When I buy gifts for people I try to find something that would be useful to them and something they might not normally buy for themselves. So a lot of times I’ll choose brands that are known for being on the more expensive side, or something that many people would like to have but don’t necessarily need.

Gift giving is tough these days though. Even if you know you want to buy hiking gear, there are so many products out there to choose from. To help, I’ve put together a list of items that I think would make a Hawaii hiker happy.

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My friend Brad Watanabe (owner of Berad Studio) and I teamed up again to produce another video for Hawaiian Skies, the video magazine of Hawaiian Airlines.

Starting today, and for the next four months, it will be shown on Hawaiian Airlines flights to and from the mainland. You can also press play in the video above and watch it online via the Hawaiian Skies YouTube channel.

The video features the three Hawaii hiking bloggers that have had the greatest influence on me. Kaleo Lancaster’s blog Island Trails opened my eyes to what hiking in Hawaii could be. Shortly after discovering Island Trails, I stumbled across Nate Yuen’s blog Hawaiian Forest and Joshua Serrano’s blog 808 Goonies. For some time I used those three blogs as my main resource for discovering new trails.

It was a pleasure to interview those guys and get to know them a little bit better by making this video. I have also, by the way, shamelessly featured myself in the video. And, the trail we are on is the Poamoho Trail.

I hope you enjoy it. Read on to learn a bit more about the making of this piece. It was a pretty long process.

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Hiking safety is a tricky topic because part of the appeal of hiking is to push yourself to do things that you wouldn’t ordinarily do. During a hike you have to do some risky things to get to your destination. Sometimes that involves climbing up a rock face, crossing a waist deep stream, or simply pushing your endurance limit on a very long trail. It’s through these challenging experiences that we discover our physical and mental potential and also learn our limits.

So on hikes, we take risks. That’s kind of the point.

But if you are new to hiking, it’s super important to consider hiking safety. When something goes wrong on a hike, it’s much worse than it would normally be. Even small injuries are a big deal. For example, if you twist your ankle on a basketball court, you can just limp to your car and drive to the emergency room. On a hike, if you bust your ankle, you need to call for a helicopter. Yep, a helicopter. Then you get to read about your injury on the news and see all the comments on the news websites and Facebook where people will make fun of you and blame you for wasting their tax dollars. All that for a sprained ankle. Now imagine the consequences of a more severe injury.

Aside: I witnessed a helicopter rescue at the Makapuu tidepools. They were pros.

Since I have all this hiking info on my blog, I wanted to make sure that people know that hiking safety is a big deal to me. Here are a few things I think are important to keep in mind.

Be mindful of each step.

Hiking, in general, is pretty simple. It involves walking on rugged terrain. Sometimes you walk uphill, sometimes you walk downhill. But, I encourage new hikers to take it more seriously than that. You do not want to be stuck on a trail, miles from civilization, with a twisted ankle.

The trails in Hawaii are bumpy, full of holes, sometimes made up of loose slippery gravel and many times overgrown (which hides holes in the ground). I’ve seen many friends walk on trails like it’s a sidewalk. They’ve got their eyes up or looking at the scenery, not paying attention to the terrain, and tripping all over the place.

When I hike, I’m mindful of almost every step I take. Especially on narrow ridges. For each step I take I try to think about where my foot will land, what angle I should place my foot, if I should put it down with my heel or toe and I also think about where the next few steps will be. I’m always trying to spot holes I might step in or roots that might trip me. It sounds like a lot of work but the process becomes second nature after a while.

When using a rope.

Don’t trust it. The ropes out there are old and weathered. Try not to put 100% of your weight on the rope if you don’t have to. And while climbing up or down a rope, look around for branches and roots to grab onto in case the rope were to snap. Think of the rope as an aide.

Hike in a small group of people you know.

I know this isn’t always possible but, it’s much safer to hike with people who know you and care about you than with strangers. Friends are more likely to watch each other’s back, wait up for each other and be willing to take breaks whenever someone needs a rest. Smaller groups also work better because it’s easier to keep track of people.

Know your limits.

If you get really bad vertigo from heights, certain trails with narrow ridges may not be so good for you. If you are not so good with directions (like myself), you should stick to well known and well defined trails. I know I started this post by writing about how hiking is all about pushing ourselves but we must also be honest with ourselves and know when to pass on a hike that might be beyond our skill level.

If you are scared of heights, hiking is not the best way to face your fear. Rock climbing (where you’re on a rope) or skydiving (where you have a parachute) are much safer options. If you’re very competitive, you probably want to tame that tendency when hiking. It can lead to bad decisions. There are plenty of safer ways to compete with others.

Read the “Hiking Saftey in Hawaii” brochure.

I picked this up from the DLNR a little while back. I couldn’t find it available anywhere online so here it is.

I really dig specialty stores.

They can get brands and selections that major retailers cannot.

We have a specialty store in Hawaii that sells outdoor gear called SoulTrex.

There’s stuff here that you cannot find anywhere else on the island.

I usually come to SoulTrex to buy hiking shoes. But on this day, I came by to talk to Linda (pictured above) and drop off some Hawaii Bouldering tank tops. SoulTrex has agreed to stock them at the store for a limited time. If you live on the Windward side of Oahu, be sure to cruise by.

Linda is the store manager. She probably doesn’t remember this but she sold me two pairs of hiking boots last year. She was super knowledgeable about the brands (one was a pair of Merrells, the other Keens) and was totally stoked to hear that I was buying shoes for a backpacking trip. I remember her being really helpful.

I also remember being appreciative of the fact that SoulTrex even existed. It’s pretty risky to open up a store like this with such a niche customer base. I haven’t met Jacinda (the owner) yet but I definitely appreciate her efforts in bringing this type of store to Hawaii. Without SoulTrex we would have to buy everything online. And that doesn’t work so well when you want to try something on first or need something at the last minute.

After I dropped off the shirts, I was interested in learning more about the products at the store so I asked if Linda could show me around and tell me about the special items they carry. And then I ended up buying a bunch of stuff.

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Tucked away in a neighborhood in Kahaluu (near Kaneohe) is the Tagami & Powell Gallery and Gardens.

The garden is full of exotic plants.

In the gallery, you’ll find the paintings of Hiroshi Tagami and Michael Powell, and the photography of fellow hiker and blogger Nate Yuen.

If you’ve ever researched a hike online, you’ve no doubt come across Nate’s blog, HawaiianForest.com. I’ve referenced Nate’s blog several times on my site as it’s been an invaluable resource for me to find info on hikes in Hawaii. Before I went on a backpacking trip to Waimanu (Big Island), Nate’s blog was the only place I could find photos and information on the secluded campsite.

Nate has been a member of the Hawaiian Trail & Mountain Club for over a decade now and hikes every weekend. He’s covered countless trails on Oahu and made several trips to the other islands to hike. And through hiking, he found a passion for photography.

Nate’s photography is different than most of the stuff you’ll see out there. It’s not just the typical mountain and ocean views you see on sites like … well, like mine. Nate focuses on the small things. On the trail, he has this uncanny ability to spot tiny animals, insects or plants that most people would hike right past. And he has the patience to sit and wait for the specimen to come into view of his camera to snap a good shot. So when you look at his work, not only is it beautiful, you learn something. His unique perspective is pretty much summed up in this video he created. It’s a video from a hike and you can see where his attention is focused and what he wants to share with the viewer.

In his own words, Nate says, “My body of work is at the confluence of hiking, conservation, and fine art photography. It is my goal to showcase the unique plants and animals that live at these places and give you a reason to protect them for future generations.”

Not everyone can get these types of photos. It takes years of education and experience on the trail to learn where the different species can be found. Looking at his blog you would think Nate is a researcher or scientist of some sort but nope, dude is an accountant. He’s got a regular 9 to 5. What you see in his photos and on his blog are products of his passion for being outdoors and on the trail over the weekend.

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No matter what hike I’m on, I always pack a headlamp. You never know what will happen. I’ve been on plenty hikes where we’ve stayed on the trail longer than we anticipated and had to spend some time hiking in the dark. On some occasions we’ve gotten lost and on others we voluntarily decided to stay out longer than we had planned for.

This is a Petzl Zipka Plus 2 Headlamp. I like it because it has a retractable head strap and is super compact. This model provides 50 lumens of light and is plenty bright. 50 lumens, by the way, is the minimum strength you want in a hiking headlamp. I recently upgraded to a 100 lumen Black Diamond Storm Headlamp for nighttime rock climbing sessions. On any hike where you know you’ll be using a headlamp, make sure to pack extra batteries.

When you buy a headlamp, check that it has a red led option. Most do. The red light lets you see in the dark without constricting your pupils. So, when you turn it off, you’re eyes will still be adjusted for seeing in the dark.

Also, remember that when you’re hiking with your headlamp on, never point your light towards a street or neighborhood. People on the ground could mistake your light for a distress signal and call search and rescue. This happened to me once. I hiked down with some friends from the Mokule’ia Crag in the dark and there were cops waiting for us on the street. (Oops!) Headlamps can be visible from miles away.

I use a CamelBak M.U.L.E. Hydration Pack hydration pack. There are many others to choose from but CamelBak has the best reviews because it seems to be the most durable. I tend to like the packs they make for mountain bikers as they are more narrow than a traditional hiking day pack. In general, hikes in Hawaii don’t require too much gear. I found that full size day packs are too bulky for my taste. The M.U.L.E. packs are super compact yet carry 3 liters of water. And if you need more gear, they have expansion storage compartments. Or, you could simply clip your gear on using carabiners. Perfect for a 4 to 8 hour hike.

This might not apply to everyone but, for me, a camera is an essential piece of equipment for hiking in Hawaii. Maybe it’s because I’m Asian. Or, maybe it’s because the views from the top of the ridges in Hawaii are epic. I carry a dSLR but any camera will do. For those of you that like to carry dSLRs, I’ll show you my method of carrying such a heavy camera on the trail.

Everyone I hike with packs differently and has different opinions on what would be considered “essential hiking gear”. If you are interested in what I would recommend, read on…

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