Best Hiking Gear

Hiking is definitely my favorite activity – both when I’m at home & when I’m traveling. In this post, I’m going to share what I think is the best hiking gear. You can click on the images, which have brief descriptions, or continue reading for more details!

Footwear

• Boots: I wear Merrill Moabs 2 (Waterproof) and really like them! Kyrk actually wears the same Merrills in the men’s version and likes them a lot too. I have bad feet & ankles from being a dancer growing up & these boots keep my feet feeling good on long hikes. They have awesome arch support & the waterproofing is great. If you don’t like the boot style, Merrill also makes them in shoe form. We have family members who wear the shoes & like them as well! We’re a family of Merrill fans if you can’t tell.
• Sandals: I love having my Chacos with me in my backpack. They’re great to throw on if we come to a deep water crossing and I don’t want to get my boots wet. I also love switching into them after a long hike to let my feet air out. They also have great arch support & are very comfy!
• Socks: We are HUGE fans of Darn Tough Socks. They make both men’s & women’s fits. They’re manufactured to be the most comfortable socks and they totally are. They hug your arch providing extra arch support & have extra cushioning at the toes. The company also claims to make the most durable socks & offers a lifetime warranty on them, which is pretty cool! I even wore these socks as my “something blue” for our adventure elopement! They have no idea who I am & are not paying me to say this.. I just love them.

Backpacks:

• Bri’s pick: I use a Gregory Maya 22. It’s very supportive with adjustable hip straps and cushioned shoulder straps, so it’s great for longer hikes. It has a compartment for a water bladder, but you will have to buy the bladder seperately. We use the Camelbak Bladder. The Gregory Maya 22 has pockets on the hip straps which fit my phone or snacks for easy access. It also has a clip to hold a helmet for rock climbing, etc. I’m easily able to fit everything for a day hike in this bag comfortably, with additional room for a jacket or sweater.
• Kyrk’s pick: Kyrk actually uses a similar backpack to mine (he copied me after hearing how much I liked it). His is also a Gregory Maya with all the same features as mine, but is a 20 L.
• Extra: I have a second backpack that I sometimes bring for short/easy hikes if I don’t want my big one. It holds a 32oz water bottle nicely & has a great front pocket for my phone. It’s crossbody style, so pretty comfy for a short hike!

Safety

• Phone charger: I actually have 2 of these & bring one with on every trip I go on. They’re super small & lightweight, so they’re great to throw in your backpack for a long hike or in your purse for a long day of sight-seeing. They don’t come with actual charging cables – so grab those seperately. The battery on these lasts quite awhile & charges my phone pretty quickly!
• GPS: This is quite an investment, but totally worth the peace of mind in my opinion. It’s one of those things you’d rather have & never need, than need and not have! This particular edition has a large screen where you can see live maps and directions. It also allows satellite communication with family to let them know your location or with authorities incase of emergency. You will need a Garmin subscription, but they are pretty affordable (starting at $14.95/month). Garmin also allows you to pause your subscription if you won’t be using it for awhile.
• Headlamp: We carry this in our backpacks just incase we get lost or hurt and don’t back it back to the trailhead before dark. Again, rather have it & not need it! This particular one is rechargable so you could charge it with the phone charger listed above if needed!
• First Aid: I carry this in my backpack on every hike. It’s super compact and lightweight & clips onto things for easy access in an emergency.

Water:

• Bladder: We use the Camelbak Bladder. Gregory does make their own bladder to go with the backpacks, but they have pretty bad reviews about leaking. We have never had issues with Camelbak’s bladder.
• Lifestraw Water Bottle: I like having this in my backpack just incase I run out of water in my bladder. The water bottle has a filter so I can refill it from streams, lakes, etc. You can also use the filter to push water into containers for cooking or filling dog bowls. This bottle is so easy to hike and travel with since it rolls up small.
• Lifestraw: There’s something so fun about sticking my head down and drinking from a beautiful alpine lake through a Lifestraw! These are pretty small and so easy to carry in your day pack.

Hiking Poles:

• I have the Trailbuddy Trekking Poles from Amazon. Until recently I never thought I would like having poles, but they came in handy on our hike along Blue Lakes Trail in Ouray, Colorado. We used them for balance for water crossings. The main perk is that they help disperse your weight so you have less weight on your legs throughout the long hike. I found these super convienent since they collapse easily – I could put them in my bag when not needed.

Misc Accessories:

• Phone Tripods: I have two tripods for my iPhone that I usually have in my hiking bag. They’re both super light and small, and very easy to set up for a quick photo! I bring these along on all our travels!
  • The Joby Griptight has bendable legs that can wrap around tree trucks, rocks, etc for cool angles.
  • The Toneof Tripod just stands straight up and down but extends to 7 in tall for a really great shot. It comes with a remote that will bluetooth connect to your phone as well, but I typically just set the self-timer.