Spring has sprung! Warmer temps mean longer, more comfortable hiking happy hours for us wine hikers. Whether you’re new to the group or just looking to up your gear game, here are 5 items I recommend for a fun wine hike.
Backpacking Chair
People always ask if we drink while we’re hiking, and if you’re new to our group, the answer is no. Most of our hikes are out and back, with the turnaround point being a lake or an overlook. Once we reach the turnaround point, we set up for hiking happy hour.
During hiking happy hour, we hang out for an hour and chat, have snacks, and enjoy a drink (whether that’s alcohol or water). And while you can definitely sit on the ground, why do it if you don’t have to?
This is where a backpacking chair comes in. Not only does it get you off the ground, but it also gives you back support, making happy hour more comfortable and cozy.
If you’re a backpacker and care about pack weight, then we recommend the Helinox Chair Zero, which barely weighs over one pound. But, if you’re just looking for something to take on wine hikes and aren’t worried about pack weight, then this 2.38-pound Naturehike chair from Amazon will do the trick.
Plastic Wine Carafe
As responsible wine hikers, we want to avoid taking glass bottles into the wilderness. Instead, we recommend buying a plastic wine carafe, like the Platypus PlatyPreserve. The PlatyPreserve holds a whole bottle of wine!
Plastic Wine Nester or Tumbler
For drinking vessels, you have a couple of options. We might be biased, but we love our Wine Hiking Society tumblers. We always say that we wine hikers are equal opportunity drinkers. Our tumblers are perfect for wine, spiked coffee, or a fun cocktail.
Another option is a plastic wine nester, like this one for red wine from GSI Outdoors. The stem twists off, and the base of the glass snaps into the rim for easy storage. GSI Outdoors also makes nesters for white wine and for champagne. The best part? They come in a set of two, so you can share with a lucky friend.
The pStyle & Kula Cloth
I want to take a minute to tell you about two products that have changed our lives as wine hikers: the pStyle and Kula Cloth.
With the pStyle, you don’t have to
1) pull down your pants to pee or
2) squat to pee.
Rather than having to find a private space to pee so no one sees your bare bum, you can just undo your pants or pull down the front of your leggings and stand and pee. You don’t even have to take your pack off.
I’m telling you, this thing is a game-changer. Some wine hikers practice in the shower first, but I went straight to using it on the trail. I also use it all the time on road trips. There’s no need to find a rest stop or a gas station. You just pull over and pee with your back to traffic.
Use WINE10 to get 10% off your pStyle. I highly recommend buying the carrying case too.
Like steak and Cabernet, the pStyle pairs perfectly with the Kula Cloth.
What’s a Kula Cloth and why do we recommend them for all women? A Kula Cloth is a reusable antimicrobial pee cloth! Use it to pat your lady bits dry rather than packing in (and then having to pack out) toilet paper to wipe or using the ol’ drip-dry method (which never gets you dry). Check out our cute Wine Hiking Society Kula Cloth!
The pStyle and Kula Cloth make peeing outdoors SO much easier.
Ambassador Recommendations
I asked our ambassadors about their hiking happy hour must-haves. Here are some of their answers:
- Melanie and Jennifer, OK ambassadors: Bug spray!
- Kathy, GA ambassador: A girlfriend, dog, or both
- Wendy, NC ambassador: Cooling rag and electrolytes for hot summer hikes
- Kris, SC ambassador: Sock liners and hiking poles
- Amy, NC ambassador: A solar battery to charge your phone
- Robin, CA ambassador: Wonderful women to hike with . . . and a sun hat, like this one
If you’ve been on a wine hike, comment below and tell us your hiking happy hour must-have.
