14 Quick Hiking Accessory Suggestions.

A hiking accessory is any piece of hiking gear or equipment that may not be essential, but can make your trip more enjoyable or safer. It could be a French press, pepper grinder or binoculars. Heck, depending on who you ask, it might even be an iPod. But what it comes down to is it should serve to make your trip better...

The definition of an important item will differ from one person to another because we all have different views on what gear is more important to us.

Ultra-light backpackers for instance make pack weight a primary concern. So you probably won't find a massive pair of binoculars among their gear, it just doesn't fit with their goals. But hikers, campers, and traditional backpackers would probably see the extra weight as a price worth paying to see wildlife from a distance.

Camping Knives

Flashlights or Headlamps

Global Positioning Systems (GPS)

Hiking Boots

Hiking Checklist

Hiking Poles/Trekking poles

Shovels or Trowels

Sunglasses

Walkie Talkies

A Windproof Lighter

Three of my favorite hiking accessory and camping gear stores, BackCountry,Altrec, and REI offer more equipment than you'll be likely to find elsewhere. They all offer great customer service too, so I definitely recommend them. If you are looking for boots or shoes, Zappos is my favorite store for footwear and if they don't impress you with their service, no one will... seriously.