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Seriously depends I guess, preparation for an outing is totally dependent on what you'll be doing and what the conditions are like.
>Adequate clothing
Don't need a winter jacket on a summer day, or a rain jacket when there's not a cloud and been bone dry
>Food?
Will you need it? I usually grab a bite before I leave so what ever I have can be conserved. Enough for about 1.5x the journey
>Gear?
It's a day hike, which can mean 1 of 2 things. A- It's ALL day, you'll be /out/
B- It's a portion of the day, or a few hours
If it's A, then I stack up a little more. Extra clothing is possible if it's cold, compass and perhaps a map (Depending on the navigational situation) A knife is handy to have around, but not 3.... A flash light is a must because you can't promise you'll be back before dark. Usually a small first aid provision.
>Water?
Don't be a fucking idiot, always bring water
Basically, pack in what you need, leave everything else behind. Sure, you can bring a fuck huge pack of all the most expensive gear on earth, but at some point you may as well just bring a TV and a generator also.
Go out and figure what you'll need. First time you'll probably bring too much shit, but that's alright, better safe than sorry. From then on, you'll be able to judge how much you'll need.
My first time on a "big" hike? Brought a full regular sized back pack because I was told we might camp. Turned out to be a 12 mile hike with several thousand feet of elevation change. Every time helps you learn.
