View Full Version : Sobo Clothing Selection?
smith_nap
10-01-2011, 09:23
If your going on a thru hike sobo starting around June 15 what kind of clothing selection should you take??
2 short sleeve shirts
2 pair boxers
1 pair hiking shorts or pants
2-3 pairs of socks
1 long top & bottom
1 rain jacket
optional shorts/shirt to sleep in
stick with polypro & wool and stay away from cotton accept to sleep in.
Those cloths will get you thru the first few months. When it starts getting cooler have a jacket/hoody, warm hat and possibly gloves sent.
Same clothing system as on a NOBO. Add a 100 weight fleece if you like.
http://www.backpacker.com/november_08_pack_man_/articles/12659?page=4
Spokes, I know that article is your go-to but for a SOBO starting in mid June, having both a light and mid weight long underwear set as well as the down jacket are overkill for the first few months. Also rain pants are highly debated if they are even needed.
Just my two cents.
I froze my butt off in the Whites in June/July. Gotta ask what your dry camp clothes are going to be and don't skimp.
Sure some folks ditch their rain pants but what protection will you have for the howling wind? What will you wear as you wash all your dirty clothes in the hostel or laundromat? Wrapping just a towel around your waist sucks.....
Hosaphone
10-02-2011, 18:27
Spokes, I know that article is your go-to but for a SOBO starting in mid June, having both a light and mid weight long underwear set as well as the down jacket are overkill for the first few months. Also rain pants are highly debated if they are even needed.
Just my two cents.
It's funny you mention that. There's actually an asterisk at the bottom that says, "For summer, substitute a 40F bag and drop the puffy jacket and midweight underwear. Rain pants optional." :-p
Also worth noting is that the article is recommending that you take no pants other than the long underwear. I'm a big fan of the zip-off short/pants, but if you chose to go with only shorts, taking rain pants and an extra set of long underwear would make more sense.
It's funny you mention that. There's actually an asterisk at the bottom that says, "For summer, substitute a 40F bag and drop the puffy jacket and midweight underwear. Rain pants optional." :-p
Also worth noting is that the article is recommending that you take no pants other than the long underwear. I'm a big fan of the zip-off short/pants, but if you chose to go with only shorts, taking rain pants and an extra set of long underwear would make more sense.
As Winton Porter says in the article: "You want to ask yourself, What does each piece of clothing do for me? Does it insulate? Does it stop wind? Does it stop rain?" he says. "Nylon zip-off pants don't do any of those three. If you wear a pair of nylon running shorts over lightweight long underwear, now you have pants that weigh 3.5 ounces instead of two to four times as much."
Hosaphone
10-02-2011, 23:47
Well, the nylon zipoffs don't do any of those three things well, is what I would say. I find that they provide significantly more insulation and especially wind stopping than if you were just wearing shorts.
I haven't been out for more than a week at a time so I can't say I wouldn't change my mind after a month on the trail in early Spring. The shorts + long underwear combo is probably more functional, but I think he's exaggerating a bit. 3.5 ounces is pretty dang light for shorts + long underwear (my bottoms weigh 8oz), and at that weight I don't expect it to even insulate better than the zipoffs, especially if there's even a slight breeze blowing. My zipoffs weigh in at 13 ounces and I overheat in them if I wear long underwear while hiking unless temps are below 10F or so... Also I don't really like the shorts+long underwear look - I still feel self conscious wearing my big floppy rain hat (which by the way, if you usually just use your jacket's hood, consider trying out a big floppy rain hat... it makes rain SO much easier to tolerate. Keeps the rain out of your face, doesn't give you tunnel vision like a hood, and lets you hear the sounds of the forest instead of just the endless patter of rain hitting your jacket).
It's all personal preference and finding out what works for you.