What’s in My Adventure Bag? (Spring Edition)
Spring is a season of change. Everyone may not agree when it begins (Meteorological Spring started on March 1, Astronomical Spring starts on Sunday and I consider the beginning of Daylight Savings Time the true beginning of Spring), but almost everyone identifies it by the changes that occur around them. That could be the changing weather, the longer days or the transition to more outdoor based activities. Another thing that changes is what I bring with me on my adventures into our national park system. With the ability to go on longer adventures due to the sun setting an hour later as well as a large variety in what the weather could be like any given day it’s important to pack right. Here is what I bring on any given adventure:
*I live in Connecticut and really only travel to places of similar climates during Spring. As such you won’t see me advocating to pack heavy winter clothing or equipment, which is a must in certain other regions of the country. Additionally, you won’t see me advocating to pack summer supplies like bug spray, which is also a must in other regions of the country. Finally, while items such as sunglasses and a light pair of gloves are musts for this time of year, I generally already carry those on me instead of in a backpack.
A backpack is obviously an essential item on any adventure into the national parks regardless of the season. The backpack I currently use is the REI Co-op Trail 25. I like this pack because you get a lot of accessories for a reasonable price. The pack comes with two side pockets for Nalgene style bottles as well as an additional side pocket which I normally use to fit a piece of my camera tripod. The pack also has straps to attach your hiking poles, as well as top and bottom compartments. The top compartment is great for stashing items that you will use frequently through your adventure and the bottom compartment comes with a rainfly for the pack (which is especially handy in spring when it tends to rain a lot).
A headlamp is another essential tool that can be used year-round just in case you get stuck adventuring after dark. Getting gear for outdoor adventuring can be quite expensive so finding ways to get gear for cheap is a must. For a headlamp I have a handy down Coast FL65, which actually has worked quite well on my after dark adventures. The red light mode works well if you are going stargazing.
With the longer days you are also going to need charging equipment for your phone. I use my phone (an iPhone 12 Pro Max) as my main navigation device and one of two photo/video capture devices. I always bring along my Anker PowerCore 5000 and an Apple USB Cable. The Anker PowerCore 5000 is a small and compact device (so it’s easy to stowaway in my backpack) that still is able to recharge my phone twice.
I always bring a few body cleanliness and sanitizing products with me on any adventure. Right now I bring a Purell hand wipe (I have a few after having gone on multiple Delta flights in the past year where they hand them out to you as you board), Dr. Bronner’s Organic Hand Sanitizer (so useful on the muddy outdoor adventures of Spring), Native deodorant (just in case I do any après activities) and a surgical mask (just in case I end up in any indoor settings that require one).
It’s always great to have an emergency device on any outdoor adventures. I currently carry a Garmin InReach Mini. The device is a bit expensive ($350), and you also have to pay a monthly subscription fee, but it’s worth it for two factors: I can easily alert rescue officials if I ever have an accident out in the backcountry and if I forget to text someone my whereabouts before going on a hike, I can text them using this even without cell phone service.
There are two other emergency items I bring with me on any adventure: A first aid kid and an emergency bivy. The Adventure Medical Kits Hiker medical kit is a compact bundle that makes it easy to stow away but also has a lot within it. The Sol emergency bivy comes in an even more compact bundle and would be very useful in the event if I get stuck somewhere outside overnight.
The sun tends to get stronger (especially later in the Spring) and as a person of Irish ancestry I tend to burn easily so sunscreen is a must. The most effective sunscreen I have come across so far is the Thinksport SPF 50+. Being that I’m not using it in large amounts during this season I carry it in a Sea to Summit 3oz bottle.
It’s always great to bring some backup clothing with you. In the Spring months that’s limited to a backup pair of merino wool socks and a backup merino wool t-shirt. Merino wool is the way to go as it can regulate your body temperature, which is great for outdoor activities. My two favorite brands for Merino wool products are Smartwool and Icebreaker.
Other small items that I’ve collected on the way that always end up in my pack are a microfiber hand towel, a lighter, a pen and a pocketknife. The hand towel is especially useful during the muddy months of Spring, and if you want an early year dip into a trail side pond or river it’s much easier to carry than an actual towel. The lighter is another light item that doesn’t take up much space. I mostly use it to start up my JetBoil to make some tea on any sunrise hikes I take, but it’s also great if I ever end up in an emergency that keeps me stuck outside overnight. The pen is an easily packable item that can be used for multiple things throughout the day. I get tons of these through my many hotel stays. I’m currently packing one from Homewood Suites by Hilton. The pocketknife seems like a quintessential outdoor activity item, and I think one ends up in my pack because of that although I honestly don’t use it much.
On my national park adventures, I also bring my camera equipment. Right now, I’m using a Sony A6000 and have a 55-210mm lens to go along with it to get a better view of wildlife. Along with a backup battery and some lens cleaning paper I carry it all in a Vivitar gadget bag that I wear either under my backpack or put inside my backpack. On less strenuous outdoor activities, I may also wear my camera on my backpack using a Peak Design Capture Camera Clip.
Food is always important on any adventure. In my pack I always carry an emergency Cliff bar, but I always refill my pack for every adventure with some sort of sandwich, another Cliff bar and peanuts. Even more important than food is water. While my pack comes with a compartment to attach a water bladder, I prefer using bottles. I use 2 Nalgene bottles that fit perfectly into the side bottle holders on my pack.
Despite carrying all of this, I still like to keep enough room in my pack for my Smartwool Merino Sport Fleece Hybrid Pullover. It’s the perfect shoulder season sweater, and during the cool mornings of spring I normally start my adventures already wearing it.
While these are the fixtures of my Spring pack, there are a few other items I may carry with me depending on what specific activity I’m doing:
If I’m going for a long hike, I will also pack a Sawyer water filter and water pouch (to refill water safely in the woods) and hiking poles (I use a pair of REI Co-op Traverse PowerLock trekking poles). If I’m going for a nighttime adventure near a road, I will bring a Construction Worker vest I bought off Amazon. If I’m planning on playing with my camera or going for a sunrise/sunset hike I will bring along my camera tripod (a Nianyiso 69inch camera tripod that can be broken up into 3 parts to make it easier to pack). On sunrise hikes I will additionally pack my Jetboil Zip to make some morning tea. Finally, if I’m going to a new national park site for the first time, I bring along a corresponding page from my National Parks Passport Explorer Edition.
It’s a lot to bring but all of this covers most of the Ten Essentials that you should be packing for any strenuous outdoor activity and gives me a lot of options to make my travels more fun.
