German anon here. Tomorrow, I will be heading to Decathlon to buy some hiking gear. I have never properly gone hiking before - at most, I have gone on 3-4 hour walks on forest trails. I will mainly be hiking in spring and autumn, and occasionally in summer, depending on the weather. Terrain wise, I will be mainly hiking in rather hilly areas with a few hundred meters of elevation, and more flat areas from time to time. I would also love to camp for a night or two while I'm at it, but if that's too much (budget wise), we can just stick with hiking gear for now.
>>2861316Shoes, clothing, and a water bottle. It's not that hard.
>>2861317Haha, true. But there are a gazillion options, so I figured I ask around here to see what is actually worth buying instead of overspending or buying something with garbage quality.Also, would 25L be enough for the backpack or should I go higher?
>>286131925L is the sweet spot for day hiking but too low for camping unless you go ultra minimal, which I would not recommend for a beginner. I'd get a separate pack for overnights though.Appropriate shoes, clothes, first aid are most important. Also having enough water and bringing food you can enjoy while exercising. If you are alone, a garmin inreach or equivalent is nice but it'd singlehandedly blow through your budget. For me it was worth the peace of mind, I hike alone 99% of the time though. I only use it to have the SOS button.>3-4 hour walks in the woodsThat's really all there is to hiking, there's nothing magical that happens when you hit hour 5. It's just walking. Of course trails can be easy or hard, well maintained or bushwacking, but for what youre doing it's little more than walks. Enjoy.
>>2861316All my gear is from decathlon and I've slept in the Taiwanese tropical jungle more than an aboriginal. I've seen niggas carrying literal propane tanks on their back all the way to 4000m so I guess the important part is determation anon
>>2861316all of decathlon tents are shit, even their more pricey ones. if you insist to get one from them be prepared to carry another set of flysheet and footprint
>>2861316The most important thing for hiking is having the right shoes. There's no need to spend a lot of money - they just need to fit your feet well. Also, don't take long walks in brand new shoes if your feet aren't used to them yet. Clothing is important, too. If it's cold outside, you should wear a moisture-wicking thermal top, a fleece pullover, a jacket, and a hat if it's really cold. However, since you probably won't go hiking in the winter, a waterproof jacket will suffice against rain. Buy pants that dry quickly. Cotton is warm and comfortable, but once it gets wet, it stays wet.Always check the weather forecast, but expect worse conditions because the weather is different in the mountains than in the city. Download CoMaps from F-Droid for maps. It's free, and downloads maps for the area, so it can be used without an internet connection.I think you can find some nice things at Decathlon. I have a few items from there, too (pic related), and they're pretty good for us European weekend warriors.
>>2861350Thanks for the detailed post! I’m thinking a basic cotton long sleeve shirt, a light fleece jacket on top and a rain jacket should be enough for the weather conditions in which I will be going out. Would you say wool socks are also worth getting, or should I go with a different material?
>>2861351Yes, this might be enough. Wool socks are great for hiking. Merino wool socks are even better. They don't smell bad if you wear them for several days straight, and they keep your feet warm even when they're wet. However, they are expensive and don't last long. Synthetic socks grow bacteria quickly and aren't suitable for this activity. They may find their use in the summer, but I personally don't like them very much.Be sure to keep a spare pair of socks in your backpack. Wet socks can cause a lot of trouble. Also, it's a good idea to change the shoe inserts in your shoes at least 1-2x a year.
>>2861354> However, they are expensive and don't last long.I didn’t know that. I always thought wool is more durable than your average recycled-plastic type of socks, lol. It probably still is, but I was thinking more like multiple years at least. >Be sure to keep a spare pair of socks in your backpack I always keep 2 extra pairs in my day to day backpack :DRegarding the topic of shoes, do you have any recommendations? Decathlon shoes would be great, but I wouldn’t mind buying from somewhere else if you have had good experiences with other brands.
>>2861356check out the kiprun tr series. those are decathlon's own brand of shoes. They are too slim for my feet, but then I have very wide feet.
>>2861323What the fuck why
>>2861351>I’m thinking a basic cotton long sleeve shirtOften a good idea to avoid cotton as a base layer unless you're exclusively going /out/ in warm weather. It soaks up water (whether from sweat, unexpected rain or stream crossings), dries slowly and loses all insulation when wet. That can be a recipe for hypothermia depending on your climate. Most people would recommend merino or synthetic baselayers.
decathlon is upping their game everything has higher quality alternatives like titanium etc probably not a big deal for consooomers for pragmatic bros it's a game changer
lol nojust get cheap stuff, figure out what you want to invest more of your money into. Get a decent backpack 20-30l (osprey is great) and a decent pair of boots (Salomon, Merrel) and spend whatever is left on what's cheapest.
Check out this guy's channel. He had a couple of good videos about exactly that, including Decathlon gear.Obviously you can omit the camping equipment if you don't plan overnighters.https://youtu.be/j7OFiAtMfdQ?si=hPQSUhlK5NkG-qW5
>>2861417>Osprey>SalomonOverpriced boutique gear
>>2861369gotta get that propane to his meth lab somehow.
>>2861316Spend 250€ on shoes
>>2861319merino wear or wool, sold wool.Thin sold wool aka merino wool is the best. Shoes above the ancle as height.
>>2861316>250€Unless you are climbing actual mountains or spelunking you can just hike in old clothes. The only thing that matters is experience and boots/socks. The decathlon tennis socks are good, and the hunting boots are good for the money. But you don't need to spend 250€. Just buy a 20L backpack, pick the cheapest one because you won't notice the weight difference for casual hiking. When hiking carry a poncho or rain jacket (ponchos are lighter but they suck with wind), a meal, a 2L water bottle, spare socks, a first aid kit and a knife. That's all you need unless you are doing technical stuff. Pic related are my favourite decathlon boots, unless you are walking on wet rock, because they are kinda slippery.
The Quechua shoes aint that bad if you are not doing mountains. I have a pair that have served me pretty well for just normal walks (~6 hour long treks through hills and woods and shit).
I did bought the MH100 as first shoes for walking. Really good shoes to start with. Only issue is your feet will have the worst smell in the world.I liked the high shoes to protect my ankles. It s really good as a beginner because you can walk like a retard among the rocks. But yes it s not for intensive use, after like 10 to 30 hiking into the rock it kind of fell apart. I was using them to go climbing, so we did take some shitty path into the rocks.Decathlon is honest with their product, they display their lifetime.I strongly advise to go with this one because it s cheap, and after a few hikes you will see other shoes and know what you want. Other important information : get a wind breaker AND a down jacket. Always separate the heat from the layer which protect you from the rain. You will often need to take off your down jacket because you will start sweating a lot and it I'll be raining.I bought the MT500, I had a Patagonia for like 4 times the prices before and I still prefer the MT500.Otherwise I always pick the brand "simond" it s like 2 to 5 times cheaper than the brand with the same specs. Maybe a little be heavier, instead of 500g you will be at 600g but who care when you walk.And yes a 25l is largely enough. Just take a bag with the clips to put it around your waist. And I like to have other clips like in the alpine bag to put other stuffs outside of my bag, like my jacket or flip flops on the top
>>2862707>Only issue is your feet will have the worst smell in the world.This is usually due to the use of poor materials such as paper or wood fiber. Once they get wet with sweat/water, bacteria begin to multiply inside, breaking down organic material and this causes the shoes to smell like corpses. Always check the inside of the shoe before buy and remember - changing shoe insoles 1-2x per year greatly reduces this.
>>2861351A cotton baselayer will work against your insulation and is a very bad idea. When you sweat and your cotton base gets wet your body will use energy to dry it. Cotton will hold on to more moisture and dry slower than synthetics or wool. If youre hiking in 100+ F then cotton could be good as it will cool you down, but in normal or cold conditions it will be cold and uncomfortable. It could even kill you given the right circumstances.For moisture management theres basicly two directions you could go: A fast drying synthetic base that wicks moisture away from the body and dries fast. If needed combine it with a fleece that breaths well and transfer moisture to it’s outside so that it can vaporize. Materials like Alpha Direct, Octaloft or a grid fleece will work as active insulation. A wind layer over the fleece will make it alot warmer.Merino wool. You will stay wet for a longer time but it will be comfortable and warm even when its wet. If its cold a wind layer or hardshell on top of a merino base will help trap heat. You might not need a insulating layer
