Layer up and embrace muddy trails!

Fall is coming closer, and it is soon time to layer up and deal with muddy trails. With the right gear, mud will not be something that interferes with your day-hiking or backpacking experience. Getting a sturdy pair of hiking boots and hiking poles, which are great for keeping momentum and balance as well as probing for mud depth, are key; an essential that's often overlooked are gaiters. 

The gaiters will cover up the gap between your boots, socks, and pants. They will keep you dry so you can hike comfortably, travel efficiently along the trails by walking through not around muddy sections. By sticking to the centre of the trails you also take better care of the trail network as walking along the sides can damage the trails and surrounding environment - especially trails that experience heavy foot traffic. In addition, by staying dry you avoid unnecessary risk of getting cold feet (literally) and foremost - by staying dry you indirectly take good care of your feet which enables your human powered adventures. We do not need to go into what the feet feel like when they have been in a moist environment for a long time… 

During fall (and spring) you can expect the mud levels to vary and trails to be more or less slippery due to mud. No matter what the mud conditions are, we recommend that you keep your shoelaces tied snug. If you need to adjust them, simply zip up the lower part of your gaiter and you can easily access your shoe laces. When you close up again, make sure the upward facing hook is secured - the hook should be attached to your shoelaces. Check out our gaiters here.

Once you have set up camp or when you are back at your car, we recommend having a dedicated PackStack PRO for your wet rain gear, boots, and gaiters. The PackStack PRO, which has a limited lifetime warranty, can be used over and over again and will keep the dirt and moisture away from the rest of your gear or the interior of the car. 

See you out there!