucksack!

Whenever you go hiking, it is important you always take the right items with you so you are comfortable, safe and prepared! Obviously weight and space are both limitations here, as you don't want to take so much it is too heavy to carry or you will just spend the day in pain and miserable!

Before I go through the top 5 items I think all hikers should have, let me just talk to you about my rucksack.

I have spent a lot of money on different bags to take hiking, and I finally found one that is super comfortable and spacious. I also grabbed it at a huge discount from shopping around online. The bag I use is the women's Osprey 20 litre rucksack. One of the benefits is that the shape is specifically designed for women. It moulds around your body nicely and is so comfortable. It has plenty of pockets, two water bottle sections and a mesh bag so your back can breathe. I bought this from GoOutdoors who were selling it £50 more expensive than a store online. They therefore price matched it and gave me an additional 10% off so I ended up getting a right bargain!

So here are the 5 things I would never go hiking without:

1. Portable phone charger

This is an absolute must! I would highly recommend you stay off your phone when on a hike and truly appreciate the outdoors in the moment. However if you use your phone to take photos and videos or for online maps, the chances are your battery won't last long and the last thing you need is to run out of battery on the top of a mountain! Taking a small portable phone charger with you will give you peace of mind you have a reserve power source should you need it!

2. GoPro

I don't go on any walks without my GoPro! The advantages of it are that it is tiny, so it takes up very little room. It comes on a pole so is easy to carry and it's is waterproof! It also means I don't use my phone battery up by recording footage or taking lots of photos. It also has built in wifi which means I can transfer my footage to my phone automatically. I have the GoPro Hero9 which is amazing quality and a massive improvement on the earlier models. You can purchase a range of different models online here: https://gopro.com/en/gb/

3. Money for parking and emergencies

I've been caught without change so many times when trying to find a place to park and it can be so stressful! I try to avoid parking costs by parking in free places but many of the National Trust car parks charge, so I always make sure I have change with me to avoid any issues at the start of the day as most of their machines only accept cash.

I also make sure I have some money in my rucksack after a lesson learnt. When Lola was a puppy we went to try and find the plane crash wreckage in Bleaklow. We found it the 2nd time, but got completely lost the first time we went and ended up 2 hours away from the car so had to get a taxi back! Since then, I always take money with me just incase!

4. Packed lunch for me and Lola

Food, food, food!

When I'm walking I don't tend to feel hungry so I'm not a grazer whilst out! However I do like to find a nice spot to stop and have lunch - normally at the top of a mountain somewhere where I can take in a nice view.

I tend to bring sandwiches, crisps, an apple and something chocolatey. I also bring snacks for Lola, otherwise she pinches mine. I also bring a carton of juice for some sugar, as whilst walking I tend to just have water. On a cold day I'll also bring a flask of hot chocolate and over pack as I never really know what I'll feel like eating until I'm out! The foot pot by Chilly's is really good at keeping food warm and they look really smart too! They are leakproof and really light weight so perfect if you want to take hot food with you on a cold day. I chose the mint green one as I love the colour! You can buy yours here: https://www.chillys.com/uk/categories/food-pots

5. Extra layers

Extra layers are a must! The weather in the Peak District is completely unpredictable and it is easy to get caught out. Over New Year last year, we went for a walk to Mam Tor. The sun was out and the skies were blue. It was a really nice day. As soon as we got to the summit, the weather just changed and we got caught in a snow storm blizzard and couldn't see further than about 2m in front of us. It was freezing but luckily we were quite close to the car.

It can be quite scary so I always make sure I take clothes for all weathers. One of my favourite things to take is my North Face gilet. It is a down jacket so really warm but also packs away into a really tiny space so is great for taking extra warmth without taking up valuable space in your rucksack!

The key thing I have learnt is to always be prepared for all eventualities as you never know what you will need!