How To Layer Your Backpacking Clothing (Like A Thru Hiker)

hi guys well today I'm going to show you how to layer your clothing like a thru-hike err and obviously this can apply to any backpacking trip you go on but it works best for through hiking so layering clothing was a big challenge for me when I was first getting into backpacking because it's kind of hard to know what you need to take and what's going to work best so hopefully this video will help you work through that so obviously here we're going to be looking at a three season setup and that is spring summer fall and yeah there are cold snaps and there are definitely cold conditions on most through hikes but not full on winter good conditions and I'll be saving a video on that type of layering for another time I'll also be putting off rain gear layering which is definitely a part of layering and can help kind of buffer you against cold conditions but I'm going to be doing that as a separate video because there's a lot of detail to go into there as well when you're looking for a layering system the number one priority should be comfort while hiking and that's not overheating not sweating too much not being cold and also not chafing which a lot of people don't think about and that should be your number one concern number two you can start thinking about comfort while you're in camp or while you're cooking or something but those times are not very frequent at least especially not on a thru-hike and also if you're that cold when you're just hanging around camp you could always jump into your quilt and you'll be fine alright so let's get started here and keep in mind layering systems are really personal things that can change based on your preference and comfort levels and so while I'm going to give you a good base to start from here definitely take some time to find out what works best for you up first is you're hiking layer and this is by far the most important layer because it's going to be the one that keeps you comfortable and allows you to hike all day and starting from the bottom up besides shoes you have socks so for socks you want something that's going to wick away your sweat to keep your feet from staying wet and you want comfort and durability a common mistake I see a lot of backpackers make is that they go for the really thick wool socks like you'll see in Walmart or maybe a costco and while these socks are comfortable they are just way too thick and way too warm to be worn as hiking socks and when they're that thick they're going to put pressure on your feet and create hot spots and they'll also be so warm that they make you sweat a lot and that sweat will lead to blisters and all sorts of feet problems you don't want to have while hiking I recommend getting a thin wool sock that is still wool so it's going to wick away your sweat but it's thin enough that it'll provide a nice little barrier between you and the shoe and prevent friction and I know you've heard me recommend them a thousand times before but I like the darn Tufts quarter cushion merino socks they are thin enough that they're comfortable but yet they still wick away sweat and they're extremely durable much more so then I found smart wools to be in my pack I like to carry two pairs of socks for hiking in Wonderware and one is a backup to switch out when they start to get a little crusty so the next layer to focus on is your bottom layer which can be shorts or pants keep in mind with this layer and with all other layers you're going to use while backpacking you either want to use synthetic or wool materials you don't want to use cotton because it can hold on to moisture which can be an issue in cold weather and can be an annoyance when it's warm so choosing between shorts and pants is partly a matter of personal preference but more importantly it's a matter of location so on the 18 PCT I have far preferred shorts just to do to their breathability and kind of airiness but on the CDT I found that I would use zip off pants just because of all of the off trail hiking and bushwhacking that I had to do so it's up to you but nine times out of 10 I found that I prefer shorts even if it means my legs get a little cut up while bushwhacking for simplicity in this video I'm just going to recommend that you hike in shorts if need be you can always use your base layer which we will talk about in a little bit underneath your shorts for protection and warmth my preference on shorts is a lightweight and breathable running short now most through hikers tend to use short inseam so really short running shorts and the reason for this is mobility you don't want to have a short that hangs down too low because it tends to chafe on your legs and limits your mobility if you're climbing up a steep rock face or something like that I always get a running short with a liner inside because I don't wear underwear on trail and the liner helps to wick away sweat and keep the shape away some things to consider when you're through hiking are pockets because in town it can be very handy to have a pocket to keep your wallet in and this is not a common feature on a lot of running shorts another tip is to avoid any pants or shorts that require a belt for you to wear the belts just get in the way and they're uncomfortable and that's more weight so I'd recommend finding shorts or pants with a drawstring so when you do start to lose weight on your through hike you can tighten them up with a simple knot the final layer you're going to need is a hiking shirt and just like the other layers you want something that is synthetic or wool so it's going to wick away that sweat right off your back now wall shirts are more comfortable and they do wick very well and they also don't tend to smell like synthetic layers do but the thing is I've never found a wool layer that's durable enough for a hiking shirt with the pack on your back the abrasion is just too high and they tend to shred to pieces so I recommend a synthetic shirt and also a long-sleeve I used to be pretty exclusively a short sleeve hiker especially on the 80 where there's not a lot of Sun but the thing is on the other trails such as the PCT and CDT they're far more open so you get more sun exposure and more wind exposure and with long sleeves you can keep your arms from burning and they also fight off the wind chill a little bit when it gets chilly and if it gets too hot or there's not a lot of Sun you just roll them up and you have a short sleeve so it's a lot more adaptable than a short sleeve and it's really almost no added weight just the sleeves the thing about this shirt is it has a nice collar so you can flip it up two times and keep the Sun off your neck and it has little holders that hold the sleeves up on your arm so they don't get in your way when they rolled up this is definitely my recommendation it's a Columbia Silver Ridge long-sleeve t-shirt the shirt you see here actually lasted the entire CDT with me and I had one that lasted for the whole PCT as well also I'll be posting all of the recommendations I've made on my website with links if you want to check them out so that covers the hiking layering system which is pretty simple it's just socks shorts or pants and a shirt the next layering system I'm going to talk about is the sleeping layer a lot of people forgo the sleeping layer to save weight but I think there are enough functions in the sleeping layer that it more than justifies the weight it costs the most obvious function is that it serves as a clean pair of clothes to put on at the end of the day and that is a I mean it's something to look forward to it feels nice and but more importantly it actually keeps the sweat and oils from your dirty hiking clothes off of your down sleeping gear and that's going to prolong the life of your down and allow you to be warmer at night what's better is that you know that these clothes are going to be dry so at the end of a long rainy day it's nice to have something dried to get into before you go to bed and this is really essential on those really cold rainy days another function is that this can be an emergency layer so if you're out hiking and there's a cold snap or it's just really cold you can always throw on one of your sleeping layers to add some more these also make a great backup so if you happen to rip your shirt or your pants or something you can wear these and you'll be fine until the next town and in town when you're doing laundry it's nice to have something to wear that's not like a rain skirt or rain gear so these can help for that as well so moving up the sleeping layer here the first thing you'll need are sleeping socks now these are very dependent on the season I don't normally carry sleeping socks if it's mid summer or if it's warm out but once it starts to get colder and on the fringe seasons I'll carry some just to keep my feet a little toasty or when I'm in my bag and when I do get sleeping socks this is the one time where I actually do go for those thick wool socks you'll find in most stores they add more warmth and they're just really comfortable to wear after that the next part of the layering system is the long johns or the bottoms and for these you can use any sort of long pants lightweight some people use wool like I've said before though I found that wool tears up on me so I like the a Patagonia capilene for which I believe is now called their thermal way it's a baffled synthetic pant and it's really warm but lighter than most everything you'll find on the market and moving up just like the bottom the synthetic top is pretty much the same deal I use the Capitoline thermal weight long sleeve with the zip and I really like it it's comfortable it's warm and does basically everything I need when I sleep or if I use it as a cold-weather layer which includes breathing very well I've included my down jacket as part of my sleep layer system just because it's not really something you wear often to hike in although occasionally on really cold mornings I do but it's more something that you'll use to wear around camp or while you're eating lunch or to buffer yourself while you're sleeping to add a little more warmth or maybe block the wind on your head with the hood so I think this is one of the most important layers it's going to keep you warm when you're not moving and it's kind of like your last defense against the cold and I'm sure you've heard a lot of people say that down is useless when it gets wet but the reality is that pretty much anything is going to be cold when it gets wet and may be synthetic fill has a little higher r-value when wet but in reality you shouldn't be getting your insulating layer wet anyways and for its weight down is much more efficient so I'm sure you've all heard the myth of 80% of your body heat escapes through your head which is very not true but it is amazing how much warmer you can be when your head is warm and insulated so if you do get a down jacket I highly recommend getting one with a hood and it'll help keep in your warmth it'll help shed the wind and it's nice to have if you use a quilt it's sometimes nice to wear a hood while you sleep so pictured here and my current favorite down jacket is the Mountain Hardwear Ghost Whisperer it's about 7 ounces and it's not a winter jacket but it's warm enough to be plenty sufficient for spring summer and fall which is all you need for a thru-hike and that brings us to the final part of the sleeping layering system which is something that you'll probably be using while you hiking or while you're at camp but I like to include in the sleeping system and that is either a beanie or toboggan or maybe even a balaclava so the head wear is always useful not only while sleeping to add a little warmth but while hiking just to cut the wind on your ears and the back of your neck so I normally just bring along a beanie and if it gets too cold I slip it on over my head and as you can see I do have my bandana which I always bring with me mostly to keep the sweat out of my eyes and keep the hair out of my face but one other option that you can see here is the balaclava and I use that when it gets really cold and I don't use both I'll send my beanie home and swap it out for a balaclava which is actually the same weight or a little bit lighter than the beanie anyways but what that does is it covers my mouth it allows me to breathe more warmly than if I were to breathe in a bunch of cold air and it just keeps my entire head warm a little warmer than a beanie does and this is actually one area where I would recommend going with wool and this is an ibex wool beanie that I have and I really like it but there are plenty of options out there as far as beanies in toboggans go and the balaclava is actually made from a material called cool max which seems counterintuitive but it is quite warm and it's around 2 ounces really light and I'll link to that in my blog if you're interested so this is what I call my cold-weather hybrid layer and it's just kind of consists of different parts of my sleeping and normal hiking layers put together for when it gets really cold if there's a cold snap or snowy conditions and you can see I wear my long johns with my shorts over top of them and my hiking shirt and if it's really cold I'll even throw on my sleeping shirt underneath my hiking shirt and my down jacket my sleeping socks if it's really cold or snowy just to keep my feet extra warm and either a toboggan or a balaclava and you can see when it gets really cold I'll add in my gloves now I haven't mentioned the gloves yet because I don't always carry them with me but for colder conditions which for me means the end of fall or the very beginning of spring I do take very lightweight gloves on my hike with me and these are just police gloves Mountain Hardwear powerstretch although I think these ones are actually de kind some type of glove that I got for really cheap but they're just really lightweight but they're enough to keep your hands from freezing and keep them functional I also like to get the ones with the touch screen tips just so you can use your GPS or phone while you have your gloves on so that's my layering system and to sum it up here you really just need a hiking shirt and shorts or pants a pair of long johns tops and bottoms some type of insulated jacket I prefer a down one and two pairs of hiking socks that you can swap out as they start to get old and as it gets colder you can incorporate sleeping socks to keep your feet warm gloves to keep your hands warm and a beanie or a balaclava to keep your head and face warm that's about it so I hope you all have enjoyed this video if you have questions just leave them and I'll try to get back to them and if you do like it maybe consider heading on over to my patreon page where you can help support me and keep more videos like this coming thanks for watching

Channel: Backcountry Banter

Views: 224,701

Rating: 4.8966789 out of 5

Keywords: how to, layer clothing, backpacking, tips, ultralight, thru hike, thru hiking, AT, PCT, CDT, appalachian trail, pacific crest trail, continental divide trail, thru-hike, lightweight hiking, down jacket, camping, clothing, backpacking clothes

Id: psVYrYUMQ50

Length: 14min 27sec (867 seconds)

Published: Thu Jan 07 2016

Reddit Comments

[u/madezra74]

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