Our favourite outdoors gear of summer 2025

With another summer drawing to a close, it’s time to look back at some of our favourite gear that we’ve been using. I’ve left out the old workhorses that have gone around for another season and have focused on newer gear that’s impressed us in the Dolomites, Alps, and the Atlas Mountains along with hiking, scrambling, paddling, climbing, and wild camping adventures here in the UK.

Here’s our favourite outdoors gear of summer 2025.

Best hiking boots: Merrell Moab Speed 2 Mid GTX

Price: £160

Available at www.merrell.com

I’ve been wearing these since the start of the year, and I’ve found it difficult to fault them. The Moab Speed 2 Mid GTX’s from Merrell are comfortable straight out of the box but also break in nicely to offer multi-day comfort.

Across a wide range of terrain – I’ve worn them up Toubkal in Morocco and on boggy sections of the Pennine Way – they perform very well, with good traction, light weight, impressive breathability and waterproofing, and great stability for carrying loads. The trade-off has been durability, particularly kicking around rocky trails, and you can visibly notice the wear after each hike.

They’re best suited to day or overnight hikes rather than expeditions, but coming from someone who generally prefers sturdy leather hiking boots, I’ve been seriously impressed with Merrel’s offering here. I’m a fan of the bold looks, too.

Best tent: Nemo Dagger Osmo 2

Price: £500

Available at www.nemoquipment.eu

I’ll be honest: since we’ve had such a dry summer here in the UK, I haven’t done much tent camping this summer. I’ve been under the stars for plenty of nights and also been falling back on my hammock and tarp set-up as often as I can.

However, I’ve still had plenty of chances to test out a bunch of tents, and the one that really impressed me this year was Nemo’s Dagger Osmo 2-person, particularly on a cycling trip across Wales earlier in the year with my partner.

It’s not at lightweight as plenty of other 2-person backpacking tents on the markets nowadays, and it’s also not as easily packed away thanks to the long pole sections, but all of that is easily made up by its liveability.

The Dagger Osmo is spacious for two-people, well-ventilated, copes with British wet weather exceptionally well, and comfortable to spend a lazy day in. The two vestibules have room enough for a pack and hiking boots with plenty of space left to cook, and I enjoy the ‘Landing Zone’ waterproof tub that sits in the vestibule for keeping things out of the inner tent but off the ground outside.

I’m also a fan of the ‘NightLife Pockets’ which act as a lampshade for your headtorch, casting a warming, diffused orange glow throughout the tent.

Best sleeping bag: Cumulus Aerial 180

Price: £199

Available at cumulus.equipment

I’m not an ultra-lightweight nut, but the Cumulus Aerial 180 has proven that there is a lot to be said for carrying grams, rather than kilograms, twice this summer.

The first was on a budget trip to Morocco to climb Toubkal: flying RyanAir and not paying for extra luggage means you practically have to get all your gear in a handbag. Since I was sleeping up in the Atlas, I wanted something to keep me warm enough overnight with minimal packsize, and the Aerial 180 fitted the bill perfectly.

Weighing 300g and packing down to about the size of a cantaloupe, it fits easily in a greedy airline-friendly bag. The false bottom saves weight and size but does leave you exposed – it’s better used with a mat, but I found it okay straight on the ground in the warm-ish nights in the Atlas.

I then carried it through the Dolomites on a mutli-day via ferrata trip in late summer, which on the colder nights started to see the limits of its comfort reached a few degrees below 10C, but otherwise performed excellently, this time paired with a Therm-a-Rest.

All told, the weight and particularly size saved by going down the ultra-lightweight route with the sleeping bag was a bit of a revelation for me, and I’m keen to see how far I can push this minimalist set-up into winter.

Best trekking rucksack: Tatonka Yukon 50+10

Price: £240

Available at newheights.co.uk

The Yukon 50+10 from Tatonka isn’t a brand-new, cutting edge backpack, but this summer is the first time I’ve had a chance to try one, and I was bloody impressed. It’s my kind of bag. It can take a beating, it hauls huge loads without complaints, and doesn’t mess about with fancy solutions to sweaty backs and comfort. The Yukon just gives you plenty of foam and big ol’ straps and tells you to get on with it.

It doesn’t really have any standout features; everything you’d expect from a trekking pack is there, although I was a particular fan of the big, sturdy grab handles which were a massive benefit on a packrafting trip, letting me easily haul the bag in and out of the boat through portages. I also found the lumbar support spot on. Great piece of kit.

Best hiking shorts: Peak Performance Outdoor Cargo Shorts

Price: £100

Available at www.peakperformance.com

These cargo shorts from Peak Performance were ideal for summer: lightweight, relaxed fit, two spacious pockets with zips. From trails to everyday use, they became my go-to shorts over the summer simply because they were so unobtrusive – it’s hard to imagine being much more comfortable in a pair of shorts.

Best daypack: Osprey Hikelite 26

Price: £100

Available at www.osprey.com

I was surprised by Osprey’s Hikelite 26 this year. I had expected it to be a capable and comfortable daypack geared towards the more casual side, but it actually turned out to be a really versatile little bag for all kinds of trips.

It’s just the right size for stashing under airline seats so it’s a great choice for weekend trips abroad, and I can just about fit an overnight camping set-up in including a tarp / bivvy, sleeping bag, mat, and cooking set, which I tested out by wearing it on a two-day mountain bike trip. Not the ideal use case, but it was more than capable.

The HikeLite 26 is hydration bladder compatible, has a big mesh pocket at the front along with bottle pockets on both sides, and the AirSpeed ventilation does a fantastic job at keeping your pack dry. Compression straps, trekking pole loops, removable hip strap, and top zip pocket complete the package.

I’ve also been pretty hard on it, but it’s showing almost no signs of wear. Super versatile and good value.

Best sandals: Danner Wallowa

Price: £130

Available at: global.danner.com

The Aussie in me loves a pair of sandals, even if it’s just a humble pair of what I refuse to call flip flops. They’re bloody thongs. Anyway, even though Britain isn’t best suited for sandal wearers even at the best of times, I’m always keen to throw on a pair.

This year, I’ve been impressed indeed by Danner’s Wallowa sandals. I’ve worn them on plenty of day hikes and just for cruising around town, but they particularly impressed on a packrafting trip. The straps were quick to dry and my feet had no complaints from any rubbing, but most impressively was their performance on foot.

Carrying a solid 15kg+ load over uneven and sometimes muddy terrain for a couple of days and dozens of miles, I was sure that the Wallowas would struggle. Instead, they proved themselves capable far beyond what I expected of them. Comfortable, great traction, and good for water use. They’re even okay for parasailing as shown above, although not recommended for safety reasons…

They’re also on the heavier side if you’re packing them as a round-camp option on a backpacking trip, however.

Best hiking trousers: Fjallraven Abisko Hybrid Trail Trousers

Price: £170

Available at www.fjallraven.com

I tend to avoid wearing trousers as often as I can in summer – I’m all for freedom of movement – but these Fjallraven Abisko hiking trousers are just about the perfect summer hiking trousers. The G-1000 Air Stretch fabric used throughout these trousers isn’t as tough as Fjallraven’s regular G-1000 fabric, but provides more flex and breathability. Even on the hottest days these were still comfortable to wear, helped by the side vents on each thigh.

Fit is on the slim size but I had no issues, and with the drawcord adjustment in the legs and integrated belt in the waist (which is has a very low profile), I could dial in an excellent fit. Like most Fjallraven gear, they’re expensive, but they are quality.

Best waterproof jacket: Rab Phantom

Price: £175

Available at: rab.equipment

Compared to last year, the summer we’ve had here in the UK has been long and dry, so we haven’t had to put too many waterproofs through their paces. That’s made the Rab Phantom doubly useful, since it’s an ideal stash-and-forget waterproof jacket that takes up no space in your pack or even in a running vest.

It’s obviously not intended for all-mountain conditions, but it’ll keep you dry through a shower, and since it packs down to the size of your palm, there’s no reason to leave it at home.

Bonus kit: Keela Outdoors Drookit Drying Robe

£139.95

Available at www.keelaoutdoors.com 

There’s plenty of drying robes out there, and they’ve become a bit of a lifestyle item, worn by people in all kind of random locations. The reason we like Keela’s Drookit is that it isn’t trying to be a fashion statement. It’s just an honest, straightforward dry robe with proper towelling on the inside, waterproof on the outside, and has a couple of big pockets to keep your hands warm and valuables safe.

It’s made in the UK, easy to look after and machine washable, and comes with a handy carry bag. It’s been an excellent companion to many chilly dips this summer and will continue to be throughout the rest of the year.