Our Top Gear Picks Of 2024
The Clever Hiker Top Picks page is reserved for our personal favorite gear. When we hit the trail, this is what we carry in our packs.
Hiking Shoes
Hiking shoes (Men’s / Women’s) offer a good balance between weight, water protection, durability, and comfort for those who need their footwear to be a bit more protective.
Hiking Boots
Boots offer solid support and great durability for rugged adventures. We’ve researched, broken in, and trail-tested dozens of hiking boots to bring you our lists of the very best hiking boots (Men’s / Women’s) on the market.
Trail Runners
Trail running shoes are great for both running and hiking. They provide a great balance of weight, comfort, and performance for long days on the trail. We’ve tested dozens to bring you this list of the best trail running shoes (Men’s / Women’s).
OTHER FOOTWEAR GUIDES
Tents
Backpacking Tents
Packing a top-notch tent is one of the best ways to increase comfort, safety, and enjoyment on backcountry trips. So when you’re in the market for a new shelter, pick up one of the Best Backpacking Tents.
Camping Tents
Choosing a tent that is comfortable, spacious, and easy to setup can make or break a camping trip. Here’s our list of the Best Camping Tents.
OTHER TENT GUIDES
Sleep System
Backpacking Sleeping Bags
Looking for some deep trail sleep? Then snuggle up with one of the Best Sleeping Bags.
Backpacking Sleeping Pads
Nobody likes waking up with numb hips. Get the restful trail sleep you’ve earned with one of the Best Sleeping Pads.
Camping Sleeping Bags
Don’t let an uncomfortable night ruin your trip. It’s easy to get restful sleep outdoors with the right sleeping bag.
Camping Mattresses
Camping is all about relaxing and sleeping under the stars. The right camping mattress can be a real game changer.
OTHER SLEEP SYSTEM GUIDES
Backpacks
Backpacking Backpacks
If you’re planning to hit the trail this year, you’ll probably want one of these badboys on your back. Here’s our list of the Best Backpacks.
Daypacks
A solid daypack should be a staple of every outdoor enthusiast’s gear collection. Ranging from minimalist to fully featured, we bring you our trail-tested Best Daypacks.
OTHER BACKPACK GUIDES
Camp Kitchen
Backpacking Stoves
A steamy cup of java on a crisp, quiet morning is just about the perfect start to any day in the wilderness. So pick up one of the Best Backpacking Stoves and make that morning moment happen.
Camping Stoves
There are lots of excellent stoves on the market to make your culinary adventures a success, but not all camp chefs have the same needs. We’ve been boiling and sautéing up a storm in our outdoor kitchen to bring you this list of the best camping stoves on the market.
OTHER CAMP KITCHEN GUIDES
Clothing
Down Jackets
Down jackets are lightweight, packable, and highly efficient at trapping body heat. For those reasons (along with pure coziness), they’ve become our most beloved pieces of clothing for hiking and everyday wear.
Rain Jackets
Whatever your pleasure; walking, running, biking, or hiking – being equipped with the right mindset and a quality rain jacket will empower you to seize any opportunity to get outdoors, regardless of the forecast.
OTHER CLOTHING GUIDES
Other Outdoor Gear
Water Filters
Staying hydrated and avoiding parasites in the backcountry is critical. We explain the key differences of each water treatment method and share our personal favorites in our list of the Best Water Filters.
Headlamps
With all the technical data to sift through and seemingly endless choices on the market, it can be a real challenge to figure out what to buy. We researched and tested dozens of headlamps to put together this list of this year’s Best Headlamps.
Trekking Poles
Trekking poles can add a lot of stability and comfort to your hike.We tested dozens of trekking poles to narrow the list down in terms of durability, comfort, weight and value to determine this year’s Best Trekking Poles.
OTHER OUTDOOR GEAR GUIDES
- Best Backpacking & Camping Hammocks
- Best Camping Chairs
- Best Backpacking Chairs
- Best Water Bottles
- Best Hydration Bladders
- Best Pocket Knives
- Best Multitools
- Best First Aid Kits
- Best Stuff Sacks
- Best GPS Watches
- Best Power Banks
- Best Dog Backpacks
- Best Dog Boots
- Best Glass Water Bottles
- CleverHiker Gift Guide
HD Tutorial Videos
We’ve created over 30 instructional backpacking videos in two series – Essential Trail Skills & Lightweight Backpacking Foundations. Our focus is building educational resources to help backpackers of all levels feel more comfortable in the wilderness.
Gear Review Policy
We designed the CleverHiker Gear Guide to share our favorite backpacking equipment and to simplify the often frustrating gear buying process. We’ve spent thousands of hours researching and testing the equipment we recommend and we hope you find our suggestions helpful.
We regularly update the CleverHiker gear guide to add new products and make modifications. If you feel like we’ve missed a great tool or you’d like to provide feedback on an item, please get in touch with us to let us know.
Our main focus with the CleverHiker Gear Guide is recommending gear we trust from companies we believe in. The trust of our readers is our number one priority, so we work very hard to promote only the best of the best. Our gear recommendations are completely independent choices based on our personal experience and opinions. We never accept payments for reviewing gear, but we do occasionally get to keep free testing samples. We also include affiliate advertising links on our gear guide, which helps us keep CleverHiker up and running.
Just like our tutorial videos, this guide is all about spreading knowledge and helping raise the bar for future innovations. We focus on recommending only the best gear and that’s why our audience keeps coming back for more.
It’s also important to remember that great gear can really enhance a backpacking trip, but at the end of the day, it’s more important to get out and hike than to spend weeks mulling over what gear to buy. So go have an adventure! You’ll learn a lot about what gear you prefer by gaining experience in the backcountry.
