13 pieces of outdoor gear I can't live without while hiking and biking in the summer

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Protekt

• I hike and bike hundreds of miles of trails each summer and rely on a variety of gear to safely get me through.
• While some of the products I use are worth investing in, like comfortable hiking shoes, most of my favorite equipment costs less than $25.

As a travel and outdoor writer, my career depends on spending time hiking, camping, and backpacking (which, thankfully, are my favorite hobbies). In pursuit of this hobby and career, I've used a lot of gear and there's been a fair share of both useful and not so useful products.

But even the lackluster gear doesn't stop me from hitting the trail, and this summer saw an influx in my typical routine. As I plotted out the blueprint for a local trail guide (I live in Northern California), I was determined to hike the top 35 to 40 trails in my area. This meant I'd be spending a lot of time outside but also that I'd need to use plenty of gear — not only did I have double-digit mileage on the agenda but I'd be ascending and descending thousands of feet of elevation in the process.

Put plainly, my outdoor kit needed to be dialed-in — and this is where my experience with gear played a huge role. While some of the products I often turn too are a bit of a splurge (like spending extra for a comfortable hiking shoe,) many are fairly inexpensive. For instance, my favorite sun-protective shirt sells for just $35.

If you're in the market for some cost-effective and practical outdoor gear, I'm here to help. Below, I've included my favorite picks for unique trail gear worth buying, perfect for those who backpack every weekend to beginning hikers who are still working their way up to five-mile walks.