Gear

If you want to support Spiritbleach, you can use the links on this page to purchase things. You pay the same price and Spiritbleach gets paid a small amount. The LIVSN pants were given as a gift and I've included them here because I have worn and loved them for many miles of hiking.

Skip to the gear lists

    You don't have to spend money to go for a hike and enjoy nature. Take a look at what you already have. Basic day hike stuff could be whatever you would take on a comfortable stroll. Just keep your feet happy, bring water and snacks and start with a short hike. The more you practice the easier it will get and you will find out what things you like (and need) to carry.

    If you are a planner, then first decide where you will go for a hike. Contact the group that manages the land where the hike is and ask about suggestions on what to take. What you take will depend on the weather, the conditions of the trail and other factors like whether filtered water and bathrooms are available and how crowded it can get. For an exhaustive list, review the 10 Essentials and consider what you have that can cover these. The National Park Service has a nice description of the 10 Essentials here.

    If you need to get stuff, see if you can borrow gear. Borrowing, if possible, is great because you can try it out first and the more we share things, the more we get out of the stuff we already have. That is a good thing. If you can DIY some gear, amazing! I know very little about DIY but I believe there are large groups and resources for this online. You can also rent! Check out the big box outdoor retail stores and search for your local specialty outdoor shops. Those stores often have people working there who know the area and the best gear.

    Not only can you rent gear at some of these stores, but they also often have used gear for sale (that's my favorite). Other places to check for used gear is online at places like Facebook Marketplace, local thrift shops, GearTrade and Out and Back Outdoor.

    While it would be nice to be able to afford buying a whole bunch of new stuff, having options to borrow, rent, buy used or just be creative with what you have around the house is often the best, most realistic and sustainable way to enjoy the outdoors.

My gear breakdown for day hikes on Silicon Valley trails:

My favorite cross country hiking shoes:

The Gear Lists

What you look for in a day hiking shoe here in Silicon Valley is something that is comfortable and feels like it gives you a good amount of stability on sections of dusty, muddy or dirty trail. I am now on my third pair of these Asics shoes. I love the price and they keep my feet happy. I use them as an all around shoe whether I'm going to my local park or a long hike through the redwoods. They actually started as one of my daily sneakers and I loved how comfortable they were so they ended up as my favorite hiking shoes. I have even taken these on long Sierra day hikes (in that case I actually put the insoles I bought from Oboz in them) like my Ralston Peak hike. If you are going for a hike, get a sneaker like this that is comfortable in your daily life and start there.

This is the link for an updated price on this shoe: Willie Goat's favorite day hiking shoe

And here is the link for the Oboz insoles.

I love these pants. And I normally don't like pants. Layers in Silicon Valley are very important. But it is hard to layer with your pants. So I look for ones that are warm in the cold, foggy mornings and not too hot in the sunny afternoons. I always wear pants instead of shorts because I want protection for the sun and any insects. These LIVSN are perfect for the ever changing San Francisco Bay Area weather. And I am biased - I received my pair for free from the founder of the company. I was at a work event in Northwestern Arkansas, which is where this company was started, and this outdoor recreation group I organized brought together entrepreneurs, investors and industry folk. It was clear that LIVSN was a beloved member of that community with a product their customers loved. I've been alternating between these and my Patagonia hiking pants ever since. I've now used these for years and still love them.

Check out the updated price on these pants: Willie Goat's favorite hiking pants.

More gear here:

Get outdoors!