View Full Version : Shorts in the Winter
Ihearbanjomusic
12-15-2009, 15:43
Hi All,
I have been lurking around this forum for a while and soaking up all the great advise that has been given. Going on a hike this weekend in NC and with temps expected to be around 40's for highs, just wondering if anybody hikes in shorts this time of year. I know running, I sweat no matter what the temp is, but dont know if packing some pants along with my tights would be advisable? Anybody hike hot like me?
Hi All,
I have been lurking around this forum for a while and soaking up all the great advise that has been given. Going on a hike this weekend in NC and with temps expected to be around 40's for highs, just wondering if anybody hikes in shorts this time of year. I know running, I sweat no matter what the temp is, but dont know if packing some pants along with my tights would be advisable? Anybody hike hot like me?I tend to wear shorts as long as the temp is about 40 or so and I keep moving. I'll put on layers for stops and breaks. It's all up to you and your comfort level. Just do what works for you. I'm probably going to be hiking in GA this weekend with a couple other WB'ers and may go to shorts, depending on weather and temp. Just remember, zip-offs are your friend. :D
Saint Alfonzo
12-15-2009, 16:18
Hello Ihearbanjomusic. Welcome to Whiteblaze. I to am a shorts person. Year round. My legs dont get cold. And I do sweat real easy, just warm blooded I guess.. TAKE CARE and Good Hiking..
taildragger
12-15-2009, 16:40
I bring zip offs and long johns. Usually I'll hike in shorts and turn them into pants at camp (maybe put on the long johns). Thats assuming that I get to my destination early enough to do more than set up my tarp and sleep.
Lucy Lulu
12-15-2009, 16:42
I am in the same boat as Saint Alfonzo, with one difference. I am cold natured, sleep cold, and have to work pretty hard to really break into a good sweat. That said though, it has to be pretty dang cold for me to use my tights, otherwise I am just about always in shorts. My legs just don't seem to get cold. I rarely use pants unless there is deep snow, and it is bitterly cold or raining hard.
Blissful
12-15-2009, 16:51
I know a young thru hiker back in '06 who hiked in shorts in Feb. Hence his trail name Shorts. If you're comfortable with it, why not?
bigcranky
12-15-2009, 16:51
Shorts all year long for me. Long john bottoms under them if it's very cold, and/or rain pants if the weather is really bad. Gaiters if the snow or mud is really deep. But I can't stand hiking in long pants.
Just have the rain pants in case the weather gets bad. It is December, after all.
I wear shorts and tshirts year round. If it gets down below freezing I may wear a long sleeve shirt or throw on a hoody and I may even switch to long pants when it gets down below 20 or so. All temps are in F not C or K
Generally I like to hike in shorts any time it's over about 40*. Below that or with substantial wind, I usually wear some long johns under the shorts. It's not usually until it gets cold that I wear other pants over the long johns.
I'm giving in to older age by keeping my knees covered when it gets below freezing. My theory is that the knee will work more efficiently if it is relatively warm. Don't want to accelerate any knee deterioration. Same reason I use poles now, and have substantially lightened my pack weight.
That said, when I was in college at Michigan State, there was an oriental student who was well known around campus. He would walk to classes year round wearing shorts and a t-shirt. No jackets/hats/gloves. This was year round and walking across campus, not just next door. He was a bit of a legend and thought to be kinda crazy, but every day he would be out there.
My point, if you feel comfortable in shorts, wear them.
Ihearbanjomusic
12-15-2009, 17:07
Thanks for the welcome Saint Alfonzo :)
Mr. Alfonzo really hikes in a snowmobile suit.
Sized up, room for a pack.:)
What I call the dorky "shorts and long johns look" is how I backpack. I (rarely) will throw on rain pants if it is snowing out/cold rain. It is a versatile combo that works in a wide range of conditions.
http://photos-f.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs063.snc3/13038_217810305020_563440020_4525048_826525_n.jpg
Utah over Thanksgiving week. The temps were in the mid-high 30s during the day.
The only time I use pants in the outdoors is when I am skiing (or the increasingly rare snowshoe) in what I think of as real winter conditions.
http://photos-d.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs063.snc3/13038_227706295020_563440020_4604447_5077924_n.jpg
taildragger
12-15-2009, 17:52
Are those designer shorts, the kind with the heated pockets?
Are those designer shorts, the kind with the heated pockets?
No..but the pockets in the back are large enough to hold Hot Pockets...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tkl4Y0sxerQ
What I call the dorky "shorts and long johns look" is how I backpack.http://photos-f.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs063.snc3/13038_217810305020_563440020_4525048_826525_n.jpg
I call that look the "Peter Pan".
Living in the South, I hike in shorts more in the winter than the summer. During the summer, on rougher trails like the Pinhoti or BMT, I need pants to fend off ticks and poison ivy.
I call that look the "Peter Pan".
A balding, hairy, five o'clock shadow Peter Pan....
Pedaling Fool
12-15-2009, 19:05
Yes I wear shorts. Save the long pants for camp, unless it's just too cold and windy.
Tipi Walter
12-15-2009, 19:10
Shorts all year long for me. Long john bottoms under them if it's very cold, and/or rain pants if the weather is really bad. Gaiters if the snow or mud is really deep. But I can't stand hiking in long pants.
Just have the rain pants in case the weather gets bad. It is December, after all.
Mags fotogs and this topic got me into my pics(see below). Shorts Always! Always In Shorts! Or at least most of the time. And bigcranky hits it on the head.
http://photos-b.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs190.snc1/6380_115193528813_627728813_2131258_1612630_n.jpg
http://photos-b.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs190.snc1/6380_115193528813_627728813_2131258_1612630_n.jpgT ipi, you've always got some of the best backwoods pics on the site, even if you are anti hammock. :D;)
gunner76
12-15-2009, 22:36
Saint Alfonzo
I'd rather have a Bottle in front of Me, than have a Frontal Lobotomy......DR. DEMENTO...
From Existential Blues by Tom T-Bone Stankus
...I always enjoyed listening to the Dr and have several of his CDs
</SPAN>
Tipi Walter
12-15-2009, 23:25
Tipi, you've always got some of the best backwoods pics on the site, even if you are anti hammock. :D;)
Now if I had a decent digital camera and knew how to use it . . . Thanks for the compliment, even if you are into hammocks.
Now if I had a decent digital camera and knew how to use it . . . Thanks for the compliment, even if you are into hammocks.If you're lookign for a good digital camera, look at cheapie places like Wally World, Target, etc. Also check up on eBay occasionally and see what they've got. Remind me to hike with you one of these days, even if I am slow. :D
Tipi Walter
12-15-2009, 23:59
If you're lookign for a good digital camera, look at cheapie places like Wally World, Target, etc. Also check up on eBay occasionally and see what they've got. Remind me to hike with you one of these days, even if I am slow. :D
You're welcome to join me and you don't have to carry any gear as I'm equipped and qualified to carry large group loads, etc.
http://photos-b.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs118.snc3/16532_210408303813_627728813_2949594_6415305_n.jpg
MuffinMan11
12-16-2009, 00:41
All I have to say is you shorts wearing people are crazy. I freeze my butt off. I will get down to a thermals and shorts and pants when the sun is out.
garlic08
12-16-2009, 10:06
I once heard, from a caloric viewpoint, that you don't loose very much heat through the legs. The exception might be the femoral arteries, which carry a lot of blood close to the surface. So it might be a good idea to keep the thighs at least nominally insulated/out of the wind. When hiking, I wear long trousers pretty much year-round because I don't carry sunscreen or bug repellant and I do a lot of bushwhacking, often in desert. But I cycle in shorts pretty much all the time and I do like longer shorts and longer boxer-briefs in the winter, for the reason stated above.
Slack-jawed Trog
12-16-2009, 10:15
I'd rather have a Bottle in front of Me, than have a Frontal Lobotomy......DR. DEMENTO...
From Existential Blues by Tom T-Bone Stankus
...I always enjoyed listening to the Dr and have several of his CDs
</SPAN>
Dr. D is entertaining but Dorothy Parker originated the quote.
Back to your regularly scheduled topic...
Shorts in temps about 40ºF+ and zip-offs are my friend. :D
I hike in bare legs nearly year round. No shorts but a kilt. If really cold I have,,,,,, leg coverings (OK, they are panty hose!). I usually wear the "leg coverings" at night, & sometimes forget to take them off before hiking, usually after a mile or so I am reminded cause my legs are HOT!
The trick to staying warm, long term, is to stay dry, so if you are sweating you are getting wet, if you are getting wet, you will be cold. Hiking in shorts (or a kilt) allows you to stay cooler & keep your long pants dry. In camp, as you cool off, dry your bare legs & slip on the dry warm pants. I usually wait till I am done setting up camp, & maybe fixing dinner. And never before those sometimes long long walks to get water, like at Vandeventer shelter.
Shorts are fine--anytime--even the middle of winter.
HOWEVER, for "safety's sake" I ALWAYS have TWO forms of coverings for my legs--to deal with any unexpected really bad weather and to aid in fighting hypothermia (should the crap seriously hit the fan). When it comes to hydration and warmth--I always like to have some type of back up plan--just in case something gets damaged, lost, or if clothing gets soaked. If you keep someone warm, dry, and hydrated--they can last a long time. Hence--I don't mind a couple ounces of redundancy in this department.
SOME examples of two forms of leg coverings would be any two of the following: Pants, rain pants, a "thermal" or base layer "bottom", tights/leggings, pantyhose, chaps, "wind breaker" type pants. I even saw someone (MALE!!!) hiking in thigh-high blue and white colored striped stockings! (Hey, whatever floats your boat!).
I personally tend to wear "zip off" pants and carry either rain pants or a thermal base layer as the second option--depending on the season and weather.
bigcranky
12-18-2009, 09:02
I even saw someone (MALE!!!) hiking in thigh-high blue and white colored striped stockings! (Hey, whatever floats your boat!).
I thought I looked pretty good in those.
Wow, you guys are hard core. I wear pants always. Even if it's over 100 degrees.
flemdawg1
12-18-2009, 15:37
I hike in bare legs nearly year round. No shorts but a kilt. If really cold I have,,,,,, leg coverings (OK, they are panty hose!). I usually wear the "leg coverings" at night, & sometimes forget to take them off before hiking, usually after a mile or so I am reminded cause my legs are HOT!
Do you hike in high heels too? ;)