From pour-over coffee makers to fuel your steps, to down jackets designed to withstand all weather, discover 2024’s must-buy walking gear
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Looking for that perfect gift for the avid walker in your life? Or maybe you’re considering upgrading some of your walking gear, ready for new adventures in the new year? Perhaps a bad experience with a not-so waterproof coat has you looking for the next best thing to keep you warm on your next stroll?
Whatever your reason, we’ve rounded up some of the best products to enhance both those long ambles and challenging trails, so that you can be sure your next walk will be free from soggy feet, navigational mishaps and unexpected discomforts.
Stanley x Pendleton Pour Over Coffee Maker – £90
A decent cup of coffee can make the difference between comfort on a campsite, and spending an entire morning grumpy and irritable. There are many excellent portable coffee makers out there (shout out to the Italian-style Bialetti Moka pots, and the American Aeropress) but for our money, the best is this pour over device by Stanley.
Simply throw ground coffee in the top, pour in water boiled on your campstove, and it trickles through. You don’t need filter papers, and the double-wall vacuum cup will keep your brew warm, even on the coldest of camp mornings. stanley1913.com
Click here to get yours via Amazon
The Essential: Danner Mountain 600 Leaf GTX Boots – £220
A rugged, reliable pair of walking boots is a must-have for any kind of hiking, but when you’re walking for several days on the trot, having comfortable footwear becomes even more important. Danner is a classic American workwear brand that has been making boots since 1932, and their hiking-specific models are among the best on the market.
Made of full-grain leather with a Vibramsole and a waterproof Gore-Texmembrane, the Mountain 600 Leaf boots are built for long days on the trail, whatever the terrain. danner.com
Click here to get yours via Amazon
The Surprisingly Useful: Pacsafe LS120 Anti-Theft Hip Pack – £80
The most important bag for any multi-day hiking trip is obviously your backpack. But years of experience have taught us that having a bumbag (or what the Americans would call a fanny pack) is also surprisingly useful. Being able to keep things such as suncream, snacks or a point-and-shoot camera easily accessible can save you tons of time. Having to take your heavy pack on and off every time you want to get hold of something small is seriously annoying.
This hip pack from travel specialists Pacsafe includes anti-theft features designed for urban environments, but works equally well when you take to the trail. pacsafe.co.uk
Click here to get yours via Amazon
The Luxury: Hamilton Khaki Field Expedition Auto watch – £965
Some sort of timepiece is a must-have for winter walks, because the days are so short, but this is a cut above your ordinary watch. Housed in a 37mm stainless-steel case, the Khaki Field Expedition Auto is built tough, with a screw-down crown that will protect the movement in any weather.
Founded in Pennsylvania in 1892, Hamilton has an impeccable expedition heritage, having supplied the watch worn by Richard E Byrd, the first pilot ever to reach the North Pole, in 1926. hamiltonwatch.com
Click here to get yours via Amazon
The Essential: ThruDark Ithax down jacket – £295
Founded by two former UK Special Forces operatives, ThruDark makes outdoor clothing designed to cope with the harshest environments on Earth. Its Ithax down jacket, available in men’s and women’s cuts, is made from the brand’s own water-repellent ripstop outer fabric and filled with Primaloft silver insulation.
The advantage of a synthetic insulation material such as Primaloft over goose down is that it doesn’t clump together when wet, so it would carry on keeping you warm even if you fell in a river (not that we would recommend doing so). thrudark.com
The Surprisingly Useful: Leki Khumbu Lite walking poles – £85
To people who’ve never given it a go, walking with poles just looks like extra faff. Once you’ve tried it, however, you’ll wonder how you ever managed without. The extra support and balance they give you when climbing or descending is invaluable, especially in winter, when the terrain is likely to be wet and slippery.
Leki, a German brand, is the world’s leading pole manufacturer and these Khumbu poles, named after the icefall beneath Mount Everest, are solid, dependable and easy to adjust.
