
- Extra clothes (Weather dependent)
- GPS w/ extra AA (Independent of phone which I turn off)
- Sunglasses, Tilley hat and sunscreen
- Trail mix
- Camelbak water
- Rain jacket
- Flashlight
- First aid kit
- Water proof matches
- Swiss Champ

In addition to my first aid kit Leo carries:
- ID tags (I need to get him chipped)
- Food and water bowl ( you can get away with one but in Leo's pack it balances weight)
- Full days ration of food
- 8 ounces of water per hour or 3 miles. At minimum i always take two 16 oz bottles again to balance out weight
- Plastic bags for #2
- Extra leash (most places only allow 6 ft leads but an expandable leash can be used as a tie up for a short duration.)
- 6 treats for pit stops
- If you carry a 3 day min first aid kit, the only additional first aid stuff I have found you need is lemon juice for skunks and a rectal thermometer. Unless you really want to share.
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water dish |
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Collapse-able covered food dish |
These are general guidelines for day hikes, even full day hikes. For longer backpacking you need to multiply supplies and get prepared for camping and sleeping arrangements.
There are some additional things I personally need to keep in the car or on me:
- Extra towel for the river that Leo always finds
- A soft seat for the ride back to home-base
- A gallon of water for the ride home
- Gentle leader for controlling the initial excitement. I find I have to pace Leo for the longer hikes (7-18 miles) because he doesn't know how much is coming.
Look out around Wednesday for another blog post about our hikes this weekend.
Happy Tails make Happy Trails.