I've been slow to come around on outdoor clothing. I grew up in the southeastern US (Alabama) where summers are very hot and humid. It was standard to have my cotton t-shirt and cotton pants drenched with sweat and moisture within minutes of going outside midday...
The single biggest thing to look for when choosing clothes for a backpacking trip is avoiding cotton. Fabrics such as polyester, nylon and merino wool retain much less moisture...
The single biggest thing to look for when choosing clothes for a backpacking trip is avoiding cotton. Fabrics such as polyester, nylon and merino wool retain much less moisture...
The Layering System
Gloves
Gloves are tricky. My hands (and feet) tend to run cold and I need gloves to stay comfortable in the mountains even on summer days. The two big problems I run into with gloves are the (1) inherent tradeoff between warmth and dexterity and (2) limited durability. I'm not as hard on gloves as I am on shoes but it's pretty close.
The Failures
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100% Merino Wool Liner Gloves: This kind of gloves are tempting since they're warm and soft/comfortable. The problem is that they fall apart almost immediately. On my first outing with these brand new gloves I tripped on a log, and in the process of bracing myself on a rock I tore a big hole in several fingers.
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What works
The best strategy I've come up with is two apply the layering system to gloves. The basic components are:
1) longsleeve shirt with thumb loops (my favorite is the "Cool Hoodie" from Montbell)
2) lightweight fingerless "sun gloves" (my favorite: OR Active Ice Sun Gloves)
3) highly durable liner gloves (Defeet Cordura ET Duraglove)
4) warm mittens (only in winter)
5) shell mittens (an ultralight rain shell mitten in the summer or a heavier weight variant in the winter).
I've tested this basic approach in temperatures down to 10 deg F and it works great. For high elevation summer outings, I typically only take the first three items. If rain is expected I'll also take a rain shell mitten.
1) longsleeve shirt with thumb loops (my favorite is the "Cool Hoodie" from Montbell)
2) lightweight fingerless "sun gloves" (my favorite: OR Active Ice Sun Gloves)
3) highly durable liner gloves (Defeet Cordura ET Duraglove)
4) warm mittens (only in winter)
5) shell mittens (an ultralight rain shell mitten in the summer or a heavier weight variant in the winter).
I've tested this basic approach in temperatures down to 10 deg F and it works great. For high elevation summer outings, I typically only take the first three items. If rain is expected I'll also take a rain shell mitten.
The nice thing about this setup is that I dont need any special expensive winter gloves that would suck to lose. The total price is similar to winter gloves but I'm using liner gloves in the summer at high elevations anyway. I also dont have to tradeoff warmth and dexterity since I can still do most things with the liners.
Also, the fingerless sun gloves+shirt with thumbloops combination by itself is amazingly warm considering their weight. This works best with the sun gloves under thumb loops. I'm surprised I don't see more people doing this in winter.
Also, the fingerless sun gloves+shirt with thumbloops combination by itself is amazingly warm considering their weight. This works best with the sun gloves under thumb loops. I'm surprised I don't see more people doing this in winter.
The OR echo hoody is my favorite shirt in the summer. The 2018 models had an awkward fit around the chest (armpits too high) but they fixed that for the 2019 series. However, they also removed the thumb loops on the sleeves and replaced them with a stupid mitten that is stowed in the sleeve cuff. This could be useful for a runner who took nothing with them but it's dumb for hiking where you always have liner gloves. The built-in mittens eliminate all use of your hands (there is no thumb). Worse, when you don't want to use them your left with a really tight, warm double layered cuff that is difficult to push back away from your hands when it's warm.
I still love the fabric so I'm going to cut off the mitten and sew on my own cuff with a thumb loop. It's hard to find the exact fabric ("Airvent" polyester apparently).
I got some samples from Rockywoods and they are all warmer than what OR uses. These are the closest matches (in order of increasing warmth).
For the Montbell Hoodie
I still love the fabric so I'm going to cut off the mitten and sew on my own cuff with a thumb loop. It's hard to find the exact fabric ("Airvent" polyester apparently).
I got some samples from Rockywoods and they are all warmer than what OR uses. These are the closest matches (in order of increasing warmth).
- Lightweight Under Armour Poly/Lycra Wicking with 4-way stretch
- Under Armour HeatGear Wicking fabric (4-way stretch polyester/elastane)
- Polartec Powerdry Lightweight Wickaway fabric
- Polartec Powerdry Wickaway Knit Fabric (This would be great for the Montbell Hoodie)
- Under Armour Poly/Lycra Wicking with 4-way stretch (seems quite durable)
For the Montbell Hoodie
- Polartec Single Layer Medium Weight Wickaway single knit with mesh back
- Polyester boxed flatback mesh wickaway fabric
Sun Protection
I always wear sunscreen but clothing is by far the most effective choice for sun protection. The best approach I've found is to wear a hat in combination with a longsleeve "sun hoodie". A baseball cap is the most common choice here but this leaves the side of your face exposed. A floppy wide-brim hat over the sun hoodie works much better. This is most important in areas with intense exposure with you find above tree line in the mountains. This runs a little warm butoverheating is usually not a big deal since mountains are typically cooler and-even more importantly- usually has a strong breeze.
The other ancillary benefit to the wide brim hat is a sturdy chin strap which is critical for strong mountain wind. This feature never seems to have caught on with the baseball cap style.
The downside is that you look like doofus and people may look at you weird. :)
The other ancillary benefit to the wide brim hat is a sturdy chin strap which is critical for strong mountain wind. This feature never seems to have caught on with the baseball cap style.
The downside is that you look like doofus and people may look at you weird. :)
Baselayers
The basic trade-off in wool vs. synthetics baselayer material comes down to (1) how much water is absorbed, (2) odor and (3) durability. Compared to wool, synthetics will absorb less water but will smell worse faster, and aren't quite as durable. However, most of my trips are short-ish (few days) and odor is tolerable, durability manageable and thus water absorption is the primary thing I look for making synthetics the material of choice for all my base layers.
For winter trips, multiple base layers go a long way. These don't have to be anything too fancy. I've been using these cheap shirts for many years now and they are great. Moisture management is great (fabric is 86% Polyester, 14% Spandex) and the thumb loops are very helpful in adding warmth. Two of these shirts plus my standard hooded sun shirt, keeps me pretty comfortable down to 20F, even during brief stops.
For winter trips, multiple base layers go a long way. These don't have to be anything too fancy. I've been using these cheap shirts for many years now and they are great. Moisture management is great (fabric is 86% Polyester, 14% Spandex) and the thumb loops are very helpful in adding warmth. Two of these shirts plus my standard hooded sun shirt, keeps me pretty comfortable down to 20F, even during brief stops.
Jackets
A good description of different kinds of synthetic fleece fabrics: www.backcountry.com/explore/all-about-fleece-jackets
I was thinking about the "warm when wet" concept recently and why fleece is generally considered the best material. Clearly you want something that doesn't absorb water to keep the cooling associated with evaporation of water to a minimum. The best example of this property comes from laundry: when you take a fleece jacket out of the washing machine it's already basically completely dry. That being said, I think another reason which is associated more with mechanics is nearly as important. Fleece retains it's loft (thus retaining pockets of trapped air) under the weight of water. This is also why it packs/compresses so poorly.
Warm Hats
I've found hoods to be warmer than hats since they not only trap heat from leaving the top of your head, but also trap warm air around your neck. You also can't lose a hood.