The Access Knit is an approach shoe from Five Ten that looks, feels, and rides like a running shoe, yet provides the ultimate in underfoot security with a sticky dot rubber outsole. The one-piece knit upper on the Access Knit makes this shoe amazingly comfortable on long trail days and in hot weather.
Finding the right tent, backpack, clothes, and trekking poles can be tough, but nothing seems to give prospective hikers more issues than footwear. I hope to simplify things with this post. Here are the best 14 pairs of trail shoes for the John Muir Trail and Pacific Crest Trail in 2018!
The iconic Julbo Explorer has been updated to version 2.0 and I’ve been wear testing them since last year. The major updates come to the frame, and I couldn’t be more impressed with their performance. If you need a pair of sunglasses for long day hikes, alpine outings, or mountaineering, these could be the shades for you. See why in this review.
The Terraventure is a neutral trail running shoe from Topo Athletic with a foot shaped anatomical last, breathable upper, and a dynamic underfoot ride. The Terraventure strikes the right balance of providing a lightweight shoe with just enough underfoot protection.
The Zeiss Batis 18mm f/2.8 is the best super-wide angle e-mount lens available for Sony mirrorless cameras today. The Batis 18mm is incredibly sharp from corner to corner, and provides high contrast images with deep color saturation. As an avid hiker, backpacker, and traveler, I’ve found the Batis 18mm to be a lightweight ‘do-it-all’ lens that always gets the job done.
Hiking and travel pants are an incredibly important piece of kit, especially since most of us “lightweight packers” will only bring along one pair for a multi-week trip. I’ve tried many pairs over the years that just didn’t make the cut. Here are four that have endured the test of time.
The Cascade Mountain Tech Carbon Fiber Trekking Poles are one of the highest value pieces of gear I’ve ever reviewed. The poles come in at 15.2oz with carbon fiber shafts, cork handles, quick lock adjusters, and tungsten carbine tips. Best of all, they only cost $45!
I’ve been a big fan of Hydro Flask’s vacuum insulated hydration bottles for a while now. Their ability to keep my beverages warm or cold for an entire day is a luxury I’ve enjoyed at work, on road trips, and on many car camping weekends. Hydro Flask recently released two new products in their ‘Wine Bundle’ line, the 25 oz Wine Bottle and the 10 oz Wine Tumbler.
Quantum Energy Squares are a new energy bar containing as much protein as a whole egg and as much caffeine as a cup of coffee. These bars are gluten free, vegan, soy free, dairy free, non-gmo, and contain no artificial flavors or colors.
For the fourth year running, I have compiled a list of the trail running and lightweight hiking shoes I’m looking forward to most. Like previous years, Salomon, La Sportiva, and Altra make the list. There are also some newcomers. Here are 25 of the most exciting trail running and lightweight hiking shoes of 2018!