We’ve refined our day hiking kit over years of trips across the Alps, New Zealand, the American Southwest, and the Pacific Northwest. This list covers what we always carry — safety gear, layers, water, navigation — as well as the gear we rotate in depending on season, conditions, and hike length. We’ve also noted what’s held up over hundreds of miles and what we’d do differently.
Last updated: May 2026
The lists below reflect things that we always carry as well as a portfolio of gear that we rotate in depending on conditions and hike length and type. We also usually hike together, and so we’ve noted shared gear that one of us carries. When one of us hikes solo, we’ll take the full set of shared gear.
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Sean
I grew up reading the “accidents” section of the Appalachian Mountain Club’s Appalachia journal during visits to the White Mountains. These accounts of hiking and mountaineering describe what happened and provide some analysis of the cause and contributing factors. A recurrent theme is that being prepared with the right gear would often have led to a better outcome. Combine that with growing up in Scouting with its “be prepared” motto, and I tend to pack for a breadth of conditions.
Individual
- Backpack: Osprey Stratos 36 (Amazon). I need a larger day pack to carry layers, emergency equipment, and camera gear. The Osprey Stratos 36 works well, with a large main pocket, two top pockets, good suspension, an integrated water bladder sleeve, and an integrated rain cover. Some of the outside fabric got worn away in a slot canyon, but otherwise it’s held up well over many trips and hundreds of miles.
- Black Diamond Pursuit collapsible poles (Amazon). I have generally preferred the flick lock over the folding poles, but Black Diamond makes a folding variation as well. I used my previous pair for nine years before one finally snapped in Iceland. The new cork handles are more sustainable, but I find that rocks and other things mean they have worn away faster.
- Water bladder. I switched my primary bladder from Platypus to an Osprey 2.5L reservoir (Amazon), which I found easier to fill and load into my pack than the Platypus. If I’m hiking solo, I’ll carry an empty, backup bladder.
- Boots. I’ve loved the Salomon Quest 4 GTX (Amazon) for comfort and their balance of support and weight. However, they have a few drawbacks. I find their Contagrip sole to offer only mediocre traction on wet rock or grit. The most recent few years have also disappointed me with reliability. Most recently, the two-part construction on the sole came apart within the first few days of hiking in the Pyrenees. That said, their warranty support has been excellent and it looks like the Quest 5 (Amazon) addresses some of these issues, so I may give them another try.
- Clothes (wearing and carrying)
- Smartwool – Merino 150 short sleeve shirt (Amazon). This is my go-to hiking shirt.
- Long sleeve shirt, usually a Smartwool quarter zip (Amazon)
- Prana Zion convertible pants (Amazon). If we’re hiking through brush or bugs, I usually prefer pants to keep things off my legs, and I’ll deal with the added discomfort and weight of zippers to have the option of switching to shorts.
- Patagonia Nano Puff Hoodie. It collapses small and has a hood to keep me warm (or to keep bugs off!). It sheds down less than the Eddie Bauer puffy I had before this.
- Sun Hoodie (Patagonia Capilene Cool Daily Hooded Shirt). My most recent addition, as I was finding that I sometimes don’t want to wear my hat but do want a lightweight layer for sun and bug protection. It’s light, soft, and super comfortable.
- Hiking socks. I’ve used various brands throughout the years, including Wigwam, REI, and Smartwool. My go-to brand these days is Darn Tough, with a mix of “Boot Cushion” (Amazon) and “Hiker Micro Crew Cushion” (Amazon).
- Liners. I prefer the FoxRiver liners (Amazon) since they are light and their seams are minimal.
- Underwear. I’ve been using Smartwool (Amazon), but I don’t think the knit they use for underwear holds up as well as their shirts or the Icebreaker underwear Kyle has been using.
- Buff (Amazon): Good for when I don’t want to wear a hat, as a backup if my hat ever blows away, to keep my neck warm, and to keep bugs off.
- Sun hat: I like the Outdoor Research Transit (Amazon); it offers reasonable coverage and breathability.
- Cap: It is absurd that I carry a sun hat, buff, and cap, but there are times when I really prefer the standard baseball hat, and so I also often carry an Outdoor Research Swift cap (Amazon). It’s great for wearing under a hood during the rain or under the hood of my sun hoodie.
- Beanie
- Standard trail stuff, in a mesh sack:
- First aid kit, including duct tape
- Headlamp. Kyle grew tired me not having a red light and variable brightness, and so he upgraded me to the Black Diamond Spot 400 (Amazon). They also make a rechargeable version (Amazon), but, as of 2025, it still used Micro-USB, a connector I am trying to phase out of my gear.
- Fire starter
- Trowel
- Toilet paper / zip lock bags
- Knife / multitool. I use a Leatherman Wave (Amazon)
- Utility cord
- Headnet (Amazon). This depends on season and destination, but it can make such a difference for whether we linger by a lake, so I often throw it in to make sure we can enjoy our destination.
- Bivvy sack (Amazon). This was a more recent addition, after reading a few accident reports where someone’s inability to stay put and warm overnight put them or rescuers at greater risk, sometimes with bad outcomes.
- SPF Chapstick Aquaphor (Amazon): this is our favorite brand, and I keep a stick in the hip belt of every backpack I own.
- Rain coat: Arc’teryx Beta LT Hybrid Jacket (Amazon). It’s pricey but lightweight and effective. My previous one–a staple on hikes and my day-to-day life during winter in Seattle–lasted nine years before needing replacement.
- Snack / energy bars: Sometimes as lunch, always some extra in case of emergency.
- Towel: I carry an REI Large pack towel, especially if we are expecting swimming opportunities.
- Sandals: If we anticipate fording rocky streams, I usually throw pair of Teva Hurricane 4s (Amazon).
- Camera. I carry an Olympus OMD EM-1 Mark III (Amazon) with a 12-100mm (24-200 equivalent) lens (Amazon), which I carry on a Peak Design Capture Clip (Amazon). I also carry a spare battery, two if it will be cold. See my longer post on how I arrived at this kit. Other lenses, depending on how much I feel like carrying and what we might see:
- Sunglasses
- Season and forecast-dependent:
- Leggings or long underwear
- Gloves: Outdoor Research’s Versaliner gloves (Amazon), which combine a glove plus liner.
- Rain paints. One downside of my go-to hiking pants, the Prana Zions, is that if they soak through, they can take a long time to dry. For hikes when heavy rain is a strong possibility, I’ve added Mountain Hardware Ozonic pants (Amazon). They’ve kept me dry through long hikes on some very wet days.
- Gaiters. For heavier gaiters, I’ve been very happy with the Outdoor Research Crocodiles (Amazon). We first bought these for our trip to Scotland, and they’ll come with me if I expect a lot of walking in unpacked snow or a particularly wet hike. I added Outdoor Research Helium gaiters (Amazon) as a lighter option, when my primary concern is rain or ash.
- Traction devices: We use Hillsound Trail Crampons (Amazon). They have a bit more bite than micro spikes but are still pretty light.
- Location dependent:
Avilés Loop, returning to trailhead
Hiking in Meteora, Greece
Sean on Labyrinth Mountain, Central Cascades
Shared
- Garmin inReach Explorer+ satellite communication device (Amazon). I bought it as a device I hoped to never use. Now, I like running in the background as a navigation aide and to use the GPS traces to help tag my photos. See our notes on the inReach after the first year of use. If I were buying today, I’d get an inReach Mini 3 (Amazon).
- Sawyer Mini Water Filter + 1L bag: Great, affordable, lightweight filter. (Amazon)
- Sunscreen: a travel-size bottle (refillable) of Sawyer Stay-Put SPF30 (or 50) sunscreen (Amazon). This goes on thick but, as advertised, seems to last longer than other suncreens we have used.
Kyle
- Daypack – Osprey Talon 26, Cosmic Red S/M (Amazon.com, purchased 2021) – the ideal size for my combination of essentials, layers, snacks, water, and binoculars. I especially like the trekking pole attachment on the left strap.
- Trekking Poles. Black Diamond collapsible poles (Amazon). These are over 10 years old and still going strong!
- Hiking shoes Topo Athletic Traverse (Amazon): now my favorite non-boot hiking shoe for comfort on long-distance hiking days, reliable traction, and an anatomical toe box (a wide toe box is essential for my foot shape). These are also available in a waterproof version, but I prefer the tradeoff of breathability.
- Buff (Amazon): I occasionally use this to keep my neck warm on cool/rainy days, or when I don’t want to wear a hat (or as a backup if my hat ever blows away).
- Sun protection:
- Outdoor Research Swift Cap (Amazon)
- Sunglasses + cleaning cloth
- Mountain Hardwear Men’s Crater Lake Hoody – excellent for summer and hot locations
- Clothes (wearing and carrying)
- Short-sleeve shirt – either a Smartwool Merino 150 SS shirt (Amazon) or Icebreaker Men’s Tech Lite SS Crew. Both options are primarily merino wool and have served me well over the years with careful washing and minimal machine drying.
- Long-sleeve shirt – depending on conditions, either a Smartwool Merino 150 Base Layer LS Shirt (Amazon.com) or a Smartwool Merino 250 Baselayer Crew LS Shirt (Amazon.com).
- Pants or Shorts –
- I often hike in shorts, mainly the Patagonia Quandary 8″ Shorts (Amazon.c0m). These are a bit longer than I would prefer, but have saved my thighs from abrasion countless times. The ample pockets hold an iPhone Pro comfortably, and gusset construction provides ample stretch and movement — though the built-in waist cinch could be improved.
- For pants, either the Patagonia Terravia Alpine Pants or my classic Arc’teryx Lefroy pants (discontinued; replaced by the Arc’teryx GAMMA Lightweight Pant (Amazon.com)). I prefer the cut and comfort of the Terravia, but the Lefroy have survived years of tough alpine conditions.
- Hiking socks. Merino wool and durability are key here. The clear winner is Darn Tough’s Hiker Micro Crew Cushion (Amazon), available in many color combinations from various retailers.
- Underwear. Merino wool and durability are key here. I have a mix of both Smartwool (Amazon) and Icebreaker merino wool blends, but prefer the Icebreaker Men’s Anatomica Cool-Lite Trunk (Amazon) or Icebreaker Anatomica Boxer/Boxer Briefs (Amazon) for comfort and durability.
- Rain jacket: I use an Arc’teryx Alpha FL Jacket (Amazon), which is expensive but incredibly lightweight, effective, and long-lasting (mine is over 10 years old).
- Patagonia Nano Puff Hoodie – the Nano is very lightweight but warm (consider the Micro Puff if hiking in colder weather)
- Fjallraven Merino Lite Hat – a beanie (Amazon)
- Towel: Packtowl Ultralight large (Amazon), now 5 years old but still going strong
- First aid kit – Adventure Medical Kits Mountain Series Hiker Medical Kit. Sufficient supplies for 2 people for 2 days.
- Headlamp. Petzl Tikka (Amazon)
- Toilet paper, folding trowel, zip lock bags – it is unwise to assume that trailhead toilets always have toilet paper
- Water bladder – I usually carry a 2L Platypus (Amazon) in the water pouch of my Talon pack. Like Sean, I also carry an auxiliary 1L Platypus.
- Lip balm – Aquaphor Lip Repair Stick + Sunscreen (Amazon)
- Snack / energy bars: Minimum 2. I snack frequently and usually have a mix of Nature Valley, Cliff Energy, Cliff Builder, Lärabar, and Kind bars.
- Binoculars: A choice between the larger Nikon MONARCH M7 8×30 (Amazon) or the smaller Nikon Trailblazer 8×25 (Amazon). The Monarch is my preferred set for dayhiking due to clarity and field of view (both for birds and for distant peaks), while the Trailblazer is ideal for cutting weight.
- Season and forecast-dependent:
- Icebreaker Merino 260 Quantum IV Long Sleeve Zip Hoodie (Amazon): a versatile layer that is warm when you need it to be, and sun-protection otherwise. I particularly love the thumb holes on the sleeves and the large hood (great for buggy locations).
- Outdoor Research Commuter Windstopper Gloves (Amazon)
- Gaiters: one of…
- Traction devices: Hillsound Trail Crampons (Amazon). They have a bit more bite than micro spikes but are still pretty light.
- Leggings – Icebreaker Men’s Anatomica Leggings with Fly (Amazon). These are comfortable, warm without overheating, and durable (mine are over 8 years old!).
- Rain paints. My lightweight hiking pants (and shorts) are generally water resistant enough and quick to dry for most three-season hiking. For the exception hikes when I just can’t avoid rain, I have the Black Diamond Stormline Stretch Full Zip Rain Pant. With a full zipper, these are easy to put on and take off during a rain encounter.
- Location dependent:
Kyle on boulder at Lower Curtis Glacier Moraine
Kyle on Upheaval Dome trail
Kyle on the Corkscrew Peak Trail
Lunch spot on Skyline Divide
