Hiking Gear – What do I take and wear?

Hiking can require many different types of equipment, quite often you’ll find yourself going from sunny weather at the base of a mountain to cold and windy at the top.

Consequently you need to be prepared for all types of weather that may get thrown at you.

Here’s a rundown on what I tend to wear and pack for a days hike:

Clothing

• Comfortable lightweight (fast-dry) trousers – I find sticking to lightweight means you have the flexibility to add a pair of thermal leggings if needed.
• 2 pairs of socks – One liner and one thicker pair
• Base-layer – short or long-sleeved (dependent on weather conditions)
• 2nd layer – normally this is a loose fitting t-shirt
• Thicker fleece type top / hoodie – easy to remove or put on
• Waterproof trousers and waterproof jacket – my trusty North Face Jacket (like these on e-outdoor) packs away compactly and is light.
• Hiking Boots
• Hat – this could be both a woolly hat or a sun hat.
• Buff – I tend to use this in all weather conditions, it’s great for protecting exposed areas to the sun and also to stop the wind-chill.
• Gloves – I always pack a thin pair of gloves no matter what time of year it is and if I know the weather is likely to be cold once on the mountain I pack my thicker gloves as back-up.

Backpack

• Snacks – I never feel that hungry when out hiking so I tend to pack a few snack items, flapjacks, bananas, wine gums, mars bars
• Fluids – I have a mix of water and high energy drinks like Lucozade.
• Basic first aid kit – Mainly comprising of compeed, painkillers and standard plasters.
• iPod – Sometimes I like to ‘zone out’ and to do this I pop on my music for a little while, I find this helps if in situations where you may be struggling physically.
• Camera / Camera Phone – Sometimes I take my big DSLR camera hiking, but If I’m scrambling around I find that It’s probably easier to leave it behind and stick with a camera phone.

What items do you wear / take with you when you go on a hike?

*in collaboration with e-outdoor who have also put together this great ‘summer hunt’ activity sheet for children, you can download it by clicking here >>>E-Outdoor Summer Hunt