Throughout the past year we’ve reviewed a LOT of kit. Most of it has been good, much great, but some has been special.
This might be because it features new technology, has improved environmental credentials, or simply performs flawlessly. Either way, this is the outdoor gear that makes us sit up and take notice.
After much testing and whittling of shortlists, we’ve selected eight products – one for each key category – on which to bestow our coveted Gear of the Year awards. You can read about each one of these ‘hero products’ in this guide, and head to their more in-depth reviews for more.
Raise a glass and give a congratulatory round of applause to the Gear of the Year, class of 2024:
Gear of the Year 2024 winners
Best waterproof jacket: Mountain Equipment Makalu
Best walking boot: AKU Trekker Lite III GTX
Best hiking backpack: Osprey Stratos/Sirrus 26
Best tent: MSR Tindheim 2
Best sleeping bag: Sea to Summit Spark SPIII
Best head torch: Petzl Swift RL
Best hiking shoe: Arc’teryx Norvan LD 3
Best mid layer: Craghoppers CO2 Renu Fleece
Best waterproof jacket: Mountain Equipment Makalu
Price £300 | Weight 520g | Fabric 75D 3L Gore-Tex ePE w/ PFC-free DWR (28,000mm HH) | Men’s sizes S – 3XL | Women’s sizes 8 – 16
If there is a current waterproof jacket that gets the closest to being perfect, the Makalu is it.
It has a 3-layer construction using a 75D face fabric – plenty tough enough for winter use, yet comfy enough for all-day wear – but weighs in at a creditable 520g (men’s L).
On test, it delivered excellent all-round protection, with long sleeves, contoured cuffs, and a mid-sized hood which can fit over a climbing helmet but cinches in superbly over a bare head. The stiffened peak deflects rain well, while the lower half covers the chin, with integrated cordlocks to reduce bulk around the face.
But there are eco credentials to boot. The Makalu uses Gore Tex’s new and more sustainable ePE fabric, which is free from harmful PFCs. Sceptics will be relieved to know that if we hadn’t told you it used a new type of Gore-Tex, you wouldn’t have noticed. During our testing, we found it’s just as durable, waterproof and breathable as standard Gore-Tex, while being lighter and more pliable, with no drop-off in performance.
The Makalu really is everything an avid hiker needs, without a sky-high price tag, and a deserving recipient of a 2024 Gear of the Year award.
Best walking boots: AKU Trekker Lite III GTX
Price £215 | Weight (per boot) 570g | Upper Suede and Air 8000 w/ Gore-Tex lining | Sole Vibram Curcuma | Men’s sizes 6 –15 | Women’s sizes 3 – 9
Like the Mountain Equipment Makalu jacket, AKU’s Trekker Lite III GTX boot is remarkable for its enviable ability to deal with all sorts of hiking scenarios at a price that isn’t outrageous.
At £215 the Trekker Lite III GTX undercuts most premium mountain boots while maintaining a quality of construction that can well and truly rival them. At the same time, the Trekker Lite III GTX is far more sturdy and capable over technical terrain than most sub-£200 walking boots – most of which are only a mid-cut height.
This Italian made boot has an upper that is a mixture of suede leather and AKU’s Air 8000 material. The former boosts durability and the latter gives the boot better breathability and makes the Trekker Lite III GTX a better boot for warmer days than full leather options.
It’s relatively lightweight for a walking boot of this type as well, weighing 570g per men’s boot and 445g per women’s. The standard fit is a tad on the narrow side but, wisely, AKU offers a wide fit too.
Best hiking backpack: Osprey Stratos/Sirrus 26
Price £160 | Weight 1.26kg | Materials Recycled 210D and 420D nylon | Sizes One size (46 – 56cm Stratos, 38 – 48cm Sirrus)
The Osprey Stratos and Sirrus hiking backpacks are very popular, so a lot of you will know first hand why they have won a Gear of the year award from us.
Part of the reason we love them so much is comfort. They use Osprey’s AirSpeed back system, which is a suspended mesh design that holds the pack slightly away from your back to generate good levels of ventilation. It works brilliantly and is more comfortable than most daypacks on warm summer hikes.
Also influencing comfort are the proper men’s and women’s fits the Stratos and Sirrus packs offer. Osprey was one of the first to create male and female-specific fits for packs, and compared to the men’s Stratos, the Sirrus has contoured shoulder straps to fit most women's neck, shoulders, and chest much better.
On top of excellent fit and comfort the Stratos and Sirrus packs are loaded with practical features such as hydration sleeves, pull-out raincovers, Stow-On-The-Go pole storage, and a main compartment with a classic double buckle top load design.
Best tent: MSR Tindheim 2
Price £440 | Weight 3.2kg (stripped weight 2.48kg) | Packed size 56 x 20cm | Materials 68D polyester used throughout | Poles 7000 Series aluminium
The Tindheim 2 is MSR’s first tunnel tent and boy, did MSR do a good job. Being a tunnel-shaped tent, you benefit from greater internal space than you get from a dome-shaped tent, and that makes the Tindheim 2 a welcome companion on longer treks or when you’re spending long nights inside.
It’s stable too, not just because of the shape, but also because of the sturdy aluminium poles and heavy-duty 3mm guy lines.
But one of the big plus points for us is the outer first and all-in-one pitching, which lets you keep the inner dry. Any wild camper or backpacker will be familiar with putting up a tent in wet conditions and it’s no fun when you have to pitch the inner first, depressed at the fact it'll be wet when you crawl inside.
There is a collection of other clever, thoughtful touches as well that helped the Tindheim 2 clinch a Gear of the Year award. These include the mesh inner that has panels you can zip up – this approach allows for ventilation in summer and draught prevention in colder conditions. A footprint and laundry line are included too.
Best sleeping bag: Sea to Summit Spark SPIII
Price £450 | Weight 665g (reg), 745g (long) | Packed size 35 x 15cm | Insulation RDS-certified 850-fill goose down w/ UltraDry treatment | Temp ratings Comfort -2°C | Limit -8°C
Aussie brand Sea to Summit has made a name for itself worldwide for its lightweight and extremely packable camping gear, tents, and sleeping bags.
The Spark SPIII sleeping bag has been around for a few years and is in fact now coming to the end of its life, stepping aside as a new wave of Sea to Summit sleeping bags launch in 2024.
But the Spark SPIII is still widely available and still boasts one of the best warmth-to-weight ratios on the market. It’s also one of the most comfortable. Most top-end sleeping bags are mummy shaped with highly tapered profiles, which is great for efficiency but do feel restrictive – or ‘snug’ for a more generous term. But the Spark SPIII is more accommodating.
To keep the weight down, the Spark SPIII uses superlight 10D nylon for the shell and lining, and premium 850-fill power down. So, enjoy retirement Spark SPIII, but before you go here’s one final accolade.
Best head torch: Petzl Swift RL
Price £115 | Weight 102g | Max brightness 1100 lumens | | Max burn time 100 hours (at 10 lumens) | Battery USB-C rechargeable 2350mAh lithium-ion battery | IP rating IPX4
The Petzl Swift RL head torch has received honours from us before in the form of Best in Test and previous Gear of the Year awards. And with this latest iteration of the Swift RL, here we are again.
The reasons the Swift RL has once again made our list of Gear of the Year winners are threefold:
The Swift RL features Reactive Lighting (RL) alongside its standard lighting mode. RL automatically adjusts output depending on the how close or far the object is you’re illuminating. This is a very clever and practical feature that helps extend battery life.
At around 100g, the Swift RL is lightweight and has a very comfortable headband with reflective detailing. It also comes with a little pouch that can turn the Swift RL into a mini lantern.
Last but not least, the Swift RL is so easy to use. There is one button to control the functions, and its lamp lock (activated and deactivated by holding the button down) is much improved over the previous version, which used a switch.
Best hiking shoes: Arc’teryx Norvan LD 3
Price £150 | Weight (per shoe) 268g | Upper Single layer mesh (Gore-Tex lined version available) | Sole Vibram Megagrip Litebase | Men’s sizes 6.5 –12.5 | Women’s sizes 3.5 – 8.5
As trail running has surged in popularity over the past few years, many hikers have converted to trail running shoes to wear because of their out-of-the-box comfort and very low weight.
We too have enjoyed the proliferation of lightweight outdoor footwear, so much so that the featherweight Arc’teryx Norvan LD 3 has emerged victorious as our favourite hiking shoe of 2024.
Why? Simple really: the Norvan LD 3 makes us feel agile; it’s super comfortable; and very grippy. We really like the InFuse midsole that gives an energetic rebound and made us feel like a spring lamb on the trails.
And although the Norvan LD 3 is available with a Gore-Tex lining, we prefer the standard version because it’s very breathable. Despite being so light (268g per shoe), the Norvan LD 3 is more durable than many rivals too, thanks to a wraparound rand for abrasion resistance.
Best mid layer: Craghoppers CO2 Renu Fleece
Price £80 | Weight 305g | Materials 100% polyester (70% recycled, 30% Bio3 carbon smart polyester) | Men’s sizes S – 2XL | Women’s sizes 8 – 20
While fleece jackets are very attractive as a mid layer option for hikers thanks to versatility and affordability, they have a skeleton in the closet that, in these more enlightened times, has fallen out of the closet and is sprawled on the floor for all to see.
It’s the sustainability skeleton. Fleeces are products of petroleum and therefore contribute directly to the climate crisis we face. So why on earth has a fleece won a Gear of the Year award?
The Craghoppers CO2 Renu fleece looks like any other – but the difference is in how it’s made. Most (70%) of the polyester is recycled, but the remainder (30%) is made from captured CO2 emissions.
What we like so much is that this represents an innovative way to make a hiking staple significantly more sustainable without making it too expensive. In fact, at £80 the CO2 Renu is one of the more affordable hiking fleeces around.