In this article I will talk about the best hiking accessories that you can buy today. Most of these accessories are not absolutely required on every type of hike, but they will almost always be valuable items to have while you are out on the trail.
Quick overview
Let’s start with a list of the best hiking accessories that will be discussed in this article.
Water filter
Most of you will probably already know about the sawyer water filter. Even in 2018, this is one of my favorite hiking accessories out there.
Having this means that you have to carry a lot less water (at least on most of the trails). You will be able to refill your water bottles with filtered water whenever you encounter a stream, a lake or even a puddle.
If you do eventually run out of drinking water, this accessory will come in very handy.
There are plenty of brands that produce water filters. Make sure to do proper research before buying any water filter. I have always used Sawyer and I have no reason to use any other brand.
Make sure to keep them inside your sleeping bag when it is freezing outside. The cold might damage them.
Click here if you want to check out the latest price on amazon: Sawyer water filter.
Paracord
Paracord is probably one of the most forgotten accessories on any hike. Whether you go on a short summer hiking trip or you are going to hike a long distance trail during the winter, there is no excuse not to bring paracord.
Paracord does not weigh a lot, it does not cost a lot and it could save your life on many occasions. You can even buy it in the form of a bracelet. Most of the time these bracelets are multi tools that might include a compass, a scraper, a flint, a whistle, etc.
I have never tried them out myself because I’m afraid they would annoy me (I never wear any kind of bracelet). However, these bracelets are ridiculously cheap and they might come in handy, so feel free to give it a try and let me know what you think.
You can check the latest price on amazon: Survival bracelet.
Anyway, why would you need a paracord in the first place? How could it save your life? Well answering these questions are not in the scope of this article. You can check out an in-depth article about the many uses of paracord by clicking this link: paracord uses for survival.
Personally, I have mainly used paracord to attach something to my backpack or to put up my tent when I can’t use tent pins.
As I said before, bringing some paracord is not the biggest investment, so make sure to bring it on your next hiking trip.
Check the latest price by clicking this link: Paracord.
Hiking Umbrella
Bringing an umbrella on a serious hiking trip? Do people really do that?
The answer is yes, but maybe not for the reason you might think.
The main reason to bring an umbrella on the trail is to protect yourself from the sun and UV rays. An umbrella might prevent sunburn and it can also help you stay cool during the day.
That said, they can offer provide some protection against the rain, but that shouldn’t be the main reason why you bring it.
Should you bring it on every trip?
You can, but I wouldn’t do it. I would only bring an umbrella when I know it will be very hot. I definitely recommend this for desert hikes.
The biggest enemy of the umbrella is the wind. Even the best umbrellas might lose the fight against extreme winds. That said, it is still one of the most important factors to keep in mind when you buy a hiking umbrella.
The umbrella I would bring on my next desert hiking trip would be the “Matacol Anti UV Umbrella”. It provides protection against the sun, the rain and is better protected against heavy winds then most of its competitors.
Check out the latest price here: Matacol Anti UV Umbrella.
Solar power bank
Almost every hiker brings at least one electronic device to the trail: a smartphone. Additionally, a lot of hikers also bring a camera or even other electronic devices.
Most of the time when you are out on a multiday hiking trip, you will not be able to plug your devices into a wall. Therefore, you need some kind of a portable solution for this problem. You could bring a regular power bank, but a solar power bank comes with a couple of advantages.
For those of you who don’t know what a solar power bank is, it’s similar to a regular power bank, but it has a small solar panel attached to it. You can hang it on the back of your backpack and it will slowly recharge if it can collect some sunlight.
Before you get too enthusiastic, the recharging of the power bank takes extremely long. The solar panel is designed to keep you going a little bit longer. Also, it could save your life in an emergency situation. Imagine being able to collect a little bit of energy from the sun and recharge your phone just enough so you can make one last phone call. This call could make a huge difference in an emergency situation.
In my opinion, this is one of the most interesting hiking accessories on this list.
At first, I assumed these kinds of power banks would be extremely expensive. However, that is not the case (otherwise it would not have made it on this list).
If you want to learn more about solar power banks and keeping your devices charged on the trail in general, read this article: How to keep your devices charged on the trail.
From the research that I did, I concluded that the FKANT Waterproof Solar Charger was the best option for me. It has 16000mAh and it is the best value for money that I could find.
In case you are interested, you can check out the latest price of the Riapow Solar Charger on amazon.
Microspikes
Microspikes are a big help on snowy/icy trails. Note that attaching microspikes to your hiking boots will increase the weight on your feet. More weight on your feet means that you will need more energy to cover the same distance.
That said, microspikes are still recommended when the conditions require it.
When should you wear microspikes?
Whenever you feel like you need that little bit of extra traction. You might not need to wear it on a snowy, but completely flat surface. However, once the trail gets a little bit more technical, with some changes in altitude, you probably want to put them on.
Microspikes can provide a lot of help, but if the trail is too steep and the ice density is too high, they might not be optimal.
So what should you do in this situation?
Use crampons instead of microspikes! Crampons are similar to microspikes, but they are used in more extreme situations.
On most hikes, I feel like microspikes are sufficient. Make sure to check the conditions of the trail before you decide whether to bring crampons or microspikes.
If you want more information about crampons and microspikes, I can recommend this article: Winter Traction and When to Wear It.
In case you are looking to buy some microspikes, you can’t go wrong with Kahtoola microspikes. These are both cheap and high quality.
Hiking Watch
For obvious reasons I had to include a hiking watch to this list. A hiking watch can either be a simple, but durable watch, mainly used to check the time. However, a hiking watch could also be a combination of a gps, an outdoors watch, a triathlon watch and an activity tracker.
There are a lot of different hiking watches out there, all of them are solutions to a combination of different problem. Some of these watches are extremely useful, they can literally do anything. Replacing your smartphone is only part of their job.
That said, these watches with endless features do come with a very serious price tag.
I could talk for days about all these different kinds of watches and all their features, but that’s simply out of scope for this article. Insead, I will shortly cover some of the best hiking watches that are currently available for every budget.
If you are on a budget and you are looking for a good hiking watch I would recommend this in-depth researched article: Best cheap hiking watches.
Garmin fenix 3 GPS Watch
This is the perfect watch for any hiking trip. It’s basically the combination of a GPS, an advanced activity tracker, an outdoors watch and a triathlon watch.
You can link this watch with your phone and basically let this watch replace your smartphone.
Additionally, it has a beautiful, lightweight and rugged design. The only real downside to this watch is that it’s pretty big.
Also, the price is a pretty big downside. Check out the latest price by clicking here: Garmin fenix 3 GPS Watch.
Suunto Ambit3 Peak HR Running GPS Unit
The Suunto Ambit3 Peak is basically the watch for every hiker that wants a gps watch, but considers the Garmin fenix 3 GPS Watch too expensive.
This watch is basically the budget version of the fenix 3. That said, it is still a very high quality watch and it’s not dirt-cheap either.
Check out the latest price here: Suunto Ambit3 Peak HR Running GPS Unit
Pro Trek Men’s PAG240T-7
If you care about features in general, but GPS is not a requirement, this watch might interest you.
This watch is a solar-powered sport watch that provides an altimeter, a barometer, a thermometer and compass information.
The perfect watch for any hiker as long as GPS is not a requirement.
You can check the latest price here: Pro Trek Men’s PAG240T-7.
Timex Full-Size Ironman Classic
Here comes the most budget friendly watch that I would recommend, the Timex Full-Size Ironman Classic.
It does not come with a lot of fancy features like the other watches on this list. It’s just a simple watch to check the time.
There are millions of regular watches, why this one?
This watch might not have any fancy features, but it is durable, waterproof, extremely long lasting and lightweight. That’s why this is my recommendation for a budget hiking watch.
Check out the latest price here: Timex Full-Size Ironman Classic.
Hiking flask
This hiking accessory might not be useful for every hiker out there. At the end of a long and exhausting day of hiking, I can definitely enjoy a drink.
Carrying your drink in a bottle is both very heavy and it’s not that pleasant to drink from a bottle. You could pour your drink in a lightweight plastic bottle, to tackle the weight issue, but drinking whisky from a plastic bottle is simply not done.
The solution to this problem?
Bring a good hiking flask. When I’m looking for a flask to bring on a hike, I want it to be lightweight, durable and not ridiculously expensive.
The flask that currently like the most is the Stanley Classic Flask. You can consult the latest price by clicking here: Stanley Classic Flask.
Conclusion
This list is just a quick overview of some very nice hiking accessories. Some of them – like the sawyer water filter – I would recommend to every single hiker out there. Other accessories – like the more expensive hiking watches – I would only recommend to hikers who can afford it.
Some of these hiking accessories are definitely not necessities, but they might make your life a lot easier on the trail.
If I forgot your favorite hiking accessory, feel free to let me know in the comments below.