I’ve only hiked twice, and both are due to them being course requirements for my PE subject back in college. It’s also where I picked those things up (thanks to the mountain climbing geeks who volunteered to guide us newbies).

Food, as I remember it correctly, would be things like adobo, or paksiw—food items that don’t spoil easily. Pwede rin ang delata, but the emphasis really is on food that is both compact and non-perishable. I remember one of those volunteers talking about a three-day climb, and being sick and tired of adobo afterwards. And oh, wag magdala ng kanin. Magdala ng bigas—para lutuin sa camp. Alam ko may nagluto rin ng hotdog sa campfire, but at that time, I was dragged into the woods by someone who thought I was also a stoner, lol! (I don’t, but I don’t mind people who do.)

Other kinds of equipment would really depend on the climb being done. Yung sa akin, there wasn’t any special requirement other than a sleeping bag, a camping bag, and suitable footwear. Also, since we’re going through some bushes (dun sa Banahaw trip namin), it was also emphasized that we dress accordingly. Mejo technical climbs na yung kailangan ng ropes, and I don’t think anyone would seriously push a newbie into that. Not only does that expose you to unnecessary danger, it also puts even the most experienced members of the team in jeopardy (the newbs will drag the more experienced ones down, sometimes literally, lol). I think the Daguldol climb was our most “serious” climb, and that’s barely a couple of hours trek to the summit. Yung sa Banahaw, we weren’t allowed to go up the mountain proper, but only trek around the campsite area (IIRC, in a valley between Mt. San Cristobal and Banahaw near a Rizalista settlement). Kasama namin yung isang Rizal class naman, lol~ Same campsite, different itinerary.

Towels, hmm, you know, I think it’s optional. For someone seriously into that “avoid any unnecessary bulk” mentality, it’s unnecessary bulk. So I imagine that kind of person would just “air dry” their body. But yeah, it’s possible to compress towels anyways, it just takes effort. Also, there are those vacuum seal plastics that can seriously compress towels inside a plastic bag. Ofc, once nagamit na, lol, that shit goes into the spare ecobag, I suppose. I say take what you think you need, but not much more, because you’d have to drag all that shit with you up and down the mountain (or the commute, which is frankly the same ordeal to me).

Oh, electronic equipment! Powerbanks are a godsend. And keeping gadgets inside plastic bags when not in use is something that should be kept in mind. Alam ko may mga sealable, waterproof bags for electronic gadgets na binebenta.

But yeah, a lot of these things can be picked up naman as you go on hikes and whatnot.