You will realize that you don’t have to spend a lot of money to put your hiking gear together and more importantly you do not have to go to specialized hiking supplies stores which are not very popular in Sri Lanka

What to wear

The most effective we have found is a pair of cargo pants (longs) and a t-shirt. Newer wear shorts for a hike. Trails through forests always pose the challenge of thick undergrowth. Wearing shorts is a sure way of getting a countless number of painful scratches. Even though the possibility of a snake bite during a hike is extremely low, wearing a thick cargo pant will reduce the damage significantly even if the unexpected happens.

Always remember to wear something dark (preferably dark green) so that you will blend with the surrounding and will not scare-off animals and birds. Wearing dark color clothing dramatically increase the chance of observing wild-life by avoiding you beign spotted by them before you spot them.

Shoes

Choose a pair of light-weight, leather or canvas shoes. Make sure that what ever you buy has a thick rubber sole. This is to provide the required grip when walking on wet rocks in streams and waterfalls. A sure way to check whether the sole has a good grip is to compare it with a pair of bath-room slippers.

A pair of hiking boots will be better, again for additional protection against the rear possibility of a snake bit, but this is not essential. Note that, loose work boots are not suitable for long walks.

Leech socks

One of the main things that keep people away from tropical rain forests is the presence of leeches. The common answer to leeches is to use a repellent. Soap, Dettol and Salt are the most popular.

Though most people are not aware, wearing leech socks is the perfect answer to this problem. We have used those for years and they are 100% effective.

How to make a pair of Leech Socks?

Get hold of a pair of old cotton trousers. Cut the two legs pieces, about 2 feet long from the bottom. Stitch the wide end and put an elastic band or a code around the narrower end. Wear your regular socks, then wear a cotton trouser and put on the leach sock over regular sock and the cotton trouser. Tie up the code or elastic band.

Wear you shoes or boots over this setup. The magic is that leaches cannot penetrate cotton (they can easily penetrate regular socks!). They will still get on to your shoe, may go in your boots and may even try to crawl up along your trouser from out side. But they can’t bite you! It’s also important to wear a t-shirt tucked in to the trouser and wear a belt juts to make sure that the brave ones walking up will not get a chance to move in.

Swiss Army knife

A simple muti-tool such as a Swiss-army knife is a helpful thing to carry. I have used mine for everything from cutting bread and cheese to repairing my jeep! Remember to buy a good brand like “Victorinox ®”. They are reliable and extremely durable. They may cost more than a cheap product but will last much longer and will be at service when ever needed. The last thing you want is to find out that the only tool you have is broken or has gone blunt when you need it in the middle of no where

Basic compass

You might ask “Who need a compass in the day and the age of satellite based navigation”. Remember no GPS can replace the good old magnetic compass!

A GPS is unarguably a more convenient navigation tool and it’s extremely accurate and reliable. But it has two major flaws. First it’s batteries have a finite life. Second, in thick jungle they some times tend to lose satellite lock and become completely useless! So never venture in to forest without a basic basic map reading compass (like “Silva 1-2-3 ®” ). When everything fails and you get really lost, the compass will help you to walk in one direction without circling which will gurantee that you will come in contact with civilization fast.

Compass Compatibility (Magnetic Inclination effect)

(Contributed by Priyanjan in the thread Purchasing A Magnetic Compass for use in Sri Lanka on Lakdasun Forum)

When purchasing a compass check if it is one that is meant to be used in Sri Lanka. Hold the compass level and see if the needle is completely horizontal even when it rotates. If one end of the compass needle always dips (slopes downwards) it is not meant to be used in this part of the world. Also, see if the letters ‘ME’ are engraved on the compass (usually on the base plate of the compass). If it is any other letters (ie. MN, NME, SME, MS), that have been engraved, then, it is one that is not meant to be used in Sri Lanka

A torch or a head lamp

While it is true that most hikes are planed for the day-light hours, we have no control over the sun going down once in every 12 hours! value of a head lamp will be realised the day you have to find your way back in thick darkness through the forest!

A torch for hiking should be light-weight, compact and reliable. A head lamp will have the added advantage of leaving both hands free as you wear it on your fore-head. Over the years I have used a Maglite Mini ® which was very reliable and bright. Always use alkaline batteries in these devices as they do not damage your equipment even if stored with batteries for a long time.

The Energizer ® head lamps widely available in most of the super markets in Sri Lanka are aslo perfect for this purpose.

Water bottle

1000ml of water should always be carried with you and remember to top-up the bottle from every water source you come across because the stream you are crossing right now may be the last water source until you reach the same stream on your way back!

First-aid

Take the following packed in to a small air-tight plastic box

1. Panedol – A type of Paracetamol
2. Siddhalepa (a popular ayurvedic pain relief balm)
3. Detol
4. Plasters
5. Cotton wool
6. Crape band aid
7. A pair of scissors and a sharp blade if you do not have a swiss-army knife with you