10 Best Halloween Costumes for Hikers and Hiking Hounds

Halloween hikes are a lot of fun, but it's difficult to find good Halloween costumes that you can hike in that are compatible with hiking boots, backpacks, and trekking poles. Halloween nights are cool and you'll want a costume that's easy to layer with warm clothing. Take women's Halloween costumes for example. The ones that feature high heels, latex masks, billowing dresses or mini-skirts are a complete fail in the woods. Our recommended costumes have been carefully selected to work with your existing hiking clothes and gear, so you can stay warm, and have fun on a chilly Halloween eve. Add a little darkness and no one will know you're human! Here are our top ten picks for the best Halloween Costumes for hikers and their hiking dogs.

1. Black Widow

Leg Avenue's Black Widow Spider Costume is perfect for keeping warm and embracing your deadly dark side on Halloween. It's made from super soft fleece with an industrial zipper front. The distressed net pantyhose and gloves are not included, but can be purchased separately. You'd be better off wearing stretch hiking pants and gloves anyway, to stay warm. 

Check for pricing and sizes on Amazon.com

2. Creepy Cockroach Costume

You know what survives after an atomic bomb goes off? Twinkies and Cockroaches! Become the ultimate creepy pest when you wear this Adult Cockroach Costume. Now you can bug all your friends while you wear this insect costume. Includes Hooded Pullover Top w/Roach Legs.

Check for pricing and sizes on Amazon.com

3. Little Red Riding Hood

This Little Red Riding Hood Costume includes the dress and hooded cape, but not the basket or stockings. It's made with 100% polyester and is available in a wide range of sizes, so you can layer it easily with warm hiking clothes. Wear this and the big bad wolf won't know what hit him.

Check for pricing and sizes on Amazon.com

4. Evil Harlequin Jester

Be the sinister laughter behind twisted mischief in this Evil Harlequin Jester Costume. The costume includes a long sleeve two-tone printed tunic with shredded cuff detail, a matching pant with shredded bottom cuffs, classic ruffled collar, and matching hat. A mask is not included, but you really don't need one with this get up. 

Check for pricing and sizes on Amazon.com

5. Wicked Wings

Something wicked flies this way. The Wicked Wings can open and close! Worn like a backpack with elastic shoulder straps, each wing has a corresponding string that can be manually pulled down for movement. The wing set has a 4 foot span and can fold in half vertically. Backlight for a batman effect. Unisex.

Check for pricing on Amazon.com

6. Female Zombie Shirt

The Women's Zombie Female Shirt with sublimation print is deal for outdoor or indoor events. This is a simple costume, but that's part of the appeal since it doesn't requires anything else, except maybe some facial wounds and lipstick to make the point. Easy to layer and backpack compatible, too.

Check for pricing and sizes on Amazon.com

7. Big Foot

Represent Big Foot in a different, more literal, fashion this halloween. Athletes foot and blisters, not included. Unisex.

Check for pricing and sizes on Amazon.com

8. Missing Person Milk Carton Costume

Do you "disappear" when hiking season starts? Here's a Missing Persons Milk Carton Costume that will give your non-hiking friends a chuckle. One size. Unisex.

Check for pricing on Amazon.com

9. Star Wars Bantha Rider Costume for Dogs

Turn your hiking hound into an Elephant-like Bantha w/ Rider from Star Wars. Pairs well with Star Wars costumes if you decide to be a Princess Lea or Jedi Knight this Halloween. This costume is sized for medium sized dogs with smaller heads, but a couple of safety pins can help adjust the fit if it's too loose.

Check for sizing and pricing on Amazon.com

10. Lion Mane Costume for Dogs

Who said there were no mountain lions in the lower 48? This Lion Mane Wig is the most realistic & best-fitting lion mane for dogs. Turn your lovely pooch into a funnily ferocious King of the Jungle in a jiffy. This lion mane is designed to fit perfectly for medium to large sized dogs – Compatible neck size for dogs ranges from 60 cm to 80 cm. Easy to clean.  

Check for pricing on Amazon.com

Help support this site by making your next gear purchase through one of the links above. Click a link, buy what you need, and the seller will contribute a portion of the purchase price to support SectionHiker's unsponsored gear reviews, articles, and hiking guides.

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Admiral in Strathcona

The Admiral in Strathcona by CH (East Georgia) Limited Partnership is a new four-storey, mixed used development located in the Vancouver neighbourhood of Kiwassa East. Designed with families in mind, this project includes 30 strata townhomes, 7 social housing units, 16,145 SQFT of commercial space and over 6,000 SQFT of amenity space. The Admiral aims to address Vancouver need for housing diversity, while being retaining industrial space for local employment opportunities. This project offers stellar location, located at Glen Drive and East Georgia street, just steps away from schools, parks, restaurants, and East Van craft breweries.

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Admiral in Strathcona

The Admiral in Strathcona by CH (East Georgia) Limited Partnership is a new four-storey, mixed used development located in the Vancouver neighbourhood of Kiwassa East. Designed with families in mind, this project includes 30 strata townhomes, 7 social housing units, 16,145 SQFT of commercial space and over 6,000 SQFT of amenity space. The Admiral aims to address Vancouver need for housing diversity, while being retaining industrial space for local employment opportunities. This project offers stellar location, located at Glen Drive and East Georgia street, just steps away from schools, parks, restaurants, and East Van craft breweries.

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Cambridge Estates Fort St. John

Cambridge Estates by Western Canadian Properties Group is a brand new subdivision offering 95 townhouses and 7 coach homes in Fort St. John's premier neighbourhood of Garrison Landing. These homes include contemporary living spaces and fenced yards with complete turn-key rental management options. This project offers easy access to downtown with less than a five minute drive to entertainment, shopping, schools, and hospitals. Experience contemporary living while being steps away from the great outdoors.

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Cambridge Estates Fort St. John

Cambridge Estates by Western Canadian Properties Group is a brand new subdivision offering 95 townhouses and 7 coach homes in Fort St. John’s premier neighbourhood of Garrison Landing. These homes include contemporary living spaces and fenced yards with complete turn-key rental management options. This project offers easy access to downtown with less than a five minute drive to entertainment, shopping, schools, and hospitals. Experience contemporary living while being steps away from the great outdoors.

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Big Sky International Chinook 1Plus Tent Review

The Big Sky Chinook 1Plus is a freestanding, four-season tent that weighs 3 lbs 7 oz. It's a double-wall, dome-shaped tent with three exoskeleton poles that can be pitched in a variety of different configurations. For example, you can set it up with three poles for maximum strength or two poles if you want to save weight, with or without its inner tent, and with a mesh solid walled one for cold weather use or a mesh one, which will be available in summer 2019. You can also detach and pack up the inner tent on wet mornings in order to store it separately from the wet ran fly, or attach it after the rain fly has been erected, when you set it up.

The Chinook 1Plus has two side doors and a very spacious interior that's a palace for one person, but it can also fit two good friends in a pinch. By default, there isn't any covered vestibule storage, but you can detach one side of the inner tent from the fly to create it. Realistically, the only time you'd want to do this is in rain or snow, when you want a place to store wet or snow-covered gear, or you want to cook under the cover of a vestibule.

Specs at a Glance

• Type: Freestanding,
• Shape: Dome
• Range: 3 and 4 season
• Total weight w/ 3 poles: 56.1 oz (3 lbs 8.1 oz actual) (3 lbs 7 oz claimed)
• Total weight w/ 2 poles:  50.6 oz (3 lbs 2.6 oz)
  • Poles (2): 13.6 oz
  • Optional 3rd pole: 5.5 oz
  • Rain fly: 17.6 oz
  • Inner tent (breathable solid version): 19.4
  • Optional fitted Tyvek ground sheet: 5.2 oz
• Poles: Aluminum. CF is also available. Contact manufacturer.
• Inner tent dimensions: 91″ long, 39″ peak height, diamond-shaped interior is 36″ x 65″ x 24″
• Minimum number of stakes to set up: 0
• Recommended minimum number of stakes: 6
• Internal pockets: 2 on interior doors
• Rain fly material: SuperSil (silnylon coated on both sides, 1500 mm)

Tent Architecture

The easiest way to set up the Chinook 1Plus is to set up the rain fly and the attached inner tent at the same time. This will keep the inner tent dry, even if it's raining outside.  The rain fly hangs from the tent poles with clips, while the inner tent hangs from the inside of the rain fly with tiny buckles. While you can set up the fly alone and then crawl around under it to attach the inner tent, there are over a dozen tiny buckles the have to be attached during the process, which can be a bit time-consuming. The same can be said for packing up the inner tent first and then breaking down the rain fly. It's a valuable bad weather option, but a somewhat more involved process on the Chinook 1Plus than on the Hilleberg Niak or the Tarptent Moment DW, which provide an equivalent option.

Head end view: The tent has to crossing poles and an optional horizontal crossing pole that runs over the door zippers.

The most important thing you have to know about the Chinook 1Plus tent is that it sets up drumhead tight, with the poles exerting considerable pressure on the rain fly, including the side door zippers. This is good because it counters the sag that normally occurs overnight or in rain with a silnylon shelter, so you don't have to get up and tighten the guy-out points at night. However, it complicates the assembly and breakdown of the tent a bit, because it requires a fair amount of elbow grease (strength) to get all the poles into their grommets, fly hooks around the poles, and interior connectors attached. There's also a certain amount of dexterity involved, which can be in short supply in cold weather, when wearing gloves interferes with fine motor skills.

Setup Options

The foot end is narrower than the head end. This is the end that should be pointed into the wind.

The outer tent has two crossing poles the slot into color coded grommets. The third optional pole crosses then at a near 90 degree angle and slots into grommets at the bottom of the two door zippers. Despite the color coding, it can be a little difficult to get the orientation of the poles right, because the poles themselves aren't color coded, just the grommets. You can tell which pole is which because the two crossing poles are straight, while the third has bends in two segments. The third pole is optional but strengthens the shelter and is a good add-on in windy weather or winter, if you're expecting significant snow loads. Without it, you'd just stake out the doors, but you'll experience some overnight sag in the fabric since the doors won't be under the same tension as they are when attached to the pole.

Dual ceiling vents help eliminate internal condensation

There are two roof top vents in the rain fly that act like transoms and can be propped open to promote airflow across the top of the tent. They're angled slightly down to prevent blowing rain from entering, but can also be closed, while you're inside the tent.

The inner tent has two mesh windows at the top of each interior door to permit air from the transom to flow through the inner tent. They have breathable fabric flaps so you can zip over the mesh to eliminate any draft. The vents in the fly and the inner tent do a great job at reducing the temperature differential that can cause internal condensation. I've been very surprised at how little condensation buildup occurs in the Chinook 1Plus, even at sub-optimal tent sites where I would have expected it.

The inner tent completely fills the rain fly.

The inner tent has a diamond shape and completely fills the rain fly, so there is no vestibule storage space in the default configuration. If you're using the tent for just one person, there's plenty of space inside to store your gear. The interior is quite large and comfortable that way. If your gear is wet and it's raining, you can create a vestibule are by detaching one side of the inner tent from the rain fly and sacrifice some of your interior space for vestibule storage. This is a standard option on this kind of tent, although you see it more on European brand tents than ones from US manufacturers.

You can create a gear storage vestibule by releasing one side of the inner tent and folding it back.

You can also use the Chinook 1Plus without the inner tent to save weight, by releasing the clips and hooks that hold the inner tent in place. This can be a good weight saving option if you don't mind sleeping on snow in winter, since the three-pole structure is so windy worthy and strong. Alternatively, you can sleep on the fitted Tyvek groundsheet that Big Sky provides with the tent, or use it with the inner tent to protect the floor from abrasion and punctures.

You can detach the inner tent and pack it away or attach it after the rain fly has been set up to keep it dry in rain.

Inner Tent Options

The Chinook 1Plus' inner tent is only available with a breathable mesh inner, usually reserved for cold weather or winter use. It's quite effective at preventing wind, sand, and spindrift from blowing in under the catenary cut sides of the rain fly, but is uncoated so it breathes well.  The inner tent floor is a 30D nylon silicone/PU coated and seam taped fabric floor with a 3000 mm hydrostatic head, so quite waterproof, with a high bathtub floor to prevent water entry.

A 1Plus mesh netting inner is not available because the Chinook 1Plus was originally intended as more of a winter and cold weather tent than a year-round shelter. However, due to customer demand, a 1Plus mesh netting inner will be available in summer 2019 for $50 less than the breathable fabric inner version. If you'd rather not wait, you can use the mesh netting inner for the Chinook 1 tent instead, since the outer rain flies of the Chinook 1 and Chinook 1Plus are the same. The Chinook 2P is also available with a mesh inner and the breathable fabric inner, but weighs substantially more than the Chinook 1Plus.

Why would you get the Chinook 1Plus instead of the Chinook 1P? It really comes to the livability of the 1Plus' inner tent, which is huge, but can still be configured with two vestibules like the Chinook 1P. That extra space vastly improves the livability of the tent on long winter nights or if you have to sit out crappy weather. It really is worth a few extra ounces of gear weight.

The Big Sky Chinook 1Plus is a big tent that packs up small so it won't weigh you down on your adventures.

Comparable 4-season Tents

Make / Model	Type	Size	Doors	Min Weight	Price
MSR Advance Pro	Wedge	2 Person	1	2 lb. 14 oz.	$549
Black Diamond El Dorado	Wedge	2 Person	1	4 lb. 8 oz.	$699
Big Agnes Shield 2	Wedge	2 Person	1	3 lb. 12 oz.	$650
Hilleberg Soulo	Dome	1 Person	1	4 lb. 7 oz.	$694
Black Diamond First Light	Wedge	2 person	1	2 lbs 13 oz	$370
Hilleberg Unna	Dome	1 Person	1	4 lb. 7 oz.	$680
The North Face Assault 2	Wedge	2 Person	1	3 lb. 4 oz.	$589
Rab Latok Mountain 2	Wedge	2 Person	1	4 lb. 1 oz.	$650
Hilleberg Allak	Dome	2 Person	2	6 lb. 2 oz.	$990
Big Sky Chinook 2P	Dome	2 Person	2	4 lbs	$550

Recommendation

The Big Sky International Chinook 1Plus is a great four-season tent that's lightweight, storm-worthy, and comfortable to use. Weighing slightly over 3 lbs, it's also a self-supporting freestanding tent that can be set up just about anywhere, on wooden tent platforms, rock, sand, and snow without having to be staked to the ground first. Plus you can set up the rain fly before you set up the inner tent guaranteeing that it stays dry when it's raining, That kind of flexibility goes a long way when you're camping at wilderness tent sites and  you want to pitch up quick to get out of the weather.

Disclosure: The author received a tent from Big Sky for this review.

Help support this site by making your next gear purchase through one of the links above. Click a link, buy what you need, and the seller will contribute a portion of the purchase price to support SectionHiker's unsponsored gear reviews, articles, and hiking guides.

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Orono Place in Langford

Orono Place by Western Canadian Properties Group is a new condo development located in BC's fastest-growing municipality, Langford. Western Canadian Properties Group IX Limited Partnership is proud to offer investors an opportunity to invest in a cash-flowing property in one of Canada's hottest real estate markets. The Partnership will acquire and own Orono I, a 45-unit apartment building located in Langford, British Columbia, which is 14 km west of Victoria, British Columbia.

Learn more about Orono Place and Langford.

 

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