color of clothing---jackets

[Just Bill]

I think the theory is that for technical pursuits, bright colored garments are easier to spot. Be it SAR, being out in inclement weather (so your partner can spot you easier..or you can spot your tent) and so on.

The actual, real-world reason is for reasons stated above: The outdoor look sells. It is what people want.

The basic premise is more fact than theory. Most modern folks recommend a safety piece, while that term has been morphed into UL terminology for a way to get warm in an emergency, the more traditional use has been to signal for help. In scouts we were also taught that carrying a brightly colored item was a be prepared requirement to assist SAR efforts and no good little eagle leaves the nest without something bright. The yellow rain slicker or bright orange poncho the preferred items at the time.

I still feel it makes sense to carry at least one brightly colored item, of a decent enough size that it can be seen. A shell jacket has always been my desired choice to implement that bit of safety preparation. Generally for the areas I visit- this is an item I don't have to wear all the time, so it's color is not a constant visual offense, but I do have to carry it anyway so it is always available.
As mentioned- besides being a health hazard, most areas east of the Miss. legally require you to wear blaze orange during hunting season.

After that- either spend the dough to buy the colors you want, or reap the benefits when this season's banana sawgrass is discontinued for next seasons meadow sunrise.
No different than 10 years ago when the hot colors were Spruce, Hunter, Pine, Vine, Lichen or Moss (green) or the infinite varieties of Khaki- all popular with the North Face wearing outdoor looking towns-folk of the time.

If current trends have ruined your day, comfort yourself in the fact that in a few seasons your favorite color palette will be back and some poor Ultrarunner will be lamenting the lack of colors extreme enough to support their outdoor assaults.

[JumpMaster Blaster]

I personally like bright colors. I wear enough muted tones and camoflage in my day job. If you see me on the trail & don't approve of my clothes or gear, feel free to avert your gaze. I'm not walking for a fashion show, nor to please any other person. When it's time for me to be stealthy, I have a few hunting outfits for that.

Who is so self centered that they would complain about someone's clothing ruining THEIR hike?

Geez, get over yourself.

[Wise Old Owl]

Here's just a couple, but I'm sure you'll find others colors that suit you with a little lookin around.

http://www.rei.com/product/859278/ma...in-jacket-mens

http://www.ems.com/product/index.jsp...44&cid=1242782

The quick answer is order it on line and have it delivered. When I got to the REI store all the bright colors were there and green was missing.

[Another Kevin]

More on east vs west. Where I hike in the Northeast, the brush is dense enough that my stealth sites have near zero visual impact, even if I display neon colors. In the wide open spaces of the West, your campsite can sometimes be seen for miles, and muting the colors might help not to spoil someone else's photograph.

Note that by 'stealth', I mean 'low impact', not 'unlawful'. Most of my hikes are in places where dispersed camping is lawful as long as you're 50 yards from a trail or a water source and more than a quarter-mile from a trailhead.

I actually do sometimes jot down in my little notebook the compass bearings from my campsite to (a) my bearbag and (b) the spot that I left the trail. Because I can't always track myself in the morning, and I typically can't see either from where I'm camped. I also sometimes tie my white pack towel to my bear bag line, the better to find it.

[Wise Old Owl]

I remember a very funny article of Teenage Condors in Grand Canyon lands destroying brightly colored tents. Bears will also investigate neon colors from a distance, in spite of poor eyesight.

[squeezebox]

I wonder if a lot of the bright color issue comes from road cycling?
Where being seen on a cold wet day is a good thing.

[Wise Old Owl]

You may have something there, but bright colors were available to cyclists in the 80's I wore bright red and black combinations, now there are more options.

[wormer]

I try to stay away from red because I have been told it attracts biting mosquitoes.

[rocketsocks]

I remember a very funny article of Teenage Condors in Grand Canyon lands destroying brightly colored tents. Bears will also investigate neon colors from a distance, in spite of poor eyesight.

A similar article ran in "Backpaker" Magazine.

http://www.backpacker.com/october_20...rs/nature/1647

[Traveler]

I wonder if a lot of the bright color issue comes from road cycling?
Where being seen on a cold wet day is a good thing.

Or be mistaken for a Mighty Morphin Power Ranger....