View Full Version : Section Hiking starting in Jan
FootNote
11-12-2008, 02:12
Alright there have been threads on winter hiking and i have read them Now what i can gather is the AT in GA is going to be in the teens in December, should it be about the same for January?
My main concern is what kind of outer-wear to buy. I don't want to buy to thick or too light and it seems like there is no such thing as cheap camping gear. One of my main concerns is getting wet, its a no-brainer that i want to avoid that.
So i guess this is boils down to a clothing question. I am trying to move fast as i will only have 20ish days to put as much miles behind me as i can and i want to get to as close to VA as i can.
Any help would be grateful.
HikerRanky
11-12-2008, 02:35
Alright there have been threads on winter hiking and i have read them Now what i can gather is the AT in GA is going to be in the teens in December, should it be about the same for January?
My main concern is what kind of outer-wear to buy. I don't want to buy to thick or too light and it seems like there is no such thing as cheap camping gear. One of my main concerns is getting wet, its a no-brainer that i want to avoid that.
So i guess this is boils down to a clothing question. I am trying to move fast as i will only have 20ish days to put as much miles behind me as i can and i want to get to as close to VA as i can.
Any help would be grateful.
Good morning FootNote, and welcome to Whiteblaze!:welcome
I would say that a 20 day trip in December or January would put you perhaps as far as Davenport Gap at the north end of the GSMNP... January temps on Clingman's Dome in January would have the highs around 35, and lows around 19 degrees on average...
The secret to hiking in the cold is to have many layers of clothing, and do NOT use cotton clothing.... It will get wet, and then you could be exposed to hypothermia very easily.
My recommendation would be to go to a Walmart or KMart or Target... Look for the synthetic exercise clothing... and get synthetic undergarments. Bass Pro makes some very nice undergarments for a reasonable price.
For outerwear, get a lightweight rain jacket that you can put over the many layers of clothing that you will have on. Make sure that you can vent some of the heat out of it via armpit zippers or the front zipper.
As you get warmer, you should be able to shed layers without compromising your safety...
There is a good article here... (http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?t=8209)
Again welcome to WhiteBlaze and we'll see you on the trail sometime!
Randy
FootNote
11-12-2008, 04:08
Good morning FootNote, and welcome to Whiteblaze!:welcome
I would say that a 20 day trip in December or January would put you perhaps as far as Davenport Gap at the north end of the GSMNP... January temps on Clingman's Dome in January would have the highs around 35, and lows around 19 degrees on average...
The secret to hiking in the cold is to have many layers of clothing, and do NOT use cotton clothing.... It will get wet, and then you could be exposed to hypothermia very easily.
My recommendation would be to go to a Walmart or KMart or Target... Look for the synthetic exercise clothing... and get synthetic undergarments. Bass Pro makes some very nice undergarments for a reasonable price.
For outerwear, get a lightweight rain jacket that you can put over the many layers of clothing that you will have on. Make sure that you can vent some of the heat out of it via armpit zippers or the front zipper.
As you get warmer, you should be able to shed layers without compromising your safety...
There is a good article here... (http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?t=8209)
Again welcome to WhiteBlaze and we'll see you on the trail sometime!
Randy
Hey Randy,
Thanks for the welcome. I have poly-pros and silkys so i am good as far as everything under the outerwear goes just trying to figure out what what would be best with tempters that vary that much. What i want to do is just have one set of clothing and if i need to take off a layer of undergarments rather then change my jacket or pants. Yes that might take more time changing but in the long run it will leave more room for me and well it will be cheaper.
On the other hand i was thinking a pair of those pants you can brake down to shorts and then if rain or heavy snow comes in a lightweight windbreaker/waterproof pull overs would work.
There are so many possibilities...
I think you're on the right track, though, with the layering idea. I'm not a fan of zip-off pants, myself. They're fairly heavy for what they offer. I'd go with the shorts plus long underpants, when it's cold. Or shorts with rain pants on top. Some people do shorts plus tall gaiters.
You can add a lot of warmth by manipulating the clothing on your extremities, especially your head and neck. One of the easiest ways to cool off going uphill is to take off your hat. When you stop or head downhill, put the hat back on. Neck gaiters or a scarf helps, too.
What I aim for on the body is:
one thin, breathable layer
one warmer, breathable layer
one wind and waterproof layer
Gloves or mittens:
One warm and breathable
A waterproof shell (I use silnylon bags)
Head:
Fleece or knit hat
Rainjacket hood
Fleece neck gaiter
Walmart now has some UnderArmour Cold Gear knockoffs Labeled as Starter brand.
I bought a 1/4 zip top (http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=10263194) and it's amazingly warm for the weight and price. I plan on getting the pants (http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=10263202) too.