Backpacking, hiking and adventure comes with inherent risks. Experience helps to mitigate these risks, but sometimes accidents happen! That’s why it’s important to plan for things going sideways. Thankfully there are a ton of products these days that can really assist you in getting out of a jam.
Today I’d like to share about the best safety gear of 2024. When I think of what makes the best safety gear, I am looking for ease of use, packability and versatility. The best safety gear comes in clutch no matter how you love to explore. Whether that’s backpacking or biking or climbing. Or something else entirely!
Here at Backpackers we’ve got gear testers who enjoy every type of type II fun and I’ve picked their brains to round out this round up. So pull up a seat and prepare to safety up!
Keep scrolling to check out the best safety gear of 2024!
Garmin inReach Mini 2
Ask any adventurer what the most important piece of outdoor safety gear is and they will likely tell you about the Garmin inReach Mini 2. This little device has become the gold standard for backcountry safety across the board. Weighing in at 3.5 ounces means it isn’t a burden to haul in. And of course it’s super easy to use, as it connects with your phone.
Featuring global 2-way communication, tracking and interactive SOS capabilities, the Garmin inReach Mini 2 is worth dropping some coin on. Think of it as an insurance policy to get yourself out of the worst kind of emergencies. You can also use it to text with loved ones and get weather reports. This is one of those products that has a lot of great features that come in handy. Its greatest feature is the SOS button, which you will hopefully never have to use.
Black Diamond Spot 400-R Rechargeable Headlamp
A solid headlamp is a bit of a no-brainer when it comes to overnight adventures. But I am going to recommend that you bring a headlamp on all your adventures. And the Black Diamond Spot 400-R Rechargeable Headlamp is a great pick to keep you safe. No one expects their dayhike to turn into an overnight, but it does happen. And if it happens to you, holy smokes will you be happy to have a light source when the sun goes down.
Black Diamond’s Spot 400-R Rechargeable Headlamp has a 400 lumen beam at its highest setting. I like this headlamp due to its weight to battery life ratio. It weighs 2.6 ounces and the battery life averages 4 hours on high; 8 hours on medium; 225 hours on low. It’s also fully submersible and dust-proof.
See the Black Diamond Spot 400-R Rechargeable Headlamp
Midland ER310 E+READY Emergency Crank Weather Radio
This is a piece of safety gear that a lot of our gear reviewers keep in their car or use from a basecamp. It’s Midland’s ER310 E+READY Emergency Crank Weather Radio. This nifty gadget sends weather alerts when emergency warnings are issued by official emergency management personnel in your local area. It also has AM/FM radio and a built-in flashlight with SOS and strobe functions to signal for help in an emergency.
Charging options for this emergency radio are plentiful! It has a rechargeable lithium ion battery, can take AA batteries, solar charges and charges via hand crank. These charging options make it extremely reliable in the backcountry. You don’t need a power bank to keep it working. Speaking of power banks, you can also use this device as a power bank to charge up your phone through a USB plug!
See the Midland ER310 E+READY Emergency Crank Weather Radio
Sawyer Permethrin Pump Spray
Bugs can destroy an epic adventure fast. Biting bugs also cause a lot of sickness and death around the world. There are a handful of good products to help keep bugs at bay, but our favorite at Backpackers is Sawyer’s Permethrin Pump Spray. This is a pre-treatment for gear and clothing that’s an insect killing repellent. It’s effective against ticks, chiggers, mites and mosquitoes for up to 6 weeks.
One pump bottle contains 24 fl. oz. of repellent, which is enough to coat four full outfits. You can also use this on your backpacks, tents and other outdoor gear as long as its made of synthetic fabric. This is a product thru-hikers swear by as it is so long lasting. I should also mention that you don’t want to get this on your skin. It’s meant to be applied to clothing and gear outside, and then left to dry before use!
See the Sawyer Permethrin Pump Spray
HART Outdoor Weekend First-Aid Kit
A nice first aid kit is worth its weight in gold. HART Outdoor’s Weekend First-Aid Kit is a great one and it’s perfect for a solid couple days out in the wilderness on a two person trip. It comes complete with most everything you might need in case of an injury, including a little book about how to use the kit and treat injuries.
It packs up quite small and weighs in at 9.5 ounces. Clear, labeled pockets and elastic loops make it easy to quickly find what you need. Medications, wound cleansers and topical relief products are packaged in single-dose packages with full drug facts on the labels. There is also a handy list of expiration dates, so you know when to replace individual items in the kit.
See the HART Outdoor Weekend First-Aid Kit
SOL Emergency Bivvy With Rescue Whistle & Tinder Cord
This piece of safety gear is one I truly hope none of you need to put into use! But if you find yourself in a situation where you’d need to, you will be grateful to have it! I’m talking about the SOL Emergency Bivvy. The one I’m recommending also comes with a rescue whistle and tinder cord. This bivvy works as a sleeping bag, blanket or emergency shelter to help keep yourself warm. It weighs in at 3.8 ounces and packs down to the size of a soda can.
It’s safety orange color gives some good high visibility and the SOL Emergency Bivvy is waterproof and windproof with capabilities to reflect up to 90% of your body heat. The whistle it comes with is a great way to get noticed in the wild and the tinder cord is a surefire way to get a fire going if necessary.
See the SOL Emergency Bivvy With Rescue Whistle & Tinder Cord
Sawyer Mini Water Filter
Water is life, so it’s incredibly important to make sure you always have clean water available. One of the most trusted lightweight water filters is the Mini Water Filter from Sawyer. At 2 ounces this is one of the lightest, most compact filters available and you can use it to drink straight from a stream. It filters quickly and can attach to many water bottles on the market and hydration hoses.
Its 0.1-micron filter physically removes 99.99% of all bacteria, like as salmonella, cholera and E.coli. It removes 99.99% of all protozoa, such as giardia and cryptosporidia. It comes with a syringe to backflush the filter to maintain a high flow rate. Even if you already have a water filtration system that you love, this is lightweight and small enough to carry in your backpack as a back up water filter.
See the Sawyer Mini Water Filter
Counter Assault Bear Spray With Holster
Dangerous wildlife encounters are rare, but it’s good to be prepared for them. Especially when you find yourself in grizzly country! Counter Assault’s Bear Spray was developed in conjunction with the University of Montana and contains 2% capsaicin and related capsaicinoids. This is the maximum allowed by law! This bear spray is the recipient of the IGBC Stewardship Award for Research and Development of Bear Pepper Spray.
This bear spray has an optimal combination of spray time and spray distance that works with all bear species to deter attacks on humans. Do note that it cannot be carried on or checked on a commercial airplane. I also recommend checking out some YouTube videos on how to use this product!
See the Counter Assault Bear Spray With Holster
BioLite Charge 40 PD Power Bank
Basically all of us are carrying electronics into the backcountry these days. So having a way to keep them juiced up is important. A good power bank is key here. BioLite’s Charge 40 PD Power Bank is a reliable way to keep all your gear charged up. I like this power bank because it can be charged up with solar. And its 37 watt hours are perfect for a 3-4 day trip.
At 9.4 ounces, this power bank falls into the lightweight zone. I find that it can charge up my iPhone from zero to 100 in about 2.5 hours. The Charge 40 PD’s exterior is coated in a non-slip rubber, which makes it resilient to drops and bangs. It’s also nice for sitting it on wet rocks or other slippery surfaces. This is a piece of safety gear that you’ll use so much that it doesn’t even feel like safety gear. But having some extra power on hand certainly does qualify as a tool to stay safe!
See the BioLite Charge 40 PD Power Bank
BearVault BV450 Jaunt Bear Canister
Being fueled right keeps you safe on adventures; fuel is energy and energy is what keeps you going! So keeping your food safely stashed is key. And in some places, it’s required. BearVault is the most reliable name in the game when it comes to locking up food and other scented items like hygiene gear. Their BV 450 Jaunt Bear Canister is the right size for 4 days solo or a weekend for two. It weighs over two pounds, but trust me, it’s worth it!
This BearVault model has approval from both the Sierra Interagency Black Bear Group and Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee. It also doubles as a stool to sit on when you’re chilling at camp. This canister is not scent proof, so you’ll want to stash it far from your camp at night. But rest easy knowing bears cannot get into it. On a camping trip years ago I used this canister and got to see it put to the test. I woke up in the morning and wandered to where I had stashed it, only to find it gone. After some searching, I found it about 50 yards away. Bear bites and scratches covered it and you could tell the bear put up a good fight to break it open. But alas, the bear could not get in. These things truly work!
See the BearVault BV450 Jaunt Bear Canister
All images courtesy REI, All Rights Reserved.
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