The foundation of your hike, literally! Nothing can enhance (or completely deflate) your hiking experience like a great pair of shoes or boots made for the terrain your feet carry you over! We believe a high quality, lightweight zero-drop shoe with a wide toe box not only makes your trail experience better, it also improves the strength of your feet and your posture. That’s why we carry Lems shoes and boots. Our current recommendation? The Trailheads are awesome for the shorter, less technical hikes, and the waterproof Outlanders are our go-to for big miles!

We love maps (paper and digital), and for good reason! On more than a few occasions, we’ve used them to get out of a backcountry bind. Having a way to know where you are going on a well-marked trail or in the backcountry is simple, can be relatively low-tech, and can be a real confidence booster if you’re new to hiking. Stop in our shops to check out what we have in the way of lightweight, affordable compasses, and pick up a free trail map! Want some expert advice on where to go and what to expect? Anyone in the shops is well versed in area trails and can give you recommendations on where to find the best routes for your needs!

You need water. If there’s one thing you cannot leave the trailhead without, it’s water. We recommend taking a half liter for every hour you suspect you’ll be on the trail, more if the temperatures are above average. We carry a variety of containers, from simple cannisters to the well-tested and near indestructible Nalgene, so pop in if you need a reliable way to tote some water on your hike! You might also consider carrying a lightweight water filter, like a LifeStraw, in case you run out of water or know you will be hiking along or near a water source, such as a stream, river, or lake!

Whether you’re going on a short morning walk or a multi-day backpacking trip, food should be on your mind (it’s always on ours, honestly). Fuel your body, and fuel it well! Don’t bonk mid-hike! Swing by the shop and grab a Taos Bakes bar or two, or go with Jerod’s favorite, some Taos Bakes Sweet Chile Cashews Cosmo Nuts, and resolve to put some great, clean calories in your system while on the trail! We have granola, too! Need something more substantial or for a camping trip, come see what we have in the way of freeze-dried meals!

Imagine you’re on a hike high up in the White Mountain Wilderness, you still have a few miles to go before you loop back to the trailhead, and you notice a rain shower up ahead . You smugly smile at the clouds, knowing you’re suited for precipitation with the rain poncho you packed! Or, how about this one? Amanda encourages you to check out the Southfork trail, but you forgot she mentioned the water crossings before the next trail juncture. I bet you’re glad you’re wearing Darn Tough wool socks! No one likes being wet, and nothing short of a rubber suit is truly waterproof, but we have what you need to stay dry for a while!

Safety may not be the most adventurous word to throw around the gear shop, but your younger self would have went crazy on being able to (responsibly) carry a light, a way to make fire, and a trail whistle! We are fully stocked in this department, so swing in if you need anything to feel more confident and safe on the trails!

Scrapes and allergies are simply part of hiking, especially if it’s somewhere new or technical. A good, simple first aid kit is put together to properly handle the mildest to moderate field emergencies. We carry a variety of affordable kits in different sizes. It’s easy to pack a nice one in your daypack, so why not have it along for the hike (or shopping trip, school field trip, etc.)?

It’ll probably stay in your pocket or latched to your belt most of the time, but a quality knife or multi-tool comes in handy often enough when you’re on the trail. Whether you need it to eat a trailside lunch or fix a lash on your backpack, a knife like the DAJO Adventure Gear Basecamp or even the small Fire Ant comes in handy! Some of our knives, like the DAJO Environife, come with built in firestarters, which might be useful if you are in need of warmth or a flame for cooking!

Do your momma a solid and wear that sunscreen! Or, if you prefer to bypass that, consider the cowboy method and wear a long-sleeve sun shirt, like the Cotopaxi Sombra Sun Hoodie. Top it all off with a quality hat or cap (our go to? the Real Deal Brazil Tarp Hat) and a quality pair of polarized sunglasses, and you are set! But seriously, protect yourself from long exposure to the sun. Your older self will thank you!

On the rare-but-not-out-of-the-realm-of-possibilities occasion that you get lost, stranded, and/or have to stay out on the trail during inclement weather or overnight, it’s a great idea to carry a versatile, lightweight emergency blanket (also referred to as a space blanket) as a shelter from the elements. We sell a couple different variations on the space blanket, all of which do a remarkable job of keeping you warm, dry, and they even reflectively signal for help if it’s needed! An emergency blanket is always in our trail pack.

Or really, any decent, well-made, light-weight pack will do. You have to put all this stuff somewhere, right!?! But seriously, a pack large enough to put pack the ten essentials, plus some extra food for your hiking buddy and an extra layer or two, and you’re walk in the woods just became a bit more stress free and organized. We love backpacks at Happy Hiker, and we can geek out about those big, multi-day backpacking rigs, but we know that the absolute best backpack for most occasions is a durable, but lightweight, pack that doesn’t feel like it’s dragging you down. We carry a host of such bags from Cotopaxi and Gregory, as well as a few other brands in both stores. Let us help you find the fit you need!

One of the easiest, completely free, and quite possibly the most important things you can do to be fully prepared for a hike is to simply let someone else know you are going on one! Particularly if you are hiking solo, cueing someone else in to when you’ll be hiking, where you will be, and about how long you should be on the trail will give you and yours some peace of mind and potentially keep you safe in case search and rescue needs to be alerted to your location. Don’t have anyone you can tell? Share your plan with the Happy Hiker crew! You may risk one of us wanting to join you on your rad trek, but at least you’ll have trusted members of the outdoor community in the know!