Hiking trail guides, gear reviews, packing tips and route planning advice. Everything you need to plan your next multi-day hike — from the HikeLoad team.
Hiking with a dog changes everything: preparation, pacing, water planning, trail selection and the gear you carry. This guide covers how to assess your dog's trail readiness, what to pack for a dog on a multi-day hike and the most common mistakes that turn a good idea into a difficult day.
Read articleSolo hiking offers a depth of experience that group hiking rarely matches — but it demands a different approach to risk management, communication and decision-making. This guide covers the systems and mindset that make solo hiking as safe as it is rewarding.
Read articleHiking in the Austrian Alps: the best trails and hut-to-hut routes (Stubai, Zillertal, Grossglockner), distances, difficulty, the best time to go and how to plan.
Read articleThe most sustainable and cost-effective gear strategy is maintaining what you own. This guide covers DWR re-treatment, tent seam sealing, pack repair, boot care and the simple techniques that extend high-quality hiking gear from a few seasons to a decade or more.
Read articleWainwright's Coast to Coast crosses northern England for about 195 miles, St Bees to Robin Hood's Bay. Route, three national parks, booking and logistics.
Read articlePlant-based backpacking is not a compromise — it is a legitimate high-performance nutrition strategy if you know which foods to prioritise. This guide covers calorie density, complete protein on trail, iron and B12 management, and the best plant-based trail foods for 2026.
Read articleTrail running is the highest-return cross-training activity available to hikers — it builds the aerobic base, downhill leg strength and terrain reading skills that hiking demands, in a fraction of the time. This guide explains how to add trail running to a hiking training programme without overloading the body.
Read articleThe Pacific Crest Trail runs about 2,650 miles (4,265 km) from Mexico to Canada. This 2026 guide covers permits, gear, resupply and timing.
Read articleGaia GPS, AllTrails and CalTopo compared for hiking with no signal: offline maps, GPX tracks, battery life and which one is worth paying for in 2026.
Read articleGoPro Hero 13, Insta360 X5 and DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro each lead in a different hiking scenario in 2026. Here is how they compare on trail.
Read articleHikers over 50 need 1.2–1.6 g protein per kg daily, more frequent fuelling, and strategic calcium and vitamin D intake on multi-day trails.
Read articleTaking 2–3 g of EPA+DHA daily may help reduce exercise-induced inflammation and muscle soreness on back-to-back hiking days, though the measured effect is modest.
Read articleEthiopia's Simien Mountains: UNESCO World Heritage plateaus at 3,000–4,550 m, endemic gelada baboons and fewer than 15,000 trekkers per year worldwide.
Read articleAn 8-week hiking fitness plan builds trail-ready cardio, leg strength and pack tolerance with 3–4 sessions per week, peaking with a 25+ km hike in week 7.
Read articleSlovenia's Pohorje-Kozjak Trail opens June 2026: 174 km through northeastern forests and wine country near Maribor, taking most walkers 12–15 days.
Read articleGermany's E8 Long Distance Path crosses NRW and Rheinland-Pfalz through the Eifel, Rhine Valley and Europe's largest contiguous forest, the Pfälzerwald.
Read articleThe best softshell jackets for hiking in 2026 balance wind resistance and breathability. Here are 6 options compared by weight, price and use case.
Read articleSeven Yosemite trails ranked by distance and climb, from the 3-mile Mist Trail to Half Dome, plus which hikes need a permit in 2026 and which don't.
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