RAB Incline Light Pants

Hike Lightweight T2 Coolmax Performance Sock

RRP £75 Target price £68 As Wallace and Gromit know only too well, the wrong trousers can really put a downer on your day. I learned this the hard way some years ago, cursing my way up crag and down mountain in an atrociously ill-fitting pair. How I wish I’d been wearing Rab’s Incline Light Pants instead. As you’ve probably guessed from the name, they’re the lightest trousers in the Incline series, and are an absolute joy to stride, lollop and clamber in. It helps they fit me well, of course, but that’s not their only strength. Geared for summer and the milder ends of the shoulder seasons, they are cut from fastdrying ‘Matrix’ softshell fabric – a polyamide-elastane single weave which has been finished with a fluorocarbon-free durable water repellent. This wonderfully stretchy material is key to on-the-move comfort. The unrestrictive Incline Lights get kudos for their long crotch gusset and knee ‘articulation’, too. And being so light and easily stowed, they are a superb option for multi-day walks as well as summer scrambling. For me at least, these are the right trousers. rab.equipment/uk

RRP £18 Target price: £18

You only need to watch our video from the Bridgedale factory (“it’s like the North Pole of socks,” says editor Guy) to understand the passion and pedigree that goes into these.

I could go into a full technical breakdown of what goes into them (a delicate blend of Coolmax, polyester, nylon, polyamide, Lycra and elastane) but I’d far rather just tell you they are the comfiest socks I ever wear for most of the year (they’re great in all but the coldest or wettest days). The video can tell you the rest – check it out at walk1000miles.co.uk/ bridgedalefactory. And find the socks themselves at bridgedale.com