Backpacking Clothes (Underwear, Base Layers, Hiking Shirts/Pants, Mid Layers, Rainwear)

hey y'all Dixie here today I want to talk to you about what backpackers generally wear while they're on trail [Music] clothing will obviously vary a little bit depending on what time of year you're out on trail but today when we cover the basics of clothing we're gonna be talking about three season backpacking so in the spring summer and fall there are some general tips to keep in mind when you're considering clothing for backpacking so first is layering is very important oftentimes when people know that they're gonna be out and cold weather their first instinct is to go get a really heavy thick and bulky jacket to wear but in backpacking it's better to go with thinner fabrics that you layer on top of each other if you avoid the bulky clothing you're gonna save room and weight and also you're gonna allow yourself more versatility because as you warm up you can start taking layers off and as you cool down you can add them as needed also as far as materials go you definitely want to avoid cotton there is a saying on trail that cotton kills and what they mean by that is that cotton absorbs moisture and really kind of holds on to it it's not a very good insulator and it doesn't dry quickly which can put you in danger of hypothermia if temperatures drop what materials you want to look for are synthetics or wool synthetics like polyester and nylon are lightweight durable they dry quickly and they tend to wick moisture away from your skin but they do tend to hold on to stink a little bit more than wool a lot of backpackers wear merino wool which is itch-free insulates well when wet it dries fairly quickly at least compared to cotton and it's odor resistant but it's not going to dry as quickly as synthetics and finally you want to consider the conditions you're going to be in as far as the temperature or weather and the terrain are you gonna be in an exposed area where you're subjected to the wind and the Sun are you gonna be at higher elevations where it might be cooler is the area gonna be real brushy and you're gonna be off a beaten path so you need to protect your legs all it'd be really buggy and you need to consider mosquitoes and ticks those are just some things to keep in mind when you're considering what to wear while backpacking now I want to go through each item piece by piece so pretend you're in your birthday suit and getting dressed to go out on a backpacking trip we're gonna start with undergarments when I go backpacking I prefer to take two pair of underwear that way I can kind of rotate them out and after I wear one pair for a day or two I actually wear mine one way turn them inside out wear them that way and then the third day I move on to my second pair and I'll take the first pair and rinse it out with some water and then let it air dry on my pack while I'm wearing the second pair for a day or two and then I go back to the first pair of course you can carry however many pair of underwear you would like to but this is just a system that I found works for me some people choose to not wear underwear and they go commando because they found that it helps them with chafing this is just something that you'll have to figure out as you go along because it's gonna be different for everyone the underwear I prefer while backpacking is the brand ex-officio basically anything you go as its synthetic will work but I like ex-officio because it's odor resistant it dries quickly it's lightweight and it's breathable as far as bras go you probably want to go with something synthetic and that will offer some support for the lady bits also I prefer to hike with something that has a little bit of padding I know haha Dixie wears a padded bra but at first I was concerned that having a little padding would feel gross because it would collect a lot of sweat I've sweated a lot and I've never had it to where I could squeeze the padding in it would just wring out sweat so for me I don't mind that if you're typically somebody that likes to have a little bit of padding in your bra and you're concerned about that too it may also not be an issue for you again this is something that's going to be very much personal preference but I would just go with the rule of thumb that if a normal life while exercising or just day-to-day life if you have a sports bra that you're comfortable with then on trail you probably will be also my favorite sports bra to use is one that I get from Academy sports and outdoors and it's just the BCG brand it's pretty cheap nothing fancy but it works for me for socks I usually take two pair to hike in and one thick pair to sleep in if it's colder weather then I might go with three pair for hiking and one for sleeping just because I hate putting on freezing cold or literally frozen socks in the morning so if I have another pair to rotate out then that's a huge morale booster the pair that I sleep in I always designate for just sleeping I covered socks more in detail in the footwear video that I just put out recently so if you want to know more about the height of the socks that I use or the cushion of the socks then you can check out that video now let's talk about base layers I always take a base layer top and bottom to sleep in if I'm gonna have cooler temperatures at night basically if I'm not gonna be hot enough at night where I'm sweating I'm probably gonna take base layers so I'll sleep in usually a wool top or something synthetic like an hour Tareq's top that has fuzziness on the inside for a little more comfort and warmth and then leggings I either go with wool leggings or again something synthetic I prefer to wear wool while I'm sleeping not while I'm hiking because again it's not as quickly drying and usually at night I'm trying to stay warm and it just feels a little bit more comfortable to me than the synthetic material personally I like the smart wool brand it is a bit pricey on my Appalachian Trail through hack in the summer time it was hot enough that I only wanted to sleep in a tank top and shorts but in the cooler months I was in base layers but on the Pacific Crest Trail and the Continental Divide Trail where I was at higher elevations I slept it in base layers the whole time the only time I really ever pack base layers to wear while I'm actually hiking is when I know I'm gonna encounter some really cold weather or wintry mixes where it's sleeting or snowing or even just cold rain so depending on where you live or where you're backpacking you might only want hiking base layers for early spring or in the fall when it really starts to cool down during the day let's talk about hacking shirts some people like to backpack in short sleeve shirts or even tank tops on the Appalachian Trail I actually used a short sleeve shirt a little bit at the beginning but later ditched it and went with just a tank top because it was really warm enough for that and I knew that I could add a layer if I was to get chilly for some reason but on the Appalachian Trail you're usually protected by the green tunnels so you're not out in an exposed area baking in the Sun and so it really makes a tank-top something that you can work with while the tank top is gonna be more breathable you won't be as protected from brush bugs and again the Sun I found that long-sleeve button-up shirts are more versatile and I prefer them especially if I know I'm gonna be in a real exposed area where I'm fighting the Sun or a buggy area where mosquitoes are coming at me on the Pacific Crest Trail and the Continental Divide Trail I hiked with a Columbia PFD shirt I liked it because it had the SPF 50 protection from the Sun it was well ventilated and again I could roll up the sleeves or button down the top or even just hike in my sports bra and use the shirt as cushion on my back to protect my skin from rubbin on my pack if I got super hot and having a collar to protect my neck from the Sun was really nice now let's talk about options for covering up your booty it's certainly more traditional to wear actual hiking pants but a lot of times these days folks are hiking in shorts myself I prefer hiking in shorts just because it keeps me cooler and even if I'm in the exposed Sun I just make sure to use sunscreen or a Sun umbrella to help cover my legs but with everything there are pros and cons and if you hike in shorts your legs aren't going to be as protected from brush and from bugs as far as shorts go you don't have to have anything fancy that's made specific for hiking a lot of people hike and running shorts athletic shorts personally I prefer Patagonia's barely baggy shorts that's what I wore on the Pacific Crest Trail and the Continental Divide Trail they are more durable as they're made for outdoor activities but again that's not something that's necessary if you're not sure whether you want to go with shorts or pants and you're having an internal dispute you can always go with convertible pants this is basically just a pair of normal pants that either zip off at the knee or roll up and button or roll up and snap or snap on either way you get the point they're convertible because they can either be worn as long pants or as shorts these are pretty convenient if your gonna be going through an area where you've got a lot of creek crossings or if the temperature is going to fluctuate a good bit where if it's raining outside and you're gonna have rain pants over your pants anyway so you can just take off the bottom part of the legs or roll them up and that way you keep the bottom of your pants from getting completely soaked and then of course you can go with the just traditional hiking pants I found that these tend to get a little loose and I feel like they kind of start to sag I don't like hiking and normal hiking pants but it's all about personal preference they are of course gonna be your best protection against brush and bugs as far as pants go as long as you avoid jeans you'll probably be doing okay I know blue jeans are comfortable and normal life on trail they can lead to chafing also they hold in moisture so if they get wet they're probably not going to drive for a long time and it'll just put you in a really uncomfortable position and if it's cold outside could put you in a bad situation with hypothermia finally some people choose to hike in yoga pants or tights this is definitely an option I've heard that having more tight-fitting clothing like that can help with chafing if you have issues with that myself I don't like hiking in yoga pants I feel like they start to loosen up and sag after a day or two my base layers do that also if I live in cold weather and I've got the synthetic base layers I was talking about they tend to do the same thing kind of stretch out and like you know get all loose and baggy in the the button crotch area they're definitely not as durable as other options and I found if you have tight clothing like that mosquitos or more likely to be able to bite through it I wear shorts anyway so mosquitoes are something that I just have to deal with but it's just something to keep in mind if you do want to wear pants to protect yourself from bugs and finally the hiking skirt skort dress or kilt is also an option from what I hear they're pretty comfortable they're well ventilated they're stretchy I haven't tried any of these personally but there are some people who backpack in them and swear by them next I want to talk about mid layers which is something like a jacket or a pullover just another warmer layer one option might be a puffy jacket or a vest vests are a good option if you want to cut weight while also keeping your core warm prefer a full-on puffy with a hood to help keep my neck and head warm also but my friend perk on the PCT and CDT carried a puffy that looked a lot like mine except it was a vest I keep my puffy packed in my pack all the time regardless if it's warmer weather or not because I like knowing that I have some type of warm layer to put on if the temperatures drop lower than I expected or I get sick and feel chilled for some reason just for whatever reason because even if I don't put it on in the evenings to keep myself warm or if I don't wear it while I'm sleeping then I can't pull it up and use it as a pillow I will warn you that puppies are not very durable so if you're sitting around a campfire just be careful because too many times I've had a pop of the wood and suddenly I now have a hole burned in my puffy in the world of Puffy's you have down and synthetic fillers down is going to be more lightweight and more packable but it is more expensive it does not have insulating properties when wet so it's pretty much useless if you're down puffy gets wet also it's not as easy to wash you have to have certain cleaner for down because normal detergent will strip the down of its natural oils so if you're gonna be on a longer backpacking trip and you're planning to make town stops along the way like you would on a through hack then you're either gonna have to mail yourself the special detergent or just not wash it and my puffy coat from the CDT still has not been washed after six months of using it and it really stinks a synthetic puffy coat is going to be cheaper it will be insulating when wet it is easier to wash but they are bulkier and heavier some people choose to forego the puffy and they hike with a fleece pullover instead a fleece pullover is gonna be heavier and bulkier than a puffy but you can generally wear it while sleeping or while hiking because it's going to be more durable and it will also still have insulating properties if it gets wet if you want to save a little weight you can do so by getting one that only zips down 3/4 of the way instead of all the way down and if it has no pockets you'll also save a little weight there while I was on my CDT thru-hike and I was up in Glacier National Park and we were getting a good Buddhist and the temperatures had dropped to where they were maybe in the low 30s or upper 20s like the high for the day was that temperature I went ahead and added a fleece I had a three-quarter zip and no pockets that way I added something that was as lightweight as possible but I wanted to have a mid layer to help keep me warm while I was hiking during the day but usually I would only go with a puffy or a vest or a fleece really having anything other than one mid layer if you're hiking in temperatures that are above freezing I feel like is kind of overkill and finally some people bring along a win shirt wind shirts are usually water resistant not waterproof but they add a little protective layer to keep the wind off of you if you're hiking and you get a little chilly some people will use these and not carry rain gear if they're hiking and warmer temperatures I don't really recommend that especially if you're a beginner I feel like you kind of need to learn what temperatures are comfortable with what clothing in and risking not having rain gear and being miserable or getting hypothermia to me just really isn't worth it I've never hiked with a wind shirt I prefer to have designated rain gear and I just used that as dual purpose if I'm out hiking and it's a clear day but a cool and windy day I really love when I use something for a dual purpose so my rain gear is also my wind gear speaking of rain gear let's go ahead and talk about that rain gear is not only rain gear but it is also as I mentioned wind protection bug protection and I think that rain gear might be the best mosquito protection I've had them get through other clothing but they do not bite through rain gear at least from what I found and I've been through some pretty thick mosquito clouds and rain gear can act as an extra layer of warmth at night I have had some pretty chilly nights where I had on my puffy and my base layers and my warm socks and I was still shivering so having some rain pants and a rain top to put on and help keep in some of that warmth really helped when I'm shopping for a rain jacket and rain pants some of the bells and whistles that I look for are pit zips pit zips sound like exactly what they are just zip in your armpits where you can kind of help control the temperature and ventilation while you're hiking you might already be kind of warm and then you put on a rain jacket and now you're just burning up and having those pit zips to help ventilate yourself is nice I like having an adjustable hood on the rain jacket that way if I'm in windy rain then I can cinch it down and help protect my hair from getting wet when looking for a rain pants I like knowing that my rain pants will have an adjustable waist so either something elastic or a drawstring that way I can pull them up and over my pants easily and then cinch them down on the ankle area I like if a pair of rain pants has zippers that way if I get caught in a rainstorm that I wasn't necessarily expecting I can drop my pack get out my rain gear and slide my rain pants over my shoes and I don't have to worry about taking them off before I put on the rain pants rain gear can be heavy if it's really cheap and it can be pretty expensive if you're trying to go lightweight but the cheapest lightweight rain gear I found is frog togs for about twenty dollars you can get a rain jacket and rain pants they are definitely not cute usually they're either in this awful tan color or blue berry blue but again it's not about looking nice as it is you know staying warm and dry frog togs aren't very durable but if you're hiking on a well beaten path that's maintained and you're not going to be off bushwhacking then you're probably good frog dogs won't have all of the bells and whistles but for something that's lightweight and cheap if you're on a budget they're not a bad option my favorite rain gear as far as a jacket and pants that I've found so far is anti-gravity gear it's not as cheap as frog dogs but they do come with all of the bells and whistles and they're very lightweight sometimes in the warmer months if I know that it's gonna be hot during the day then I'll only hike with the raincoat just to keep me from getting completely soaked but the shorts that I wear do you dry out pretty quickly so I don't worry about the rain pants that way I can keep cool on my legs while I'm protecting my top hat from getting completely soaked with either sweat or rain but a traditional rain jacket and rain pants are not the only form of rain gear used while backpacking some people prefer ponchos so that they can cover not only themselves but their pack also and having the poncho allows a little more ventilation from underneath some people use rain kilts because they're a little more breathable than rain pants and then also some people add an umbrella and I know that this isn't really clothing but while we're talking about rain gear it kind of falls into that category umbrellas are pretty much a must-have for me when I'm gonna be in colder weather and I know it's gonna rain having an umbrella I feel like helps keep me warm because my raincoat isn't getting wet and then my body is constantly trying to heat up the rain that keeps falling onto the rain jacket and the rain pants so it overall just helps me stay drier and warmer let's cover some accessories like gloves there are Sun gloves to help protect your hands from the Sun I didn't use these on the Appalachian Trail but in areas that are more exposed like you see on the Pacific Crest Trail or the Continental Divide Trail I definitely recommend them to help protect your hands from the Sun also you might consider bringing a pair of gloves if you're gonna be hiking in cooler weather I don't know that there's anything more miserable than having freezing hands while trying to hike especially if you're using trekking poles I prefer paulsen down gloves because they're lightweight and if they were to get wet for some reason they do dry quickly but there are a lot of different types of gloves out there and then if you're gonna be hiking and cold rain you might want to consider waterproof gloves now be cautious when you see something that says it is a waterproof glove I would definitely read reviews of people who have been out backpacking with the supposed waterproof gloves because I've had some bad luck I finally found some showa gloves and they're more like a work type glove but it's just something that I put over the opossum down gloves as a waterproofing layer then let's talk about things that go on your head like beanies to help keep your head warm while you're hiking or at night I usually go with a wool beanie like a smart wool beanie but really anything will do as long as it's not cotton also you may want to consider backpacking with a hat if you're gonna be an exposed area something like a wide brim hat to keep your face and your neck protected from the Sun buffs are a very versatile accessory you can put them in your hair to keep your hair out of your face and keep greasiness covered up you can put them around your neck to keep it warm or you can even slip the buff up and over your face to protect your face from the wind or the rain or the snow and finally bandanas can be very useful for a lot of things also for use in your hair to cover your face to cover your leg from extreme sunburn for first aid whatever there are all sorts of uses for a bandana and if you don't believe me just google ways you can use a bandana while backpacking and you will see that pretty much covers most of the clothing types that people take while backpacking it can be easy to over pack so for three season backpacking if you have a base layer either for sleeping and or hiking your regular layer so your hiking pants and you're hiking shirt one mid layer and then your rain gear you're probably good now if you're gonna be seeing some colder temperatures at night like below freezing or during the day then you may have to adjust that song if you're not sure and your concerns that you're gonna get out there and be cold then maybe try your first backpacking trip while it's warm and then start slowly transitioning yourself to either earlier in the year or later in the year and that way you kind of learn what you're comfortable with and if you're wondering if I mean you should have each of those things for each day you're out there you know some people think that they need a whole new outfit each day that they're hiking you can certainly do that if if you would like to and that's what you're comfortable with but your pack is gonna be really really heavy you really only need one outfit for hiking and one outfit for sleeping and then maybe some accessories or the mid layer for extra warmth but people who go backpacking usually do not have different changes of outfits for each day you just learn to embrace the stink I know that clothing can get expensive especially if you go with the top-notch brands and backpacking gear but again you don't have to do that and some tips for saving might be to check out our guys garage sales if you live near in Oriya they have discounted gear a lot of times and that includes clothing too so if they're changing seasons they might have some sales going on you can also check thrift stores and there are a lot of facebook forums for use back that's all I have for y'all today on the topic of clothing if you have any questions about any of the things that I've talked about today please feel free to leave that in the comments below I don't mind answering questions that you feel like might be silly everyone has to start somewhere and I had to learn about a lot of this stuff the hard way so I don't mind helping folks out her just beginning if any of y'all have a favorite piece of clothing that you wear while backpacking today I want to hear about that in the comments so what your favorite piece of clothing is and why it's your favorite piece of clothing I'll tell you one of my favorite things is when I can find long-sleeved shirts or base layers that have thumb holes because it helps keep my hands warm and when I slide on my puffy coat they don't roll up so that's something that I really love in the world of clothing our long sleeve base layers with Dunkle's anyway thank y'all so much for watching today and if you enjoyed the video do not forget to subscribe before you go and we will see y'all next time

Channel: Homemade Wanderlust

Views: 255,445

Rating: 4.9556541 out of 5

Keywords: backpacking, basics, clothing, layering, rain wear, rain coat, sport bras, underwear, socks, bandanas, smartwool, Columbia, hiking, thru-hiking, pacific crest trail, appalachian trail, continental divide trail, pct, cdt, dixie

Id: 5zX_PIUpCh0

Length: 23min 15sec (1395 seconds)

Published: Thu Mar 07 2019