What to Wear Hiking in Winter: 5 Essentials to Take With You

Posted by Chloe Ackland on 11th December, 2023
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Stay warm and organised on your winter hikes with our 5 Lakeland Active Hiking Essentials.

At Lakeland Active we believe that some of the best walks happen during the Winter months. Our team love: bright blue skies in freezing temperatures, stunning sunsets at 4pm and sipping hot drinks from steaming flasks (with a biscuit obviously).

Don't let the freezing cold weather put you off exploring the great outdoors! Here's our top 5 Lakeland Active hiking essentials to take with you when you're packing your bag for your next Winter adventure.

Winter Hiking Essential Number 1: Lightweight and Spacious Backpack

A successful hike starts with the right backpack - ideally you need a bag that's very comfortable, keeps all your essentials close-to-hand and won't weigh you down. On Winter walks it's essential to wear multiple layers so you can keep your core temperature warm and remove/add layers when needed. From your base layer to your outer shell, you should aim to keep moving and shed layers if you start sweating.

Designed to deliver comfort and performance in equal measures, our 30 litre Matterdale Backpack is ideal for stashing your layers quickly and easily on the move. Featuring a large main compartment, you can effortlessly accommodate all your hiking must-haves (map, gloves, flask, beanie, torch, water bottle, trail mix) and easily pop your layers inside using the easy-grip zip pulls. The spacious front compartment is also large enough for a waterproof jacket, hat and gloves or map. No more wrestling to fit your coat inside or digging around for your snacks!

Even on steep terrain, the padded back panel, adjustable hip belt, and movable sternum strap (with a handy integrated emergency whistle!) ensure that our Matterdale backpack moves with you, not against you.

Our Matterdale 30 Litre Backpack is available in Moss Green, Black, Navy and Grey.

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Winter Hiking Essential Number 2: Hat and Gloves

It is always worth taking a hat and gloves on every walk. At the start of a hike you might feel warm enough to go without your extra accessories, but you never know how cold or windy it might get at the top of a peak or around the next corner. Preserving heat is essential on a Winter walk and a good hat/pair of gloves can make a huge difference to your overall enjoyment and the amount of time you can spend outside in low temperatures. 

Make sure your extremities stay warm throughout your hike by taking one of our classic knitted Birkett beanie hats and a pair of polar fleece Kendal gloves. Designed for warmth and comfort, our Birkett hats and Kendal gloves are both lightweight and ideal to pop in your jacket pocket or in the front of a backpack... so you don't have an excuse not to take them with you!

Our Birkett unisex hats are available in a range of classic Earth Tones or colourful Pop Tones, and our Kendal gloves are available in sizes for Men and Women. 

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Winter Hiking Essential Number 3: Compact Polarized Sunglasses

Sunglasses might not be the first item you think about taking on a Winter hike but there's nothing worse than getting to a breathtaking viewpoint and being unable to see through the glare of the sun! We always recommend taking a pair of reliable polarized sunglasses to provide 100% UVA and UVB protection for your eyes.

Our folding Camerton Polarized Sunglasses are the ideal lightweight and compact option to take on a hike. Coming with their own travel case they ingeniously fold up to store handily inside your pocket or backpack.

Our unisex style folding Camerton sunglasses are available in five popular matte colours: Forest Green, Black, Heather, Grey and best selling Tortoiseshell.

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Winter Hiking Essential Number 4: Lightweight Reusable Water Bottle

Staying hydrated is fundamental essential on every hike. If you don't want to be weighed down by heavy drinks bottles our ultra lightweight Thirlmere Premium Aluminium Water Bottle is the ideal choice. Made from premium aluminium weighing only 84g, it's designed for maximum practicality. The easy-screw lid is leakproof and you can clip it onto your backpack using the handy carabiner or slide it into a side pocket for on-the-go sips. 

Our lightweight Thirlmere aluminium water bottle is available in two popular colours: Orange and Silver. 

Winter Hiking Essential Number 5: Water-Resistent Walking Boot Laces

Never underestimate the importance of having hard-wearing and water-resistant laces on your boots/shoes. When you're out walking in Wintery conditions you don't want the heaviness of soggy laces or the inconvenience of constantly stopping to re-tie your boots.

Our Grasmoor Walking Boot Laces are made from hard-wearing and water-resistant polyester braid with a strong mixed fibre core. Designed specifically for walking boots, you can rely on these reinforced laces to be robust and reliable on every hike. 

Our Grasmoor Walking Boot Laces are available in 18 different colours (more than a rainbow!) to match your style. There are 6 different lengths ranging from 120cm - 220cm to suit the requirements of your walking boots/shoes and two non-slip fabrics. 

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Make sure you're warm and organised on all your Winter hikes by shopping our Winter Hiking Essentials

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