I write about adventure travel for a living – I never leave home without these 7 pieces of must-have outdoor gear
One of the perks of my job is it takes me to some enviable locations to explore trails, National Parks and try new activities – several times a month I’m boarding a plane or a train to some mountain locale so that I can write about it.
Sometimes I make a hotel my base and I can bring a larger duffel bag like my Fj?llr?ven High Coast Duffel 36 that stays in my room while I'm outdoors, but often I’m camping or hiking between huts and carrying all my luggage on my back. Whatever I’m doing, I never want to have to check a bag if I can avoid it so I’ve been working on refining my packing skills to ensure I have everything without being overloaded.
The season, destination and activities all determine how much gear I need to carry and whether or not I’m negotiating bulky ski pants or a climbing helmet, but when the weather is warm or mild, there are some items that I never leave home without.
1. Hiking sandals
To be honest, I never really took hiking sandals seriously until I got my Keen Women's Elle Backstrap Sandals. Prior to that, I always thought they looked a bit weird and let’s be honest, I didn’t think they’d really hold up to the demands of the trail. So I’d compromise and wear trainer-style hiking shoes (or trail running shoes) for the journey, then pack sandals for going to the beach or out to dinner. I love wild swimming, so I’d also pack water shoes and suddenly I had three pairs of shoes for every trip and little room for anything else.
The Elle Backstraps changed all that for me, however – they look super beachy but they’ve handled rough trails on trips to Corsica and Gran Canaria this year with ease. When I want to switch gears and hit the water, they protect my feet from rocks and stones, then dry off quickly, and they pair with a sundress for evening dinners if I’m traveling somewhere warm. As long as I’m going somewhere not too cold, I can now travel without a single pair of shoes in my bag, leaving more room for everything else.
If you’re looking for a men’s style or just want something less beachy, both myself and my brother also love our Keen Newport H2 sandals.
2. Micro towel
A micro towel is a mainstay of pretty much all adventure travel for me. If I’m camping or staying at a mountain hut or hostel it’s required to dry off, but even if I’ve splurged on a hotel, they’re not usually thrilled about me taking their towels down to the beach. I don’t know about you, but adventure travel for me almost always means swimming, whether I’m lazing at the beach or leaping into an icy alpine lake, so a lightweight towel that packs down small is essential.
The quick-drying Sea to Summit Airlite Towel comes with its own stuff sack so it takes up hardly any room in my bag or daypack. Not only can I dry off in a pinch, but I can use it as a makeshift travel yoga mat for stretching out after a big hike and I’ve been known to use my towel as a blanket when sleeping in airports too.
3. Foldable hat
Sun protection is important to me and spending so much time outdoors means I need to think about what else I can do to keep myself covered up besides three-ounce bottles of sunscreen and long-sleeved shirts. Basically, if I’m going to be out in the sun I want a brimmed hat, but sun hats and ball caps are a pain to travel with. Either it gets squashed in my bag and never looks the same again or I have to sit with it on my lap on the plane. Enter the foldable running hat (yes, even if you're not planning on going running).
My first foldable running hat was the Arc’teryx Paltz Cap and it totally solved this problem for me. It’s peaked, so it keeps the sun (and rain) off my face whether I’m on the trail or at the beach and it’s fairly low profile so it doesn’t look out of place anywhere. However, it’s also light, breathable and rolls up in my bag without losing its shape when I’m not wearing it. It’s also machine washable so I can chuck it in with my laundry and wash the sunscreen and insect repellent out of it when I get home.
Arc’teryx is expensive, however, and this hat is no exception, so if you’re on a budget or prone to losing small items, you might look into the Columbia Unisex Coolhead III Ball Cap which I also own and find it virtually identical in terms of performance.
4. Soft water bottle
In this day and age, no traveler would think of setting off on an active vacation without their water bottle. Emptying mine out at the door of the airport then spending first 20 minutes after security seeking the water fountain to fill it up is as much a travel ritual for me as arbitrarily packing my toiletries into a see-through bag before sending them through a machine that can see through things. But let’s face it, water bottles are bulky and while hydration bladders are easy to roll up and pack, they don’t exactly cut it on a plane or train.
That’s why I love a soft water bottle for active travel. These look and feel a lot like a hydration bladder, but they’re smaller and have a drinking spout instead of a hose. I loved my Platypus soft bottle which rolled up small and clipped to my backpack with a carabiner, but it wasn’t very durable sadly.
However, I quickly replaced it with my Lifestraw Peak Series Collapsible Squeeze 1L Water Bottle which is sturdier and ideal for travel. It comes with a filter so if I’m going to be in the backcountry, I can safely drink from streams while for frontcountry adventures, I can ditch the filter and just bring the bottle.
5. Windbreaker with DWR
It’s true that for UK-based trips, I might as well pack a proper waterproof jacket and then it’s always either my Montane Phase Lite or Kathmandu Trailhead Stretch, both of which are super light and packable. But when I’m galavanting around the Rockies or in much of Europe, rain is often far from my mind. What I do want, however, is a jacket that will keep off a chilly breeze and handle a light sprinkle but not take up loads of room in my pack.
A lightweight windbreaker that’s treated with DWR to make it waster-repellent usually does the trick, and my North Face Windstream Shell Jacket is just the ticket. I can wear it hiking, mountain biking and even for running if I want to, it has a hood, fends off a chilly summit wind. Best of all, packs into its own pocket and weighs the same as my travel-sized bottle of Dr Bronner’s soap.
6. Portable charger
I thought everyone traveled with a portable charger these days, so I was shocked to find myself sharing a room at a mountain hut in the Alps last year with three women who spent the whole weekend fighting over the room’s single socket to keep their Apple Watches juiced up. If you haven’t yet, go and get yourself a portable charger.
Though hotels, hostels and huts are getting great about providing USB ports in every room, they’re not always reliable and more to the point, I’m often out on the trail for long days all by myself. I might turn my phone onto flight mode during those times, but I’m also snapping pics and sometimes using AllTrails to navigate which does slowly drain the battery and I definitely don’t want to get caught up a mountain with no phone in case things go wrong.
I keep my Belkin portable charger for those moments when I’m out in the wild and my low battery warning comes on, then take advantage of the grid for overnight charging when I’m back in my room. That way I always have access to online maps, can call for help if I need to and I don’t find myself unable to access my electronic boarding pass at the airport if I go straight there from the trail. Read my article with more tips for keeping your phone from dying on a hike.
7. Hiking first aid kit
Even if I’m not planning on doing any hiking, my hiking first aid kit comes with me on any adventure. It’s small enough to fit in the palm of my hand but loaded up with Band-Aids, blister pads, an emergency blanket, antihistamines and alcohol swabs – the latter two of which came in handy on a recent vacation to the Greek Island of Corfu.
I was trail running every morning and while I emerged from the forest unscathed, my mum took a bad reaction to some bug bites. There was a pharmacy a few miles away but we had everything we needed in my kit to sort her out and still have plenty left over for future trips where blisters or worse could befall me in the mountains.