MY 5 HIKING MUST-HAVES

When you scale back to what you really need on a trek, to only that which you can carry, you will only carry the absolute essentials.

I remember when I did the Camino, I thought – hey! we should bring plastic wine glasses with us so we can have a glass of wine at the end of the day. Seemed so reasonable at the time – I mean plastic wine glasses basically don’t weigh anything, right? But, once into the hike, those wine glasses seemed superfluous and, well, heavy, so we got rid of them a few days in (but we did keep the corkscrew – obviously!).

In essence when you’re on the trail, everything you’re carrying on your back is likely something that you can’t live without and it should include the important necessities (i.e. first aid kit) but your gear is personal preference.

​Here are my top 5 items that I simply love / can’t hike without (in addition to my merino wool socks obsession):

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Osprey backpacks
I love my Osprey backpacks – with an ‘s’ as I have two packs. My first was a 48 Exos that I bought thirteen years ago and it’s still in excellent condition. I used this pack on the Camino, and on multi-day treks in in Scotland, Iceland and the Tour du Mont Blanc. This bag was at the forefront of light backpacks and was unisex. It could be because I’m tall, but the form of this pack fits the length of my back perfectly. (Since, Osprey has come out with a version for women called the Eja 48- I haven’t tried it but it’s the closest comparison to the Exos.)
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My other pack is the Tempest 30. This is slightly smaller so it’s perfect for day hiking. It fits everything I need for a day hike including rain gear, food, miscellaneous items, and a 1.5 liter water pack.

​What I love about Osprey packs – the airflow between your back and then pack, the light weight, and the straps are also very comfortable.

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Tilley Hat 
I’m all about sun protection! No need to add more wrinkles and freckles to the ones I’ve already got. My Canadian-made Tilley Hat is all sorts of amazing. So much so that you won’t find too many pictures of me on the trail not wearing the hat.

​It’s incredibly light, packable by flattening so you don’t have to worry about crushing a hat in your pack, and it’s got two wind chords to keep it on your head on a windy day. The wide brim provides great protection from the sun for my face and neck. And bonus, there’s a wee secret pocket for a few small valuables.

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Black Diamond Distance Carbon Z poles
I hike with poles because I like the extra stability they provide, particularly on rough terrain or going up or downhill – a support that is good when you have weak knees or knee problems (like I’ve had in the past). I’ve hiked several long distance trails with these Black Diamond Distance Carbon Z poles and love that they are  extremely light.

​They also fit into my Tempest 30 backpack for airplane purposes and these fit the bill. I also like the way that they easily pop out and lock into place and how quickly they can pop back.

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Outdoor Research Crocodile Gaiters
After my Conic Hill Rainy day experience I invested in really good, solid gaiters – Outdoor Research’s Crocodile Gaiters. Rain or shine, mud or dust, road or forest track – I will wear these.

They serve a couple purposes for me: One the obvious, they keep water and dirt from getting into my boots and they help keep my pants clean-ish.

​Two, perhaps less obvious, is that I believe they give me one more layer of tick prevention as I want to make it as hard as possible for those nasty little insects to make contact with my skin. I don’t know if gaiters are actually effective for tick prevention but they say to tuck your pants into your socks so I figure this is sort of like that – just tucking my pants into my gaiters.

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Original Buff
I love scarves (I think that’s putting it mildly as I may have a slight obsession actually) and a Buff is like a multi-purpose hiking scarf – my little piece of heaven! I have three buffs – one merino wool for cooler days , another polyester for warmer days, and one that is half fleece, which is perfect in frigid temps.

I’ve used the merino wool one as a face mask both to keep hail from hitting my face while hiking across the snow covered landscape in Iceland and also to keep the black flies away hiking The Bruce Trail's Blue Mountains section, and the polyester one I’ve used in an Irish heatwave by dipping it in a cool stream to cool off.

Not to mention, they are also great to hide those bad hair days on the trail and provide that important sun protection around your neck too – so versatile! You will never catch me hiking without a buff.

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