I'm new to trial walking and this will be my first winter walking season, so I wondered if any of you have any recommendations for gear I should look to buy and even what I should avoid buying so I don't make newbie mistakes and spend money I don't need to?
Hello Harriet. Have you bought anything at all yet? Do you have some clothing, shoes, boots or outerwear that you can use to begin with or are you looking to buy some essentials to get started with the intention of taking up regular walking or joining a local club or group? Just trying to get a feel for where you are at in the start of your walking journey. Also an idea of your overall budget may help, just so people can guide you towards affordable items rather than just recommending the top / best / most expensive brands.
No, I haven't bought anything yet. I have been on a couple of walks and have been using my trainers and regular coat, but noticed that others had what look like walking shoes and boots and more walking specific coats and trousers, so guessed that there is a sort of "uniform" of particular types of clothes that are best suited for the outdoors? I haven't really thought about budget but I suppose for shoes it would be around £40-50 mark. Coat, maybe £60 would be enough? And not sure if I need trousers or tops or jumpers, but could probably afford around another £30-40 for those. Does that help?
For winter walking I'd want a good pair of boots - Scapa tend to fit my feet well. A Gortex or similar shell with lots of thin layers underneath on the upper body, and Craghoppers with waterproof over-trousers. Gaiters are also really useful in the winter.
I would just start with good boots - put all your budget towards them - and use what you already have for everything else. Make sensible choices (eg don't wear denim - it chafes when it rains) and you will be fine. As time goes by you can buy more specialist clothing and gear when you know if the hobby is for you. People do wear dedicated stuff but the only essential kit is the boots. I once went on a walk in snow when I had forgotten my boots and broke my wrist. None of the other fancy gear that I had on stopped that!
