Winter Hiking Gear Checklist

Most winter hiking checklists treat traction as one line near the bottom, somewhere between a headlamp and a spare buff. That ordering is backwards. Layers, food and light are things people already own and already think about; traction is the item most often left at home, and when it is carried it is often the wrong device for the conditions.

So this list is organised by system, starting with what goes under your boots. Work down it in order. If you can only get one section right this season, make it the first one.

1. Traction and footwear

Winter trails change surface every few hundred metres: dry dirt, wind slab, boilerplate ice in the shade, slush in the sun. The device that matches the hardest section you will cross is the device you need, not the one that matches the trailhead.

• Microspikes or trail crampons. Chain-and-spike traction for icy trails, packed snow and frozen ruts. This is the default winter hiking traction device and covers the large majority of marked trail days. Options and differences: best microspikes.
• Crampons, if the route demands them. Steeper, harder, more consequential ground needs a real crampon on a stiff boot. See strap-on crampons for hiking boots and be honest about your boots before buying.
• Boots that suit the device. Microspikes fit almost anything with a lugged sole. Crampons need stiffness — a soft trail shoe cannot support a crampon frame no matter how the straps are routed.
• Gaiters. Keep snow out of the boot cuff and protect trousers from your own spikes. Underrated and cheap.
• Warm, dry socks plus one spare pair kept in a dry bag in the pack.

A reliable starting point for most winter hikers is a well-made chain-and-spike system such as Kahtoola MICROspikes; for steeper icy trails, longer-spiked models like the Hillsound Trail Crampon hold better on firm ice.

Where microspikes stop. Microspikes are for terrain where a slip means falling over, not falling down. Once the slope is steep enough that a slip would accelerate into a slide — or the surface is hard enough that spikes skate rather than bite — you are in crampon terrain, and crampons alone are not the answer. That ground requires a stiff boot, a real crampon, an ice axe, and practised self-arrest. If you do not have all four, the correct decision is to turn around. Start with when do you need crampons and crampon safety basics, and get instruction before committing to it.

2. Poles and axe

Traction handles the feet. Balance and arrest are separate problems.

• Trekking poles with snow baskets. Standard trekking baskets punch straight through soft snow. Snow baskets are a small, cheap swap that makes poles work again.
• Ice axe — only with the skill to use it. An axe on the pack is not safety equipment. Self-arrest is a trained reflex, practised on a safe run-out slope, not something to improvise mid-slide. If a route needs an axe, it needs a partner and a plan too.
• Wrist leash or pole straps used correctly, so a dropped pole on a hard slope does not become a scramble to retrieve it.

3. Layers

Winter hiking generates heat while moving and loses it fast the moment you stop. The layering goal is to arrive at every rest stop dry.

• Base layer: merino or synthetic. No cotton anywhere in the system.
• Active insulation or fleece for moving in cold air.
• Shell: windproof and waterproof, with a hood that fits over a hat.
• Belay jacket: a thick insulated layer that lives in the pack and comes out at every stop, not just emergencies. This is the single most effective way to avoid getting cold.
• Spare hat and a spare pair of gloves, packed separately from the ones you are wearing.

4. Hands and head

• Two glove systems: a thinner pair you can operate buckles and straps in, and a warmer pair for stops and wind. Fitting crampons with numb fingers is how straps get routed wrong.
• Warm hat plus a buff or neck gaiter for wind on ridges.
• Eye protection. Sunglasses on snow, always. Snow blindness is a real and entirely preventable injury on bright winter days.
• Sunscreen and lip balm. Reflected light off snow burns from angles you do not expect.

5. Navigation and light

• Map and compass, plus the ability to use them. Snow erases trail tread, cairns and signposts, and packed bootpacks lead confidently to the wrong place.
• Phone or GPS with the route downloaded offline, and a battery pack. Cold flattens batteries quickly — keep the phone in an inside pocket.
• Headlamp with fresh batteries, carried every trip. Winter days are short and being an hour behind schedule at three in the afternoon is a common way to finish in the dark.
• Spare batteries stored warm.

6. Emergency and repair

• First aid kit sized for your group and route length.
• Emergency shelter: a group shelter or bivvy bag. Stopping a casualty getting cold is most of winter first aid.
• Repair items for traction specifically: a spare strap, a couple of zip ties and a short length of accessory cord. A broken microspike harness or a lost crampon strap ends a day otherwise.
• Point protectors and a crampon bag so sharp steel is not loose against your down jacket or hydration bladder. Details in crampon accessories.
• Whistle and a written note of your plan left with someone at home.

7. Food and water in the cold

• More food than a summer day of equivalent length, and food you can eat with gloves on. Bars freeze into bricks; choose accordingly.
• Insulated bottle or a flask of something hot. Hydration bladder hoses freeze, usually within the first hour.
• Bottle carried upside down in a wide-mouth bottle so ice forms at the base rather than sealing the lid.
• Drink on a schedule. Cold suppresses thirst and dehydration accelerates how quickly you get cold.

The checklist

Packing order matters

Traction should be the most accessible thing in the pack, in a lid pocket or an outside pocket, not at the bottom under the shelter. The moment you first think about putting spikes on is the moment to do it. People fall on the section they were about to stop and gear up for, and the standard reason is that stopping meant unpacking.

Put them on before the icy section, not on it. Balancing on one foot on ice to fit a spike is a poor position to be in, and it is much easier at the last flat spot.

Choosing between the two traction options

Most winter hikers only need one device. Which one depends entirely on terrain, and the distinction is a safety judgement rather than a budget one. Microspikes vs crampons covers the line in detail, and how to choose crampons works through point count, material, binding and fit if you have concluded you need the heavier option.

If the honest answer is "mostly icy trails with one steep section I am unsure about", carry microspikes and treat the steep section as a decision point rather than a certainty. Turning back is a normal outcome of a winter day, not a failed one.

FAQ