[pct-l] trail clothing

[Stephen Adams]

Kimberlie,
Here's what I have been using in the Sierra early through late summer.  
T-shirt with sleeves cut off with a Wickers polyester t-shirt over that.
Light knee length shorts, nylon with elastic and thin belt.  (have changed to a very light river short similar with removeable legs)
Smartwool medium hiker socks and Moab or other light hiker shoe, preferably over the ankle bone mid.  
OR Sonora Sombrero hat and sunglasses.  
That's what I can be found hiking in 99% of the time.  
I also carry for layering:
Terramar light wool or Patagonia light base layer pants.
Poly turtle neck, or Terramar zip mock top.  
Standard weight 200 fleece vest.  Black.
Golite rain shell Paclite Goretex (11 oz)
Morino wool beanie.  
Light morino wool glove liners.  

This has pretty much been my standard rig for a lot of years with only slight variations.  Note that I don't carry a down sweater or rain pants or anything heavy that I have to carry all day long anyway.  This seems to keep me pretty comfortable even when up early and late not moving much doing photography.  With the rain/wind shell over a turtleneck and the vest I keep pretty warm.  The thin liner gloves are nice thing to have on those chilly mornings or if my hands got cold in rain or something.  I prefer the old fashioned beanie which I can wear doubled over or not and sleep in it to look at the stars without my bag pulled up over my head.  I just started using light wool base layer.  Very warm and not so smelly as synthetics.  I have an old light polypro turtleneck that is really warm as a base and keep my neck toasty if the winds up.  The zip front mock is OK but the collars allow wind to blow in.  Burrr.  
One must make some compromises.  SInce you have to haul the cool weather extra layering all day long, put some though into this.  Do you really need a down sweater that weighs two pounds when you may only wear it for thirty minutes and then only on a few nights when it will more often than not be overkill?  You certainly wont be wanting to hike in it, and thus carry it 99.999% of the time.  The fleece vest I carry make a superb pillow, I wear it often and hike in it in the morning a lot also or when it's cool in the evening and hiking into the night.  though I will ditch the cut-off sleeve t-shirt at the end of the day, I will use the poly t-shirt over the t-neck as a little extra layer, and the polyester doesn't feel damp in the morning like a cotton t-shirt, and I use one or the other to keep my pillow from slipping on my therma-rest.
I tend to carry one spare pair of night socks or backups that I also use in my belt line to pad my hips when I have a full food load.  And when I wash one pair I have a dry pair to put on or at the end of a wet foot day.  
Get a hard case for your sunglasses,  and always, always put them in it when not wearing them and especially at night, and then in your pack so you don't loose them. 
This is just what works for me and I am comfortable with it for three season.  I of course at a sweater and warmer sleeping bag for cold weather.  And by cold I mean in the teens.  Like painful freeze your ass cold.  
               





On Feb 13, 2010, at 8:27 AM, Kimberlie Dame wrote:

> Thanks to everyone for the suggestions for finding inexpensive clothing....
> Someone off the list referred me to a site called "spadout.com" which is
> also proving to offer some great deals and I thought I would share.
> 
> Would love to start a thread of people sharing their clothing systems for
> the trail. I can't seem to decide on what to take (for example: soft shell
> coat + down vest + rain poncho or down coat + rain jacket or ????? ,  wool
> baselayers + nylon pants  or leopard print cami + faux fur miniskirt  or ???
> )
> 
> Let me know what YOU'RE wearing please!
> 
> Kimberlie in Sedona
> 
> "the newnomads.com"
> 
> PS- Don't you think it's time someone start a used gear site? Like a
> "craigslist" for gear only? I'm shocked I can't find one already!
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