Town shirt yes or no?

[freightliner]

I was thinking this time around I would bring a town shirt with me. Something to wear when you're in town maybe with a little cotton in it. I don't know probably get all wrinkly and smelly sitting with my socks and probably won't be worth the weight. Every time I sit around eating pizza and drinking beer I think I wish I had a nice comfy shirt

[Dogwood]

Town apparel is my trail apparel. It's simpler that way when long distance hiking for me.

[10-K]

I don't take extra shirts/pants and wear my rain pants and rain jacket while my hiking clothes wash.

As a rule, I hit the laundry up as soon as I get setup with lodging when I'm in town. Almost always within 2 hours of getting into town I have my laundry done and am wearing clean clothes. Sometimes I eat first if I'm really hungry and then deal with it.

Point is, laundry doesn't take long and hiking clothes dry very fast. To me it's not worth carrying extras.

[Slo-go'en]

I wear my "camp" T-shirt, which I also sleep in. Since I don't hike in it, it doesn't get too smelly. I've meet people who carry a short sleeve nylon shirt for town, a Hawaiian print is good

[rocketsocks]

I'd wear the cleanest thing in my pack...usually a sleep T-shirt.

[Coffee]

I usually try to change into my sleep shirt (Smartwool microweight) if I'm hitching into town. Then I wear the sleep shirt while doing laundry as well. Since it is SmartWool and since I only sleep in it, it isn't so important to wash it in every town. If I am at a hostel with loaner clothes, then I wash my sleep/town shirt as well.

[Praha4]

A town shirt is a necessity, along with the 3-button navy blazer, nantucket-red town pants, silk ascot, smoking jacket, pipe and brown loafers. On chilly nights, the Shaggy Dog sweater might be a good choice too for town.

[hikehunter]

In most of the trail towns the locals will know that you are thru hiking and they will mostly understand and not care much....if you use some basic personal cleanliness I think that you will be fine..........remember most of the folks you Meet within the first 30 to 90 min. will be ok with your B>O>..

Get cleaned up B-4 you go to a resturant or a nice bar for that much needed brewski....

Trail towns people know what is going on....they understand and if you use some common know how you will be more than fine.

[CarlZ993]

It is a personal preference item. You can live without it. I started my thru w/o one. In Hot Springs, I added the cheapest wicking T-shirt I could buy. I also added an extra pair of ultra-light running shorts (my underwear). That was my town clothes. If it was cold and/or wet, I added my rain gear.

[Lyle]

During three season hikes:

All clothes are "quick dry", so I just take them into the shower with me. Shampoo does a great job cleaning the bulk of trail grime from shirts, shorts and socks. I wash me, and leave the clothes on the shower floor to soak. After I'm reasonably clean, I turn my attention to the clothes. Lather, rinse, repeat. When done, I wring out the clothes, dry myself, then use the towel to wrap around the clothes and wring again. They come out just damp. Easy to then just put them back on and wear them dry while going to dinner. If a hair dryer is available, I may give them a bit of a head start with that.

Been using this method for years - works great and all the rest of the clothes are available to launder in a more conventional way. I'm clean and don't stink at dinner.

[fadedsun]

Town clothes are a personal preference. I prefer to have a clean shirt and pack along an extra lightweight shirt. It makes me feel more civilized both in town and other times. But, as you can see from the other responses, tastes vary.

I would recommend taking a shirt along the first couple of weeks and see how you feel. Then mail it ahead or discard it and see how you feel. Then make your decision. Alternatively, start without a "town" shirt and arrange to pick up a shirt a few weeks into your hike. You'll know which you prefer after trying both out.

[kayak karl]

A town shirt is a necessity, along with the 3-button navy blazer, nantucket-red town pants, silk ascot, smoking jacket, pipe and brown loafers. On chilly nights, the Shaggy Dog sweater might be a good choice too for town.

Seriously?? Brown loafers with blue blazer

[July]

A town shirt is a necessity, along with the 3-button navy blazer, nantucket-red town pants, silk ascot, smoking jacket, pipe and brown loafers. On chilly nights, the Shaggy Dog sweater might be a good choice too for town.

I concur, with the addition of a Fedora of course...

[atraildreamer]

I was thinking this time around I would bring a town shirt with me. Something to wear when you're in town maybe with a little cotton in it. ...

You should wear pants, too...or people will talk!

[Bronk]

I carried a silk shirt which weighed almost nothing.

[fehchet]

silk shirt with buttons -- short sleeve -- just a few ounces.

[bigcranky]

I carried my ancient Columbia fishing shirt for travel to and from the trail and to wear in towns. Worked very well. I had some nylon zip offs that I wore in camp, and wore them in town too. It made me feel good to wear a collared shirt out for dinner or to a bar, and I didn't mind the weight. YMMV.


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[July]

I carried my ancient Columbia fishing shirt for travel to and from the trail and to wear in towns. Worked very well. I had some nylon zip offs that I wore in camp, and wore them in town too. It made me feel good to wear a collared shirt out for dinner or to a bar, and I didn't mind the weight. YMMV.


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You hit the nail on the head Big Cranky. If not staying extensively in the backcountry, after a hot shower and clean-up , a LW silk (options) collared shirt feels great at dinner. While the normal smokey tee gets washed...

[denefi]

I was thinking this time around I would bring a town shirt with me. Something to wear when you're in town maybe with a little cotton in it. I don't know probably get all wrinkly and smelly sitting with my socks and probably won't be worth the weight. Every time I sit around eating pizza and drinking beer I think I wish I had a nice comfy shirt

I'll probably have a second lightweight shirt that's dual use - sleep and town. I'd be hesitant to bring anything with cotton, though. Those that have responded that they do bring a camp shirt seem to have nylon, wool, or some other quick drying material. You can find something that's still comfortable but lacks cotton, which can take some time to dry.

One thing to think about - - if you're caught in a colder, wetter situation on the trail than you'd anticipated and want to throw on another layer to stay warm, will you want your second shirt to have cotton in it? I'm sure people go this route, but there are a lot of comfy fully synthetic/wool shirts that will be better multi-purpose choices. Just my two cents.

I also love the idea of starting a shower with my clothes on.

[Sclark9082]

??? what.....undies and a buzz cut don't cut it?