Hiking is an interesting word. For some, it means battling blizzards to stand above the rest of the world. For others, it means multi-day, long-distance slogs from one side of a country to the other. But for the majority of us, hiking simply means wandering through the great outdoors.
And just as the meaning of hiking is subjective, so too is the gear you ‘need’ to do it. For those determined to go where no one has gone before, investing in equipment that could genuinely save your life makes sense. And for those determined to go farther than anyone has gone before, ultralight gear is probably worth every penny. But for the majority of us – just looking to get a hit of fresh air and some life in our legs – the hiking essentials are very simple:
Something to wear on your feet, something to wear on your body, maybe a hat, and definitely a water bottle.
And that’s really about it. You don’t need any fancy garments or specialist equipment. But the fabric you choose to hike in can make a genuine difference, and we’d like to put forward the case for a new wonder fabric for the everyday hiker… Hemp.
That’s right, hemp – the fabric you’re all too used to seeing accompanied by cannabis leaves and questionable haircuts – is actually one of the most seriously useful fabrics that the average Joe can have in their hiking toolbox. It isn’t going to save your life on the top of Mount Everest, and it certainly weighs more than a handful of feathers – but hemp is as good as it gets for normal person hiking.
Hemp doesn’t shrink. It resists pilling. It’s exceptionally soft, yet remarkably durable. It breathes better than cotton, naturally resists odours, and is antimicrobial and hypoallergenic. You’re all probably expecting a catch, but there genuinely isn’t one. Hemp is one of the most versatile fabrics on the planet – and nowhere are you more likely to see the benefits than when you’re hiking.
We’re not just saying this either. We too had our fair share of scepticism around hemp, so we headed out into the wilderness, otherwise known as Hebden Bridge, to see for ourselves…
The hemp in question was supplied by our pals at Goodlids, a Kiwi brand that first opened our eyes to the side of hemp far removed from the drug rugs and cannabis iconography with which it is so often associated.
We weren’t interested in the fact that hemp comes from the same plant that gave us The Dark Side of the Moon and Apocalypse Now. All that mattered to us was how it performed on a very ordinary hike, on one of the hottest days of the year so far.
We arrived in Hebden Bridge early, doing everything in our power to get a head start on the 30-degree sunshine the weather app had promised would be hot on our tail, and promptly beelined for the nearest National Trust sign, set to take us along the route of the River Calder.
Right from the off – as soon as the first chunk of mild incline began – we could notice subtle differences hemp was having over our traditional cotton hiking uniforms. Firstly, our legs seemed to be breathing fantastically well despite the soaring temperatures. Partly due to the extemely wide-fitting, airy construction of Goodlids’ Pleated Hiking Pants, but also down to their hemp-nylon construction.
And our upper bodies were also following suit in terms of breathability – far less sweaty than if we had been wearing cotton tees, and after a few whiffs of each other’s pits (purely in the name of science) – noticeably less smelly, too.
The benefits we’d been looking at online during our train ride just hours before, we were now starting to see in action.
Eventually, the sun momentarily tucked itself behind the clouds – giving us the perfect excuse to break out Goodlids’ Hemp Windbreakers. We managed to keep them on for the entire fifteen-minute grace period the sun gave us, before promptly unzipping back to tees. But in the short while we used them, they proved to be ideal companions for navigating the relaxed incline and dusty gravel we encountered on the outskirts of Hebden Bridge.
With the overwhelmingly moderate pace of our hike, we made sure to take plenty of breaks. Pausing to look at nearby rivers, listen for rising trout, and rummage through our backpacks for water, food and beer. The latter part of the equation proved harder than originally thought, purely down to the seemingly infinite number of pockets on the Goodlids hemp hiking packs – an obvious plus if you’ve got organisational skills superior to those of a 13-year-old who’s late for school.
After an incredibly relaxing couple of hours hiking, we arrived at our destination: a confluence of two rivers with a deep pool we had been debating paddling in for the entire duration of our hike. But when we arrived, now markedly sweaty from the sun, which was back with a vengeance, we knew there was only one answer…
Obviously, we got in. And that’s where we found yet another positive characteristic of hemp – it dries remarkably fast. Even after submerging your entire trouser legs in river water for a photo.
And the 15 minutes we did have to wait for our pants to dry gave us the perfect opportunity to reflect on what hiking is to us, and why hemp works so well for it. To us, hiking is just getting out there and taking a few steps. It doesn’t have to be far, it doesn’t have to be high, and you certainly don’t have to risk your life doing it. At its core, a hike should leave you feeling more relaxed than when you started it — and that’s where hemp comes into the equation.
So many hiking ‘must-haves’ actually make the journey more stressful. Down jackets with ultra-light face fabrics that have you terrified of catching a bramble. Water-resistant trousers that, despite claiming to be breathable, still feel like bin bags as soon as it tips past 13 degrees. Specialist hiking boots that only ever seem to give you medieval blisters.
If you’re like us and hiking is simply an enjoyable pastime, you should wear what you’re comfortable in. And you’d be hard-pressed to find a more comfortable fabric than hemp.
We’re saying this like we’ve stumbled across some great secret. We haven’t. Goodlids figured it out years ago.
Find out more about Goodlids at goodlids.com
