The 8 Best Fall Walking Essentials to Buy in 2020

Fight fickle fall weather with this whisper-thin jacket during your warm-up or throughout a cool walk. It stashes into its own zip pocket and compresses to a tiny size to take with you in a pack. It is available in three colors and sizes from XS to XL.

Walk in comfort with this long-sleeved top made of sweat-wicking fabric when the temperatures dip below 60 F. This long sleeve performance tee is made of polyester fabric to wick moisture away from your skin. The scoop works well for autumn temperatures when you still may want some cooling. It's available in several colors and in sizes from extra small through XX-Large.

Don't let rain slow you down. The Brooks Cascadia GTX is a multi-sport outdoor shoe designed to be both waterproof and stable. It gets good reviews, but sizes run a little small and most people will want to go up a half size. It's a favorite for people walking the Camino de Santiago.

When autumn showers come, you need a waterproof jacket to keep walking outdoors. This jacket is waterproof and lightweight. It comes men's and women's sizes and gender-specific designs. It packs inside its own bag for stowing if the day warms up. It has pit zips to open up if you need more air. It has long front pockets for extra storage and ventilation. The only drawback is that it only has a one-way zipper rather than a two-way zipper.

As the days get shorter and you find your morning or late afternoon walk getting darker and darker, you need to think about visibility gear. These open-finger gloves won't make your hands hot, but they will help traffic see you. As you cross an intersection, you can flash the reflective palm triangle at the stopped cars. The back of the hands are outlined in reflective strips. As the weather gets colder, you can layer them over liner gloves.

SmartWool socks are machine washable and itch-free. Wool has natural properties that can help manage moisture as well as insulate as the days grow colder. SmartWool makes athletic socks in different lengths and weights to pair well with your walking shoes. You may like the low cut versions for athletic walking, moving up to the crew length when temps finally drop.

For fall, get a Fitbit that reminds you to move and tracks your sleep as well as your activity. The Fitbit Alta fits well into your busy lifestyle, and you can easily change the bands to go from sporty to glam.

Although the gear so far can keep you walking outdoors, you may decide it's time to take your walking indoors. A home treadmill is a great solution, so long as you use it for walking and not for hanging up clothes. This budget treadmill has a powerful 2.5 horsepower continuous-duty motor. It has heart-rate control as well as speed and incline controls.