… Bring a snack for most all hikes and plan on eating it. Water is critical on all hikes, especially in hotter months. It's always better to bring too much water than to bring too little. Bottled water is perfectly fine; but as you get more serious, you might invest in one of the water reservoirs (Camelback is a popular brand) that you wear on your back or are built into backpacks. Speaking of backpacks, if you're a beginner, don't think you have to go out and spend a ton of money on a fancy desig …