My Hiking Gear

Below is a list of all the hiking gear (clothes, footwear, and accessories) I currently use and recommend.

I have also included links to all of the products where possible.

Some of these are Amazon affiliate links, which means I receive a small commission if you purchase an item after clicking on one of the links. This comes at no additional cost to yourself and helps to support my website and my ability to continue to create content.

At the bottom of this article I have also written about the 6 items you should invest in first and how to find the cheapest price for your gear.

No matter the weather and the season, I always head into the mountains carrying at least a three tiered layering system for my top half. This consists of a base, mid, and outer shell. Forecasts can be wrong and the conditions can change in an instant, so it’s better to have it and not need it, than need it and not have it.

Base layers

The purpose of a base layer is to wick sweat away from your skin to keep you dry alongside offering protection from the elements. The type of base layer I wear will depend on the season and temperature. I will usually wear a long sleeved base layer which is either made of merino wool or a synthetic material, avoiding cotton.

  • Smartwool Active hoodie - My go to base layer for spring, summer, and autumn hiking. It’s lightweight, quick drying, breathable, and because it is made of merino, has odour control. This top also has a hood meaning it offers more protection against the wind and sun. If you want a cheaper option then I recommend this Merino top from Forclaz.

  • Smartwool Intraknit Thermal Merino Base Layer 1/4 Zip - My choice in winter and colder weather. Its warm, comfortable, lightweight, breathable, moisture wicking, quick drying, and doesn’t smell. I wore it for 5 straight days hiking in the Scottish Highlands and also wore it on my 8 day trek up Kilimanjaro.


Mid layers

The purpose of a mid layer is to provide warmth and insulation. Even if I dont wear them while I am hiking, I will always carry them in my bag as an extra layer. They often come out when I reach a summit or if the conditions get colder.

  • OEX Alpine Full-Zip Fleece - Lightweight, warm, comfy, and stretchy. Everything you need from a mid-layer. It also has elasticated thumb loops, a close-fitting hood, and three zip pockets.

  • Rab Men's Microlight Alpine Down Jacket - Essential for the colder months, wildcamping, and when you are soaking in the views up on the summit. It is lightweight, non-bulky, easily packable, and thanks to its 700 FP down fill, very warm too. If you are looking for more affordable down jacket, I would recommend the Decathlon Forclaz MT500 Down Jacket. It is £85 and is rated to -10.


Outer shell

The purpose of an outer shell is to protect you from the wind and the rain. No matter the season and weather I will always carry one just incase. I recommend getting a outer shell which has a hydrostatic head rating of at least 10,000mm.


Lower half

I tend to wear shorts hiking for as long as the weather permits, however when the weather gets colder I will opt for water resistant softshell hiking trousers.

Footwear

  • Columbia Montrail Trinity Ag II - The comfiest summer hiking and trail running shoes I have ever worn. The break in period is non-existent and they can be worn straight out of the box. I wore them for my Snowdon 6 challenge, all around Madeira, and for 190km of hiking around the Canadian Rockies.

  • Adidas Terrex Free Hiker 2 GTX - My go to for winter, They are very comfortable, durable, offer great grip and stability, are waterproof, and also light enough that I could even trail run in them if needed. I also wore them for my eight day trek up to Kilimanjaro.

  • Smartwool Merino Hike Classic Crew Sock - I prefer mid-length crew socks which are breathable and have padding around the heel and ball of the foot. I also use and recommend ThruDark Technical socks and Versus active crew socks.

Backpacks

Quechua MH500 22 L Rolltop - My go to for summer hiking. It’s comfortable, lightweight, and big enough to fit all my gear. It’s also got a whole host of functional features,

Lowe Alpine Airzone Trail 30L - My go to for winter hiking or if I need more space. I also used this when hiking up Kilimanjaro. It’s comfortable, extremely light, and has some great features including an AirZone back panel

Osprey Kestrel 48L - This comes out when I’m wildcamping, again its comfortable, lightweight, and functional.

Equipment & Accessories

  • Garmin Fenix 7 Pro Sapphire Solar Edition - This is not essential to hiking in the outdoors but has some awesome features which make hiking safer and easier. My favourite features include, GPS mapping, the ability to upload and follow custom routes, heart rate monitor, compass, and altimeter, alongside a pretty powerful flashlight. Its also solar powered and the battery lasts weeks.

  • PETZL Swift RL Headlamp - Essential for hiking, especially around sunrise or sunset, alongside wildcamping & astrophotography. This provides 900 lumens of brightness at only 100 g and is rechargeable. The Everbeam H6 Pro is a great cheap option at £15,

  • OS Maps Premium Subscription - My go to app for hiking. I use this for planning and following hikes on my phone. the premium subscription allows me to download & use maps offline, alongside the ability to print off to-scale paper maps to use as a backup.

  • Silva Walking Poles - Lightweight, collapsible, quick locking, and comfortable on the hands.

  • Portable Power bank – Essential for any hiker, especially if you rely on your phone for navigation. I recommend one with at least 10,000 mAh of power.

  • Forclaz MT500 stretch gloves - Lightweight, practical, functional, and warm. They are also stretchy, clip together when not being used, and you can use your phone with them. At £13 they are bargain.

  • OEX Dry Bags - Keep my clothing and electronics safe from the rain.

  • Forclaz Foam Seat Pad – Weighs 60g, can fit in the side of your bag and doubles up as mat to stand on when getting changed after wild swimming.

I also carry plenty of camera gear which you can find in a separate article here

Winter Specific gear

  • Salomon X Ultra Winter CS WP boots - A high cut winter boot which has Thinsulate insulation, are waterproof and have a midsole-moulded shank allowing it to take a crampon. They have now been discontinued.

  • Forclaz MT900 Merino Leggings 

  • Quencha Snow hiking Trousers

  • Forclaz MT900 stretch gloves – A winter version of the MT500 Gloves, Comfortable down to -5, windproof, water repellent, and they can be used with a smart phone.

  • Van Rysel Merino Wool Neck Warmer – Used for keeping the wind off my face. It’s meant for cycling but does a great job when hiking. It’s soft, warm, and made of merino so it dries quickly and doesn’t smell.

  • Rab Men's Trek Gaiter – These stop snow getting inside your shoes.

  • Mini Crampons/ Micro spikes – The best investment I’ve made for winter walking. These are a set of chains with 18 small spikes connected to a thick elastic rubber which can be pulled over any footwear. They are perfect for hiking in snowy and icy conditions when crampons would be overkill as they are much easier to walk in, and are far lighter and easier to carry.

  • Grivel G10 Classic Crampons - A 10-point crampon suitable for both beginner and expereienced mountaineers

What outdoor equipment to invest in first?

Ultimately there are hundreds of outdoor brands with tens of thousands of different styles and types of equipment to choose from.

While it can be very hard to decide upon and find the right pieces of outdoor clothing, it can be very easy to choose the wrong ones.

Theres two quotes which I tend to stick by when it comes to outdoor clothing:

  • “Theres no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing”

  • “You buy cheap, you buy twice”

You dont have to spend a small fortune or buy the most expensive and ‘best’ pieces of equipment to be properly equipped for the outdoors, just dont skimp out on the key pieces of equipment.

Invest in your gear and it will not only keep you safe in the outdoors, but it will last.

Most people will start their journey into the outdoors by being be ‘fair weather, casual hikers’ who will tend to go out infrequently in the better and warmer conditions.

For that reason you don’t need to go buying the best of everything straight away.

Here are the 6 items I would recommend investing in first,

  1. Waterproof coat

  2. Waterproof hiking shoes

  3. Waterproof over trousers

  4. Down Jacket

  5. Hiking Backpack

  6. Soft shell water resistant trousers

Also if you live in Wales or have a dog, its a good chance you’re going to need a waterproof coat, boots, and trousers anyway.

I got away with using lots of synthetic gym clothing in the early stages of my journey into the outdoors and I still do use it.

Technical synthetic gym clothes such as shorts, leggings, t-shirts, hoodies, and 1/4 zips are perfect for hiking in.

During the warmer months in dry conditions, you can even get away with hiking in a sturdy pair of trainers with good grip. Just remember to check the weather, dress appropriately, and always carry extra layers.

How to find the best price for outdoor gear?

  1. Buy second hand - You can find some incredible pieces of almost knew kit on Vinted, Depop, E-bay, Facebook marketplace, and even in charity shops. While I wouldn’t recommend buying second hand for every piece of outdoor gear it’s always worth checking for unwanted and unused gear before you buy new.

  2. Decathlon - Its not only high quality kit but also incredibly affordable. The brands I recommend are Forclaz, Quencha, and Simond

  3. Google Shopping - Once you have found an item which you like, search it up on Google Shopping to try and find the lowest price.

  4. Wait for a sale - Black Friday, January, Autumn, Summer, Winter. Theres always a end of season discount. Hold out until then.

  5. Go-Outdoors price match promise - If Go Outdoors stock a item in your size which you have found cheaper elsewhere (for example using google shopping) they will beat said price by 10%. You have to be a Go-Outdoors member to do it, but it only costs £5 to join.

  6. Create an outdoors based social media account and build up a big enough social media following that they send you gear for free! While this is a tongue in cheek joke, and not something you should create a social media account to do, it can be done. You dont need a massive following , you just have to be passionate about their product and the outdoors or have an audience and skillset which can showcase said products.