Need hiking gear suggestion

Hope you have lots of great experiences hiking and exploring beautiful scenery!

Your gear will depend on your hiking plans. Will you only do day hikes? Or multi-night backpacking moving from place to place? Where do you think you'll be?
 
Well you certainly opened up a delicious can of worms with this thread. Please start by googling "The Ten Essentials", and take them on every outing. Aside from that, I'll be curious to read what people's favorite brands are.
 
the well-regarded gear brands are all very good and which one is best for you is mostly a matter of fit, style, local conditions, and cost sensitivity.

that said:
  • I've been loving Altra trail runners last few years, they've grippy, light, and have a wonderfully wide toebox. alas I tend to destroy a pair in well under a year
  • Black Diamond stuff is almost always great. most of it isn't aimed as hikers, but their line of hiking poles has many great options
  • Cold Cold World makes my favorite backpacks and day packs, they're light, tough, and lacking in bullshit features. no idea where you're based but IME in SLC sometimes carries them.
  • for random hats and gloves I usually look at OR first and maybe Black Diamond second
  • for stuff that I think is going to get seriously rained on I trust the brits and try to line up a piece from Rab, but only if I can find it discounted
but again, stuff is so high-quality these days that can be hard to wear things out at all unless you're using it pretty seriously. so what I mostly do if I need a bit of gear is try to find it for a huge discount on sierra trading post.
 
regehr said:
the well-regarded gear brands are all very good and which one is best for you is mostly a matter of fit, style, local conditions, and cost sensitivity.

that said:
  • I've been loving Altra trail runners last few years, they've grippy, light, and have a wonderfully wide toebox. alas I tend to destroy a pair in well under a year
  • Black Diamond stuff is almost always great. most of it isn't aimed as hikers, but their line of hiking poles has many great options
  • Cold Cold World makes my favorite backpacks and day packs, they're light, tough, and lacking in bullshit features. no idea where you're based but IME in SLC sometimes carries them.
  • for random hats and gloves I usually look at OR first and maybe Black Diamond second
  • for stuff that I think is going to get seriously rained on I trust the brits and try to line up a piece from Rab, but only if I can find it discounted
but again, stuff is so high-quality these days that can be hard to wear things out at all unless you're using it pretty seriously. so what I mostly do if I need a bit of gear is try to find it for a huge discount on sierra trading post.
Click to expand...
Interesting timing - I just came inside after testing some old rain gear in yet another Michigan downpour (very different weather from what you Westerners are experiencing these days). My stuff is definitely no longer waterproof, and I hadn't previously heard of Rab. I just looked up their site and see numerous different waterproof items and am considering some. Have you really found that their waterproofing works well?
 
Janice said:
Have you really found that their waterproofing works well?
Click to expand...
I have a bivy sack and a rain jacket from Rab and both have performed admirably so far but -- as you say -- they've not been subjected yet to what I would consider really serious weather. I gotta take this stuff to AK or something.

living in utah the last 20 years I've literally discarded a rain jacket or two because it became brittle or tore before it ever got stormed on seriously :lol:
 
just as a for-example, my current rain jacket lists at $225 -- which is clearly silly -- but STP had it for $80 some years ago

Rab Atmos Pertex® Shield+ Hooded Jacket (For Men) 158UJ - Save 64%

Rab Atmos Pertex® Shield+ Hooded Jacket (For Men) 158UJ at Sierra. Celebrating 30 Years Of Exploring.
www.sierra.com www.sierra.com

it is now classier than ever cause it sports a big piece of tyvek tape over a hole I put into it during a horrible bushwhack in the rain...
 
A good source of outdoor information: REI Expert Advice - Hiking Articles

I rarely purchase items from REI. Reason? I'm a moderate budget hiker, but you can find reduced prices every now and then. Cabel's and L. L. Bean are two other merchants available in the Northeast U.S.A. within an hour drive away from home for in-store purchases.

Online purchases are "hit or miss". I no longer buy outdoor gear and clothing online UNLESS I can verify the durability and quality.

New Gear Field Reveal ... (link)

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BastionGear, Daugavpils, Latvia (link)
 

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Way too many gear brands to list.

Would you be willing to post your climate and terrain? I can then share the specific items, along with the brands, that I've selected and the reasons why. Like stated in posts above, conditions and choices vary and all have legitimate reasons for our personal selections.

I've been hiking/backpacking since 2006 and I still swap some of the items with another type or brand. I'll field test the gear for six or more outings under various conditions to see if it will perform for my specific preferences.
 
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