Clothes weight?

[SonrisaJo]

First of all, I'm sorry if this has been discussed ad nauseum somewhere, I did a search and couldn't find what I was looking for.

How much should my clothes weigh?

I realize that this depends vastly on the person's size and preferences, but my favorite pair of hiking pants weights 12 ounces. If I wear them it won't matter, but if I have them in my pack for a day, that's . . . not too light.

I'm planning on going SOBO this June, and I'm bringing/wearing one pair of pants and one pair of shorts.

For those that have thru-hiked, how many pounds of clothes did you bring? Or if you are planning, how many pounds will you bring? What is considered a "light" pair of pants? Or shirt? Or even long underwear?

Any words of wisdom would be much appreciated!
Thanks!

[Valentine]

So it would be better to post weights of what you have and let people critique.

[Blissful]

If you take a pair of convertible pants,you have two in one and don't need both.

[SonrisaJo]

All I have are pants, the rest I will be buying in the upcoming months.

[garlic08]

This is a very good question. Clothes not only equal weight, but bulk, too. If you carry bulky clothes, you need a bigger (heavier) pack to carry them.

I have found that shorts do not work for me (sun, ticks, bushwhacking), so I do not carry any extra leg wear. I just wear lightweight nylon trousers for all 3-season use. They dry quickly, so I do not carry rain pants, either. Summer on the AT I just wear a similar lightweight long-sleeve buttoned shirt, and carry a Marmot Driclime windshirt or similar, a light thermal shirt, and that's it (plus a light rain shell). Add one pair of briefs and a pair of socks, and the maximum packed clothing weight including rain gear is less than two pounds.

[Tipi Walter]

This is a personal and subjective subject. To be honest, I've never weighed or considered clothes weight to be important. When I was dirt poor I found stuff cheap that would work and keep me warm. When I could afford more, I got the best stuff I could find and never considered weight. The old polypro bottoms and tops worked and I never thought about their weight. Now I use Icebreaker bottoms and midlayers(zip up necks)and they've become like a second skin in the winter. But here's the thing, the Icebreakers are noticeably heavier than capilene/polypro and yet, who cares? They do the job for winter.

If I find a top of the line fleece jacket, for instance, I'll study it's specs and warmth ratio and never look at the weight. For instance, last year I replaced my old Patagonia Synchilla fleece top with a bombproof Arcteryx Delta SV polartec fleece top and it's a little heavier but I still don't know it's total weight. Why don't I care? Cuz I know the Arcteryx will work in tough winter conditions and that's that.

Down jackets could be the exception, as the best are 3 pound monsters running around $600-750 a pop. Here I would consider the total weight package as a beefy down jacket can be either a nylon-shelled work or art or a low-quality 550 fill cotton-canvas style hooded hunter's dream.

[bigcranky]

12 oz for a pair of pants??? Ha ha ha ha ha. Your entire *pack* should weigh less than 12 oz!!!

OK, just kidding. 12 ounces for a pair of pants is fine. Take them. Enjoy. 1 pair of pants and one pair of shorts is good.

[SonrisaJo]

Thanks everyone for your input! Any other thoughts? Light brands?

[Tipi Walter]

I found an old post of mine which you might find helpful:
http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showpost.php?p=487817&postcount=17

I tried to simplify the whole layering issue and broke down clothing to four simple things:
Baselayer
Midlayer
Outer layer
Extreme outer

Maybe this will clarify some of the clothing issues you face.

[Engine]

Thanks everyone for your input! Any other thoughts? Light brands?

It really depend entirely on location and season. For normal 3 season use in temps that don't dip below 35* with any regularity, my clothing weighs around 2 3/4 pounds not counting hiking shorts and t-shirt. I tend to stay warm easily though and for someone colder natured that might not provide enough insulation. I would say err on the side on caution and bring an extra item or two until you know what works for you.

[JAK]

First of all, I'm sorry if this has been discussed ad nauseum somewhere, I did a search and couldn't find what I was looking for.

How much should my clothes weigh?

I realize that this depends vastly on the person's size and preferences, but my favorite pair of hiking pants weights 12 ounces. If I wear them it won't matter, but if I have them in my pack for a day, that's . . . not too light.

I'm planning on going SOBO this June, and I'm bringing/wearing one pair of pants and one pair of shorts.

For those that have thru-hiked, how many pounds of clothes did you bring? Or if you are planning, how many pounds will you bring? What is considered a "light" pair of pants? Or shirt? Or even long underwear?

Any words of wisdom would be much appreciated!
Thanks!It depends on what the minimum temperature might be. For myself I use 1 oz for every degF below 85F, not counting wind and rain shells or footwear. I do include half the weight of my hiking pants or hiking shorts. I am 6' tall. Smaller people would need less. So for a min of 37F, about 3 pounds plus another 1.5 to 2 pound for shoes and shells. For a min of 5F, about 5 pounds plus another 2 pounds for shoes and shells.