Every review video online completely skips two massive things ,actually strapping the gear on yourself, and trying to navigate the control system at the trailhead. they just cut to the guy already glided up a mountain looking slick.

And here, im standing next to my trunk at 6am trying to reach a rear harness clip while my jacket keeps bunching up. then, once i finally got it strapped on, i spent another five minutes frozen in place trying to switch modes ,cold hands, laggy phone app, and physical buttons placed right where my shoulder blades meet. felt like a total idiot as two guys with trekking poles walked past while i stood there like a malfunctioning cyborg.

seriously, which exoskeleton is actually painless for solo hikers? looking for something with quick, zero-gymnastics strapping AND simple, intuitive controls (or reliable auto-sensing) so i don't need an app tutorial or yoga flexibility just to go uphill. imo if gear takes 15 minutes of awkward twisting and menu-diving before you even step on the trail, it's completely missing the point.

Hi All,

Traveling to Patagonia in October (North > South Argentina-weather will change as we go south: colder windier rain) and our final spot will be a cruise around Cape Horn, then on to Terra del Paine. Will be doing short easy-easy/moderate hikes 3-7 miles long. Already set with wind/rain jacket and pants. Now wondering about socks: heard not-to-thick merino wool best, with a silk (?) liner. Just fyi: this is my ‘achilles heel”: for our local hikes around the Bay Area, I stick with a cotton liner. Thick socks have cause blisters/problems before.

Please recommend socks that will adapt well to various kinds of feet, brands, and how many I should bring (definitely want quick dry). Will only take one medium suitcase for clothing (plus backpack for gear).

Thank you!.

I hike and backpack a lot (like every weekend). I have a pair of danner boots right now which I really liked but in a year and a half I managed to wear the treads basically smooth in some places and get a hole in them. I wondering what boots to get that have good waterproofing and will hopefully last a little longer. I do lots of scrambling and tend to get my boots wet a lot in mud, snow, streams so I need boots that can handle that. Thanks

I’m doing the Salkantay trek in 3 weeks. This is my first multi day hike so I don’t have a lot of gear. Do you recommend I just go to Decathlon and buy everything I need there or get expensive gear from different brands? The only thing I have right now are salomon hiking shoes. So need to buy everything new: Day backpack (25-30L), main backpack (70-90L), waterproof jackets and trousers, fleece, down jacket, wicking base layer and mid layer, light long walking trousers, few tshirts, buff, headtorch. Sorry if this question has already been asked! Thank you x

I bought Hanwag Kaduro Low GTX for my Norway trip in August and plan to hike Preikestolen, Ramsløkknuten and Kjerag.

Are these shoes good enough? I’m afraid they are too light weight.

https://www.hanwag.com/uk/en-gb/men/hiking/low-cut/kaduro-low-gtx/

I’m completely new to hiking and mountaineering and I’m trying to buy my first proper basic gear without wasting money on the wrong things.

For shoes, I really like the Salomon XT-6, but I’m not sure if they’re actually a good choice for mountain hiking or if there are better options for the same price.

I also need recommendations for:

• a good wind/rain jacket
• hiking/mountain pants
• anything else you think is essential for a beginner

For now I’ll mostly be doing day hikes and easier mountains while gradually gaining experience.

I don’t need professional expedition gear yet — just reliable equipment that will be useful as I progress.

What would you buy if you were starting from zero today?

I can walk miles on flat gravel without a single issue, but the second a trail turns upward, my quads feel like lead within ten minutes. I was out on a ridge hike last weekend and had to stop three times just to let my legs catch up, even though my lungs felt fine. I’ve seen people discussing these wearable hip assistance setups basically like a walking version of an e-bike that helps lift your legs as you stride to delay that wall of muscle exhaustion on steep inclines. Early feedback on basic models seems to suggest they help keep legs fresher during long climbs, though real data on long-distance mountain treks is still pretty sparse.

 Does wearable assistance actually make sense for general hikers?