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#134790 - 06/07/10 01:13 AM Clothing to wear
Jasonite Offline
newbie

Registered: 06/07/10
Posts: 3
Loc: Washington State
Okay, so I've recently completed my first backpacking trip. I had some fun and learned a lot, but now I'm thinking about clothing. I have usually worn jeans whenever hiking in the past; my friend is saying they are too heavy, he prefers hiking pants or sweats.

What do you folks recommend for warm/fair weather, and for colder weather trips?

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#134792 - 06/07/10 01:38 AM Re: Clothing to wear [Re: Jasonite]
ChrisFol Offline
member

Registered: 07/23/09
Posts: 387
Loc: Denver, Colordo
Originally Posted By Jasonite


What do you folks recommend for warm/fair weather, and for colder weather trips?


You need to be more specific in your line of questioning. I.e. give temp ratings and altitude.

For warm weather hiking then I just wear generic Nike running shorts. If it gets cooler in camp then I will wear a pair of Capilene 1 or 3 (temp depending) while in camp on my legs.

In winter use my legs are: Capilene 3, Marmot Scree, Montbell UL inner down pants and a pair of down booties.

It really depends on your situation. Personally I woul never wear denim while hiking, but my FIL wouldn't go without his pair and is just fine in three season Colorado. In winter, I wouldn't even take him.





Edited by ChrisFol (06/07/10 01:40 AM)

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#134796 - 06/07/10 03:23 AM Re: Clothing to wear [Re: Jasonite]
verber Offline
member

Registered: 01/26/04
Posts: 269
Loc: SF Bay Area, CA
Warm weather: In the past I would typically wear zip off nylon hiking pants Nylon hiking pants are often 1/2 or less weight than jeans... but more importantly they can dry in a couple of hours rather than a couple of days.

For cold = snow I stretch woven based soft shell pants.

Some more thoughts on my recommended hiking pants page.

--mark

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#134812 - 06/07/10 02:43 PM Re: Clothing to wear [Re: Jasonite]
aimless Online   content
Moderator

Registered: 02/05/03
Posts: 3292
Loc: Portland, OR
What do you folks recommend for warm/fair weather, and for colder weather trips?

It may seem brusque or unhelpful to demand more information in order to answer what seems like a simple question, but you have to understand that forum members range in experience from newbie up to six decades, from weekend hikers to mountaineers who also hike.

We live in every part of the USA and a few are from Canada, Australia, Europe, or Asia. Some of us hike in parched deserts where a 90 degree day is moderate weather, while others hike in the snow in the Rockies in January.

What we think of as warm or cool, or even what a "backpacking trip" looks like varies across some wide extremes.

It would help immensely to know more about what you think these words mean.

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#134832 - 06/08/10 02:40 AM Re: Clothing to wear [Re: aimless]
OregonMouse Online   content
member

Registered: 02/03/06
Posts: 6799
Loc: Gateway to Columbia Gorge
What Aimless said!!! If you want specific recommendations, we need more details. Since you didn't provide details in your profile, we have no idea where you are doing most of your backpacking.

If you haven't already found them, there are lots of excellent articles on gear selection (including clothing) listed in the left-hand column of http://www.backpacking.net/, the home page of this site.

Mark Verber has already provided a link to his excellent website.


Edited by OregonMouse (06/08/10 02:43 AM)
_________________________
May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view--E. Abbey

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#134838 - 06/08/10 09:59 AM Re: Clothing to wear [Re: Jasonite]
Kent W Offline
member

Registered: 10/15/09
Posts: 607
Loc: IL.
Limited info, But I wear Columbia Polyester zip off pants. Zip off meaning pant legs zip off and convert to shorts. They are lightweight and dry fast. I also like the bit of strech elastic in the sides. I wear nike and starter long and short sleeve polyester shirts. These buy the way are very cheap at wall mart. Columbia pants I bought at Dcks sporting. When it cools off I wear a MtSmith fleece covered by a Marmot Driclime windshirt. The Marmot driclime is worth every penny light and warm. If weather warents I use thermal long john baselayer as well. Mostly , when I stop for the day. Key is avoid cotton and dress in layers. I carry a light down vest as well. Generic smart wool socks with silk liners from walmart.
Wet climate I take my goretex rain gear. Happy Trails

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#134843 - 06/08/10 01:33 PM Re: Clothing to wear [Re: Jasonite]
Jasonite Offline
newbie

Registered: 06/07/10
Posts: 3
Loc: Washington State
Okay, so I live in Washington state, US, and usually backpack in and around the Cascade mountains...elevation ranges from 1600 - 4900 ft. By cool weather I mean down in the 30's(possibly 20s) and 40's, warm weather I mean 70 or above. I don't plan to go hiking in extremely hot weather, as this is not fun for me. Usually I go for 2-3 days, 1-2 nights, I have a 65L backpack. Sorry for the lack of specificity guys!

I usually bring a pair of thermal underwear with me, but I am reconsidering my jeans. My friend is recommending sweatpants for when it gets cold but I'd imagine the wind would cut right through them, and from what I understand those zip-off hiking pants aren't much help either.

While I have most of the gear I need to go backpacking again, I don't have a lot of good clothing picked out other than my boots and hiking socks/liner. For my upper body I have a hard shell but I'm not sure if soft shells are worth it, if I should go for a fleece or poly-blend, and if fancy things like this http://www.mammut.ch/en/productDetail/105000020_v_0126_M/Zip+Longsleeve+all-year+Men.html are worth it. For my lower body I think those zip-off hiking pants would be a good idea in the 60 degree and up range, but when it gets cold or rainy I don't know.

J

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#134845 - 06/08/10 02:01 PM Re: Clothing to wear [Re: Jasonite]
ChrisFol Offline
member

Registered: 07/23/09
Posts: 387
Loc: Denver, Colordo
As it has been touched previously, the concept is to dress in layers to better manage moisture and to regulate tempreture. A basic layering system would be:

-Baselayer top. Any synthetic top will work and can be found cheap in places like Target, Goodwill etc.
-Insulation layer. A fleece, down or synthetic jacket.
-Wind protection. A simple windshirt (Golite, Marmot etc).
-Outter shell. This protects against the rain.

For your lower body then a pair of thermal bottoms or my favourite, Capilene bottoms and hiking pants or shorts is just fine for most conditions-- even down into the lower 20s. I use my MH Mesa hiking in all conditions except for the winter.

I would leave the sweatpants at home. You would be better with your thermal pants and hiking pants for the lower end of your temp range. I would avoid those fancy softshell jackets-- they are made for winter use and are heavy, bulky and overkill for your 3-season needs. I would also avoid "all-in-one" solutions-- you will eventually either become too hot or too cold-- I believe that it is better to have two tops-- one lightweight and one midweight, for example a Capilene 1 and a Capilene 3. Again, the idea is layers and versitility.

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#134850 - 06/08/10 03:24 PM Re: Clothing to wear [Re: Jasonite]
OregonMouse Online   content
member

Registered: 02/03/06
Posts: 6799
Loc: Gateway to Columbia Gorge
Aha, you're from my neck of the woods! I therefore can pontificate from many years' experience.
lol

Please leave all cotton at home (it has its place in hot dry areas like the Grand Canyon in summer, but not in the Northwest), and urge your friend to do likewise. Cotton absorbs lots of moisture and is much slower-drying, not something you want in the Northwest unless you really want to die of hypothermia (think evaporative cooling). Jeans get sopping wet and HEAVY just from hiking our brush-lined and mostly overgrown NW trails which drip with heavy dew every morning even if it hasn't rained for weeks. They may stay wet all day. (Think about it--what is the last item out of the clothes dryer?) Cotton or part-cotton sweats are no better. Synthetic sweats (basically fleece) will be too warm. On the other hand, those nylon/polyester pants (zip-offs or otherwise) will dry from your body heat in 30 minutes, even after wading through a thigh-deep creek.

The nylon or nylon/polyester pants do keep out some of the wind, and for me are plenty warm enough down to the low 30's (F) without a base layer underneath, as long as I'm actively moving. However, as soon as I stop I get my base layer bottoms on in a hurry when it's cold!

ChrisFol has pretty much covered the basics of layering. I would like to add that rain pants (in addition to a rain jacket) are essential in the Northwest. While on a warm day it doesn't matter if your nylon pants get wet, if it's a cool, windy or foggy day you need the protection. It doesn't have to be raining for that waist-high brush to be dripping wet! You can find lots of good stuff at the big box stores in the athletic section--nylon track pants, breathable synthetic shirts, decent socks (even merino wool). I would never buy fleece at an expensive place like REI--there's lots of good fleece to be found a lot cheaper at the big box or thrift stores--just inspect it by looking through it at the light to make sure there are no thin spots.

Just as a sample, this is what I wear or carry:

WORN:
Trail running shoes
Socks, merino wool
Gaiters, low (to keep gravel etc. out of shoes and mosquitoes from biting through my socks)
Hat for sun (I use one of those dorky Sunday Afternoons hats because I burn easily and am allergic to most sunscreen)
Long pants, nylon (may or may not use zip-offs; I rarely wear shorts so take zip-offs only if the trip has lots of stream fords) or * for really cold weather, military surplus tropical weight wool/polyester pants (bought in mid 1980's and still not worn out!)
Shirt, GoLite C-Thru or Capilene 2 zip-T (any lightweight, wicking synthetic will do)
Sports bra (obviously not needed for males!)
Briefs, Ex-Officio

CARRIED: (those starred * are for cold weather, added to the others except for the hiking pants and base layer bottoms)
Socks (Smartwool PhD light cushion)(1 pr)
Base layer bottom (Capilene 2 in summer or * 4 in cold weather)
Sleeping socks, fleece (luxury item; my feet love 'em!)
Jacket, Montbell UL Thermawrap (or 200 weight fleece)
*Vest, 100 wt. fleece
Balaclava (polypro fleece)
*Headband, merino wool
Gloves, liner, polypro knit (I'll switch to light wool if I can find it)
*(Cold weather note: gloves need to be thin enough that you can do camp chores such as cooking without taking them off)
*Thicker fleece gloves or mittens
Rain mitts, waterproof (and breathable if you can afford) (Plastic bags will work in a pinch)
Wind shirt, lightweight (a thin, unlined nylon jacket with added DWR treatment works, but if you're looking at big box or thrift stores, they'll have a flannel lining that you'll want to cut out)--basically a very light, wind-resistant, somewhat water repellent yet highly breathable layer. Since I got one, I'm amazed at how often I use it! I even use it for bug protection, particularly when biting flies are around.
Rain jacket
Rain pants

One important principle of layering is to keep your body warm but not so warm that you sweat. The scientific term for this is "thermoregulation." That's why multiple thin layers are better than one thick layer. It's especially important to avoid sweating in cold weather, because you don't want your insulating clothing to get damp and lose its insulating power. On the other hand, you need to add layers as soon as you stop to avoid getting chilled. I call this removing and adding thin layers as needed the "onion" principle.

Example: Last fall I was hiking a steep (up) trail out of the Entiat River valley with the temps in the 30's with some wind. While hiking, I wore my base layer top, the wind shirt and the wool headband, and was very comfortable--not cold but not sweating--as long as I was moving. The instant I stopped to rest, out came the insulating jacket and gloves and, as it got colder, even the rain jacket. When I got to the camp site (it was already below freezing and the wind was blowing harder out in the open), out came all the layers, even the rain jacket and rain pants although it wasn't raining, all of which I changed into the minute my tent was up. If I had continued to hike in the colder conditions in the meadow, I would have added the lightweight fleece vest under the wind shirt.


Edited by OregonMouse (06/08/10 03:29 PM)
_________________________
May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view--E. Abbey

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