View Full Version : Clothing suggestions
Continuing to plan my flip flop from Harper's NOBO in late April, and was wondering if anyone had suggestions for proper/adequate clothing for that part of the trail, at that time of year. For reference, right now I'm packing;
1 pair underwear
1 pair hiking socks
lightwt zip-off hiking pants
1 pair shorts
1 long sleeve capilene shirt
1 1/4 zip pull-over wool sweater
rain shell
wool beanie
Plus, for camp;
Crocs
heavy wool socks
short sleeve cotton T
Seems like this should be adequate for the later, warmer parts of the hike, but I'm a little concerned about the first 4-5 weeks. How cold can it get?
Oh, forgot to add, I'm making a silnylon rain kilt. I know I'll need that.
HooKooDooKu
01-07-2017, 15:23
I don't know what the typical AT thru hiker is carrying, but for my JMT thru, I wanted two sets of cloths (2 pair of underware, 2 pair of socks, 1 pair of shorts, 1 pair of pants, 1 long sleeve shirt, and 1 short sleeve shirt).
My idea was to allow me to wash one set and let it dru while i wore the other set.
No long Johns or tights wind jacket,
thom
ScareBear
01-07-2017, 15:48
No long Johns or tights wind jacket,
thom
Rain shell will work for a windbreaker.
Lose the cotton t-shirt and replace with a syn.
Why zip off pants and shorts?
no cotton. Cotton kills. And chafes.
break your list into hiking clothes and camping/sleeping clothes. Don't hike in your sleep clothes.
jimmyjam
01-07-2017, 16:11
You may have some nights in the low 30s, possibly upper 20s. I saw some 30s 2 years ago going nobo from HF in April. I took a synthetic coat and used it a couple of times. I also had silk long johns which were nice to sleep in at night. Most mornings I started out with a short sleeve shirt covered by a long sleeve shirt covered by a wind shirt and peeled off layers as I hiked until I was in the short sleeve. At breaks put the wind shirt back on. I like having several pairs of spare socks- got to take care of the feet. You'll want some light gloves and waterproof over mittens too.
fastfoxengineering
01-07-2017, 16:15
some lightweight synthetic long johns and synthetic/down vest are always good to have in your pack for less than 10oz combined
two pairs of hiking socks are how I roll now. I'll use the same pair over and over again until they are nasty. Especially if the weather is still going to be gross. But man... fresh hiking socks can be nirvana sometimes.
A 2oz wind jacket from montbell is really nice too.
I'm an aspiring UL hiker. My luxury items are starting to become an extra layer here or there or some more down in a jacket. Seriously what's 1.5oz's when it actually keeps you warm.
Furthermore, I always keep my fleece beanie and surplus wool liner gloves in my pack no matter what time of the year. At about an ounce each, they're not really worth sending home/ not bringing.
fastfoxengineering
01-07-2017, 16:18
Why zip off pants and shorts?
no cotton. Cotton kills. And chafes.
break your list into hiking clothes and camping/sleeping clothes. Don't hike in your sleep clothes.
this cotton kills thing isn't as true as everyone makes it sound.
lots of hikers out west enjoy hiking in a cotton/synthetic blend shirt.
How is a cotton t-shirt that is used as a sleeping shirt going to kill him? A synthetic t-shirt certainly isn't going to save his life.
ScareBear
01-07-2017, 16:23
The cotton-T shirt is useless at multi-tasking, therefore making it useless for UL hiking. It can't be worn while perspiring to any degree, unless the relative humidity is desert-like...
Why carry a single-purpose item when you can switch to a lighter weight shirt that will serve a purpose other than a sleep shirt, if needed?
Rain shell will work for a windbreaker.
Lose the cotton t-shirt and replace with a syn.
I am only saying what I would bring . Rain shell is not a wind shell. In HF in April I bet I would hike in a wind jacket for a while every day . If cold a fleece under. At camp down vest. On top
thom
fastfoxengineering
01-07-2017, 16:47
The cotton-T shirt is useless at multi-tasking, therefore making it useless for UL hiking. It can't be worn while perspiring to any degree, unless the relative humidity is desert-like...
Why carry a single-purpose item when you can switch to a lighter weight shirt that will serve a purpose other than a sleep shirt, if needed?
UL hikers don't bring camp clothes. They are not a necessity.
But that's not the topic at hand. The OP never said he was going UL. He simply stated he's bringing a cotton t-shirt to use as a camp shirt. Why would he ever need to use his camp shirt to hike in? Yeah, he could, and therefore I guess you could call it multi-use, but there will never be a time, he will NEED to hike in his camp shirt.
I say just plan on hiking in your long sleeve capilene shirt and enjoy that soft cotton t-shirt to bed. If the long sleeve capilene is too hot, well you made a poor decision on your hiking shirt. Cut the sleeves off and show off them bicep muscles.
I understand where you are coming from. But in my time on the trail, I've never once, ever, used my camp shirt to hike in or anything other than that, a camp shirt. I've hiked in some gross, wet, humid areas too. I'd rather put my disgusting hiking shirt back on every morning than sacrifice my camp shirt for the rest of the trip. Up here in the northeast, once something gets wet. It's wet till your out of the woods.
fastfoxengineering
01-07-2017, 16:56
I also carry a rain shell and a wind shell. I would never substitute one for the other unless I was hiking in an arid environment where a dwr treated windshell and umbrella would be adequate protection from rain and to help mitigate hypothermia. I would then leave the rain shell at home.
At less than 2 oz.
http://www.montbell.us/products/disp.php?cat_id=2004&p_id=2303120&gen_cd=1
this is a great piece.
I carry either a helium ii or frogg toggs as my raincoat for most 3 season use. This combo weigh's less than most people's rain coats.
And it's way more versatile for me.
A lightweight fleece and a windshell is an excellent combination for hiking in many different climates and environments.
Thanks for all the comments. All helpful! I don't think I'm going to be in the UL range. Just loaded up the new Arc Blast for the first time this morning, including about 3 days worth of food, and I'm at 21 lbs. I'd like to go as light as possible of course. Anyway, I didn't throw weight into the equation because I'm more concerned about being prepared for weather in MD, PA, NJ, etc. in May than pack weight. I'm from East TN, so the clothing I'm bringing would workaround here I think. Just was unsure about the extremes I might see farther north. Sounds like if I prepare for 30 degrees and rain as a "worst case scenario" for hiking and camping, I'll be OK. If the forecast is for colder, I'll head for town I guess. I'm planning on taking a Patagonia 1/2 zip fleece "Better Sweater". Wore this last weekend on the Cumberland Trail under a Gill spray top. 40 degrees and rain, and I was plenty warm. I know a lot of folks go for the down "puffy" jacket, but I was wondering if that would be overkill for that time of year?
fastfoxengineering
01-07-2017, 18:31
If your cold, time to do a few squats to get the blood moving then hop into your bag. Eat a hearty meal before bed if your cold. You can always pick up another layer in town.
ScareBear
01-07-2017, 22:20
UL hikers don't bring camp clothes. They are not a necessity.
But that's not the topic at hand. The OP never said he was going UL. He simply stated he's bringing a cotton t-shirt to use as a camp shirt. Why would he ever need to use his camp shirt to hike in? Yeah, he could, and therefore I guess you could call it multi-use, but there will never be a time, he will NEED to hike in his camp shirt.
I say just plan on hiking in your long sleeve capilene shirt and enjoy that soft cotton t-shirt to bed. If the long sleeve capilene is too hot, well you made a poor decision on your hiking shirt. Cut the sleeves off and show off them bicep muscles.
I understand where you are coming from. But in my time on the trail, I've never once, ever, used my camp shirt to hike in or anything other than that, a camp shirt. I've hiked in some gross, wet, humid areas too. I'd rather put my disgusting hiking shirt back on every morning than sacrifice my camp shirt for the rest of the trip. Up here in the northeast, once something gets wet. It's wet till your out of the woods.
He doesn't list a short-sleeve T-shirt to hike in. When it hits 80 degrees and 60 percent humidity, I suppose he could cut the sleeves off of the capilenes.....YMMV...
lwhikerchris
01-15-2017, 16:35
It's going to be wet and cold at that time in that part of the trail. I had temps around 40° and pouring down rain for 10 days at a time through PA.
You will want to have 2 pairs underwear and 2 pairs of socks because they're all going to get wet. Also, 1 pair of cap. bottoms. I'd ditch the zip-offs for a light pair of wind/rain pants and keep the shorts. Everything else looks good. Keep a puffy jacket on hand also for camp.
It's going to be wet and cold at that time in that part of the trail. I had temps around 40° and pouring down rain for 10 days at a time through PA.
You will want to have 2 pairs underwear and 2 pairs of socks because they're all going to get wet. Also, 1 pair of cap. bottoms. I'd ditch the zip-offs for a light pair of wind/rain pants and keep the shorts. Everything else looks good. Keep a puffy jacket on hand also for camp.
Thanks, great info! I think my plan at this point is to have a collection of clothes that would be appropriate for different conditions and different parts of the entire trail. I won't take it all with me, but be ready to have the wife mail me what I may need 2-3 weeks ahead. I'm also considering a "real" kilt instead of making a "rain kilt". Saw an add for the Mountain Hardware Kommando Kilt, which is water resistant. I'd like that if I'm hiking SOBO from HF during the fall I think.