Hiking Geek's Best Hiking and Backpacking Gear - Hiking Photos, Trip Reports, Trail Info and Gear Reviews

Quality hiking and backpacking gear isn’t cheap. Often those starting out will have to buy and rebuy gear until they find something that suits their needs. At an increasing rate, readers have been asking for my recommendations regarding gear to avoid wasting money. Here’s a partial list of the gear that I’ve had the best luck with.

When available, I’ve added a link to my full review. I will add more items and info as time allows, as well as where I purchased it and how much I paid. If I have listed more than one item in a specific category, I’ve ordered them based relative rank (best listed first).

Backpacks

Day packs
- Deuter Airlite 28
- REI Venturi 30
Multi-day packs
- Mountainsmith Boundary – 75 liters
  - An older pack, but the best I’ve had considering both level of comfort and pack weight.
- Six Moon Designs Fusion 65
  - The lightest of the packs listed. It will likely be higher on my list when my base weight decreases.
- Gregory Baltoro 65 Backpack
  - I like the design better than the Mountainsmith, but this pack is very heavy

Clothing

Base-layer
- Top
  - Woolx Explorer 1/4 Zip Baselayer Top
- Bottom
  - Stoic Breathe Composite Bottom
Convertible Pants
- BugsAway Ziwa Convertible Pant
  - The only convertible pants I’ve found that have both a long inseam and side zips that allow me to convert them to shorts without taking off my boots.
- Sage Seychelles Convertible Pants
  - Nearly as nice as the ExOfficio pants, but I need to take my boots off to convert them as shorts
  - Quickest drying and most comfortable convertibles pants I’ve tested
  - Has an integrated belt as well as belt loops
Shirts
- Long Sleeve
  - WoolX Lightweight Merino Hoodie
    - The thumbholes and hood give it a leg up on the others I’ve tested
  - Champion Double Dry Competitor Compression Long Sleeve
    - Was my favorite prior to trying the WoolX hoodie. Loses out due to merino wool’s anti-microbial properties and the versatility of the hoodie.
- Short Sleeve
  - WoolX Outback t-shirt
    - The most durable 100% merino wool t-shirt I’ve tested
Socks
- Heavy Backpacking Socks
  - Farm to Feet (F2F) High Points
    - Simply the best socks I’ve ever used
  - Thorlo Trail Hiking Socks
    - Best cushioning of any socks I’ve used. Great for dayhikes and for shorter trips when several pairs of socks aren’t needed. They lack the antibacterial properties of the F2F merino wool socks.
- Multi-Sport (gym, everyday, short hike use)
  - Farm to Feet Greensboro 1/4 and 3/4 Crew Socks
    - The antibacterial properties of merino wool allow these to be worn for several days without stinking.

Electronics

Camera
- Sony NEX
Camera Carry-Systems
- Compact or Mirrorless Camera
  - Peak Design Capture Clip – HikingGeek.com’s Full Review
- Full DSLR
  - Cotton Carrier Camera Vest