Product Library
Recommended Hiking Boots
Low-cut hiking boots - Men
I wear these Merrell Capra Gore-Tex on a lot of easy going hikes, or Salomon Saliba , or Shadow waterproof softshell
Low-cut hiking boots - Women
I would recommend Merrell Crosslander, or the Salomon Saliba 23. Plus these from Mountain Warehouse Curlew Waterproof
Mid-cut hiking boots - Men
I wear these Scarpa Mistral GTX on a lot of longer hikes. I can also recommend Berghaus VC22 Gore-Tex and these from Mountain Warehouse Adventurer Waterproof
Mid-cut hiking boots - Women
I would recommend Scarpa Mistral GTX as I have the men’s version and they are great! Plus these from Decathlon Berghaus VC22 Mid Gore-Tex, or Extreme Byzantine Waterproof Vibram from Mountain Warehouse
High-cut hiking boots - Men
I wear these Salomon Men's Quest Element Gore-tex on hilly or mountain hikes. Plus these from Decathlon Grisport Evolution or Berghaus Men's Hillmaster II at Amazon.
High-cut hiking boots - Women
I would recommend Forclaz leather Vibram MT500 Ultra from Decathlon, or the Karrimor Mendip 3 from Amazon, or the Salomon Quest 4 Gore-tex at Decathlon
Recommended Toe Socks
I opt for the Injini liner crew socks, which come just above the ankle. I wear them underneath a thicker pair of hiking socks. But you can go for a longer trail sock, which could save you from wearing an additional layer if you wish.
Recommended Merino Hiking Socks
I tend to opt for Bridgedale merino wool hiking socks, which are available at Decathlon.
Women’s socks
Heavyweight Midweight Lightweight
Men’s socks
Heavyweight Midweight Lightweight
Recommended Waterproof Socks
Sealskinz socks (available at Amazon) have a range for warmer, cold, extreme cold, and all weather.
Warmer Cold Extreme Cold All Weather
Types of Outdoor Trousers
Walking
These are your basic type of outdoor trousers, which will be suitable for most hikes, except for winter. They tend to be lightweight and comfortable, and water-repellent.
I wear Montane Men’s Terra Lite or Quechua MH500
For Women I recommend Regatta Pentra Stretch
Softshell
Softshell trousers will tend to be slightly thicker than basic outdoor trousers, and perhaps the best option to go for when the weather is colder. They usually come with a degree of water repellent and UV protection.
I wear Craghoppers Kiwi Pro
For Women I recommend Regatta Fenton
Zip Off
Convertible or Zip Off trousers give you that added layer of versatility for when the weather changes whilst you’re out on the trail. So you can change between trousers to shorts at your whim! They also tend to come with extra pockets, which I find particularly useful!
I recommend Mountain Warehouse Forest Trekkers or Jack Wolfskin Active Track
For Women I recommend Jack Wolfskin Glastal Zip Off or Mountain Warehouse Explorer
Waterproof
I wear Quechua MH500 lightweight or for more added protection I opt for Gore Tex, for example these Berghaus Maitland
For Women I recommend Regatta Highton, or Haglofs LIM Gore Tex
Leggings
For Women you may wish to check out Jack Wolfskin Kammweg, or these Urban Classics on Amazon.
For Men, if you’re feeling brave enough to wear them, then these Canterbury Thermoreg Base Layer Leggings on Amazon might just be for you!
Warm weather base layers
I recommend the Endurance Isocool Active T-Shirt from Mountain Warehouse. Or, something like this one from Nike on Amazon.
For women I recommend the Endurance at Mountain Warehouse. Or this Tech TW functional tech shirt at Jack Wolfskin.
Mid Layers
For Men
For the majority of my hikes I like wearing a full-zip fleece. I would recommend the Snowdon II from Mountain Warehouse. or there’s the pull on version which is really light but warm!
On colder hikes, I personally like wearing something of a hybrid fleece/ jacket, such as the Quechua SH500
For Women
I would recommend the Snowdon Melange II full-zip from Mountain Warehouse. Or the Snowdon pull over fleece is well priced on Amazon.
Or for colder and longer hikes the Routeburn Pro Hybrid from Jack Wolfskin
Waterproof Jacket
Recommended waterproof jackets
I have the Rab Kangri GTX, which I use all the time, both here in the UK, and when I went to Everest Base Camp! I highly recommend it!
For a lightweight packable waterproof jacket, I would recommend the pack and go from Jack Wolfskin.
For women. The North Face Dryzzle Futurelight Jacket comes highly recommended!
For women. The Highest Peak Jacket from Jack Wolfskin was voted as best value by The Telegraph
Water Bladder or Bottle
For the majority of my hikes in the UK I tend to use my 1 litre Camelbak water bottle, and carry one to two smaller 500ml soft water pouches as back up. For longer and more challenging hikes I use my Osprey 2.5 litre Water Bladder.
Recommended Headtorches
One of the most highly rated headtorches is the Black Diamond Storm 500-R, for its brightness, battery life and intuitive controls.
Petzl is a popular brand amongst the hiking community. The Petzl Actik Core, with around 600 lumens brightness, is excellent.
Another one from Petzl has to be the Petzl Tikkina. This represents great value at around £25 for 300 lumens brightness, and is easy to use. It comes with 3xAAA or rechargeable battery.
Snacks
My personal favourites are Cliff Bars and Nature Valley cereal bars. Or a firm hiker’s choice Kendal Mint Cake
Salt and savoury snacks: When we hike for long periods our body’s response is to sweat, which in turn causes us to lose salt (sodium) from the body. There are various ways we can manage our salt intake. One way is to take electrolytes, which you can add into your water. This will help to regulate our salt intake as well as keeping our body hydrated. I take SIS electrolyte tablets.
Choosing the right rucksack for your hiking activity
In order to choose the right type of bag you will need, consider the type of hiking activity you’ll be doing.
Walks and short hikes: This is where a small, lightweight 10-20 litre rucksack or even a trail vest would be ideal. You won’t need to be carrying too much gear and other items, so going light is best for this type of activity. The Evadict 10 litre trail vest or the Aonijie 5 Litre trail vest are ideal for this type of hike.
Hiking and long distance hiking: Typically if you’ll be out on the trail for several hours, or perhaps venturing up in the hills/mountains. This is where you’ll need a rucksack with a capacity of between 20 to 50 litres (ideally somewhere in between). These types of hikes make up the majority of my activity, so it’s important I have a rucksack that is comfortable and durable. I use a 30 litre Berghaus rucksack for many of my hikes. The Women’s Osprey Tempest 30 litre is highly recommended.
Multi-day hiking: You’ll need to choose a rucksack or backpack that not only will feel comfortable and well-balanced, but also has a large enough capacity to store more essential items you’ll be needing to get you through a few days. Typically you’d be looking at a capacity of around 40-60 litres. I recommend the Men’s Forclaz 50+10 litre rucksack. For women the Forclaz Ultralight 45+10 litre MT500 rucksack would be ideal.
Camping / Expeditions: For these type of treks, you’re going to need a fair bit of stuff! So ideally you’d be looking at a capacity of somewhere between 55-75+ litres. For men I recommend the Osprey Rook 65 litre rucksack. For women the Osprey Renn 65 litre ventilated rucksack.
Challenge / Charity events: These can vary from 1/2 day to a full day, or through the night. For most 1/2 day or full day events I tend to wear my trail vest, as it’s incredibly light, and I won’t need to worry about food as there tends to be rest stop along the way. At most I’d wear my 30 litre rucksack for a 1/2 day or full day event. Most event organisations have facilities where you can leave a spare bag with them, which you can access further along the distance, if you need a spare change of clothes for example.
KT TAPE
Cure Tape: 3 x rolls of strong adhesive KT tape from Decathlon
HOTELS
Tyn-y-Coed Hotel: Capel Curig, Betws-y-coed, Betws-Y-Coed, Wales, LL24 0EE