summer clothing

[shades of blue]

I'm just curious to what clothes people wear and pack for long distance hikes over the summer. In the fall and spring, I carried long underwear,wind/rain jacket and rain pants, stretch gloves, rain mittens and a fleece hat. I also had redundancy in the pack...spare shirt, pants, socks, underwear and a fleece shirt. What is the minimum you would feel safe and or comfortable carrying on a long distance hike during the summer? :-?

[Alligator]

In the summer, I wear swim trunk shorts (no mesh) with a t-shirt or sleeveless t, socks, boots. In the pack a set of Frogg Toggs, micro-fleece top and bottom, fleece mittens, PL1 vest, thermolite hat, fleece socks, 1 pr undies, wide-brimmed sun hat, extra socks, maybe an extra t-shirt.

Extra clothes in the summer is more of a comfort thing because if all else fails, your bag should be sufficient safety for the great majority of summer locales. Most people have three season bags. But if you have a real light summer bag, some might be riding the safety edge, in which case clothes choice could be more critical. Personally, me and my good buddy Jameson hang out late and we don't like to be confined to my bag.

[hungryhowie]

Experience has taught me to always carry adequate clothing for my needs. I carry insulation and waterproof raingear for my upper and lower body all year round because even in the summer the weather can be decidedly winter-like.

worn: silk-weight long-sleeve capilene Tshirt, swim trunks, smartwool ultrarunner II socks and running shoes of choice.

insulation: expedition-weight capilene shirt and pants, and powerstretch balaclava and gloves. (~16oz)

rain: RedLedge Thunderlight anorak and pants, waterproof mitts. (~14oz)

That's it. It's important to remember that no part of a system stands entirely on its own. I also carry adequate shelter that provides me with a dry and comfy rest and a sleeping system that will keep me warm into the mid-30s if need be.

-Howie

[Youngblood]

I agree with Howie and sometimes carry rain jacket with hood, rain pants, water proof gloves, umbrella and plastic bags with liner socks in the summer, depending on what area of the country I am in, how long I am out and what the weather is suppose to be doing. And like Howie points out, this doesn't have to weigh a lot. In 2000 in Maine, I hiked with a few folks that didn't and they got into trouble in late July/early August during an all day rain with exposed winds, while I was fine because or my waterproof gear. They had to stop midday at a shelter and retreat to their sleeping bags to get warm. They didn't have anything to keep their hands and legs dry, plus I believe their light weight rain jackets weren't keeping their upper bodies all that dry after several hours of wind driven rain. I don't know if that was because their rain jackets leaked or if it was due to no hood and/or suffient hat, but they were in pretty bad shape. The temperature doesn't have to be all that cold if you are exposed to cold rain and wind... the temperature of the rain can be a lot colder than the ambient temperture.

Youngblood

[pvtmorriscsa]

Howdy all,

I have been putting a lot of brain sweat into exactly what clothing to take on this long a**ed walk. Here is my list. All of my ideas are theoretical, and comments are very welcome. If my theory holds this list of clothing in various combinations, along with a 30 degree bag, should take me from damn cold, to damn hot.



Mobile shade unit, a big a**ed poly cotton hat with rain cover.

100 wt fleece watchcap

100 wt fleece balaclava

wickaway boxers

wickaway t-shirt

100 wt fleece long johns

100 wt fleece long sleeved shirt

Poly/Cotton kilt or knee length cargo shorts.

Poly/Cotton long sleeved shirt.

WPB hooded rain jacket.

WPB rain pants

3-layer glove/mitten system

1.9 oz ripstop nylon gaiters

1.9oz ripstop poncho

wool socks

Danner Go-Devils. Goretex lined, with 200 grammes of thinsulate. I know they are heavy, but they are the most comfortable shoes I have ever owned.



Am I on the mark? Any real world wisdom would be appreciated. My most recent camping experiences involve reenacting. Where I am strictly limited as to what I can wear.

[kncats]

I think you have a little overkill in some areas and underkill in others.

Fleece watchcap AND fleece balaclava? Probably one or the other would do. If the balaclava fits under the big a**ed hat take that. But swap the hat out for something non-poly cotton and skip the rain cover.

rain jacket/pants AND poncho? One or the other.

The triple layering gloves will be good for much lower temps than the rest of your gear will be.

Skip the poly/cotton pants and shirt and go with straight synthetics. Cotton is heavy, takes a month of Sundays to dry by itself and isn't any more breathable than the better synthetics.

Heavy is an understatement regarding the Danners. Those puppies are 70 ounces! Is that each?

[hungryhowie]

I'm inclined to agree with kncats on this one. I'd leave the fleece hat at home in lieu of the balaclava (far more useful at keeping you warm when needed).

I'd also leave the two poly/cotton items home, you can wear your wicking T all the time, and use swim trunks or synthetic (suplex would be a good choice) cargo shorts.

Unless the poncho is part of your shelter system, I'd leave it at home. And even if it is part of your system, I'd replace it (you can make them fairly easily) with one made out of 1.1oz silicone impgregnated nylon.

With regards to your WPB rain gear, if you haven't already bought it, consider buying an alternative to a laminate like goretex. Laminates usually require liners and are fairly expensive and heavy. WPB coatings, on the other hand, can make for lightweight and inexpensive jackets. Several popular brands/styles include the Marmot Precip (~$170 and 20oz for jacket AND pants), Red Ledge Thunderlight (~$85 and 16oz for anorak AND pants) and Frog Toggs (~$75 for 16oz for jacket AND pants). As you may have read above, I chose Red Ledge because it is as lightweight as the Frog Toggs, but as durable as normal rainwear (note: the coatings do wear off after a time, so the durability factor is more like insurance against punctures while bushwacking to a lovely campsite -- which you most certainly would NOT want to do with the Frog Toggs).

I'm not exactly sure what the three-layer gloves system is, but it sounds needlessly heavy and complex for 3-season hiking. I use lightweight powerstretch fleece gloves (~2oz) and waterproof mitts (~0.5oz) with success. As far as the rain mitts go, you can find them made out of something like Goretex (OR makes some great mitts) or silnylon for even lower (though negligable) weight.

Not only are the Danners heavy, they're also insulated...I can't imagine hiking in constant sun exposure on the ridges of PA in 95*F heat and 95% humidty with insulated boots. But boots is one thing that is absolutely totally personal. Everyone has different feet, and some people's feet are more sensitive to change than others. If you think your feet can stand it, I'd check out some lighterweight boots (if not before the trail, when you get on it. Wherever you begin to lose your winter gear would be a good time to start looking for lighterweight footwear).

-Howie