South Shore TrailsTrail Essentials: What to Pack for a South Shore Hike
Getting outside is one of the easiest ways to feel better — but it helps to be prepared while you’re at it. We’ve pulled together the things we think you need to hit the trails this season, and every season after. None of it is expensive or complicated; it’s just the stuff that quietly makes a hike go smoother.
1. A Light Backpack or Fanny Pack
Start here. You need somewhere to put your things that isn’t your pockets — especially if you’re hiking with kids, where “just carry it” stops working fast. A small pack keeps your hands free and everything else on this list organized in one place.
Shop lightweight hiking packs / fanny packs
2. Bug Spray
Bug spray has come a long way — it no longer means walking around in a sticky, chemical-smelling cloud. This matters more on the South Shore than in a lot of places: Massachusetts is consistently one of the highest-risk states in the country for Lyme disease, and deer ticks are active anytime it’s above freezing, not just in summer. For a deeper dive on tick prevention and what to do if you find one, see our tick safety guide.
Shop EPA-registered insect repellent
3. Phone Charger + Cord
There’s no excuse for your phone dying on trail — and a charged phone is one of the simplest safety tools you have with you. A small portable charger and a compact retractable cord take up almost no space in a pack but solve a real problem if you’re out longer than planned, exploring a new geocaching cluster, or just stopped to take one too many photos.
Shop portable phone chargers · Shop retractable charging cords
4. Bandaids
Little cuts and blisters have a way of derailing an otherwise great hike. A handful of bandaids in your pack takes the sting out of it — literally — and weighs nothing.
5. Binoculars
South Shore trails run through some genuinely good birding habitat — marsh, coastline, and woodland all within a short drive of most towns. A pair of binoculars turns an ordinary walk into something closer to birdwatching without any extra planning. There’s a wide price range, so it’s easy to find something for your budget — a lower-cost pair for the kids and a nicer one for yourself is a popular combo. For more on getting started, see our birdwatching guide.
6. Sunglasses
Your eye doctor would back us up here — sunglasses are a necessity, not an accessory, especially on the more exposed, open-field and coastal South Shore trails. You don’t have to spend much: plenty of polarized options run well under $25, for adults and kids alike.
7. A Trail Guidebook
Your smartphone is great, but there’s a limit to how far “small bird with red” as a search query will get you. A field guide — birds, trees, fish, bugs, whatever matches your interest — is a nice low-tech backup for those questions, especially in spots with spotty cell signal.
8. A Water Bottle
Hydration matters for everyone in the family, and it matters more than people expect — feeling suddenly tired or cranky on trail is very often dehydration rather than actual fatigue. A collapsible bottle is a nice space-saving option since it shrinks as you drink, but any water bottle beats no water bottle.
9. Small Snacks
We never leave home without snacks, and we’d suggest you do the same. There’s a lot more out there than the standard trail mix — see our full trail snacks guide for a full breakdown by category.
10. Weather-Appropriate Layers
Not on the original list, but worth adding: South Shore weather shifts fast, especially near the coast. A packable rain layer and an extra warm layer take up little space and save a hike that would otherwise get cut short by weather. If you’re heading out in hunting season, this is also where blaze orange belongs — see our hunting season safety guide for specifics.
Links above go to Amazon search results rather than single specific products, so you can compare current options, sellers, and reviews yourself before buying.
South Shore Trails covers hiking and paddling destinations across 20+ towns on Massachusetts’ South Shore. Browse our full trail directory to plan your next outing.