Hiking Gear

Always fill out an itinerary here and check out our hiking gear checklist here.  Items in this below column are a must bring in most scenarios. I’ve tried to explain why and when below. But as always, know yourself and adjust as you find necessary. If it’s your first hike bring more of the items in the second column with you. As you get comfortable start leaving some of it back in the car.

Items in this column are optional based on the distance, time and difficulty of the hike. I’ve tried to explain why and when below by listing the items to bring by the mileage you go. But as always, know yourself and adjust as you find necessary. If it’s your first hike bring more of the items in this second column with you. As you get comfortable start leaving some of it back in the car.

Bring with you items
Do I need a buddy?
  • 0+miles
  • Okay, first thing on the list. You can’t buy one, but you may be able to borrow one. A hiking buddy or hiking buddies. The more the merrier.
  • It’s not a must but it’s always a good idea, especially as the hikes get longer.
  • When I go hiking, I will bring my dog Roo as a hiking buddy. No matter who goes with you, remember to let someone know where you are going hiking and when you will return, and always leave an itinerary under your car seat.
  • A hiking buddy can help you carry gear or get help in case of an injury on the trail. You will also be less vulnerable to animal attacks in the unfortunate situation where one crosses your trail. But if you do and you are alone, we have a solution for that as well.
Do I need a Hiking Itinerary
  • 0+ miles
  • Yes!
  • One of those things that you may never need but it’s so easy to do, weights and costs nothing and can potentially save you or your loved one’s life.
  • Download our free Hiking Itinerary here!
Do I need a Backpack when hiking the Ozarks
  • When hiking, you may not need to buy a backpack for every distance of hike. Whether it’s North Face, Nike, or an old backpack for school, just get one that will work in most scenarios you’ll face on the trail.
  • For less than a mile, you don’t really need a backpack here. A belt pack or pockets might be the way to go here.
  • For 1-3 miles, a small backpack or belt pack can work here. A hiking backpack or rucksack under 30 liters should get the job done.
  • For 3-6 miles, a small backpack will work. A hiking backpack around 30 liters would be ideal.
  • For 6-9 miles, a medium backpack may be necessary. Something in the range of 30+ liters would be needed here.
  • Overnight, you’ll likely need a hiking backpack over 50 liters in size.
Should I bring a pen with me when hiking?
  • 0+ miles
  • Why would I need a pen on a trail? You might be asking yourself.
  • Well, I asked myself the same thing. And it turns out that in addition to being able to write down anything important, it is also critical to have an ink pen or sharpie in the event of a snake bite.
  • Look, you have a pen in your car to fill out our free itinerary anyway, so just bring it with you.
  • Get a “golfers sharpie” or something similar (small and light that will write on skin).
  • Circle where the snake bite is, and write the time that it happens. Continue writing any symptoms you get, along with the time they happened. This will help ensure your survival once you get medical help.
  • On average, 284 people are bitten by snakes every year in Arkansas.
Should I bring a snake bite kit with me when hiking?
  • NO – well, bring that pen
  • Are there snakes in Arkansas? Yes, there are snakes in Arkansas. Including 6 highly venomous species.
  • But does this mean that you should bring a snake bite kit?
  • Per the CDC and Mayo clinic, it is not recommended to suck out the venom, slash, or apply a tourniquet, as this may make the problem worse. You should also avoid Alcohol and caffeine as this could speed up the rate at which your body absorbs the venom.
  • Alright, so how to treat a snake bite. In the event of a snake bite, it is recommended that you circle where the snake bite is, and write the time that it happens. Continue writing any symptoms you get, along with the time they happened. This will help ensure your survival once you get medical help.
Do I need my smartphone when hiking
  • 0-unlimited miles – this is just so easy to always have on you.
  • There are plenty of popular hiking apps that will show your position while hiking when you don’t have service. I use the Garmin trail app (Garmin explore) as it’s free, and I also have a Garmin watch that will sync my hiking location tracking. I’ve bought a map on Avanza before, so I’ve used that, and I hear good things about Gaia.
  • Also, always take a picture of the hiking map at the trail head of the hike if available.
  • With iPhone 14 models and most Androids, you can use Emergency SOS via satellite to text emergency services when you’re out of cellular and Wi-Fi coverage. With an iPhone, you can also use the Find My app to share your location with people via satellite.
Do I need a Hiking Map?
  • 0+ miles
  • Most places in Jasper, Arkansas sell an Ozark Experience trail map that lists most of the available features of the area for only $3.
  • Though it won’t help you a considerable amount on the trail, these trail maps battery never goes dead. Its light and will fit in a back pocket, and it’s nice to have it once you get back to the car to find your next hike.
How much Water to bring on a hike
  • 0-unlimited
  • This is probably the single most important item you bring with you. Rule of thumb is around .5 of a liter or 16 Oz’s for every hour of hiking. Little less if it’s cold or a little more if it’s hot. Drink water before you head out, so you are filled up before you leave.
  • I know I’ll get some hate mail for this, but I must admit I usually don’t take water unless it’s over a 3-mile hike.
  • I do, however, bring a life straw just in case. But it’s lighter and smaller than “extra” water and I’m usually going on a waterfall hike therefore there is water all around me.
  • How much water do I bring on a run? I usually run 3 miles every morning when I don’t go hiking so I’m in good health and feel like if I can run 3 miles without needing water surely, I can hike that far without it.
  • Again, know yourself. Do what’s right for you.
Hiking shoes to use when hiking
  • Another hate mail stance here but…
  • Hiking shoes are great to have, they have more support for twisted ankles and protection from elements like water. If you are hiking for multiple days, you will want a little more protection and support for your ankles while carrying the heavy bag.  I’ll use hiking shoes in the winter as they are warmer.
  • But 90% of the time I use trail runners. I like the fact that they are lighter and cooler. Hoka, doesn’t sponsor me, quite the opposite as I own a few of their trail running shoes. I feel they are the most comfortable shoes I’ve ever worn. I’m getting older and like to run in the morning so really try to take care of my knees. All my shoes are Hokas or Chaco’s, the latter being a bit more style than function. But find something you like that feels good to you.
  • Check out trial runner hybrids with Gore-Tex outsides. They are a bit more waterproof than just a trail runner. These will be my next shoes. Do some searching of the brands you like, versions of hiking shoes, hiking boots and trail runners and go try them on.
What hiking clothes to wear
  • Weather appropriate clothing
  • 0-3 or colder months
  • Ill hike in jeans and a T-shirt all the time. It’s what I’m usually wearing so if we decide to stop and do a little hike that’s what we go in. With that said, if I know I’m going hiking or I’m doing a longer than 3-mile hike I dress appropriately. Specific Hiking pants and shirts for those longer hikes. But you don’t have to change for a smaller hike, just get out there and have fun and experience something.
  • 0-unlimied or warmer months
  • As a general rule I would stay away from cotton hiking shirts, denim for hiking pants and old school down (they do have a Hydrophobic down). If they become wet, they will hold on to water causing problems from chaffing, extra weight and hypothermia. In general, Polyester or a Polyester/nylon blend for hotter temps or Fleece or wool for colder temps are the way to go.  In the winter layer up, wear thermals under your hiking pants and bring a beanie, gloves and a jacket.
What Hiking Snacks or Camping Food to bring hiking
  • Snacks: 0+ miles
  • I bring Trail Mix. Whole foods has some organic trail mixes (cape cod is the one I get) that are good for you and easy (don’t have to make anything). I scan my food with an app called YUKA. It’s free, I don’t get anything from telling you about the app, but I use this app all the time and love it. There are a couple bars that are decent as well, but I would try to stick with fruit and nuts while you are pushing yourself.
  •  Food: 6+ miles
  • You can bring pouches of poultry or fish; tortillas are easy to transport. If you have kids, you will need some peanut butter and jelly in the squeeze pouches and some bread. Beef, Chicken or turkey jerky is great to add some protein that won’t go bad and takes up little room. Ill usually bring Roo some dog chicken jerky. If you want to have a little fun, grab some dehydrated fruits, Ice-cream and foods from the store and try them out. You can get the MREs and dehydrated camping meals at most outdoor stores or Amazon. Both my wife and I were in the Army so we don’t tent to go out of our way to eat MREs  anymore though. But I do like “astronaut ice cream.”
  • Most hiking snakes or camping food isn’t good for you but you can always scan it with the YUKA app find the best hiking snacks or best camping food.
What's a hiking whistle for when backpacking
  • 0+ miles
  • Hiking whistles are always a good idea to have on you whenever you do anything. I bought a pack of 40 plastic hiking whistles and attached them to everything. They are small, light and at less than $1 a piece why not? Just attach a whistle to your backpack, kayak, kid or anything else you always bring when on an adventure. The advantage when hiking is the same as usual. Help scare dangerous animals. Help you locate your friends. Help rescuers find you. Hiking Whistles can be heard up to a mile away. This is much further than your voice.
Do I need Trekking Poles or Hiking Poles
  • 0+ miles
  • If you ever noticed that your knees hurt more going downhill than uphill then you should try these. Hiking Poles can also help with balance and improve power and endurance when going uphill. If your trail has more than 100 feet of elevation change you may want to use some kind of hiking stick.
  • You can always make a walking stick while in the national River or Forest as long as you don’t carve, chop, cut, or damage any live trees. Find a stick with a natural bend or knot in it. Now trim the bottom or top of the stick off to make the bend or knot around waist level. Trim the branch to be around chest level high and there you go; you have a cool walking stick.
Do I need a GPS unit
  • 0+ miles
    • We are going to say yes here as you should always take your phone with you. With iPhone 14 models and most Androids, you can use Emergency SOS via satellite to text emergency services when you’re out of cellular and Wi-Fi coverage. With an iPhone, you can also use the Find My app to share your location with people via satellite and I’m sure Androids have a similar feature.
    • Research your phone and make sure it has this feature. If it doesn’t and you are the type of person to not wonder off trail and only do shorter day hikes you should be ok. But it’s easy enough to go get a phone upgrade and this is a good excuse to do it.
    • If you are doing multi-day hikes and don’t have a GPS feature, get one. It is small, light and can save a life.
Bring in your car items
Do I need a hiking First Aid kit
  • 0+ Miles in your car
  • 6+ Miles in your pack
  • I know this seems like a big list of items for a first aid kit. But most survival kits have these things. And remember, you only need a few of each item, don’t get a large kit with 100 Band-Aids and 20 packs of aspirin. And if you have multiple people with you, only one backpack will need the first aid kit as one is usually good for 2 or more people.
  • Here are the items to look for in your kit: antiseptic wipes, antibacterial ointment, assorted bandages, gauze pads in various sizes, medical tape, moleskin or another type of blister treatment, Ibuprofen (or another preferred pain-relief medication), Insect sting treatment, antihistamine for allergic reactions, non-stick pads, butterfly bandages, tweezers, safety pins, rehydration salts, rolled gauze, elastic wrap, cleansing pads, blood clotting powder.
  • We also keep a CPR mask in every one of our cars. We had an experience a few years back and have kept on in our glove box since then. If you know CPR, get one.
Do I need a knife when hiking?
  • 3+ miles
  • A camp knife or Gerber Muli-tool is always a good idea but is heavy, therefore we don’t suggest it on every hike. Since they are a bit on the heavy side. I would find a light one and make sure it has a locking blade for the longer hikes. A non-locking blade makes it easy to accidentally cut yourself.
  • A camp knife can be helpful for preparing food and fixing gear. If you, like me carry a knife everywhere, once you don’t have it you realize how often you use one.
  • I have a small belt buckle knife that is always on me, and I keep a Gerber multi tool for those longer hikes or multi-day camping trips. This is one of those items where I pay extra from the brand. But whatever you do just make sure the blade locks.
Do I need insect repellent
  • 0+ miles
  • You will want bug spray for the ticks and as mosquito repellent.
  • Deet being the oldest authority is still regarded as the best insect repellent out there. Picaridin is a bit newer and hasn’t had the testing deet has had but does seem to be safer and as effective as deet. I don’t know, I’m always concerned about jumping on the bandwagons of newer products.  A lot of people stay away from deet bug spray as it’s generally considered harmful to kids and animals and melts some plastics and some fabrics. Picaridin doesn’t melt plastics and fibers, but you still can’t use it on a dog…
  • My wife has us use something I refer to as hippy juice bug spray. The smell reminds me of an old hippy friend of mine. This bug spray contains things like Cedar Oil, Lemongrass Oil, Oil of Lemon Eucalyptus, Peppermint, Geraniol Oil and Eugene oil. This doesn’t work as good as synthetic insect repellent such as deet or Picaridin so you will want to bring it on the trail to re-apply often, especially in the spring, summer and fall.
  • Hate mail again… I keep Picaridin in the jeep as well as hippy juice. During spring and summer months I spray me and Roo with hippy juice and then use a little Picaridin on the lower sections of my pants.
Do I need Toilet paper when hiking
  • 3+ miles – Know yourself on this one.
  • Toilet paper can come in handy and there are plenty of biodegradable camp toilet paper available. We keep toilet paper tablets in the car in the case we are in remote areas.
  • Note on this subject: Human body waste and toilet paper must be buried in a cathole 6”to 8” (use a stick to dig it) deep and at least 200’ (about 70 steps) from water, camping locations, and trails or packed out in the Buffalo River area and the Ozark National Forest.
Do I need Bear Spray or mace in the Ozarks?
  • No -short answer
  •  We do have smaller black bears. Rarely seen, shy and elusive and I don’t know of any attacks in recent times. Mace or Bear spray is large, expensive and heavy and an encounter is extremely rare.
  • With that said, you never know when a human will get rowdy and call for a little mace. As well, pepper spray can double as spice for your food if camping if you really wanted to bring it.
  • We do have Snakes. But know, pepper spray or mace does not work on snakes. A study has shown essential oils like lavender and cinnamon do repel snakes, but I wouldn’t say its worth bringing a spray bottle filled with it. If you want to bring extra liquid, bring insect repellent (because you will see mosquitoes and possibly ticks) or extra water.
Should I bring an emergency blanket hiking
  • 6+ miles or more – Yes
  • This is good for hypothermia and if you get stuck in the woods overnight.
  • So many names selecting an emergency blanket can be confusing. Note, an emergency blanket, space blanket, mylar blanket, foil blanket, thermal blanket, and survival blanket are all the same things. No matter the name you buy it under, its small, light and for as little as 1 dollar just get one that’s large enough to fit you. Definitely, one of those items you can always leave in your car even when not hiking.
Do I need a Raincoat or Poncho when hiking?
  • 0+ miles
  •  Always bring a poncho if there is a chance of rain
  • 9+ miles
  •  Bring a poncho.
  • Better than a raincoat, ponchos are light, versatile and can cover a backpack as well to help keep you and your gear dry. The “disposable ones are .35 of an inch think and will work multiple times when in a pinch.  I keep a nice one in the jeep and if there is a good chance of rain on my trip, I’ll put it on before I start the hike. Can use the nicer ones as a temp tent as well.
How much extra water, or do I need a life straw when hiking?
  • 0+miles
  • Remember, you are in a wetter climate and there is almost always water around. I prefer to carry a Life Straw type product over extra water for all my hikes. For hikes less than 3 miles I only bring a Life Straw. Hikes over 3 miles or hikes with lots of elevation change I will bring water as well. I try not to use the Life Straw but keep the filter on me in case of an emergency. A Life Straw is lighter and smaller than water. There are drops, pills and small portable filters as well. You can get a generic Life Straw for around 5 dollars nowadays and they have an unlimited shelf life now. I would use it as a backpacking water filter, hiking water filter, and instead of extra water on a hike.
Collapsible dog bowl when backpacking with dogs
  • When going on a dog friendly trail with your buddy, bring the smaller 12 Oz collapsible dog bowl. Just clip it on something and forget about it till your buddy is thirsty. Most dog friendly hikes have small streams or other flowing body of water your buddy will drink out of, so it’s not used often.
Do I need a headlamp when hiking
  • 6+ miles
  • Bring a hiking headlamp always if you are doing a late hike or going to a cave area. Aside from that limit the headlamp to 6+ mile hikes. It’s safer than a flashlight when hiking as you will be hands free. It’s dangerous to hike in the dark and at night but if you must, use a hiking headlamp. You can get a headlamp for as little as 10 dollars on Amazon so grab one. They are lightweight and small. Just be sure to change batteries or charge them often.
  • Do I need a fire starter when hiking?
Do I need a fire starter when hiking
  • 9+ miles
  • Well, yes!  Ok, probably not, unless you are going overnight or know you need to start a fire while on a hike. But there is something cool about having waterproof matches in your supplies. You can use waterproof matches or a mini bic lighter as a camping fire lighter, If you know you are going to light a fire and think you may have trouble with a waterproof fire starter alone, you may want to bring cottonballs with petroleum jelly (Vaseline) (they are a bit messy). Or for a few bucks you can also get yourself some solid fuel tablets.
Do I need a Portable Charger when hiking
  • 6+ miles I would say yes
  • I always have one short cable with several ends on it and I keep a larger 26800mah power bank in my car. When we do multiple hikes in a day ill often bring the portable charger with me on the second hike to be charging something. Most power bank/portable chargers will charge your phone several times. I use a larger one than most as ill charge camera gear as well.
Other items to consider taking or having in the car
  • Sunscreen, Hat, Sunglasses, sun protection clothes (take if appropriate) – 0+ miles
    • Nice thing about the Ozarks is it’s a forest, we have lots of trees and lots of shade. There will be times when the sun reaches you so come prepared but it’s not as critical as bug spray!
  • Extra Clothes – 9+ miles
    • In the case you got wet, muddy or fell in poison ivy!
  • Thick large poncho – 0+ miles
    • If you know it’s going to rain, bring the nicer poncho you keep in your car with you
  • Jacket – 9+ miles
    • Just in case you get to the trailhead in the fall and it’s a bit colder than you thought it was going to be.
  • Extra Food – 9+ miles
    • Nice to have an extra snack when you get back to the car in case the adventure was a little longer than expected.
  • Ice chest with extra cold drinks – 0+ miles
    • I like a cold drink when getting back to the car. I always have an Ice chest filled with jug of water and some kind of vegetable juice.
  • Dish Soap – 9+ miles
    • This is a must have if you get poison ivy as bad as I do. Poison Ivy is an oil-based substance. You want some grease cutting dish soap to effectively get it off as soon as possible. If I know I’m going through some I’ll take the dish soap with me.
  • Itineraries (under car seat) – 0+ miles
    • In case someone needs to find you, tell a friend (one you aren’t with) and make a short itinerary and place under your seat. I know I mention this several times, but… Download our Itinerary template here
  • Multipurpose shovel – 0+ miles
    • Worth a mention and you may want to consider as I always have one of these in my jeeps, as well as tow ropes and some vehicle repair items. These might be considered more off-road items than hiking items.
  • Compass
    • Not a bad idea… Little old school but if your lost and all your batteries are dead you may want this.
  • Pocket Chainsaw
    • Nice to have if you have the energy to clear the path for others.
  • Trail Tape
    • Small roll of orange trail tape to mark missing river crossings or trail routes. You may appreciate this more on bushwack style trails when you have lost the trail. 

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