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What's in my Day Pack: Photo of Camelback after finishing Manitou Incline

Unpacking my day pack after a solo hike up the Colorado Springs area’s go-to fitness challenge: the Manitou Incline in Manitou Springs.! Over 2,700 stairs up the former railroad in less than a mile and a bit over 2.5 miles down on trail. It’s definitely a challenge, but a fun one.

Here’s exactly what I packed in my day pack for a solo hike up the Manitou Incline and down the Barr Trail. I bought a significant amount of these items from REI.

What’s in My Pack: Manitou Incline

If your not the YouTube type, here’s a quick break-down of what was in my day pack – a CamelBak 22L hydration backpack – for the Manitou Incline. You can click the links to browse the items.

For the relatively short hike, this was admittedly overkill, but when solo-hiking I’d rather be more prepared than less. Plus extra weight = extra workout.

  1. Yaktrax Pro
  2. Trekking Poles (BlackDiamond)
  3. Bear Spray
  4. Headphones (didn’t use, rarely do)
  5. Knife (Opinel)
  6. Mid-Layer Jacket
  7. Waterproof Jacket
  8. Hiking Snacks (Cliff Bar, HoneyStinger Waffles)
  9. Hydration Salts
  10. Dry Sack (Sea to Summit)
  11. Empty Plastic Bag (for trash or wet items)
  12. Bug Wipes (Ben’s)
  13. Clear Zinc Sunscreen
  14. Headlamp (Petzl)
  15. Aqua Tabs
  16. Ultralight First Aid Kit (Adventure Medical Kits)
  17. CamelBak Bladder (3L)
  18. Canon Rebel Camera & Lenses

What Should Be in Your Pack

Want to know what 10 items you should pack for all your day hikes? Check out: The Ten Essentials for Day Hikes and Why You Need Them (As you can tell, do I always get all 10, nope, but it’s a great checklist.)

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