{"id":175,"date":"2026-07-17T13:06:28","date_gmt":"2026-07-17T17:06:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/emilycarteroutdoors.com\/?p=175"},"modified":"2026-07-17T13:07:17","modified_gmt":"2026-07-17T17:07:17","slug":"3-things-i-never-hike-without","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/emilycarteroutdoors.com\/?p=175","title":{"rendered":"3 Things I Never Hike Without"},"content":{"rendered":"

There is plenty of hiking gear you can buy, but only a few items belong on every trip.<\/p>\n

Before I step onto a trail, I make sure I have enough water, a dependable source of light, and\u2014whenever possible\u2014Oakley beside me.<\/p>\n

These three things are simple, but each one solves a real problem.<\/p>\n

Section 1 \u2014 Water<\/h2>\n

Dehydration does not wait until you are on a difficult trail. Heat, humidity, elevation, and a slower-than-expected return can turn a short outing into a demanding one.<\/p>\n

I carry enough water for the planned hike and leave room for delays.<\/p>\n

Emily\u2019s water bottle:<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

\"Emily's<\/a><\/p>\n

Section 2 \u2014 A dependable flashlight<\/h2>\n

Even a daytime hike can run late. A wrong turn, an injury, changing weather, or stopping to photograph a view can keep you out longer than expected.<\/p>\n

A compact rechargeable flashlight takes very little space and gives you a dependable backup when daylight disappears.<\/p>\n

Emily\u2019s flashlight:<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

\"Emily's<\/a><\/p>\n

Section 3 \u2014 Good company<\/h2>\n

Oakley is more than a hiking companion. He adds energy, awareness, and a little extra joy to every trail.<\/p>\n

Hiking with a dog also means carrying additional water, watching the temperature, checking paws, and knowing the trail rules before leaving home.<\/p>\n

Emily’s Gear<\/h2>\n

Hiking Hat<\/a>:<\/p>\n

Lightweight Shirt<\/a>:<\/p>\n

Lightweight Quick Drying Shorts<\/a>:<\/p>\n

Darn Tough Hiking Socks<\/a>:<\/p>\n

Mid Waterproof Hiking Boots<\/a>:<\/p>\n

24oz Widemouth Water Bottle<\/a>:<\/p>\n

100k Lumen Tactical Flashlight<\/a>:<\/p>\n

20L Lightweight Backpack<\/a>:<\/p>\n

Comment Below:<\/h2>\n

What is the one item you never hike without?<\/p>\n

Follow Emily Carter Outdoors for trail stories, outdoor gear, camping, photography, and Appalachian adventures with Oakley.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

There is plenty of hiking gear you can buy, but only a few items belong on every trip. Before I step onto a trail, I make sure I have enough water, a dependable source of light, and\u2014whenever possible\u2014Oakley beside me. These three things are simple, but each one solves a real problem. Section 1 \u2014 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":180,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ai_generated_summary":"","wpai_meta_description":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[21,3,5,7],"tags":[31,22,28,34,32],"class_list":["post-175","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-camping","category-hiking","category-outdoor-adventure","category-trail-planning","tag-adventure-photography","tag-hiking","tag-outdoor-photography","tag-packing-list","tag-trail-planning"],"post_mailing_queue_ids":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/emilycarteroutdoors.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/175","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/emilycarteroutdoors.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/emilycarteroutdoors.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/emilycarteroutdoors.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/emilycarteroutdoors.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=175"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/emilycarteroutdoors.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/175\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":182,"href":"https:\/\/emilycarteroutdoors.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/175\/revisions\/182"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/emilycarteroutdoors.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/180"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/emilycarteroutdoors.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=175"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/emilycarteroutdoors.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=175"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/emilycarteroutdoors.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=175"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}