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redseal
08-02-2013, 20:59
Just curious to hear if others out there skip hiking pants and instead use Capilene long underwear to walk in when the weather gets chilly? If so, do you use Capilene 1, 2 or 3? And what temps do you use them in?

fiddlehead
08-02-2013, 22:46
Capiline is the name given by Patagonia clothing company for it's polyester long underwear that wicks moisture away.
The 1, 2, and 3 is the thickness.
I have hiked in Capaline and similar weight polypro fabrics under my shorts when it's cool or cold.
I wouldn't hike with the heavyweight as it would be too warm.
Just the lightweight. If I had the heavyweight stuff, I would use that for winter camping or sleeping at night (or hanging around camp which is something I rarely do on a thru-hike)

MuddyWaters
08-03-2013, 01:52
Pretty much standard dress code for hikers. Long underwear under shorts.

Down to freezing, use the lightest possible for walking.

rocketsocks
08-03-2013, 02:38
Just curious to hear if others out there skip hiking pants and instead use Capilene long underwear to walk in when the weather gets chilly? If so, do you use Capilene 1, 2 or 3? And what temps do you use them in?
Having worked out of doors my whole life, the johns go on around December, and don't come off till about the Ides of March...(give or take a jersey winter) cept for one thing.......washin.

Rasty
08-03-2013, 14:44
I'm hiking in shorts down to around 25 then will add lightweight bottoms. Once I stop moving then the Down pants and Socks come on. I'm a hot hiker but get cold easily when I stop.

Hill Ape
08-03-2013, 15:19
i was raised on the conventional wisdom of keep your core warm, and most of your body heat is lost through the head, so wear a hat. recently i've read some things that call this into question.

i gave up capilene a long time ago because of the stink, the silk t's are the only thing i still wear. i wear merino smart wool now, midweight is perfect for me. and i still subscribe to the hat and covering your ears

gypsy97
08-03-2013, 15:23
I hiked from Georgia (March) up to So. VA wearing lightweight capilene pants, w/short over them. A buddy of mine found some leg warmers at a yard sale and gave me a couple of pairs - wonderful! I pushed them down while hiking, and pulled them up to my knees when stopped. I also hiked in capilene shirts - long sleeve mid or lightweight, and bought a short sleeve capilene shirt at NOC which was great when the weather warmed up/sun was shining all day.

rocketsocks
08-03-2013, 15:30
I have a pair of Polypropylene's from the 90's that came from Campmor...I still use em!

But my go to's are EMS's Teck Wick series #1, #2, #3 weight...mostly I use the 1, 2's to hike in, and the three's are for hangin out and chillin idle around camp.

Ezra
08-03-2013, 17:21
Capilene 2 longjohns under shorts work for me in late fall & winter.

Malto
08-03-2013, 17:27
I started wearing cap 1 under shorts. I use cap 1 in the belief that your base layer should be the lightest possible weight to allow rapid drying. This would be important either with light rain, under rain pants or in wet grass. Light enough and you can dry it if needed at night.

A.T.Lt
08-03-2013, 17:56
I cant hike in long johns, and I only bring them for sleeping. I like wear convertible pants, and would love them even more if when they were converted to shorts that they were shorts Id want to wear while hiking... So i always end up taking a pair of running shorts and a pair of convertible pants...

Malto
08-03-2013, 21:04
I cant hike in long johns, and I only bring them for sleeping. I like wear convertible pants, and would love them even more if when they were converted to shorts that they were shorts Id want to wear while hiking... So i always end up taking a pair of running shorts and a pair of convertible pants...

I agree that convertible pants are a poor compromise. I use to go the opposite direction. Non convertible pants and real shorts. That gives you a lighter setup and no zippers that poke at you while sleeping. The only down side is what to wear with rain pants. Tights or lw long johns work much better in that scenario.

Rasty
08-03-2013, 21:11
I cant hike in long johns, and I only bring them for sleeping. I like wear convertible pants, and would love them even more if when they were converted to shorts that they were shorts Id want to wear while hiking... So i always end up taking a pair of running shorts and a pair of convertible pants...

I stopped carrying the legs part of my convertible pants after they traveled for about 400 miles without being used more then a few hours each trip which was usually the first few hours of a trip. Once taken off they never got put back on. If I was cold enough I added base-layer bottoms, rain pants or down pants. The legs and shorts are now distinctly different colors now. I'm using a pair of Columbia Aruba 3 Convertibles with the mesh liner.

Hill Ape
08-03-2013, 22:26
as much as our accepted wisdom is having multiple uses for everything, its always been my experience that something designed to do two things, never does either well

redseal
08-04-2013, 09:26
Thanks for all your experiences. I use Capilene 2 in camp and figured I would pick up another pair for walking in colder weather since they are on sale at Moosejaw.

Xristos
09-22-2013, 01:30
+1 on lightweight base layer plus shorts. I've tried to love the convertibles but I think the base layer / shorts combo is a better use of the weight...more flexible and more bang for the warmth buck, if you will.

slow mind
09-22-2013, 09:54
My one Capilene 1 shirt stinks like no other after a matter of hours.

The Cleaner
09-22-2013, 10:27
I wear a merino ss tee in the warmer months and wear a ls Smartwool or Icebreaker in the cold months. It does not have the stink factor that all synthetics have. As for pants/long john combo this is what most through hikers use to save packing a pair of long pants. I wear a pair of Columbia PFG shorts and pack a pair of Exoficco nylon pants (11 ozs ) for camp use or cooler evenings. After mid November I start wearing a pair of Marmot Scree pants which are made of their M3 softshell material. These pants are very good at blocking cold winds which seem to blow during the winter months. Also they breath very well so I do not over heat on steep ascents. I just don't like the look of long johns under shorts. Even on a 30* day you can heat up while hiking but as soon as you stop the cold returns. I also wear a 5oz. Marmot windshirt on windy days and keep a Marmot Dri-Clime windshirt(which is to warm for me on top of wool for hiking) hanging on my pack for breaks. For camp I have a Patagonia Nano Puff pullover which can be worn under the Dri-Clime shirt/jacket if it's colder. I have found that synthetics cool down quickly when you stop, where wool can be almost wet and will dry itself before bed time. Having to put on damp synthetic clothes and leave camp almost at a running pace to warm up is not how I like to start my day. I like to start slow and enjoy the mornings or I may aggravate a heart condition I have....

Bati
09-22-2013, 10:39
I used both a lighter-weight and an expedition weight pair when hiking in cold weather. On the Southern AT I only wore the expedition weight under my gore-tex pants when hiking on the most brutal days; most of the time I was able to wear light weight and even unzip the gore-tex pants above my knee high gaiters so that I wouldn't overheat but my calves would stay out of the snow.

As for the temperature, I try not to head out unless it's at least -15F, so look elsewhere for advice on truly cold weather (as judged by eyelashes freezing at -20 without goggles when I can't access a thermometer). When the temperature is above freezing but you still have a lot of snow (or are climbing into the snow), light weight or silk-weight capilene with shorts may be fine, as it keeps the snow off your legs (which can cause issues), and you may be able to dry out later on. It largely depends on if you'll be sleeping in the cold and snow or just hiking through it briefly during the day.

When I did a lot a day hikes in New England the light weight polypro with knee high gaiters worked well, as I was often hiking at lower elevations and snow-shoeing as I gained elevation. When I was in Georgia on the AT in an unusually brutal March, I knew I would be in the snow all day and had no snowshoes so keeping as dry as possible was the goal. If you dress too warmly, you will sweat, but changing clothes during the day is a pain. Thus, the side zip gore-tex over medium weight polypro helped the most there. I would usually change into expedition weight when we camped for the night; I had the kind of expedition weight polypro that hugs you, not the fleece kind that lets so much of the cold inside. I'm not sure of the temperature, but it was warm enough on most days that you could easily break the ice coating in your water bottle during the day, and on some days, the water bottles carried outside my pack with no extra neoprene wrap weren't even freezing during the day. On the coldest day, my hair was freezing wherever it was outside my balaclava, and I had to keep my water bottle inside my jacket, yet it was not so cold that my eyelashes were freezing.

redseal
09-23-2013, 08:16
Just providing an update. I spent a few days during my last trip walking in Capilene 1 under my shorts. I am a believer :-)