Family Hiking Essentials for a Safe Day on the Trails #DollarGeneral

This post brought to you by Dollar General. All opinions are 100% mine.

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Hiking is one of my favorite family fitness activities. As a kid, I spent hours roaming the woods in my development. When I was a teenager, we moved to the suburbs. While we had trees, we didn’t have the thick forests that I was used to. That’s when I discovered a love of hiking.

I live in the Pocono Mountains of PA, right along the Appalachian Trail. We have a plethora of amazing hiking locations. Now that I’m older (I’ll be 39 next month!), I have some back problems that make hiking a bit more of a challenge. I have to stick to gentle terrain. Still, I love taking my son to the nearest trails and getting up close to nature with him!

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Being prepared when you’re hiking is a must! I learned that the hard way when I was hiking in Japan. A short walk turned into three hours without water. NOT smart! To prepare for this summer’s fun, I headed to Dollar General. I found all my family hiking essentials there!

Family Hiking Essential from Dollar General

I love how Dollar General not only has everything I need for family hiking, but also gives me new ideas. While I had a general idea of the things I wanted to get, I always take the time to browse the store. You never know where inspiration with strike. Take a look at my must-have family hiking essentials.

  • Protection from bugs: Nothing ruins a good hike faster than being swarmed by mosquitoes, so bug protection is a must. While I also grabbed some regular bug spray, I also found some great Cutter wipes at Dollar General. They’re just the right size for stashing in your emergency bag.
  • Itch Relief: Sometimes you miss a spot with your bug protection and still end up with an itchy bump. Dollar General has everything from cortisone creams to cool little itch relief patches. My son LOVES those things!
  • Flashlight and batteries: Even if you’re planning to be back long before dark, you still need to take these along just in case. Dollar General has some very inexpensive, lightweight flashlights that come with batteries.
  • Garbage Bags: It may sound silly, but garbage bags are one of the handiest things to have along on your hike. My biggest reason for taking them is rain. If you get caught in an unexpected downpour, they make great emergency raincoats. Just cut (or even tear) a hole in them for the head and cover up. You can cut arm holes in it too if you want.
  • Band-Aids: These are pretty self-explanatory. Someone inevitably trips and gets a scrape on our hikes. Usually it’s me! I’m not exactly the most graceful person in the family.
  • Pain Relieving Cream: Like I said, I have back problems. If it gets too bad, I apply some Icy Cold Analgesic gel. This lets me keep hiking while getting relief.
  • Snacks and water: You can find all sorts of great snacks, as well as water at Dollar General. While I was browsing, I saw this really cool Ninja Turtle snack/beverage combo. It’s perfect for stashing some energizing cereal or trail mix along with refreshing water. It can even attach to your child’s backpack or belt!

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Whether you’re looking for family hiking essentials, planning some fun summer crafts or just need some basic household supplies, Dollar General is the affordable place to get it all. Take my advice: do a little browsing while you’re picking up items on your list. You may find something awesome that you didn’t even know existed!

What are your must-have family hiking essentials? Have you shopped Dollar General lately?

 

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15 thoughts on “Family Hiking Essentials for a Safe Day on the Trails #DollarGeneral”

  1. I’ve never thought about bringing garbage bags. What a lightweight, inexpensive, clever idea to deal with rain

  2. These are really smart picks! Garbage bags are a great idea – not only for emergency ponchos, but it always seems like you end up with trash when you’re on the road (Especially with snacks)!

  3. I’m not sure if we have a Dollar General here! We love going on hikes (little ones) with the grandkids. We have to make sure we have plenty to drink and lots of snacks as well as bandaids

  4. I wonder if we have a Dollar General around here? I’ll have to check. These are great items to keep in the car too in case of an emergency. We love to hike, but safety comes first.

  5. Kelly Hutchinson

    What a great list of items to bring when you go hiking. I always forget to bring bug spray! I love our Dollar General! It is nearby and always has what I need at a good price.

  6. Dollar General is one of only 2 stores in my tiny town, so I go there a lot! Their prices are very reasonable, and I am always surprised I at the wide variety of products they have, which I love because it frequently saves me a drive into a bigger town.

  7. I love Dollar General. I end up spending an hour in there looking around and finding more things I “need” :)

    I didn’t realize you lived in PA, Nicole! I live in Montgomery County, and my parents have a cabin near Lake wallenpaupack!

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