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
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 when stopped.
Gloves
Gloves are tricky. My hands (and feet) tend to run cold and I need gloves to stay comfortable even on summer days in the mountains. 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 them 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.
Jackets
A good description of different kinds of synthetic fleece fabrics: www.backcountry.com/explore/all-about-fleece-jackets