Camp Clothes

[adesbonnet]

This is a bit of a silly question, but what do you all prefer to wear for your camp clothes? For hiking the LT, I'll be bringing as a base 2 shirts, convertible pants, and shorts. Do you bring a full change in addition to this that you put on at camp every night, or just alternate between the 2 hiking outfits?

[Slo-go'en]

What ever you wear on top will get sweaty, wet and gross from hiking. You need a clean top for camp/sleeping. A long sleeve shirt is a good idea - helps keep the bugs from eating your arms off.

Even in July or August, it can get chilly at night so having a light jacket or a vest is important to have. There is a 100% chance you will be caught out in a thunderstorm or two or three, so rain jacket or poncho for sure. I prefer a rain jacket on the often narrow and overgrown LT. Ponchos get caught up in the brush too much.

My clothes list for pretty much anytime of year except for the dead of winter is:

2 - wicking t-shirt tops
1- long sleeve base layer top
1 - long sleeve shirt
1- light jacket
Optional - light weight long johns, mostly in the spring or fall.
Fleece beanie cap
2 pair briefs (one worn, one spare)
2-3 pair of socks (one pair worn)
zip off pants - which I rarely zip off since I don't like getting my legs all muddy and/or scratched up by the brush.

[JC13]

In summer, I bring shorts and socks to sleep in. One pair of clothes to hike in. Additional layers if needed for cold camp/nights(puffy/fleece hat).

No alternating clothes, for me personally.

[Ankle Bone]

I agree
I want a pair of clean clothes to wear in my bag at night. I use a pair of scrub bottoms and a long sleeve coolmax type shirt.

[adesbonnet]

Thanks! Yes I have all of the additional items like rain jacket, puffy, etc. A cozy long sleeve for bugs is a good idea!!

[HooKooDooKu]

For the JMT last year, I had 3.2 sets of cloths:
1. Basic hiking - two pair of sock, two pair of underwear, 1 pair of shorts & a quick dry shirt.
2. Bugs - Bugs-a-way long sleeve shirt and long pants
3. Sleep cloths - shorts (with built in liner) & light shirt.

Each day, I would alternate washing/drying one pair of socks and underwear while wearing the other.
Every other evening, I would wash the hiking shorts and shirt while wearing the bug cloths.
About once a week, I would wash the bug cloths on a night I wasn't washing the hiking cloths.
Every night, I would take a sponge bath before bed before changing into sleep cloths (don't think I ever washed them over the course of a 3 week trip).

[bigcranky]

I always bring lightweight merino wool to sleep in (long sleeve top and long john bottom), and with a spare pair of nylon shorts, these make great camp and town clothes.

On the LT I added a long sleeve nylon fishing shirt to replace my hooded wind shirt, so I would have something a little nicer for the long train ride and the nicer b&b places and restaurants in towns. Not something I'd normally carry on a long hike, but I was glad I had it. Was useful for bugs in camp, too.

[Tipi Walter]

Let's see, camp clothes.

I hike in a North Face t-shirt, NF shorts, nylon underwear, boots and smartwool socks. Crushable Mt Hardwear baseball cap.

In cooler weather I'll keep all this and add a long sleeve silk top baselayer under my t-shirt and merino leggings under my shorts. These items are also my sleeping clothes---the silk top and merino bottoms. If the top silk and the t-shirt is moist with sweat I'll body-dry them in camp. The leggings never get wet because they are also my pajamas.

For sleeping I always wear my merino leggings, camp socks (second pair) and top silk.

I never take two t-shirts or two pairs of shorts---because your foul t-shirt can be washed in a creek and worn until dry---same with shorts.

The beauty of bringing two pairs of nylon underwear is one pair can be washed every couple days and strapped on the pack to dry---the other pair used etc.