New Zealand Summer Hiking Gear Guide

In summer thousands of hikers hit the hiking trails all over New Zealand – with our Southern Lakes locations a major mecca for adventurous hikers from all over the world. If that includes you, and if you haven’t hiked before, or you want to level up your capabilities Outside Sports can help. Because so many of our team are avid backcountry hikers, we know what works and what doesn’t from personal experience, which of course heavily influences the products we stock and recommend.   

In this article on summer hiking, we’re going to cover all the gear you’ll need to have your best ever days on the trails. 

• Hiking footwear 

• Hiking sleep systems 

• Hiking tents 

• Hiking backpacks 

• Hiking food and cooking gear 

• Hiking safety and emergency gear 

• Hiking navigation gear 

You can pretty much divide the trails in New Zealand into two types. North Island trails and South Island trails. In the North the trails are mainly soil with lots of slippery tree roots, and some gravel here and there. It’s hilly and can be muddy even in summer, so having nice grippy soles is a must. 

In the South it’s also hilly, but the trails are dryer and are mostly surfaced with sharp rocks and stones, so along with grip, durability and foot protection is important. We see a lot of people who aredoing the Te Araroa Trail at our stores, andon average they wear out one or two pairs of hiking shoes in the Northern half of the TA, and at least four pairs in the South! 

if you’re hiking the Te Araroa Trail you can find our store locations very handily located along the trail on the official TA navigation app.

At this point, it’s also worth pointing out that there is a big difference between hiking boots, hiking shoes and trail running shoes – here is a useful guide to the differences. 

You need to strike the right balance between easy walking and grip. Hiking shoes from our top brands Salomon, Altra, On, La Sportiva, Salewa, Arc’teryx, Merrell, and The North Face have lugs that bite into mud and slippery surfaces butaren’t so prominent that they’ll catch and trip you up. They also feature a mixture of materials in the sole with hardwearing areas combined with softer shockabsorbing material like Vibram for sure footedness and long distance comfort. 

Hiking shoes and boots incorporate burly material at the toe and sides to protect your feet from sharp rocks and sticks. We also have options which feature Gore-Tex uppers that offer waterproofing to keep your feet dry in wet mud and when crossing shallow streams, which are common on many of the best trails. 

For most people low cuff shoes are the better option. They’re lighter and cooler, and more comfortable to wear for summer hiking in New Zealand on established trails. The exception is if you’re hiking in remote alpine terrain over loose rocks or traversing steep slopes where you need the extraankle support that a hiking boot will give you to help prevent injury. 

You cannot overstate the importance of getting a good night’s sleep when you’re hiking even if it's just for just one night. Sleeping well affects your endurance, mood, decision-making capabilities, and your ability to enjoy your hike. Each part of your hiking sleep system has a job to do, and it’s not an area you want to skimp on – which you’ll understand if you’ve ever lain awake at 3am in camp, cold and uncomfortable, with another big day on the trail awaiting you in a few short hours. 

• Sleeping mat 

• Pillow 

• Sleeping bag 

You can find Outside Sports entire sleep system collection here. 

We have a big range of sleeping mats at Outside Sports with different ones to suit different needs. This article will help you work out which is right for your hiking (or bikepacking) adventure. We have lightweight, comfortable hiking mats from NEMO, Thermarest, and Sea To Summit. 

Stuffing your sleeping bag’scarrybag with clothes as a makeshift pillow doesn’t really cut it for comfort. A light inflatable pillow like these by NEMO and Sea To Summit will do the trick nicely, without taking up space or weighting down your pack. 

Sleeping bag selections depends on a number of factors – your tolerance for cold at night, weight, size, need for durability, and of course your budget. Outside Sports has a range of quality hiking, bikepacking, and camping sleeping bags from Thermarest, The North Face, Sea To Summit, and Black Wolf – one of which is sure to satisfy your preferences.

One thing to note is that women tend to sleep colder than men, so if you’re a woman and on the fence about what temperature rating to choose, we recommend going for a sleeping bag that’s rated for colder temperatures (you can always unzip it a bit if you get too hot).

For the low down on the latest Sea to Summit Spark sleeping bags check out this article. 

Your tent is your home away from home, so you want it to protect you at night, without costing you too much in terms of weight or bulk. But like everything involved in hiking there are trade-offs to be made between weight, bulk, durability, and expense. To help you understand what the trade-offs are, and how they can affect your plans,we’ve put together this handy guide to choosing a hiking tent for New Zealand conditions. 

When you know what you’re looking for you can choose from our range of hiking tents from NEMO, Marmot, Salewa,The North Face, MSR, and Orson. 

Our see our full tent and shelter collection all in one place here. 

he days when packs were unwieldy and a hassle to use are long gone. Our packs are anatomically and ergonomically designed and ‘packed’ with clever features to make them a trusty companion on the trail. 

We’re proud to offer what is probably New Zealand’s best and broadest range of backpacks for hikers, whether you’re doing the TA and plan to live out of it for six months, or just want an overnighter for a quick backcountry mission.  

We divide our big collection of backpacks according to size – the longer your mission usually the larger pack you’ll need.  

Day and overnight packs under 40 litres 

Adventure and travel backpacks over 40 litres 

Our most popular large multiday adventure packs are from Osprey, Picture, and Patagonia, and we also stock daypacks from Salewa, The North Face, and BlackBriar. 

You won’t get far on your hiking adventures without good nutrition and the means to prepare it. Pre-made freeze dried food is perfect for hikers because it’s light and the freeze-drying process locks in the flavour much better than the traditional dehydrated meals. Take a deep dive into Back Country Cuisine here and Real Meals here. 

Lightweight cooking gear that works safely and efficiently in damp, windy weather is also a must for happy hiking. Jetboil and MSR are the world’s favourite camping and hiking cookers – and naturally we carry them both. For absolute lightweightness the MSR Whisperlite is a great choice and for beautifully integrated cooking systems with maximum fuel efficiency we suggest Jet Boil. 

You can see our full range of hiking food and nutrition and cooking gear here – along with all the other hiking essentials at Outside Sports. 

The New Zealand backcountry can be a risky place to be, and even something as a small as a sprained ankle or knee can be a serious problem when you’re in an isolated place far from the nearest public services. 

We have navigation equipment to help keep you on right track. We also stock lightweight first aid kits, emergency bags (like the old foil emergency blankets but better for the backcountry) and lots of insect repellent. New Zealand’s mosquitos and sand flies can drive anyone mad, so repellent (and even wearable insect screens) are an absolute must if you want to enjoy your campsite evenings in peace. Find our safety and emergency collection here.