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Clothing for a week long summer trip

Posted: Tue Mar 31, 2009 3:34 pm
by trav867
Trying to save weight (what else is new) and figure out which items of clothing are necessities. I'd like to know what folks here bring for say a week long summer trip. I'm going to weigh all my backpacking clothing tonight, but here's my breakdown not including boots:

2 polyester/coolmax tshirts

1 coolmax longsleve

1 lightweight windbreaker/shell

1 pair zipoff pants

2 pairs compression shorts (underwear)

1 pair synthetic long underwear

1 synthetic thermal longsleve

1 pair thick wool socks (mostly for sleeping)

2 pairs wrightsock blisterproof socks

1 winter cap

1 pair lightweight gloves

1 cotton handkerchief

1 synthetic baseball cap

Re: Clothing for a week long summer trip

Posted: Tue Mar 31, 2009 4:08 pm
by markskor
Trav,
Why all those shirts?
On a typical 10 day summer trip to 12,000 feet , I carry a lot less.
2 polly shirts....1 long, 1 short - (1 of which I wear)
long sleeve Fleece with hood
1 shorts - which I typically live in...all else only if at camp, and even that rarely
1 pair sweat pants
2 pair underwear...wicking boxers
TNF Diad waterproof jacket - shell
Down vest
2 pair socks - under
1 pair wool socks -outer
wool cap - night
baseball cap - day
Fingerless wool gloves

used to carry more, but found out they never got used.
Mark

Re: Clothing for a week long summer trip

Posted: Tue Mar 31, 2009 4:50 pm
by ERIC
markskor wrote: 1 pair sweat pants
AKA fleece pants, right? Or do you have a better suggestion? Reason I ask is that I have an old pair of Patagonia fleece pants that are in need of replacing, so I'm in the market. Those pants were a little on the bulky side, so open to alternative suggestions.

Re: Clothing for a week long summer trip

Posted: Tue Mar 31, 2009 5:15 pm
by trav867
Its a good question! I bring two t's because after a few days, one is usually pretty smelly/not breathable. Guess I should probably just take the time to do laundry though.
I could probably lose the thermal shirt and long underwear now that I think about it.

See, this is why I started this thread!

Re: Clothing for a week long summer trip

Posted: Tue Mar 31, 2009 6:16 pm
by markskor
Eric,
Sweat pants are fleece yes...and mine are maybe a little bulky too, but use them primarily to keep out the damn evening bugs - fishing, so have to be a little thicker...
I think mine are made by Abacrombie & Fitch (spelling?)...maybe Patagonia...have two pair.
For as seldom as I use them though, I can't see paying big $$ for waterproof fleece rain pants...never saw the need in summer. Mostly use them as pillow stuffing.
BTW, I do not like those zip-off pants...too uncomfortable.
Mark

Re: Clothing for a week long summer trip

Posted: Tue Mar 31, 2009 7:29 pm
by hikerduane
Hiking shorts
Golite wind pants
2 wicking underwear briefs
2 short sleeve blend shirts, treated with permithren
Polartec 100 top
WM down vest
1 pr jogger socks to use in camp with my Crocs
2 pr Smartwool socks
French Foreign legion like cap
Gram Weinie anorak rain coat-4oz.

I launder dirty clothes every other day

Re: Clothing for a week long summer trip

Posted: Tue Mar 31, 2009 7:36 pm
by ERIC
markskor wrote:Eric,
Sweat pants are fleece yes...and mine are maybe a little bulky too, but use them primarily to keep out the damn evening bugs - fishing, so have to be a little thicker...
I think mine are made by Abacrombie & Fitch (spelling?)...maybe Patagonia...have two pair.
For as seldom as I use them though, I can't see paying big $$ for waterproof fleece rain pants...never saw the need in summer. Mostly use them as pillow stuffing.
BTW, I do not like those zip-off pants...too uncomfortable.
Mark
Same. Only time I ever packed them was on trips in late fall. I pack ultralight rain pants, and coupled with a thermal base layer, I'm fine in most earlier season conditions. Have my eye on a pair of Mountain Hardwear fleece pants right now. But they'll mostly be used for winter trips.

Re: Clothing for a week long summer trip

Posted: Tue Mar 31, 2009 9:09 pm
by oldranger
Shorts with liners in them (this item and the following are basic dress)
Long sleeve shirt treated to keep skeeters away (mid and early season)
2 pairs Rohner treking socks (wear one pair while the other is drying out)
6 inch gaiters
Lightweight Silk turtleneck (for sleeping/around camp and only after I at least get the salt off with wet packcloth)
Lightweight pategonia long underwear (preferably with a hole or two worn or torn in them and wear after same treatment as turtleneck)
Light treated synthetic trousers.
Loose knit wool sweater (lighter and more comfortable for pillow than fleece)
WM down vest (best use is wrapped around sweater in stuff sack for pillow, by far the most expensive pillow we own. Actually costs more than all the pillows in our house! #-o )
Light nylon hooded shell
1 pair synthetic boxer briefs.
Wool mittens (also used as pot holders)
lightweight pategonia Balclava (thin enough I can wear my hat over it)
Extravagantly overpriced Twilley Hat (but damn I look good! ;) )
Crocks for camp shoes and fords.
Poncho for walking in the rain

Key to making this system work (i.e. not smelling too bad) is to go swimming fully clothed (no fish have floated to the surface yet!)every other day or so about 2 PM (if the sun is shining) then everything is dry when you need to start adding layers in the evening. Also socks must be rinsed daily. I also go to extreme measures to avoid getting turtleneck, long underwear, trousers and sweater wet. If I have to hike in the rain I am bare legged in my shorts, shirt, and poncho.

I keep thinking I should bring a t-shirt too but I just can't bring myself to do it. I used to bring gortex sidezip pants instead of the lightweight trousers but decided I really didn't need to carry the extra weight.

Mike

Re: Clothing for a week long summer trip

Posted: Wed Apr 01, 2009 1:39 pm
by fishmonger
here's what I am taking on a 4-week hike this summer, same as for a 1 week:

1 T-shirt fast drying (north face or Icebreaker)
1 Long Sleeve nylon Shirt (Ex Officio)
Underwear (icebreaker briefs)
1 REI zip-off pants
Boots
2 pair of socks (wear one, wash/dry the other)
wool gloves (no finger tips)
Fleece Jacket (thin fleece)
Gore-Tex Pants (marmot precip)
Gore-Tex Jacket (marmot precip)
Fleece Beanie
Camp & Wet Crossing Shoes (Sprint Aquatics)

wash things on a warm day, wear them to dry if you have no spare. Wear everything when it gets cold.

Re: Clothing for a week long summer trip

Posted: Fri Apr 03, 2009 12:26 pm
by BSquared
I wear:
  • 1 synthetic T-shirt (take it off and dip it in the stream every day at lunch -- amazingly, it doesn't stink [much] at the end of a three-week trip)
    1 pair nylon shorts (no underwear ala Colin Fletcher -- didn't think it'd work, but it does)
    1 sun hat
    inner and outer socks
    boots.
I carry:
  • 1 long-sleeved permethrin-treated T-shirt
    1 ultralight windbreaker
    1 rain poncho
    1 down sweater (this is probably overkill)
    1 pair heavy long underwear (instead of fleece pants -- rarely worn)
    1 pair ultralight wind pants (homemade)
    1 set extra socks
    1 pair mid-weight gloves (I'm prone to get cold hands)
    1 knit hat
    1 pair crocks (mostly for stream crossings, but OK for some camp use).
I wear all this stuff, otherwise I wouldn't bring it. In the evening I swap the T-shirt for the long-sleeved shirt and slip on the nylon pants; I swap sock sets every day, rinsing the day's pair each evening. On a very cold, windy day, I might wear the wind pants and the windbreaker over the shorts and t-shirt for the first half hour of hiking, and sometimes I do the same thing for lunch on a peak or in a pass. The rest of the stuff is mostly for early mornings and the occasional "late" night (I usually go to bed when it gets dark). I wore the whole kit and kaboodle (except the long underwear) for lunch on top of Whitney on the last JMT trip.

-B²