SoCal Hiking Attire

[fireneck]

Howdy folks hopeful 2015 PCTer here, since I've never been in an arid/desert climate I'm looking for some input on clothing. I'm thinking about sun gloves, since I have a pretty fair complexion. Of course lots of sunscreen. Do I need to hike in pants? Will running shorts be alright? This is my list thus far. Thanks!


Worn Clothing
MHW Sun Hat - bandana for added neck protection*
55/45 Cotten/Poly Button up shirt*
Light colored running shirt
running shorts*
Light colored shoes (with Dirty Girl Gaiters)
Sunglasses
Umbrella
Nylon socks

In pack
Marmot Trail Wind shirt*
GoLite Down Jacket*
Long johns top/bottom *
Wool hat *
liner gloves*

*Denotes items I own.

[Malto]

I wore zero sunscreen in SoCal. I wore long pants, long sleeve white shirt and sun gloves. Was much cooler than it sounds, temperature wise.

[Spirit Walker]

I had zip off pants, which were good to wear long when the bugs were bad and short when hiking the rest of the time. I also had a Supplex shirt, but I found it too hot in southern CA, though it was great protection against the bugs in the Sierras.

[Miner]

People have sucessfully hiked in shorts. However, I'm not one of them. If you look at desert cultures, you see them covering up, not exposing their skin. Shorts work great when you are hiking in shade, in direct sunlight not so much. I wore Railrider's pants and long sleeve shirt, both with mesh for increase ventilation, bug protection, and protection against sun. They were cool enough that I never felt the need for shorts though I did try switching to them in Belden before quickly switching back. I like the combination so much that I kept it all the way to Washington, where I dumped the mesh for pants a shirt without it as it was now September where I was more worried about being cold and wet. Unlike Malto, even with a wide brim hat, I still used sunscreen on my neck, face and hands (didn't use gloves), but a single 3oz bottle of sunscreen never did run out until I finally dumped it when I entered Washington.

[fiddlehead]

There's a reason Mexicans wear straw hats.
Shade AND ventilation.
This is your most important piece of gear as there is not shade for many sections.

I always wear long sleeve light cotton shirt when hiking SoCA or NM/AZ.
And long, lightweight pants.

Look at the farmers who work those hot places, they cover up all they can for a reason.
Good luck and have fun.

[garlic08]

Yet another vote for full cover-up mode and no sunscreen. I didn't carry any bug repellent either, just a head net. Another couple of advantages of long trousers is avoiding poison oak contact and ticks (yes, you see both in So Cal). Those ventilated Railrider trousers are great if you can afford them. I used a similarly ventilated wide brimmed hat.

[Mags]

Put me in the clothing and no sunscreen camp as well. Esp for more than overnight hike, I find sunscreen clogs the pores, picks up dirt and gets in my eyes.

Clothing, in hot and dry weather, actually keeps you cooler by creating a microclimate in addition to the sun protection.

[magic_game03]

As I'm sure your well aware of, it is desert down there. Most people here are conversing about wearing long pants because of the sun but as another TWO reasons you may want long pants, both because of the desert environment. First, it's very dusty. As you hike along your feet are constantly in a cloud of dust. with the long pants you keep a good portion of the dust off. Second reason is the manzanita/chaparral. This is the dominant bush/plant that grows in that area besides sage. While it does not have thorns its plant morphology makes it more awful than a thorn bush. Because you will be walking through a lot of it, pants will help you avoid having your legs all scratched up.

I do carry a little bit of sunscreen. Because of the reflection off so many parts of the desert floor I still put in on my face, even with a hat. Also, I use it on the back of my hands and tops of my feet when I'm wearing crocs, neck, scalp, & shoulders when I'm shirtless. It's not an all-the-time item but some days are hotter and sunnier than hell and I like to have it. I won't apply it on salty dirty skin but if I can get a good face wash (or other body part) I will apply it.

[burger]

I think sunscreern is a must for your hands and face (skip the hands if you wear gloves) even if you're wearing long pants and shirt. You can get a sunburn while standing under a tree on a sunny day--I read somewhere that the best indicator for how much UV you're getting is how much sky you see, not whether or not you're directly exposed to the sun.

Remember, thanks to all the fires, the PCT has very little tree cover in So. Cal. Even with a floppy-brimmed hat, your face will still get a lot of UV exposure. Take the sunscreen.

[garbanz]

I bought a noseguard. It clips onto the middle of sunglasses and weighs nothing. With my wrap around white hat that should have me sun protected. I'll take a little sunscreen just in case for hands.

[10-K]

I'll be hiking covered as well. Long pants, long sleeved shirt, sunrunner hat, gloves, honking big sunglasses and SPF 30 sunscreen.

[postholer.com]

I'm thinking about sun gloves, since I have a pretty fair complexion. Of course lots of sunscreen. Do I need to hike in pants? Will running shorts be alright? This is my list thus far. Thanks!


Gotta chime in on this one.

No long pants or sun screen for me, for the same reason, they are dirt magnets. It's easy to wash the dirt off your skin at the end of the day. The only pair of wind pants I carry, I use for bad mosquitos and for sleeping, to keep my skanky self off my sleeping bag. No extra weight of a bag liner required.

Sun screen/lotions collect dirt like nothing else and you ain't seen dirt until you walk from Campo to Warner Springs. 5 days with no shower. But you'll seeee!

If your legs have been sauteed brown before your hike, it's not much of a problem.

Running shorts, wide brim hat, sun gloves and long sleeve capilene or nylon work great.

-postholer

[juma]

I usually hike in shorts and long sleeve shirt. I put sunscreen on legs, hands and face/neck about 0930 and dab more on till about 3pm. My big burn exposure usually comes from reflections off the desert floor to my face. generally, I can take a lot of sun with no burn. some people get sunburned super quick. probably best to take that into account in planning your sun exposure reduction. It does catch folks by surprise. I think I might try a shemagh this year and see how that works to keep the sun off my face.

[SCRUB HIKER]

I wore shorts and a long-sleeve shirt. My legs never got scratched up ... the PCT is wide and smooth in SoCal. I rolled up the sleeves on the long-sleeve shirt in the early mornings and evenings, but in the direct sunlight in the middle of the day, I found it was cooler to have the sleeves rolled down. Likewise with the OR Sun Runner hat that I wore--it was cooler to have the neck flap down in the middle of the day than to have it up and my neck exposed to the full sun. As others have noted, the dry heat and sunlight of the desert is completely different than the humid heat of the Midwest and East, in that covering your skin (with the right materials) actually keeps you cooler than exposing it.

Like Postholer, I brought really lightweight wind pants for sleeping and laundry time in town. Otherwise it was shorts all the time until the mosquito apocalypse after Mammoth (mile 900ish). I never brought or put on sunscreen at any point on the whole PCT. Never got burned.

[fireneck]

Wealth of knowledge for me to chew on. Thanks everyone.