To Make Much of Time's Ultimate Guide to Hiking Gear

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We both grew up enjoying the outdoors and hiking and have continued that love in the decades we’ve been together. Over the years, we have gotten smarter about what gear makes our hiking more enjoyable and all of the recommendations below are actual gear we use and enjoy. Our guide is geared toward day hikers, not backpackers.

Recognizing our readers may range from people considering hiking for the first time to those who are avid hikers interested in our gear recommendations, what follows is our standard list, a brief description of the product use (where applicable), and information on the particular gear that we use where we have that information handy.

What goes without saying is that packing food is important, too, but the meal/snack planning is on you!

ultimate guide to hiking gear

apparel

(in no particular order)

Comfortable hiking clothes - we used to hike in clothing that varied from jeans to yoga pants but no more! After getting actual hiking clothes, there is zero comparison. Our favorite options all come from REI and adidas. My favorite pants are prAna Halle and these are my favorite lightweight hiking t-shirts. Dustin has a couple of pairs of pants from prAna and the REI brand.
Light-weight raincoat - if there's a chance of rain, you won't regret bringing a lightweight waterproof jacket with you. My favorite is this GORE-TEX jacket, and it has seen many damp trails!

Clothing layers - depending on the time of year, it's important to be prepared with multiple layers of clothes to stay warm. We recently added several light weight hiking jackets to our hiking wardrobe. A few of my favorites are these adidas women's jackets, and a few of Dustin's are these adidas men's jackets. Thanks to adidas for gifting us this apparel!
Hiking boots - Our current favorite brand is Oboz. Dustin has a pair of their Sawtooth model, and I have the Sapphire.
Cold weather hiking gear - For those brisk hikes, I recommend a headband and fleece gloves. You can always take them off if you get hot but being cold is miserable!

the details: everything else to take on a hike

Hydration backpack - unless you are going for a very short hike, bringing water is a must. After hauling waterbottles for years (a pain), we've discovered that wearing a hiking backpack with water bladder is absolutely the way to go. It also makes it easy to haul food, wallets, etc. without weighing down pockets. Dustin has a very old Camelbak circa 2000, and I finally just got an updated backpack from Gregory that I have used on multiple hiking trips and love. Wihle the Gregory Sula 16 is not currently available, here are some other options. I used to have a 2-liter and have upgraded to a 3-liter.
Wipes or Wet Ones - to wash your hands and clean off if you plan on any snack or meal eating on your hike
Bandages and/or first aid kit - you pretty much will only need these if you don't have them handy
Flashlights - if there's any chance you might be outdoors when the sun drops below the horizon, bring a flashlight for safety. A headlight, like this one from REI, has been a great purchase for us.

the details: bugs and bears, oh my!

Insect repellent - with an aversion to chemicals and sprays, I have mostly avoided using repellents, but we recently discovered and started using Permethrin. This is sprayed on shoes or clothing and allowed to dry and then can last through up to 6 washes in the laundry or 3 months. We literally have had no ticks on us when in the woods since we started using this except one time when we had just gotten past that 3 month mark. Dustin puts it on his shoes and pants, and I just spray it on my hiking boots.
Bear spray - out of an abundance of caution, we recently purchased bear spray and a holster since the bears on our land are not used to humans. Given that we have black bears, I doubt we'll ever need to use this, but it makes us feel a bit safer.

What are your favorite hiking must-haves? We’d love for you to comment and share your tips!

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