Deciding what to pack for a weekend away in the country needn’t be difficult. Think about what you’re going to be doing and pack accordingly.
For instance, if you know you’re going to be doing some hiking, you’ll need to get yourself some decent hiking gear. This doesn’t just mean walking boots, you’ll also have to pick the clothes you wear carefully.
The best solution is to take yourself straight to an outdoors store like a Regatta outlet, where you’ll be able to get all the items you need.
Firstly, you’ll need to wear layered clothing – whether it’s winter or summer. If you’re going to get to any decent heights when hiking, the temperature can be very different at the top of a hill than where you’ve set out from. So, layers are vital for keeping you warm, yet allowing you to strip off as you go along.
The first layer is a base layer. These garments fit closely to the body and protect your core body warmth. In winter, you can use thermal underwear for a base layer. The materials that base layers are made of allow sweat to wick away from your skin, so there’s no danger of sweat cooling on your skin and leaving you feeling chilled.
Next you’ll need a middle insulating layer. This gives you warmth, so you might want to have two thinner garments and then you can take one off when you get warm, rather than one thicker one which you have to keep on or do without.
On the top, you need a good waterproof jacket, and if the forecast is for rain, you might want waterproof trousers as well.
That’s all you need for the walking – as well as a daypack to carry a water bottle and snacks in. As for the rest of the weekend, you might need some evening wear if you’re doing anything exciting, but otherwise you probably won’t need much else as the outdoor kit will double up for relaxing in, too.