[pct-l] clothing question

Tue Jan 15 10:26:15 CST 2008

Steel-Eye wrote:

“. . . I realize what a sniveling, thumb-sucking, whiner I’ve become.”

-------------------------

Hey, I resemble that remark!  This is a line that will stay with me.  Hope
you don’t mind if I borrow it.

I also think  “Thumb-Sucking Whiner” would be an excellent trail name. 

L-Rod

   _____  

From: pct-l-bounces at backcountry.net [mailto:pct-l-bounces at backcountry.net]
On Behalf Of Steel-Eye
Sent: Friday, February 15, 2008 6:47 AM
To: G. Lowe aka Wheeew; PCT
Subject: Re: [pct-l] clothing question

Good morning, Wheeew,

It’s hard to guess what someone else may need for insulation.  As L-Rod
mentioned, tolerance to cold is a personal thing, varying considerably among
individuals.  Reasons can be physical, situational, and mental.  I think the
primary physical attribute in favor of staying warm is size: A large person
may not only have a layer of subcutaneous fat for insulation, but they would
also have a higher percentage of body mass for their skin surface area.
That configuration is not vary prevalent among long distance hikers.  I’ve
been told I may have a an unusually high percentage of residual brown fat,
i.e. brown adipose tissue (BAT), to help keep me warm but, since physiology
isn’t my field, I really don’t know mitochondria from a hole-in-the-ground.

Situational differences require a bit of experience.  For most people,
garment selection is based upon walk-around judgment: We put on a coat, go
outside for a while, then say if it is, or isn’t, enough.  This neglects the
effect of heat production from activity.  One extreme example is an ice
fisherman who sits in the cold all day.  The general rule for that situation
is, estimate what insulation is necessary, then double it.  On the other
extreme, if I started hiking with “average” insulation it would be too much
and I would be removing layers within 10 minutes.  I’m generally warm from
hiking all day, and I crawl into the bag soon after stopping and before I
cool off.  The only real use for something warm is early in the morning
while I pack my stuff and for the first 10 minutes on the trail.  I object
to carrying an extra pound …. or two, or three …. just to be a bit more
comfortable during that brief period.  For times when it’s cold and I’m not
active, my sleeping bag is my fall-back protection.  I mentioned that
situation in my TrailJournal entry for 6 Jun 07.  It was cold, there was
snow on the ground, and I had wet shoes and socks from fording the previous
day, so when I stopped for a while to wait for another hiker I wrapped my
bag around my feet and legs.  That was no big deal; it worked fine, and a
heavier coat wouldn’t have helped much.

The mental aspect is simple:  I just don’t let myself object to being cold
for a while.  Whenever I start worry about being cold I re-read my copy of
Jack London’s short story, To Build A Fire, and I realize what a sniveling,
thumb-sucking, whiner I’ve become.

Steel-Eye

^^^^^^^^^^  Serious hikers gather at:  HYPERLINK
"http://www.aldhawest.org/"http://www.aldhawest.org/  ^^^^^^^^^^

----- Original Message ----- 

From: HYPERLINK "mailto:gailpl2003 at yahoo.com"G. Lowe aka Wheeew 

To: HYPERLINK "mailto:chelin at teleport.com"Steel-Eye ; HYPERLINK
"mailto:pct-l at backcountry.net"PCT 

Sent: Monday, January 14, 2008 3:36 PM

Subject: Re: [pct-l] clothing question

You bring up good points Steel-Eye.  I was concerned about carrying "all
things down" on my hike.  I was going to post a question regarding this same
issue.  Here it is:  If I have serious Capilene long johns, a long sleeve
shirt, DriClime wind shirt and rain gear, do I really need a down jacket
too???  Or any other jacket for that matter???

Wheeew

Steel-Eye <HYPERLINK "mailto:chelin at teleport.com"chelin at teleport.com> wrote:

Good morning, Moondog,

I haven’t found the PCT to be particularly cold in the hiking season.  Frost
in the morning and occasional light snowfall aren’t uncommon, but that’s
nothing for an active hiker.  All I use is: 1) a poly tee shirt, 2) a
200-weight, pull-over fleece shirt/jacket, and 3) a thin, hooded windshirt.
The jacket is an off-brand that I bought on sale for about $10. and it
weighs 10.5 oz.  The GoLite Ether windshirt weighs 3.0 oz.  Wearing both,
I’m comfortable until I warm up on the trail.  Soon, first the wind shirt
comes off, then later the fleece.  During a break the windshirt goes back
on.  Examples of that can be seen at: 

HYPERLINK
"http://www.trailjournals.com/steel-eye"http://www.trailjournals.com/steel-e
ye on the entries for 5 & 6 June, except in that on the 6th the windshirt
was a Marmot rather than the GoLite.  I couldn’t do that with a Flight
Jacket.  

I’d love to have a Flight Jacket, and several times I’ve come close to
buying one since it weighs about the same as my fleece alone, but for me it
would be too warm and I couldn’t get the same ventilation when layering.
Besides, the Flight Jacket costs over $210. more than the cheap-o fleece.

I have three down jackets by other manufacturers, but in the more
chronically wet areas …. like where I live in the Northwest …. they are
usually too warm and they seem to get sopped around the shoulders under rain
gear.  The fleece performs much better for me under those circumstances.

I have several vests, both fleece and down, but I don’t often take them on
the trail.  My problem:  With advanced years I notice the cold on my arms
more than I used to, so I like long sleeves.

Steel-Eye

^^^^^^^^^^  Serious hikers gather at:  HYPERLINK
"http://www.aldhawest.org/"http://www.aldhawest.org/  ^^^^^^^^^^

----- Original Message ----- 

From: HYPERLINK "mailto:davidalexanderstewart at gmail.com"David Stewart 

To: HYPERLINK "mailto:pct-l at backcountry.net"pct-l at backcountry.net 

Sent: Sunday, January 13, 2008 4:59 AM

Subject: [pct-l] clothing question

I am having some trouble deciding about an insulating layer. Everyone raves
about the WM Flight Jacket. I have no doubts that that sucker is nice and
warm. But I am a warm sleeper and generally warm all the time. I hardly ever
use a 2nd layer while hiking, unless it is cold and raining. 

I will have two baselyer shirts with me, Marmot Precip Jacket and a TNF
Windstopper Vest. I am debating to go with the WM Flash vest, or the Flight
vest. I could imagine the Flight Jacket being simply too warm, except
perhaps in the Sierras (but there is some 2300 other miles of trails to
carry the jacket...). 

Layer up? or is it really that cold?

my bag will be the WM Summerlite. 

one last question to ponder: Is anyone slicker than Tom Brady? seriously.

-moondog

   _____  

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-Wheeew-
www.trailjournals.com/wheeew/
---->MexiCan----> 2008 

   _____  

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