How warm is warm enough?

[EJC]

Trying to figure out what clothing to wear is a PIA. I'm starting my thru 3/20. I plan on wearing a wicking t shirt, long thermal shirt, and a Patagonia UL down shirt. Warm enough or add another jacket until i get through the smokies?

My original idea for pants was thermal tights with a skirt, now I'm starting to think thermal tights with my ex officio nio amphi's, at least those are water resistant and warmer... Or would it be better to wear rain pants?

I hear it can be (and is right now) freezing in GA and nobo through April. I also great a lot of people are drooping out due to weather and i don't want to be one of them! Any feedback appreciated!

[MuddyWaters]

dont plan on hiking in the down shirt.
You might need a light fleece as well, you can hike in it if needed. Then put the down on when you stop.
Put your rain gear on for extra warmth and wind protection when you stop too, probably wont need it when hiking except on exposed areas like balds.

As long as your moving, you will stay warm
If its really cold, just have to spend minimum time out of your bag after you stop.
Eat, and get in.

[leaftye]

A down jacket can be hiked in when it's worn reversed, but not zipped.

I hate hiking in polyester. It stinks horribly. Nylon doesn't stink nearly as much. I don't know of any thick nylon shirts though. Railriders makes winter pants that are surprisingly warm though, so it's something to consider for your legs until the weather warms up.

[leaftye]

Those Railrider winter pants are surprisingly tough too. This thread just helped me figure something out. A couple years ago I did trail maintainance on a part of the PCT that I hiked a couple years before. It was severely overgrown with very thorny plants. Surely I would have remembered that, but I didn't recall it being a problem. I just remembered I was wearing those Railrider winter pants, which must have done a great job at stopping thorns.

Those pants were making me too hot, so I changed shortly after that into REI Sahara pants.

[fiddlehead]

Depends on your age and hiking style.
If you are going to hike all day, stopping only to eat, breaks and then setup camp and sleep, what you have is enough.
If you are young, a bit overweight (some body fat) and are used to the outdoors, it is probably enough (provided you have a good outer shell for rain)

If you are a cold person when out in chilly weather (read skinny, like me) , and plan to get to camp early and hang out, you should add a down vest or something similar.
When you're hiking, you'll most likely be wearing little.
It's when you stop that you need to stay warm.

Good luck and have fun.

[The Cleaner]

I met a SOBO last Nov. and he had on 3 synthetic t-shirts + a lite jacket/windshirt and was cold the next morning in 30* temps.One good wool long sleeve for cool/cold days and a something to block wind is needed.As for your legs most wear a lightweight baselayer w/shorts.This might leave some cold on days when the temp stays below 40*.I hike in Marmot Scree softshell pants and use the long johns for camp/sleeping.It's still cold up at trail elevations with several inches of snow in the Hot Springs area.Probably more snow&cold in the Smokies,22* a few mornings ago.....

[Pedaling Fool]

If you start off your morning feeling warm, then you're too warm.

[leaftye]

If you start off your morning feeling warm, then you're too warm.

If you start your morning cold, you took too long breaking camp.

[jrwiesz]

If you start in the morning and you're just right, stay where you are, spend some time with Goldilocks.

[TheGreek]

I was up on Springer last night.

I wore (on the hike up)
-Smartwool Midweight Socks w/North Face Hedgehog Boots
-Underarmor HEAT gear compression shorts
-REI Convertible Pants
-Smartwool midweight long-sleeve top
-North Face Momentum jacket
-Black Diamond midweight glove liners
-North Face knit beanie

I was comfortably warm for the hike up, and threw on an REI Revelcloud (synthetic down) Jacket when I got to camp and was fairly comfortable. Hiked all day today (high in the 40's) in the same as above and was perfectly comfortable, even a bit warm. Temperature on my hike up was probably in the mid 20's (snow was sticking), and got down into the teens overnight. I added midweight bottoms and was fine overnight other than my feet being a bit cold.

[EJC]

Thanks Greek, that helps a lot! Good luck, stay warm, I hear it's a chilly one out there!

I think I'm going to take an extra jacket. If it's too much I'll send it back at Neel's Gap.

[Slo-go'en]

I think I'm going to take an extra jacket. If it's too much I'll send it back at Neel's Gap.

Its usually pleanty warm in Georgia, its when you get to North Carolina and are consistantly at 5 to 6 thousand feet where it gets cold. And don't be fooled by a few warm or hot days. As others have mensioned, so long as your moving you don't need to wear much. Its at camp you need a warm jacket or vest. Just one will do.

[Drybones]

Only you can give the correct answer to your question, people are very different as to what's required to keep them warm and you'll get all kinds of answers, try some experimenting to determine what you need before you leave. When I'm walking I need very little to keep me warm, I'll be in shorts and tee shirt while others have pants and jacket on. When I stop however, I need more than most to stay warm. IMO, the most important thing is to have a warm sleeping bag you can crawl into at camp if your cold and try to minimize the sweat while walking by removing layers, I wear enough so that I'm chilled for the first 15-20 minutes and then before I start sweating (perspire if you're a female) I remove layers.

[TheGreek]

Thanks Greek, that helps a lot! Good luck, stay warm, I hear it's a chilly one out there!

I think I'm going to take an extra jacket. If it's too much I'll send it back at Neel's Gap.

Do yourself a favor and keep it until Grayson Highlands. That's usually considered the "safe point" for sending back cold weather gear. It's not just a matter of comfort, as hypothermia can end your trip (and your life).

I went with the down jacket because it barely weighs anything so I don't care about carrying it the extra distance. The momentum makes a great jacket for walking in, and a perfect heavier baselayer. Your best bet is to look at your local weather forecast, and get all your gear and sleep in the yard on the coldest night coming up. Look for something where the temp will be down in the teens.

Go outside about 5 or 6 PM, cook dinner on your stove if you'll be hiking with one. Stand around a bit if you are going to be the social type, then climb in your bag. Get up, cook breakfast on the stove and then go about your day.

You'll find out if all your stuff works pretty quick. You don't necessarily have to be comfortable down into the mid-low teens, but you need to be sure you aren't going to be dealing with any of the actual hazardous effects of being cold.

[EJC]

I've done a decent amount of cold weather camping. I guess my main question was, how cold is it for how long? I'm fine in my light down jacket until it hits about 40, then it gets cold. If I'm asleep by the time it gets below that, no need for a warmer jacket. I plan on taking my down shirt the entire trip, it's only 5 oz. But the 12 oz, warm down jacket? I'm trying to avoid taking that further than needed.

[CrumbSnatcher]

keeping your warm clothes til you get past Grayson highlands is a good idea, i always kept my stocking cap for the whole trip, but thats just me :-)
cap works well for cold weather or just breaks when a little chilly out(windy,exposed ridge breaks,etc...)seldom hiked much with it on

[Cash81]

My base pack weight for summer is sub 10 lbs and here's what I've always found with cold weather and gear. I've never regretted having an extra pair of socks or jacket. I have been completely miserable when I decided to skimp on the warm stuff. In the end, when it drops down to 10 degrees because the forecast was wrong and the wind turned, it means the difference between not sleeping and wondering at what point your toes and legs went numb, and carrying an extra pound for a couple extra days til you can send it home after the smokies.

[TheGreek]

I've done a decent amount of cold weather camping. I guess my main question was, how cold is it for how long? I'm fine in my light down jacket until it hits about 40, then it gets cold. If I'm asleep by the time it gets below that, no need for a warmer jacket. I plan on taking my down shirt the entire trip, it's only 5 oz. But the 12 oz, warm down jacket? I'm trying to avoid taking that further than needed.

I started hiking up Springer around 4PM on Saturday, and it was already in the 20's. By the time I got to the top shelter, it was probably 22-25*. I don't think it actually got much above 40* all day on Sunday, even with sunshine.