When preparing your backpack for one of many Scottish hiking tours, people often face the dilemma of wanting to prepare for every eventuality with a very limited amount of backpack space.
Whilst it often pays to take a minimalist approach, ensuring you have enough multi-functional equipment to get you through any weather, any eventuality and in preparation for any scenario, sometimes there are pieces of equipment so useful you cannot leave home without them.
Here are some of the most surprisingly useful hiking accessories.
GPS Smartwatch
Having a GPS map that can roughly triangulate your position can be a lifesaver if you end up lost, and there are many tools out there that can provide this need, from bulky, dedicated but dependable GPS units to offline smartphone apps that allow you to use your phone as a map no matter where you are.
The best middle-ground approach to avoid losing vital smartphone battery life, however, is a GPS smartwatch. Several models exist, which provide accurate GPS, altimeter, compass and topographic maps, as well as the usual sleep tracker and fitness tracker other smartwatches have.
They are lightweight, have longer battery lives and do not require any extra bag space.
Mini Battery Charger
Typically, your phone signal is more useful when you set off and return than during the hike itself, but it is always useful to have an emergency charger on hand if you need your phone or even if you want to take a few pictures without picking up an extra camera bag.
Multi-Tool
When in doubt, a Swiss army knife can help you in a range of situations whilst on a hike, and whilst there are lighter blades out there, a multi-tool can be an essential piece of equipment and save a lot of space.
Aside from the knife itself, most multi-tools have screwdrivers for keeping pieces of equipment together, the tweezers for taking care of splinters or untangling string, and the tool can even be used for sewing together cloth and fixing rips in clothing, although it takes some practice.