Gear We Use
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Hiking Gear
Anyone can start hiking with what they already own, but purpose-made gear will reward with comfort, reliability and safety. So we've linked some of our favorite hiking gear below. This is in addition to usual considerations such as water, food, first aid essentials, emergency whistle and sunscreen. Trailspotting is non-commercial and ad-free, so any links we publish are not monetized in any way.
• AllTrails Pro [alltrails.com]
Our main navigation tool, using either crowdsourced or our own custom routes. We've paid for AllTrails Pro for years to get the offline maps, and we're particularly impressed with the stability of the iPhone app. Their crowdsourced routes and reviews are the most complete we've found on the web.
• Organic Maps [organicmaps.app]
This free, open source mapping app provides instant access to pre-loaded Open Street Map basemaps and trails. We keep several entire US state maps or European countries on our phone. It's also extremely useful for importing and layering GPX and KML files onto the basemap, including those provided by Trailspotting. We often use it to view travel plans we've created in Google Maps. The user interface is a little rough around the edges, and we do find its trail recording abilities to be mediocre.
• INUI MagSafe Power Bank [inuishop.com]
Backup smarphone or headlamp power on the trail.
• Nitecore USB Headlamp [nitecorestore.com]
We recommend carrying a headlamp if there's even a chance of running out of daylight. A USB-powered model means you have confidence of ongoing illumination if you also bring a backup USB power bank.
• SaltStick FastChews [aletenutrition.com]
Heat exaustion is not pleasant and can have long-term impacts. Drinking water is not enough on the most strenuous hikes, particularly in hot weather, and you need to recover lost salts and electrolites on the trail. We prefer these chewable tablets as a delivery system, rather than the powders that can be added to drinks, as the latter can contaminate your drinking vessels.
• Permethrin Repellant [amazon.com]
Tick and mosquito repellant for clothes. Spray on your hiking clothes in spring, and repeat later in the year if necessary. Not safe around cats.
• Picaridin Repellant [sawyer.com]
Tick and monsquito repelland for skin. Provides 4-5 hours of protection. Doesn't contain DEET which has drawbacks and loss of effectiveness when combined with sunscreens.
Photography Gear
We travel extremely light and rely solely on an iPhone for trail images. Although modern dedicated cameras can provide better-quality images, they're bulky and often overkill for web-based productions like ours. Additionally, changing lenses on a trail can be a real chore. We're currently using the iPhone 16 Pro as our only camera, though Apple have barely made any improvements to it since the iPhone 14 Pro.
• Photo Software
Our photos are processed with Adobe Lightroom 3.2 (2010) and occasionally touched up with Photoshop CS2 (2005). This is software so old that it could be bought without a monthly subscription, which we refuse to do. We do test modern open-source alternatives, but we're still happy with the results we get from our decade-old workflow.
• Stitching Software [sourceforge.io]
Because the iPhone's ultrawide lens produces over-sharpened results (even the new, supposedly 48MP, ultrawide iPhone 16 lens), we usually focus on the main 48MP lens and create wider high-quality images from multiple shots stitched together with free stitching software called Hugin.
• Phone Lanyard
Perhaps our most important photo accessory is a wrist lanyard that can be secured to our smartphone and case, combined with a retractable badge holder that attaches to a belt loop. We pull our phone out so often to take photos on the trail that this has stopped us from dropping our device more than once.
• Toneof Smartphone Tripod [toneof-us.com]
Photos are better with people in them, and on remote solo hikes a tripod is sometimes the only way we can frame a person in the shot. This combined tripod and selfie stick is lightweight and takes literally just 5 seconds to set up or strip down. The tripod does need a flat surface and it can be unstable in windy conditions. Combined with the lanyard for security, we can also use the tripod as a selfie stick to get some unique shots. We clip the tripod to our belt using the Spider tool holster [spidertoolholster.com].
Tangents
• Travel: Trailspotting's Minimal Onebag
• Facebook Group: Comment, Follow Us
Hiking Gear
Anyone can start hiking with what they already own, but purpose-made gear will reward with comfort, reliability and safety. So we've linked some of our favorite hiking gear below. This is in addition to usual considerations such as water, food, first aid essentials, emergency whistle and sunscreen. Trailspotting is non-commercial and ad-free, so any links we publish are not monetized in any way.
• AllTrails Pro [alltrails.com]
Our main navigation tool, using either crowdsourced or our own custom routes. We've paid for AllTrails Pro for years to get the offline maps, and we're particularly impressed with the stability of the iPhone app. Their crowdsourced routes and reviews are the most complete we've found on the web.
• Organic Maps [organicmaps.app]
This free, open source mapping app provides instant access to pre-loaded Open Street Map basemaps and trails. We keep several entire US state maps or European countries on our phone. It's also extremely useful for importing and layering GPX and KML files onto the basemap, including those provided by Trailspotting. We often use it to view travel plans we've created in Google Maps. The user interface is a little rough around the edges, and we do find its trail recording abilities to be mediocre.
• INUI MagSafe Power Bank [inuishop.com]
Backup smarphone or headlamp power on the trail.
• Nitecore USB Headlamp [nitecorestore.com]
We recommend carrying a headlamp if there's even a chance of running out of daylight. A USB-powered model means you have confidence of ongoing illumination if you also bring a backup USB power bank.
• SaltStick FastChews [aletenutrition.com]
Heat exaustion is not pleasant and can have long-term impacts. Drinking water is not enough on the most strenuous hikes, particularly in hot weather, and you need to recover lost salts and electrolites on the trail. We prefer these chewable tablets as a delivery system, rather than the powders that can be added to drinks, as the latter can contaminate your drinking vessels.
• Permethrin Repellant [amazon.com]
Tick and mosquito repellant for clothes. Spray on your hiking clothes in spring, and repeat later in the year if necessary. Not safe around cats.
• Picaridin Repellant [sawyer.com]
Tick and monsquito repelland for skin. Provides 4-5 hours of protection. Doesn't contain DEET which has drawbacks and loss of effectiveness when combined with sunscreens.
Photography Gear
We travel extremely light and rely solely on an iPhone for trail images. Although modern dedicated cameras can provide better-quality images, they're bulky and often overkill for web-based productions like ours. Additionally, changing lenses on a trail can be a real chore. We're currently using the iPhone 16 Pro as our only camera, though Apple have barely made any improvements to it since the iPhone 14 Pro.
• Photo Software
Our photos are processed with Adobe Lightroom 3.2 (2010) and occasionally touched up with Photoshop CS2 (2005). This is software so old that it could be bought without a monthly subscription, which we refuse to do. We do test modern open-source alternatives, but we're still happy with the results we get from our decade-old workflow.
• Stitching Software [sourceforge.io]
Because the iPhone's ultrawide lens produces over-sharpened results (even the new, supposedly 48MP, ultrawide iPhone 16 lens), we usually focus on the main 48MP lens and create wider high-quality images from multiple shots stitched together with free stitching software called Hugin.
• Phone Lanyard
Perhaps our most important photo accessory is a wrist lanyard that can be secured to our smartphone and case, combined with a retractable badge holder that attaches to a belt loop. We pull our phone out so often to take photos on the trail that this has stopped us from dropping our device more than once.
• Toneof Smartphone Tripod [toneof-us.com]
Photos are better with people in them, and on remote solo hikes a tripod is sometimes the only way we can frame a person in the shot. This combined tripod and selfie stick is lightweight and takes literally just 5 seconds to set up or strip down. The tripod does need a flat surface and it can be unstable in windy conditions. Combined with the lanyard for security, we can also use the tripod as a selfie stick to get some unique shots. We clip the tripod to our belt using the Spider tool holster [spidertoolholster.com].
Tangents
• Travel: Trailspotting's Minimal Onebag
• Facebook Group: Comment, Follow Us
Best Trails of California
See our favorite hiking trails for each region of California.
See our favorite hiking trails for each region of California.
Best Trails of New Hampshire
See our favorite hiking trails and rail trails for each region of New Hampshire.
See our favorite hiking trails and rail trails for each region of New Hampshire.
Trailspotting the Southwest
See our growing collection of hikes from the Southwestern US states.
See our growing collection of hikes from the Southwestern US states.
