Puffy jackets can be worn as mid-layers instead of fleece. More often, though, they comprise the outermost layer of your clothing system. Size up so your down jacket can fit over a base layer, mid-layer, and rain jacket. Puffies are very warm but fragile.
REI’s sub-$100 Rainier jacket uses high-quality laminate waterproofing to protect you from getting soaked. It’s well made and has a weatherproof center zip, along with pit zips for improved ventilation. It’s a great and well-priced option for casual day hikes. Read our Best Rain Jackets guide for more recommendations.
You won’t have any fun on a hike—of any length—if you have bloody blisters on your feet. You may need to experiment to find out which shoes and socks you like best. Be sure to check out our Best Trail-Running Shoes, Best Barefoot Shoes, and Best High-Tech Socks guides for more.
For moderate temperatures we prefer low-top, non-Gore-Tex mesh trail shoes, like these from Salomon. They’ll dry out much more quickly when wet than Gore-Tex-lined shoes, and speaking from experience they’re warm enough when moving, even in 45-degree temperatures. We also like the comparable Merrell Moab 2 Ventilator (women’s sizing, men’s sizing) for $67.
Where I will recommend Gore-Tex-lined boots is on snowy and icy trails. Constant contact with snow will soak through shoes that lack water resistance. Renegades have been around forever, and they’re durable and comfortable, although a bit heavy at roughly 3 pounds per pair. The mid-height helps keep snow from spilling in over the top of the boot too.
For those looking to speed over the hills and bound down trails, these were our favorite trail running shoes. Thanks to their wide toe box, low 5-mm heel drop, and sturdy rubber toe protection, they beat out lighter competitors. For running 3-5 miles a day, they’re our top pick.
We don’t recommend everyone go for thick leather hiking boots for most adventures, but if it’s really cold, you want your feet to stay warm, and you don’t mind trekking with a bit of extra weight, these are a great option. They work best as lifestyle shoes that you can take directly from the trail to the bar with just a quick rinse. They’re also great for wandering around town between trips to the trail, since they’re so classic and stylish.
If your feet run hot, you’ll want synthetic socks, which dry out faster than wool. This pair by Wrightsock are synthetic and have two layers to avoid blisters. Anyone can wear these, but Wrightsock also makes a version in women’s sizing ($14) that’s more tapered and slim-fitting.
From experience mountain climbing on glaciers and strenuous hiking in deep snow, I strongly believe a thin sock like the Wrightsocks above is still the best bet for keeping your feet from overheating. However, for slow-paced day hikes and low-intensity camping, you may be better off with a thicker sock to retain warmth, since you won’t be burning as many calories. Darn Toughs have a lifetime warranty(!) and are ultra-comfortable. No itchy wool here.
You probably don’t need gaiters, but if you’re walking through dusty environments, you’ll welcome them. They prevent crud from entering the tops of your shoes.
Don’t forget about your head and hands. Once you’ve swaddled yourself in warm top layers, bottom layers, and shoes, make sure to keep your vulnerable noggin and paws warm with these gloves and hats.
Warmth ain’t cheap. These are serious winter gloves that’ll keep your hands warm and dry, even when there’s snow spread all over the ground. Synthetic puffy PrimaLoft insulation traps heat, and Gore-Tex keeps it in, so feel free to spend a whole afternoon tossing snowballs without water leaking through.
Merino wool is the good stuff, silky smooth and not at all itchy. These 100-percent merino gloves are good for chilly-but-not-sub-freezing days, and they’re also touchscreen compatible so you don’t have to wrestle off a glove to use your phone.
Depending on the weather, you may need a sun hat or beanie to protect your noggin. I like a wool beanie to guard my neck against sunburn in cool weather, and this Smartwool is quite comfy. Check out our other guides, like the Best Sun Protection Clothing and Best Sunglasses for more suggestions.
All right! Now that you have all your gear, you need something to carry it in. The most important aspect of a backpack is that it fits you properly. Outdoor retailers like REI offer in-person fittings. Features like water bottle pockets, loops for hitching gear, and chest or waist straps will probably vary depending on the level of activity you’re facing.
The sweet spot for a daypack is between 15 and 25 liters—enough to hold rain layers, a fleece, maps, water, sunscreen, lunch, and snacks, plus room for a book or camera gear. If this one’s out of stock, I also like the Mountain Hardwear UL 20 ($80).
If you get caught in the rain, a pack cover is a quick and convenient solution. However, it’s worth noting that water will still soak your pack’s uncovered back pad. If you’re hiking overgrown and under-maintained trails, a pack cover could also act as a sacrificial protective barrier that keeps your expensive pack from getting cut up.
A Pack Liner
Use a small trash compactor bag as a water-resistant pack liner inside your pack to keep everything dry in case it rains. They’re more durable than trash bags and almost as cheap. For a second layer of defense against moisture, pack your clothing and shelter in water-resistant stuff sacks or dry sacks.
Water Bottles and Purification
One of the biggest beginner mistakes is to not bring water, even on short hikes. Depending on the heat and your level of exertion, you could get thirstier than you think. For a short day hike, a liter bottle should be enough. If you’re heading out all day or it’s particularly hot or dry, read travelogues and park ranger recommendations and pack accordingly. Check out our Best Water Bottles guide for more suggestions.
Metal water bottles are unnecessarily heavy for longer trips, but they’re fine for day hikes when it’s not freezing out (watch A Christmas Story if you want to know why). Of course, if you have plastic bottles lying around at home, you can use those (just remember not to leave them on the trail).
I gave this one an honorary mention in my guide to the Best Reusable Water Bottles because it’s dead simple and cheap. Nalgenes tend to get brittle in ultra-cold environments, but unlike a metal bottle, you’re not liable to get your lips frozen to it. Don’t worry about BPA, either; this bottle is BPA-free.
If you favor hydration bladders instead of water bottles, this is a good one. Before I switched back to bottles, I preferred my Platypus to my CamelBak because it was easier to clean out between hikes.
Water filters remove not only viruses and bacteria, but sediment too. Collapsible filter systems like the Sawyer Squeeze are extremely effective, lightweight, and quick. You could use water purification tablets or droplets instead, like Micropur ($16), but know that they can take up to half an hour to work on most viruses and bacteria, and four hours (!) on Cryptosporidium. If the water is below 60 degrees Fahrenheit, it takes even longer to work.
You’re probably not in active danger on a popular, well-traveled beginner trail. But it’s still a good idea to pack a few of these items just in case.
Your hike might take longer than you think. If you run the risk of getting back after dark, a headlamp that shines at least 300 lumens will keep you on the path and leave your hands free. Get one that accepts AAA batteries rather than a nonremovable rechargeable battery, so you can bring spares on long trips.
Save your knees on downhill hikes and gain stability on sketchy trails with a pair of trekking poles. These have strong adjustment levers that never come loose or slip, no matter how hard you lean on them. Rubber tip covers ($10) keep them from scraping up trails, and snow baskets ($11) prevent them from punching through snow.
A mirror, which you aim at overhead aircraft to draw their attention, and an Acme Tornado Whistle ($7) can signal for help if you need rescue.
If you aren’t bringing a tent, bring an emergency bivvy. It weighs less than 4 ounces and will keep you dry and warm (ish) if you spend an unplanned night outdoors.
A First-Aid Kit
Prepackaged first aid kits are heavy, expensive, and usually incomplete. Pack your own in a little bag. Add some Band-Aid Hydro Seal ($6). They’re the most amazing blister bandages I’ve ever used. And pick up a Tick Key ($10) or a Coghlans Tick Remover ($6) to get those pesky bugs off your skin. Peruse our Home Emergency Kit Gear guide for other ideas.
Trip preparation begins long before you pull your pack out of your closet and begin cramming it full of stuff. You can’t learn everything before you actually take your first outdoor trip, but you can set yourself up for success by learning a few key skills so that when you do run into a problem, you’ll know just how to handle it.
Outdoor manuals can be fun and useful tools for preparation, as well as an accumulation of helpful tips. Rick Curtis’ The Backpacker’s Field Manual is the best comprehensive guidebook on hiking I’ve read. You can also practice reading topographic maps with your compass if you pick up Wilderness Navigation ($15) by Bob and Mike Burns.
Satellite messengers can be useful, but they’re expensive, and you might not have to use them that often. You probably have a great hiking companion already in your pocket. Alltrails is my favorite free pre-trip planner and trail discovery tool, but we have more in our Best Hiking Apps guide.
Even if you download Alltrails (and you should), it’s a good idea to download a second navigation app. Often, one will have details for a specific trail but not the other. While Alltrails is geared more toward pre-trip planning (although it’s still great for on-trail navigation), Gaia GPS is aimed at giving you a variety of up-to-date topographic maps that you can download for offline use. Before your trip, download maps on both apps to lessen your chances of losing your way once you’re out on the trail.
If you’re alone in the woods, it’s helpful to know what to do in emergency situations. A first aid course focused on outdoor situations is a good place to start. If you want more comprehensive (and expensive) training, the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) has an excellent Wilderness First Responder course.
Heading into the wild can be a bit intimidating at first. Some folks find comfort in having a navigational aid strapped to their wrists. Others simply want to track their hikes to analyze their fitness goals. Check out our guides to the Best Fitness Trackers and Best Smartwatches for more of our favorite picks.
We call the Charge 5 (8/10, WIRED Recommends) the best all-around fitness tracker for its combination of relatively low price and its bevy of biometric sensors. There’s a smart alarm that determines the best point during your sleep cycle to set an alarm, ECGs for monitoring your heart rate, sleep analysis tools that measure your blood oxygen levels at night, and more. You do have to pay $10 per month, or $80 per year, for a Fitbit Premium subscription to get the most from the Charge 5, though.
The 7S Sapphire Solar (8/10, WIRED Recommends) impressed us with its quick and accurate GPS connection that worked even under surprisingly thick tree cover. Preset outdoor activities—from gravel biking to swimming to running to bouldering—track biometric data so that you can analyze your runs and routes later on. The built-in altimeter, barometer, and compass round out the reasons we call this admittedly pricey unit the top outdoor watch in our Best Fitness Trackers guide.
We crowned this watch the runner-up in our Best Fitness Tracker guide and the best fitness watch in our Best Smartwatches guide. Sync it to Garmin’s Connect app, and you can track and analyze heart rate, blood oxygen, respiration, and sleep data. There’s no onboard GPS, since its focus is on tracking health data, but the battery lasts an impressive three to five days.
There are always a few odds and ends that make your trips a little more enjoyable, whether by taking pressure off your battered knees or keeping your phone juiced up so you have plenty of evidence when your friends back home say, “Pics or it didn’t happen.”
I always bring a small battery bank to keep my phone topped up. There are no power outlets in the wilderness (I’ve checked). Check out our Best Portable Chargers guide for more recommendations.
Suunto makes my favorite compasses. The park ranger’s office will usually have topographic trail maps if you stop off before the trailhead, but America’s parks are more popular and crowded than ever. Buy some ahead of time if you can, so you’re not without a map if the ranger’s office runs out.
Snacks
I’ve tried pretty much all the hiking-specialty snacks out there and don’t really recommend any of them. Options like the GU Stroopwaffel and the Sweetwood Fatty Meat Stick are very expensive and usually too packed with sugar or salt to be healthy. And—this is a judgment call—most of them taste pretty rank. I recommend packing your own snacks at home. Include lots of salty ones, since that helps your body retain water and ward off dehydration. If you want something more environmentally friendly than Zip-Locs, check out Bee’s Wrap ($18). Bring a typical trash bag from home to pack out your trash.
If you’re like me and have to have your coffee every morning, Alpinestart’s brew isn’t half bad. Even I, a coffee snob, look forward to a cup on mornings when I like to perch myself on a rock and take in the sunrise. This package will make eight cups of medium-roast coffee.
Many people love listening to tunes out on the trails, but please keep it in your ears and don’t disturb the great outdoors for those who want to enjoy the quiet. The Pixel Buds A-Series (8/10, WIRED Recommends) were named the best overall in our guide to the Best Wirefree Earbuds for their IPX4 water resistance, easy pairing with Android devices, and Google Assistant integration.
Picture this: You’re outdoors on the trail, nature calls, and there’s no bathroom in sight. At that point, you’ll be glad you packed a cheap trowel to dig a cathole for solid waste. It weighs only 3.1 ounces and can be kept in an exterior pocket of your pack.
