View Full Version : question for the fairer sex
catfishonrye
02-02-2005, 15:05
hey ladies-
i have some pressing bra issues for my upcoming thru-hike. Like a good hippie, i have totally renounced the bra in my everyday life, and when forced to wear one (weddings, funerals, court dates, outdoor activities ;) ....) i generally stick with the no-muss, no-fuss good ole cotton sportsbra. However, heeding the advice of those who have gone before me (cotton= bad, very, very bad) I am now searching for an alternative- and well, i am frankly overwhelmed- so help! what do ya'll wear for your hiking excursions? thanks. catfish.
Hiya catfish :)
Well, take my words with a grain of salt since I am just a section hiker and am learning each year as I go, but I heed the cotton warnings except when it comes to my undewear while hiking. That may change when I'm finally able to do a thru-hike, but for now I got for COMFORT and SUPPORT. So when I am not going commando (ie. normally if I am wearing my skirt lol) I go with plain comfy cotton bottoms. And for a bra, I wear one with underwires for good support and yeah, its part cotton. But its my most comfy one and no chafing at shoulders or on back (found that out hard way the first year, the lil slidey buckle thign in the back got ground right into my back!) and I can't deal with sports bras, feel too confining to me personally. But I do think that that's what most chick hikers wear if I'm not mistaken? I just can't do it.
I suppose it depends on your size too. (Not YOUR your, but your in general lol) Obviously you are able to go braless in daily life comfortably so you must have have too great a "need" trying to be pc here lol... if smaller then a sports bra might be just the ticket and I have to imagine they make them in quick-dry materials too...
LOL poor guys, should we start discussing the weight pros and cons for various sanitary feminine needs too? ;) OK I'm sure its already been done! But kinda fun being the minority sometimes I reckon!
Don't bother with bras. They are hot and don't wick very well (even the best ones). If you can live without them off the trail, you will find even more reasons to live without them on the trail.
If you're like me, you can't live without a bra, ever. On my hikes I wear what is almost a tank top (synthetic) with a built-in shelf-bra. On really hot days, I'll just hike in that and skip the t-shirt. Also, it's great when you have to change clothes in a shelter full of men before bed. In those cases I just take off my shirt, but I still feel 'decent', and then I put my night shirt over it. I find that on cold nights it helps to keep me warm.
They look like this http://www.rei.com/product/47851365.htm, or if you're smaller up top you can get one with spagetti straps.
Just my two cents! java:D (off to Iceland on Friday!!!)
art to linda
02-02-2005, 17:53
I'm with DebW ..... forget it. Like you, I only wear one when needed for dress up. When hiking, snowshoeing, or just working out doors I've never found the need for one. Most of the time I find them to be just another restriction to movement (those straps never stay where they should when moving around a lot).
DangerPea
02-02-2005, 18:52
I usually wear a tank top made out of a synthetic material with a built in shelf bra. If it is cooler out, I'll wear this under any synthetic Tshirt and what ever other layers I am wearing & if it is warm I will wear that alone. That has worked just fine for me. Patagonia has some nice choices. I am currently using a patagonia tank but I don't see it on their site now so they might have discontinued... I would check out what they do have though.
I'm just uncomfortable with out it. I'm just a section hiker but I wear my regular bras when hiking. Wal-Mart bras...nylon & spandex. I do however find the Patagonia panties MUCH more comfortable than regular nylon or cotton.
catfishonrye
02-02-2005, 21:18
thank you gals for your input- and well, Toejam brought it up, (as a joke) but5now she has me thinking- what is, in your opinion, the best option for that "time of the month"? catfish.
thank you gals for your input- and well, Toejam brought it up, (as a joke) but5now she has me thinking- what is, in your opinion, the best option for that "time of the month"? catfish.
do a search on here, I think this was covered quite extensively last month.
jackiebolen
02-03-2005, 00:42
I always wear a bra in real life but when I was hiking it used to give me rashes because of the rubbing heat so I got rid of it. I was all around happier.
Hmm, a little help if anyone knows? I searched "period", "time of month" and "menstrual" and nothing recent. Be interesting to see, must have been before I came back around recently...
Me, I have used something called "Instead" for years now. Got it as a free sample and just mostly to laugh at it and cuz it was free. http://www.softcup.com/index.php I am sold now and would never go back to anything else. I buy mine at WalMart, about $6 for a box of 20 or so. But they can be left in for 12-24 hours at a time depending, and even though the box doesnt say so, washed and re-used many times. Nothing to worry about packing out, except when and if you need to replace, and once you get the hang of it, its like you don't even have it in at all.
Anyway, be interesting to see other thread but that's MY two cents. I have all of my friends and family converted lol!
Todd Kirkendol
02-03-2005, 09:14
Hi, this is Aimee (not Todd) HA! Anyways, I just bought 2 Under Armour sports bras for our thru-hike. They are light, cool, breathable, good at wicking sweat, clean easy, and really hold up to abuse. They run about $25 at any sporting good store.
LOL - I HAD to come see when I saw the last post in this thread was by a TODD! :D Those sounds pretty cool, maybe I should give them another try!
Footslogger
02-03-2005, 10:33
This is Footslogger's wife, Bad Ass Turtle. Some of us are just too big to go braless! I wore a Nike sports bra on my thru-hike. It was confining, it was a pain in the butt to get on and off, especially when soaked with sweat. BUT after a while, it felt like my uniform . . .
and when it was really hot, I was able to wear it without a shirt on top. I do know lots of gals who went braless, but for me, the best option was a pretty simple sports bra. I tried the tanks, but I didn't like the way the shirt part of it clung to me.
Bad Ass Turtle
http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?t=6741
recent thread on periods...yay!:jump
DangerPea
02-03-2005, 11:21
In response to the time of the month, and being too lazy to read the existing threads... Not sure if you are using birth control, but I have switched to seasonale, which keeps your moons to occuring only once every three months instead of monthly. Of course some women can not, need not or prefer not to take the pill. On my last thru (attempt) I used OB tampons. No applicator so a significant amount weight & waste saaved.
I am pretty eacited for the Seasonale though & avoiding that time all together for the most part....
DangerPea
02-03-2005, 11:30
Hey Java - thanks for that link tho, it is pretty thorough I'd say... And we even got a history lesson... :rolleyes: