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Beginner Guides

4 guides

Start here — the checklists and essentials that get you ready for your first trails.

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Overhead flat-lay of essential beginner hiking gear: daypack, boots, water bottle, map, first-aid kit, compass, trekking poles and socks on a wood surface
Beginner Guides

Hiking Gear for Beginners: The Complete Checklist

Staring at a wall of gear at the outdoor store—or an endless scroll of "must-have" hiking products online—is enough to make anyone want to stay on the couch. The good news? You need far less than the internet wants you to believe. This is t...

Image for Author Victoria Miller
Victoria Miller·
Guide
Flat-lay of the ten essentials for hiking: map and compass, sunscreen, headlamp, first-aid kit, fire starter, multi-tool, snacks, water filter and emergency blanket

The Ten Essentials for Hiking

If you only learn one thing before your first hike, make it the Ten Essentials. It's a simple checklist of ten categ...

Image for Author Victoria Miller
Victoria Miller
Guide
Overhead flat-lay of affordable beginner hiking gear: budget daypack, trail shoes, wool socks, water bottle, headlamp, first-aid pouch and rain poncho

Best Hiking Gear for Beginners on a Budget

Hiking is one of the cheapest hobbies on earth—right up until you walk into a gear shop and see $300 boots and $200 rain...

Image for Author Victoria Miller
Victoria Miller
Guide
A packed 20-liter daypack with day-hike contents arranged beside a printed checklist on a clipboard at a trailhead bench

Day Hiking Gear List

Some hikes go sideways before you even reach the trailhead—because the one thing you forgot is sitting on the kitchen co...

Image for Author Victoria Miller
Victoria Miller