Just to reiterate: ALREADY READ THE STICKY. My apologies if I am breaking unspoken board protocol and rules by making this thread, regardless. Inform me that I have done such and I will promptly evacuate myself from the premises.

There are some good sized hills around where I live - Nothing too crazy, all of them under 1,000 feet, and 15 miles or less, so I figured they would be suitable for trying out hiking/backpacking for the first time.

I figure there's more to these trails than just getting on them in my every day casual wear and going off. For someone who just wants to give hiking a shot, and doesn't want to throw down $100/$200+ on hiking equipment just yet, what are the basics I'll need to go on a 400-800 foot high, 8-15 mile trail?

What kind of clothes, how much water, what kind of snacks, what kind of boots, any other miscellaneous equipment I need? First-aid kits, flashlights (I plan on going at day, but who knows?), Swiss army knives, etc. etc.? Part of me wants to turn this into a fitness thing, so I'm entirely willing to pack a backpack full of completely useless shit just to give me more weight to lug around.

For reference, the trails in question are in the North Bay Area of California.

Thanks for any and all responses in advance. Again, apologies if I've violated board culture with this thread.