| 693 | Clothing Summer 2012 |
2012-08-22 |
The clothing you wear and carry on an outdoors trip is important. We have seen hikers in the mountains wearing cotton shorts, t-shirts, and sandals who seem to be footloose and fancy-free. And as long as the weather is pleasant, the hikers seem to be comfortable as they travel.
In turn, I have seen other hikers who looked like they worked at an REI store and wore only the highest tech outdoor clothes, but seemed to be uncomfortable. They were over dressed for the weather.
We, like most hikers, look for a happy medium. We want to be comfortable, but still have protection from the elements. Here are the clothes we wore this summer for the two regions - desert and mountains ...
Desert
In the desert we were looking to stay cool. We wore clothes that would protect us from the sun and yet not overheat us.
Hats - We both wore wide brimmed hats. Amy's hat even had a drop down neck protector. I really thought that my hat was too hot, but I wore it anyway. I sweat a lot and have a hard time keeping sun screen on my face. The wide brim helped to shade my face.
Bandana - We carry bandanas on every trip. I use mine to wipe the sweat from my face. Amy uses hers as an all purpose rag.
Undergarments - We wore synthetic underwear.
Shirts - I wore a cotton t-shirt. Amy wore a synthetic shirt. We also had lightweight long sleeved shirts. Before the trip we sprayed the shirts with a bug repellent. It seemed to make the shirts stiff and uncomfortable to wear. I carried a synthetic shirt as a back up in my pack.
Wind Shirt - A lightweight, highly breathable jacket to help fend off the cool mornings. It was all the jacket that we needed.
Pants - Well, we wore synthetic shorts (not pants) that were comfortable and dried quickly.
Shoes - We both wore trail running shoes. I wore my most breathable shoes (Sportiva Wildcats) and Amy wore her new Hoka One One trail shoe.
Rain Gear - We carried lightweight rain gear in our packs at all times. Since it was essentially emergency gear for hiking in the desert, we carried completely waterproof rain gear. If it rained hard enough for us to put of the rain wear, we planned to hunker down and sit out the storm. Oh, we never used it.
Insulating Jacket - Yes, even in the desert we kept a jacket in our packs.
Mountains
For mountain wear we were prepared for cool temperatures and afternoon rain.
Hats - We wore the same wide brimmed hats that we wore in the desert. In our packs we also kept a watch cap (or ski cap) but we only wore them on one mountain. See above.
Gloves - We carried medium-weight gloves in our packs, but I never wore mine.
Bandanas - See above.
Undergarments - See above.
Shirts - Amy generally wore synthetic short sleeved shirts, while I wore a lightweight long sleeve shirt. I like the flexibility in the long sleeved shirt.
Wind Shirt - See above. Even in the mountains it was almost the only jackets that we wore. On rare occasions we layered on top of the jacket. It was a hot summer.
Pants - If we were really going into the mountains (alpine (pre-dawn) start) she wore pants and for just hikes she wore shorts. I wore long pants (and rolled the legs up) almost every day.
Shoes - Amy wore her Hoka's on almost every trip, but found that if we traveled over snow or off trail she would rather use a lightweight boot (Sportiva FC-3). I wore a lightweight boot (Sportiva Ganda Guides) or a trail shoes.
Rain Gear - We carried rain gear on every hike. If we thought we might be walking in the rain, then we carried waterproof-breathable rain gear. If instead, we didn't think it was going to rain, or if we just wanted lighter rain wear, we packed the waterproof gear. I only remember getting the rain gear out for a short period one day and then on another day we started our hike in the rain.
Insulating Jacket - Naturally, jackets lived in the bottom of our packs. I never put mine own. On Mount Bierstadt I probably should have, but it was not worth the effort for the short time we were at the summit. I used a separate jacket to wear around camp. I wore it often while sitting around in the mornings and evenings. Amy only wore her jacket on the trail a few times, but it was a hot summer.
Remember to carry your rain gear and an extra layer and you will be able to smile at most storms.
Happy Clothing trails
Other Summer 2012 Gear Used