Gears for the Great Outdoors

Having the right gear is crucial for any outdoor endeavors. And for beginner outdoor enthusiast your choice of gear can spell a sweet adventure, or a nightmare that might put a stop to your next plan get away.
So choosing what you wear and what you bring on your next trip is very important. Some gear can be purchase second hand or trough a ukay store, however some should be purchase new. Your investment in your gear can go a long long way and will surely give you a peace of mind for what ever nature drops at you.

Shoes - This is the most important gear for beginner hiker, trail runner, or backpacker. You will spend more time walking, hiking or running, so having the right shoes that fits and grips should be your first priority. Yeah, sandals might work for an ideal situation, however for those rocky and muddy trails, some wet roots and grass a nice pair of shoes will give your feet a nice defense against the beatings of the trail. Technically, your shoes is bringing you to your choice destination.

My Favorite shoes of all time 

Backpacks - If your shoes is bringing you to your adventure, your packs actually carry all your gears and supplies. A good packs can be purchase new or second hand depends on your budget and mentality. Theres a lot of available packs in the market today. Adventurist now have more access to the imported brands than those people who came before them. Before the choices are limited, now your choice can only defined by what you want to spend for your gears.

Osprey Exos 38

Daypack - which you can use of course for your dayhikes, trail run, sight seeing, field trip and easy get away. Just choose a size that can carry all you needed for the given trip.
What do you usually bring in your dayhikes ? Set of clothes for return trip, trail foods, headlamp, cap and shades, umbrella or poncho. Normally you dont need a big stuff for this classification.

Overnight and Multi day hikes - Gone are the days that hikers carry a pack that goes way above their head. Yes, we can still see those what you called hardcores and attention grabber, but if your wise enough and know what your doing, you dont really need 60 liters above for an overnight even for a week climb. It all boils down to what you carry , your choice of available gears and of course your team work. Even though you want to appear and looks tough by being self contained, You dont really need to carry your whole cabinet just to spend an overnight in Pulag, Ugo, Purgatory and most likely in Pico De loro, Batulao, and any nearby mountains.

My different packs for different adventures

What do you usually bring in an overnight and multidayhikes - Tent can be shared with another person - stove and cookset as well. Clothes for sleeping and for return trip, Your jacket for layering. Cap and shades for sun protection. Your water supply , headlamp, first aid , camera. Many mountaineers I met on the trail have their carry on wallet, sling bag, scarf , and any other fancy clothing and gears that they can get away with. Of  course that is your choice, however if you bring a lot of dead weight, it will still be your back and knees that might suffer.

Tent - this could be the most expensive gear that you might spend on. If your just a beginning your career as a hiker or backpacker,  you can get away by sharing it with another persons who have a 2 person tent - there are only few hiker who have a one person tent by the way, so chances are you will have someone to shared it to. Just make sure that you are willing to share the load to. You and your partner can divide the tent , you can bring the poles and pegs, and your partner can bring the tent body and rain fly. Just make sure that you and  your partner can hike on the same pace. Imagine if the rain and night catch you and you are far away from each other, You cannot pitch your tent and sheltered from the rain. You get the idea?

At the aplaya campsite

Clothes - Each one of us have their favorite clothes when we are outdoors. We all want to look good in the pictures that we can post and share in facebook. We want the best smile and best pose for our profile picture. We can score nice clothes at a price in Rox or any outdoor shop like the north face, columbia, mountain hardware , etc. Some people just used their singlet and finishers shirt for the race that they have participated to. Just wear what you are comfortable at, and what looks good on you. Other things just dont matter.

Water proof jacket or just plain old poncho ? - You decide, if you have a budget to spend. A water proof jacket will look good on the summit of Mt Pulag and Mt Apo. If you dont have money at the moment - Poncho will do the trick as well. Black trashbag is also a good alternative if your not too concern about how you look. Theres also a lot of second hand waterproof jacket on Ukay that you can find. Make sure you know the right materials to look and your fine.

My outer shell

Facebook have a lot of sellers of outdoor gears , you can find your dream item for a price there.

So if your a regular and serious hiker you can start investing for the gear that help you summit the mountain tops you dreamed of.

If you are just a weekend warrior or just want to test the water before you venture to the unknown , you can start by just borrowing or sharing gears from other people.