What do you take hiking with you?

For the first time in my life, I hiked for 3 weeks. Through the beautiful coastal and island landscape of Estonia. I asked myself beforehand: What do I really need? Beforehand, I read an English e-book about hiking light and took some inspiration from it. One sentence stuck with me: >>We carry our fear in our luggage.<<

In other words, with what we take with us, we try to protect ourselves from situations that we fear. That can make sense. Some scenarios, such as rain, are quite likely. But it can also be unnecessary. With hindsight, I'm smarter now and know more about what I would have needed and what I wouldn't have needed. I'll write down my list for you. Maybe it will inspire you too.

The temperatures were between 17 and 25 degrees. And it was summer and harvest time.

In the end, I only hiked for about 12 days, I was on three islands, some of which I explored by bike.

–Clothing–

All my clothes, apart from the bikini, were in the colours blue, black and grey so that I could combine them well.

2 pairs of barefoot shoes (1 pair would have been enough, but having the second pair with me gave me peace of mind)
Hiking trousers - really good, water-repellent trousers. They were very comfortable, a little tight at first, but then got wider day by day.
Sports jacket. Wind-repellent and warm. It was good for hiking in cooler temperatures and also for cycling. At night it served as an additional warming layer.
Rain poncho. I never needed it when it rained, as it was always dry during the day apart from one rain shower in Tallinn. Good additional underlay at night
1 thin, warm woollen jumper. It was perfect. I wore it almost every day
3 pairs of pants (2 would have been enough. You can wash them in the evening and hang them on the rucksack with a carabiner)
3 undershirts/tops (2 would have been enough)
2 bras (a quick-drying one would have sufficed)
2 bandanas (1 would have been enough)
2 pairs of hiking socks (80% the time I wore the better padded ones)
2 pairs of thin socks for the evening (1 would have been enough)

1 light bikini (super)
1 Sun and wind hat - my constant companion
1 pair of sunglasses (rarely used, the hat was usually enough)
2 T-shirts (1 would have been enough)
2 long-sleeved shirts. For sleeping and when it's cold during the day (1 would have been enough)
2 pairs of shorts (1 would have been enough, I almost always wore the long hiking trousers)
1 light summer dress - that was great. On cold nights I also put it on over leggings + shirt for extra warmth
3 cloths - 1 quick-drying as wind protection, underlay, towel... one cosy, one for chic ... 2 would have been fine, but I thought it was nice to have a choice
2 pairs of thin socks for the evening (1 would have been enough)
1 light bikini (super)
1 Sun and wind hat - my constant companion
1 pair of sunglasses (rarely used, the hat was usually enough)
1 merino T-shirt especially for hiking. I wore it 90% of the time, washed it once in between

–Toiletry bag–

Painkillers (not necessary, once I picked meadowsweet, the plant from which aspirin used to be made, for mild pain)
Throat lozenges (not used)
Emser pastilles (stomach, mild sore throat, soothing) great!
Seawater nasal spray (helpful)
Food supplements: vitamin B (nerves), Q10 (energy), omega 3 & astraxanthin (sun protection for the skin from the inside), magnesium (nerves & muscles), tryptophan (hair + good sleep)
Nail file: Accidentally took two. Used from time to time
Mini water filter: I didn't use it, the water quality was good everywhere
Mini massage roller: Only very rarely used
Hair tonic: Because I didn't want to take hair dye with me: Hair tonic that activates pigments in the hair, grey pigments are slowed down. It worked surprisingly well

–Food–

Protein powder 200 grams. I had it with my yoghurt in the morning. 100 or 150 grams would have been enough
Instant coffee with milk in sachets. A guest had once left them at my place. It wasn't very ecological, but it was practical
Tea bags
Meat stock (powder)
Dextrose (not necessary, I found dried fruit better)

Bought on the way

Dried meat
Dried fish
Salami (moose!!!)
Dried bananas and coconut chips
Yoghurt
Milk or cream

There was a lot of ripe fruit along the way: apples, pears, plums, blackberries, blueberries, bilberries, rowanberries (edible!), raspberries. I often spent the whole day eating from the wild and bought something to eat once a day.

–Miscellaneous–

1 small pocket knife: Really mini. But sharp. Was enough
A spork: a combination of fork and spoon
Bitekick: A small, mechanical gun that heals mosquito bites quickly
Cord: thin (used) and thick (not used)
Clothes pegs: Not necessary
3 coloured pencils for drawing, 4 ballpoint pens. Ok. That was a bit much, but one pen stopped writing after just 2 days and I lost another one
Charging cable and charging plug: one fast charger and one normal, because it's better for the battery. Towards the end of the journey, one cable got caught in the spokes of my bike, so I was glad I had two with me
Powerbank with solar function. It was too big and heavy, I only needed it once. I would take a lighter one with me in future
Sewing kit. That was super helpful
Good earplugs (great) and easy replacement (not necessary)
Adhesive (not necessary)
Insulating tape - used for 1001 things. It's more flexible than Tesa
Mini mascara - used twice. Rather unnecessary
Safety pins (super)
Mini carabiner, e.g. for drying clothes on the outside of your rucksack
Diary/booklet DinA6)
Drawing book DinA5)
Waist bag
Mini bag (A6) - for water bottle, snacks, map, notebook, if I didn't want to carry the whole rucksack with me when cycling, for example!
5 hair ties (3 are missing)

–Added on the way–

1 thin fleece blanket (great - gave extra warmth at night!)
1 blouse: blouse sewn by an Estonian woman - too beautiful not to buy
Wool and knitting needles: To knit shoe insoles. I didn't need them after all
Sheepskin soles. They were worth their weight in gold for blisters on my feet
Sheepskin piece - great for sitting on, as an additional source of warmth
Lighter: Not needed, I gave it away in the end
Nail scissors. Needed for everything
Plastic bowl: Mainly used for yoghurt + protein powder in the morning
20 chocolates: A gift from an Estonian woman on the first day: every day after cycling or hiking we had one

–What I would take with me next time–

Blue light filter glasses: I sleep better when there is no artificial light in my eyes in the evening
Flip-flops (maybe). They would have been helpful from time to time in the evening. But it also worked without

Summary:

I could perhaps have saved 500 grams of luggage, but I'm quite happy with my planning for my first hiking trip!