RayonRando offers advice on choosing hiking equipment: tents, sleeping bags, backpacks and more... We also advise on adjusting and using your gear. Remember to explore our detailed product pages and videos testing and introducing hiking equipment.
Our advice on choosing equipment
Sleeping gear
- How to choose a sleeping bag for hiking
- The best extreme-cold sleeping bags
- Which sleeping bag for the Camino de Santiago?
- How to choose a hiking sleeping mat
- The best insulated trekking mats
- Insulated sleeping mats: what is R-value?
- How to choose your sleeping bag's temperature rating
- The best ultralight sleeping bags
- The best Therm-a-Rest inflatable sleeping mats
Backpacks and carrying systems
- How to choose a hiking backpack
- Choosing a backpack to suit your size
- How to equip yourself for cycle touring
- Camping equipment and cyclists' kit for cycle touring
- How to choose your tactical backpack
- What is the MOLLE system for backpacks?
- Lightweight or comfortable backpack: the right balance
- The best Gregory backpacks for hiking
- Which backpack for a day hike?
- Which carrying system for my backpack?
- Which hiking backpack should you choose if you are short?
- Choosing a cycle touring backpack, and when to avoid one
- What wild camping equipment do you need for cycle touring?
Tents
- How to choose a hiking tent
- Ultralight tents: what compromises?
- A spacious 1-person tent: is it possible?
- Hiking tent: what makes it comfortable?
- 1 or 2-person hiking tent for solo trips?
- The 10 best hiking tents
- Which tarp for bushcraft and survival?
Walking
- Video advice on choosing hiking footwear
- Choosing between high-cut and low-cut hiking footwear
- Firm or flexible hiking footwear?
- How to choose snowshoes
- TSL snowshoes: which model should you choose?
- How to choose walking poles
- Folding or telescopic trekking poles: how to choose
- The 10 best trekking poles
- Mandatory trail running kit list
- What equipment do you need for snowshoeing?
- Our range of Armytek head torches
- 10 powerful head torches: choose by runtime and use
Rain
- Choosing a waterproof hiking jacket
- Waterproof or watertight: what is the difference?
- Rain poncho or hiking rain jacket: how to choose
- Rain poncho comparison
- How to choose waterproof trousers
- How to stay dry when cycling in rain
Knives
- Which pocket knife for outdoor activities or hiking?
- How to choose a bushcraft knife
- How to choose a multifunction Swiss Army knife
Other topics
- How to choose hiking cookware
- The 10 best hiking stoves
- Hydration reservoir or bottle: which is best for hiking?
- What to wear on a multi-day trek
- Merino wool for hiking: what are the benefits?
- How to choose a power bank and solar panel
- How to choose a head torch
- The 5 best Petzl head torches
- How to choose binoculars
- Which safety accessories do you need for hiking?
- What should a hiking first aid kit contain?
- Essential accessories for your travels
- How to choose bike panniers and bags
- How to equip yourself for the Camino de Santiago
- The best hiking cookware
- How to choose a hiking stove
- How to choose a trail running head torch
Our practical advice
Equipment
- How to adjust a hiking backpack in 7 steps
- How to care for your waterproof jacket
- Should you use trekking poles?
- How to stay warm in your sleeping bag
- How to care for your down sleeping bag and jacket
- Inflate your sleeping mat effortlessly
- Sitting comfortably on the move
- How to pack your hiking backpack properly
- The 3-layer system: how does it work?
- Hiking tents: understanding the materials
- Hiking footwear care: the essential guide to lasting use
- Bike luggage: lightweight bikepacking or cycle touring?
- Care and field sharpening for folding and bushcraft knives
- How to pitch a tarp: 6 setups explained step by step
- How to organise your bags for a cycling trip
Health, hygiene and safety
- How to protect yourself from mosquitoes
- Preventing and managing altitude sickness
- How to prevent blisters when hiking
- How to wash on a trek
- Minor hiking repairs: carrying the right kit
- Managing heat and hydration on summer cycling trips
- Sleeping warm in survival situations: common mistakes
- France's 72h emergency kit: a practical survival guide
- Surviving with only a knife: myth or reality?
- What to do if you get lost while hiking
- Winter survival outdoors: mistakes to avoid
Food and drink
- How to find drinking water when hiking
- What food should you take on a self-supported hike?
- How to save gas when hiking
- Freeze-dried meals vs traditional cooking on a hike
- Wood-burning hiking stoves: do they deliver the heat?
- How to filter water when hiking
Other topics
Destinations
- Snowshoeing in the Vosges: forests and ridgelines
- Madeira: an island for hiking in every season
- The Dolomites are fantastic!
- Mallorca: trails above the beach
- Crete: culture and hiking, sea and mountains
- Tenerife: a winter hiking destination
- Pyrenees: a loop of lakes and mountain notches
- Hiking in Corsica: far beyond the GR20
- What cirques! Troumouse, Estaubé and Gavarnie
- Hiking around Briançon
- Iceland: trekking from Landmannalaugar to Skogafoss
- Snowshoeing around Puy de Sancy
- Togo: Africa in miniature in one trip
- Kilimanjaro: is it for me?
- Hiking in Chartreuse: immerse yourself in green
- Snowshoeing in Queyras, the land of larches
- Val d'Aran with the family: 1,000 lakes and peaks
- Islands for autumn hiking
- Camino de Santiago: the best routes in France
- Which are the best Camino routes in Spain?
- Is Corsica's GR20 still worth walking?
- Finding hiking routes in France: reliable sources
- Sleeping under the stars: benefits and precautions