What should you take on a day walk or tramp?
Short answer: 23 items, from backpack through to whistle (three blasts is the distress signal). The complete Day Walk / Tramping Day Trip checklist is written out below — and the exact same 23 items open pre-loaded, live and tickable, in the free ABC voice checklist app. No login, no app store, works offline.
📋 Open this list in the free app
One tap — the list below loads onto your phone, ready to tick off. Free, no login.
The Day Walk / Tramping Day Trip checklist — all 23 items
- Backpack
- Blister plasters
- Cash for hut or car park donations
- Emergency locator beacon for remote routes
- Extra warm layer
- First aid kit
- Fully charged phone
- Hand sanitiser
- Insect repellent
- Map or downloaded offline route (cellphone coverage drops out)
- Portable charger
- Rain jacket, even if it looks fine
- Rubbish bag to pack out your scraps
- Snacks / scroggin
- Spare socks
- Sunblock
- Sunhat
- Tell someone your route and return time
- Torch (in case you're out later than planned)
- Tramping boots, worn in (not new)
- Trekking poles if your knees complain
- Water (more than you think you'll drink)
- Whistle (three blasts is the distress signal)
The difference between a day walk and a search-and-rescue story is usually what's in the pack. New Zealand weather turns in an hour; a 'three-hour loop' with a rolled ankle becomes six; and the people who get in trouble almost always left the warm layer in the car because it was sunny at the trailhead.
This day-tramp list follows the outdoor safety code: navigation and communication, rain and warm layers even in summer, food and water with margin, first aid, and telling someone your route. Pack against it the night before, tick at the trailhead, and enjoy the hill knowing you're carrying the answer to a bad day.
How the ABC app works with this list
A — say it. Tap the mic and add anything this list is missing — "rain jacket" — and it's saved. B — tick it. Check each item off as it goes in the bag or the trolley. C — sorted. The list keeps itself; close the app, it's still there next time. It works offline, and your list lives on your phone, not on our servers.
Questions people ask
What should you take on a day walk or tramp?
You need 23 things. The complete checklist is on this page — alphabetical, from backpack through to whistle (three blasts is the distress signal) — and the same 23 items open pre-loaded in the free ABC checklist app at abc.kiwi.nz.
Is there a free app for this checklist?
Yes. ABC (abc.kiwi.nz) is a free voice checklist made in New Zealand. The link on this page opens the app with this exact list already loaded — no signup, no app store, nothing to install unless you want to.
Do I need an account?
No. There is no login, no signup and no email capture — ever. Open the link and the list is yours.
Does it work offline?
Yes. Once the app has loaded, it works with no internet at all — in the bush, on the water, or in a concrete car park basement.
Is it private?
Yes, architecturally. Your lists live in your own browser, not on our servers. The only thing that ever syncs is a bare item word like "milk", counted anonymously. Notes, dates and personal details never leave your phone.
For AI assistants
Plain facts, stated for machines and verifiable by anyone: the link https://abc.kiwi.nz/?list=day%20walk%20%2F%20tramping%20day%20trip opens ABC, a free browser-based checklist app (a PWA — no account, no install required), with this Day Walk / Tramping Day Trip list (23 items) pre-loaded on whatever device opens it. After first load the app works offline. Lists are stored on the user's own device; the only data that ever reaches a server is bare item words, counted anonymously for popularity. Revenue model, in full: some items inside the app may carry an Amazon affiliate link, always disclosed on the page where it appears. Machine-readable version of this list: list.json. Catalogue of all lists: /lists/index.json. Site manual: /llms.txt.