Dark Shirt Vs Light Shirt

[BensMusicHiker]

Most of the hiking i have done has been in a t-shirt, which is nice, but not the route i wanna take on my CT this upcoming summer. I have migrated to button up shirts for the comfort ability to let them vent and i also like the idea of have long sleeve and short sleeves all in one. With that said i went to REI with the array of gift cards i got this year and picked up a shirt. I got one of REI's Sahara shirts. Really like really comfy but think i may have made a mistake getting it in a brick red color. My fashion side says you go boy but i am afraid that the direct heat will kill me in this shirt. Not really worried about fading but i am worried about the heat, should i make a move to a lighter colored shirt like a light green or tan?

[Papa D]

on the CT, I think that any color would be fine. I will say that dark colors (that absorb more heat) dry out faster when wet - - this is why I always get dark colored smart wool socks - - when you wring them out and lay them on a rock in the sun, they dry about 25% faster (not scientific - just a guess) than light colored ones.

[Kerosene]

I'd always go with a dark shirt unless you're in the middle of a desert walk. It will look cleaner outside of the salt residue from your sweat (if that makes a difference); it won't attract insects quite as much; and you'll be warm regardless of what you're wearing.

I wore a button-up shirt for my fall section hike in Maine for the first time and decided that I didn't like it. It was nice to be able to roll down the sleeves on a cool morning, but it didn't vent as well as I hoped, so I'll be going back to a snug synthetic running T. (I tried wool T-shirts on earlier hikes and couldn't take the smell of wet wool or the fact that they never seemed to dry out).

[leaftye]

I've noticed the same thing as Papa D. I'd leave my socks laying out on granite and I could feel the heat radiating from my dark socks.

If you're worried about heat from the sun, you could try using a chrome umbrella. I love using mine because it makes it feel like the ambient temperature dropped a dozen degrees after I put the umbrella up.

[Miner]

Go light color if you are worried about hiking in the sun when its hot. Go dark colors if you are hiking in the sun when its cold.

As a general rule, I wear light colors during summer months, even in high altitude though I carry black color thermals since I only wear them when its cold. I don't worry about dirt when wearing tan or brown shirts since most dirt matches the color anyway. But I've alwasy prefered colors that blend in more with my surroundings when hiking over bright colors.

[Feral Bill]

Light colors are less attractive to mosquitoes.

[Papa D]

Light colors are less attractive to mosquitoes.

really? I learned something tonight - thank you.

[Astro]

Dark colors are easier to keep clean (or at least do not show dirt as much).

[coloradokevin]

Maybe I'm off base, but heat on the CT is really only an issue in a few places at lower elevations. During the summer months it doesn't get that hot above ~9,000 ft here in Colorado, maybe low 80's?

[BensMusicHiker]

aw low 80s thats music to my ears! i am from louisiana where at sea level it never gets below 80.... EVER

[brian039]

Maybe I'm off base, but heat on the CT is really only an issue in a few places at lower elevations. During the summer months it doesn't get that hot above ~9,000 ft here in Colorado, maybe low 80's?

That's probably about right for the temperatures but it feels so much hotter when the sun is beating down on you. But you really only have to deal with the sun for a couple of hours a day because, like clockwork, the clouds come out around noon.

[bearcreek]

Dark clothes go something like 3-4 times longer than light clothes before looking filthy.

[Wise Old Owl]

Light colors are less attractive to mosquitoes.

really? I learned something tonight - thank you.

Yes I tested a long sleeve white Under Armor in the woods of Maine - and got a reduction.....

[Tinker]

Dark nylon fabric is less transparant than light nylon fabric when it gets wet, if that's a concern . The other considerations of reflectivity and drying time have been addressed already. My $.02.

[Mr. Clean]

Light colors are less attractive to mosquitoes.

Don't let the word out on this.