Hiking is all about simplicity. It doesn’t take much more than a pair of boots, a pack and the will to walk along a trail to become a hiker. That probably explains the activity’s popularity. Hikers of all types fan out along trails from community paths to mountain treks and everything in between. But, beyond the simple pack and boots lie a range of other products that make the hiking life a little easier.

If there’s a hiker on your holiday shopping list, you might think shopping for their perfect gift is difficult at best or just impossibly expensive at worst. You could be shopping for a day hiker who just goes for an occasional stroll on community paths. Or maybe there’s someone on the list who’s planning an Appalachian Trail through-hike in the spring.

In either case, you might not have a clue as to what makes a great gift. Fear not. Just make a short visit with the crew at Epic Sports in downtown Bangor. They have the goods and the knowledge of which hiking products are in demand by the discriminating walker. I stopped in the other night to talk with Brad Ryder, the owner, and he took me on a tour of the store in search of ideas. Here’s what I found. Any of the following products are sure to be welcomed by the hiker on your list.

There are lots of maps and guides from which to choose. One of the newest is from the Southern Piscataquis Economic Development Council. On one side is the map of the entire southern Piscataquis region. It details every trail, boat launch and campsite in the southern end of the county. The maps are clearly drawn with trail descriptions on the back. At $4.50, it’s a great stocking stuffer.

Known as the back road bible among hikers, the DeLorme Atlas and Gazetteer is a must for finding roads and trailheads over the entire state. Chances are that your hiker may have one already, but if it’s like mine, it’s dog-eared and the pages are falling out. The atlas is $19.95.

They also make a protective vinyl case that is sized for the atlas. It has a zip closure, a grab strap and a clear cover so you can see the map page without taking out the atlas. The atlas cover is $14.95.

Byer products are great for car camping at the trailhead. Byer makes a three-legged folding stool with a nylon seat. It’s lightweight at 21 ounces with a full width canvas seat. It folds up small enough to fit in the palm of your hand and comes with a storage pouch. The stool is $19.95.

Byer also makes a hammock out of parachute nylon that’s light enough to take on overnight backpacking trips. It’s only 11 ounces and is as large as a full-size bed at 84 inches by 54 inches. It has a weight capacity of 240 pounds and is only $19.95.

Under lighting and illumination I found a couple of items. One is a signal red flasher that attaches to the back of a pack or cap to be seen from behind. It’s $14.95 and comes in real handy for enabling someone to hike behind the wearer and not lose sight of them at night, in snow or in fog.

Black Diamond makes a headlamp with a half-watt three-LED light and eight brightness settings, including a strobe and two modes. It runs on three AAA batteries. It’s $23.95 and is weather resistant.

There are all sorts of water bottles on the shelves. One of the lightest on the market is the Sigg brand aluminum 1.5-liter widemouth. It’s $23.95. One of the newest bottles is made by Nathan Products. It holds 700 ml and is made of thin-walled steel. It has a flip-top cap with a straw that reaches the bottom of the bottle. It’s $24.95.

Also in the hydration department, I found a new SteriPen, an ultraviolet light water purifier. There are a lot of improvements to take the guesswork out of its use. It has an LED countdown readout that shows you how much time you have for water purity. It’s $129.95 and is good for 8,000 cycles.

For winter hikers there are quite a variety of traction attachments for your boots. The simplest to use are made by Stabilicers of Westbrook. They are basically a rubber outer sole that you Velcro strap to the bottom of your boots. On the sole are screws with recessed edges that cut into the ice. They are $49.95.

There’s a new ice traction device called Micro Spikes by Katoola. They are basically chains for your feet that attach with a rubber binding that stretches over your boot sole. There are small steel spikes attached to the chains that grip the ice. They are $59.95.

I saw lots more great gift ideas. There’s a pretty neat Leatherman multi-tool called a Skeletool for $59.95. But most of the gifts are under 20 bucks. After about an hour of browsing, I had a few ideas for my hiking buddies and a new wish list of my own. Hiking and shopping for hiking stuff are my two favorite activities. I hope this helps in your search for the perfect hiking gifts. Epic Sports also has a new Web site, epicsportsgear.com. Check it out, too, for upcoming online specials.

bradviles@gwi.net