Whether your club’s weekend outing is a gentle dander round Castle Ward, a forest ramble through Gortin Glens, or a full assault on Slieve Donard, Northern Ireland’s trails offer something for every walker and every kind of weather in the space of one afternoon. Any seasoned club member knows the drill: check the forecast, pack for those conditions and be prepared for the weather to switch up with little warning.
To help members old and new get kitted out properly, UFRC has teamed up with WalkNI and Outdoor Revival, the UK’s pre-owned gear marketplace, to bring you a kit guide matched to WalkNI’s four trail grades. Good gear doesn’t have to mean a big spend. Quality pre-loved equipment is an affordable, sustainable way to get properly outfitted, and it’s a sound principle for any club looking to keep walking accessible to new members.
- Easy Trails
Think: Castlewellan Forest Park, or flat coastal paths – Ideal for a club’s introductory or social walks.
These outings call for comfort over technicality. Supportive trainers or lightweight, flexible walking shoes are sufficient – save the heavy boots for another day. Comfortable layers work well, and stretchy trousers are a better bet than jeans or cotton, which hold moisture if the weather turns. A packable, lightweight windproof layer is worth having on hand for a sudden shower. A small daypack with water, a phone, and perhaps some change for a coffee stop afterwards completes the kit. These trails are well suited to welcoming new walkers without overwhelming them on gear.
- Moderate Trails
Think: Barnett Demesne, Coalisland Canal Walk – a step up in terrain and pace.
Here, proper footwear starts to matter – think standard walking shoes or mid-cut boots with a deeper tread for wet gravel or boardwalks. Moisture-wicking synthetic layers replace cotton, and a fleece or insulated mid-layer is handy once the group stops for a breather. A breathable, waterproof jacket with taped seams will handle sustained rain. In the pack, a 15–20 litre daysack should carry at least a litre of water, energy snacks, a basic first-aid kit (blister plasters and antiseptic wipes go a long way), and a charged phone with offline maps (Google and Apply won’t work as well without reliable signal); a habit worth encouraging across any group walk.
- Strenuous Trails
Think: Robbers Table or Moydamlaght Forest – proper hillwalking territory.
At this level, kit becomes safety equipment. Sturdy, waterproof hiking boots with robust ankle support and a deep-lugged sole are essential for mud, wet grass, and scree. A three-layer clothing system (base layer, insulating mid-layer, and a spare warm layer kept dry in the pack), along with quick-dry trousers, gives the flexibility NI’s mountain weather demands. A high-performance waterproof shell and packable over-trousers round out the outerwear. In a 25–30 litre pack: a compass (and the know-how to use them), a lightweight survival bag, 1.5–2 litres of water plus a hot drink in a flask, high-calorie food, a headtorch with spares, and a warm hat and gloves. You might also like to pack an OS NI Activity Map. These are useful reminders for any walk leader briefing a group before setting off.
- Very Strenuous Trails
Think: Slieve Binnian, the Castlewellan Slievanaslat Walk – for well-conditioned, experienced walkers.
This is the sharp end of hillwalking in NI. Premium waterproof mountain boots with strong torsional rigidity, paired with gaiters to keep bog and peat out, are a must. Heavy-duty hardshell waterproofs and merino or advanced synthetic thermal layers handle the temperature swings. A fully loaded 30L+ pack should include everything from the Strenuous list, plus a group first-aid kit, a lightweight emergency group shelter, a power bank for navigation devices, trekking poles for steep descents, and a safety whistle for misty conditions – the kind of shared kit many clubs already carry between a few experienced members on group outings.
A Note for Clubs
The golden rule holds for every club outing: hope for the best, pack for the worst. Checking mountain-specific forecasts (using UFRC’s walking and planning aids page to help), matching kit to the day’s grade, and respecting the landscape are habits worth passing on to newer members as much as reminding experienced ones.
And with quality pre-loved gear now more accessible than ever through outlets like Outdoor Revival, clubs have a genuinely affordable route to getting members properly equipped, while keeping both budgets and the hills in good shape.
Find your next outing on WalkNI, or browse Outdoor Revival for quality pre-owned gear.