The North Face is redefining hiking and its new campaign pulls no punches

The North Face is restructuring how it presents hiking gear with the launch of its SS26 Hike collection, a seasonal rollout organised around the elements hikers encounter outdoors: rain, wind and sun.

Instead of unveiling the range all at once, the brand plans to release the collection in three “chapters” throughout spring, each highlighting products designed for specific trail conditions.

The campaign begins with the Rain chapter on 3 March, followed by the Wind chapter on 9 April, and the Sun chapter on 5 May.

Looking at the early products already appearing on the brand’s website, the approach becomes clearer.

Waterproof shells such as the Valley View Jacket and Quest DryVent Jacket headline the rain-ready side of the lineup, while softshells, fleece jackets and wind-resistant layers sit under lighter conditions.

Trail footwear, including trail running shoes and hiking boots, as well as backpacks and accessories, is also available in the range.

Hiking, reframed

Alongside the gear launch, The North Face is pushing a deliberately provocative campaign manifesto that argues hiking has become overly sanitised.

“You don’t know shit about hiking,” the manifesto begins, criticising the way outdoor culture has been reduced to social media moments and “a long boring walk.”

Instead, the campaign reframes hiking as something far more chaotic and personal, from “trudging rain-soaked and euphoric” through bad weather to “howling at the moon” and getting lost in the wilderness.

It’s an unusually raw tone for a major outdoor brand, and clearly aimed at reconnecting hiking with younger audiences who might see the activity as overly traditional or curated.

Gear for whatever the trail throws at you

The collection itself covers a wide spread of hiking essentials, from waterproof outerwear and technical fleeces to trail shoes, backpacks and accessories.

Colour palettes appear to shift with each chapter, with earthy greens, desert tones and muted blues reflecting different outdoor environments.

Some of the items already listed online include the Fastpack Waterproof Shoes, the Lightning Convertible Trousers, and the Borealis Trail Backpack, alongside technical layering pieces such as the Yumiori Full-Zip Fleece.

While many of these products already exist within The North Face’s hiking lineup, the SS26 campaign reframes them as part of a broader system designed around environmental conditions rather than traditional product categories.

The full SS26 Hike collection will continue rolling out across the three seasonal chapters through May.

The hiking collection is available now at The North Face UK, The North Face US, The North Face EU and The North Face AU, with prices from £15 / $13 / €15 / AU$35.