Going on an Outdoor Adventure? Make Sure You At Least Pack These 12 Essentials

With spring approaching, it’s time to make sure your hiking gear is on-point.

Whether you’re relatively new to hiking or basically half mountain goat, solid gear makes a huge difference. Hiking is one of the most straightforward pastimes, so the essential equipment is pretty straightforward too: it’s all meant to keep you safe, healthy and able-bodied.

However, deciding on a versatile, reliable set of hiking essentials can be tough. There’s a lot of options for hiking gear out there, and because each product serves such an important purpose (i.e. a GPS for finding your way home or a first aid kit), you don’t want to take a risk with a bad product. Plus, it’s easy to go overboard with too much gear, which ruins the experience by weighing you down.

To help find a definitive set of hiking essentials, we’ve rounded up 12 pieces of hiking gear that everyone should have on the trail. We’ve found the best of each, from water bottles to hiking shoes, so you can make the most of the great outdoors.

Complete article written by Oscar Hartzog on MSN's website.