6 Cool Gadgets You'll Want To Bring On Your Next Day Hike

When you're browsing hiking equipment, you'll typically find items like small camping stoves and solar panels to bring along with you. However, for a day hike, you tend to not need all that heavy overnight or meal-prep equipment. The average day hike can take anywhere from an hour to 10 hours, depending on your desire and ability. With that amount of time, you'll likely only need a smaller hiking bag with plenty of water and a few smaller gadgets to help tackle the trail.

With that being said, a select few items may make hiking easier. As attested by high ratings and reviews from customers as well as our own experience with hiking products, here are six cool gadgets you'll want to pack with you for a hiking day trip. The methodology we used to select these items will be explained in more detail at the bottom of the article.

Take it from someone who enjoys hiking and bringing along their camera equipment — it's hard to handle a camera on a tripod and trekking poles at the same time. Sometimes, it forces people to have to choose the camera over the poles, but trekking poles serve a safety purpose on a hike. Luckily, Cascade Mountain Tech has created trekking poles with accessory mounts for that purpose. It comes with a built-in DSLR universal camera mount as well as a smartphone mount and a shooting mount. All you have to do is remove the cap and screw in the camera or mount of your choice. Once in place, you can use the trekking poles for their intended purpose and always have your camera ready for action.

These poles are made of lightweight carbon fiber shafts and a cork upper grip. They have a height range of 28.5-60 inches. They also come with snow baskets, sand/mud baskets, rubber boot tips, a trekking pole clip, and a carry bag, so you'll be ready for any terrain. They have a 4.6 out of five-star rating from over 200 happy customers.

Whether you enjoy bird and animal watching or simply want to be able to see the cool rock features in the distance, having some type of binoculars on you is a good idea. However, they tend to run a bit bulky and heavy, which is why a monocular would be better suited if you're looking for minimal space usage and lightweight. With a 4.5 out of five-star rating from 79 reviewers on Amazon, plus a five-star rating from 410 reviews on Nocs official website, the Nocs Provisions Zoom Tube 8x32 Monocular is a great one-handed option to see the far-away things on your hike.

These scratch-proof and water-resistant monoculars have a wide field of view of 384 ft at 1000 yds. Additionally, there is a twisted-up eyecup, which is compatible with glasses. However, if you want to do more with your monoculars, Nocs also sells an inspector microscope accessory that attaches to the front of the monocular, so you can inspect smaller items like bugs and flowers. This gadget even comes with a No-Matter What Lifetime Warranty, so you know the company is confident in its products.

Many people bring multitools for hiking adventures, but sometimes you may need a bit more cutting power than a tiny two-inch saw can offer. There are instances that you could come across brush that needs to be cut down and the occasional limbs that have covered the hiking trails. That is when the Silky Professional Series PocketBoy Curved Blade Folding Saw would come in handy. Keep in mind that it is a hand-powered tool, meaning you'll need to put your own strength into each cut, but the curved blade style along with the pull-cut technology helps to cut through limbs 15-20% faster than a traditional straight blade.

This is a mini saw, so the blade length is only five inches with 6.8 teeth per inch. However, it is foldable and has a carry case, so it won't cut through your hiking bag. It comes with a 4.8 out of five-star rating and according to Amazon, it has fewer returns than the average rate throughout the company. That means when customers buy this item, they usually keep it.

There are many types of smart water bottles on the market, but while hiking, you want one that can filter water for you. The GRAYL GeoPress 24oz Water Purifier Bottle is a cool multi-level concept. It's set up into two separate pieces. The first is the tubular container that you will fill up with water, whether it be from a hose, creek, or river. The second piece has the filter attached to the bottom of it with the screw-off lid on top. All you have to do is push the filter piece down into the tube and as water rushes through the filter, it will fill up the inside of the bottle ready for you to drink. According to the company, it takes eight seconds for the filter to work through a whole bottle.

This bottle can hold up to 24 ounces of filtered water and comes in many colors, so there's an option for everyone. Just be aware that the filter will need to be replaced after 350 cycles. It does come with a 4.7 out of five-star rating from over 2,800 reviewers. Most people were happy with it. However, according to one reviewer, the bottle does come with its quirks. They stated that you will need to unscrew the top a bit or else the water will spill out of the sides. Additionally, they did find it a bit difficult to press down, but the water tasted filtered and the design is simple.

Especially if you are bringing other high-tech hiking accessories up in the mountain with you like a mobile GPS device, you're going to want to bring a backup power supply to make sure everything stays charged. With a 4.5 out of five-star rating from over 1,700 customers, the GOODaaa 36000mAh Power Bank is a cool option considering it can use solar to charge itself while you charge your devices. There are also four built-in output cables, a USB-C, a Micro USB, and a Lightening Cable, so you don't have to remember something else that you have to bring. Additionally, there is a wireless charging option, plug-in availability for Micro-USB, USB-C, and USB-A, and another built-in USB-A input cable as another option to charge up the device. In other words, you can use these portable charges to charge your devices any way you see fit.

This power bank charges at 36000 mAh, which is fairly quick. Additionally, you'll find many other power banks at Walmart and Best Buy tends to only have 10000 mAh at that price, so you're getting more charge for money. There is also a flashlight built into the device that would be great for emergencies while hiking. However, the company does not state how many Lumens the light is — though, it does say that the flashlight can last over 100 hours on a full charge.

Hiking can be a strenuous activity, but with plenty of water, electrolytes, and a way to stay cool, you can beat the heat while still climbing to your destination. With a 4.5 out of five-star rating from over 5,800 reviewers and a personal recommendation, the BOGI 40in x 12 in Cooling Towel is an affordable alternative to constantly throwing water on your head to keep yourself from overheating. At 40 by 12 inches, it's plenty long enough to let it hang around your neck without falling off or have it draped over your head with a hat on top of it. You can also wear it around your wrist or other pressure points to help regulate your body temperature.

From personal experience with this towel, after thoroughly soaking it and shaking the excess water out, it was able to stay cold for approximately half an hour in the hot Arizona sun. Additionally, having it lying around the neck and over the shoulders kept the rest of the body from heating and sweating. Even more, the towel comes in a small portable container that can easily hook onto your hiking bag, so it won't have to take up the minimal space you have inside.

Each of the accessories listed in this article has proven to be useful during day hikes and even overnight backpacking and camping trips. The products listed in this article all have at least a 4.5 out of five-star rating from reviewers who have bought and actively used the items while hiking or during other outdoor activities. Additionally, each gadget is under the price of $100 — three out of six being under $50 — so they can all be considered both reliable and relatively affordable.

However, we do recommend you do additional research to ensure that the gadgets will work for your type of hiking. For example, even though they are highly rated, you may not enjoy holding on to trekking poles with cork handles. In that case, you may want to consider a different style pole or invest in hiking gloves to protect your hands from the handle material and the sun.