Critique my planned clothing for late March NOBO

[hainstock]

Hey all, just looking for some feedback on what I plan to bring clothing-wise for our NOBO thru next year (thinking mid-to late March). I'm trying to be as UL as possible, and also not take up too much volume in my pack. The less clothing I have, the better

I run hot. Like, stupid hot.

Worn
Merino wool tee BL (Minus 33 Woolverino is what I was looking at)
Kuiu Peloton 97 midlayer hoody (or something similar that is as lightweight and packable. I have a few other simple polartec grid fleeces but they're super bulky)
Some basic NorthFace zip off pants I have to start, before I switch to Patagonia baggies come Virginia
Darn Tough socks
Lone peaks
a buff for sweat or ear warmth
gloves when needed
underwear

Packed:
Rain jacket to start, I have a Frogg Toggs. I plan on ditching the rain jacket after the first month/when it gets warm for an umbrella.
2 extra pairs of sock, 1 for sleep only, 1 for switching out with my worn pair.
Sleep tee, I have a Patagonia capilene lightweight that'll work great for when I need something dry to put on. Maybe a long sleeve during the cold weather so I can have a combination of a tee or LS
Town shorts/dry bottom, I bought some army workout shorts. I think I might be able to survive without long underwear. I have a 20 degree quilt
Down puffy, at least for the 1st month

Some notes

I honestly think the Kuiu might be slight overkill, and I think I could get away with my active layers being my merino tee and a Patagonia Houdini wind jacket, while holding onto the puffy for a while. Again, really stressing the packability of things here. We did a 45 mile hike in central PA last November and temps were in the 40's or 30's and I was hiking very warm in only sun hoody. So, thoughts on bringing a wind jacket?

I don't think I need things like wind pants. Might suck to not have them, but I can always pick them up on trail if I realize I made a mistake.

Thanks for reading, and if you respond, double thanks! I think the point of this post is mainly to get my own thoughts written down for myself, but may as well try and get some advice out of it as well!

[Slo-go'en]

You got to remember it's not just cold, it's a damp cold which sucks the heat right out of you. It rains a lot in NC in April. You definitely want long underwear. Every time I thought I wouldn't need any I end up buying a pair before long. A wind proof shell (aka rain jacket) goes a long way in helping keep your warm. It's not until towards the end of May that it will start to stay consistently warm and don't get fooled by a few days or a week of hot weather, it might not stay that way for too long.

[Traveler]

To echo Slo-go'en, damp cold is probably the most under considered weather issue, which in my experience has been the underlying culprit in a few close brushes with hypothermia. Long underwear is not heavy and will likely be very welcome on a significant number of days (and nights) in various weather events. Long underwear can be worn under shorts as well, which gives you the ability to thwart most conditions without adding much, if any weight.

[OwenM]

Test that merino T ahead of time. You've got all fall and winter to see how you like it.
Its only real upside is odor control. If you run as hot as I do, however unlikely that may be, you may find it unusable. Seems like I always get uncomfortably warm in the stuff. Even at pretty low temps, 150wt wets out quickly in high humidity once I get going, and stays that way. The lighter weight Capilenes, actually any decent synthetics, fare much better.
I want that odor control, though, and would like to try some blends. My newest "HeiQ Pure"-treated 2021 Cool Daily Capilene gets rank after 4 days, just like older Capilene with Polygiene did. I'm not the least bit convinced by their claims, or (sponsored?)reviews, that it's an improvement.

[4eyedbuzzard]

Hey all, just looking for some feedback on what I plan to bring clothing-wise for our NOBO thru next year (thinking mid-to late March). I'm trying to be as UL as possible, and also not take up too much volume in my pack. The less clothing I have, the better

I run hot. Like, stupid hot.

Worn
Merino wool tee BL (Minus 33 Woolverino is what I was looking at)
Kuiu Peloton 97 midlayer hoody (or something similar that is as lightweight and packable. I have a few other simple polartec grid fleeces but they're super bulky)
Some basic NorthFace zip off pants I have to start, before I switch to Patagonia baggies come Virginia
Darn Tough socks
Lone peaks
a buff for sweat or ear warmth
gloves when needed
underwear

Packed:
Rain jacket to start, I have a Frogg Toggs. I plan on ditching the rain jacket after the first month/when it gets warm for an umbrella.
2 extra pairs of sock, 1 for sleep only, 1 for switching out with my worn pair.
Sleep tee, I have a Patagonia capilene lightweight that'll work great for when I need something dry to put on. Maybe a long sleeve during the cold weather so I can have a combination of a tee or LS
Town shorts/dry bottom, I bought some army workout shorts. I think I might be able to survive without long underwear. I have a 20 degree quilt
Down puffy, at least for the 1st month

Some notes

I honestly think the Kuiu might be slight overkill, and I think I could get away with my active layers being my merino tee and a Patagonia Houdini wind jacket, while holding onto the puffy for a while. Again, really stressing the packability of things here. We did a 45 mile hike in central PA last November and temps were in the 40's or 30's and I was hiking very warm in only sun hoody. So, thoughts on bringing a wind jacket?

I don't think I need things like wind pants. Might suck to not have them, but I can always pick them up on trail if I realize I made a mistake.

Thanks for reading, and if you respond, double thanks! I think the point of this post is mainly to get my own thoughts written down for myself, but may as well try and get some advice out of it as well!

You'll hit GSMNP about week two - in late March early April. Some of the lower temperatures on Mt LeConte from the month of April earlier this year:

Apr 1: low 12°F
Apr 2: low 2°F
Apr 3: low 4°F

Apr 19: low 20°F

Apr 22: low 7°F

Then factor in wind and rain and snow/ice. Sure, you'll have some beautiful spring days with highs in the 50s and even 60s. And then you'll have the others with highs in the teens and single digit mornings and ice and freezing rain and wind. The weather will almost surely not be as nice as your central PA hike was in November.

I think you'll need the warmest and driest stuff you have listed at times. And a full wool or fleece hat, not just a buff. Ditto on the base layer bottoms. Then other days/nights, you won't. Personally, I'd want more than a 20°F quilt, but that's your call if you think you'll be okay wearing all your layers. You can always bail to town as well and wait out bad/extremely cold weather. Scroll through and read the blog archives (links on right side of webpage, then navigate through the monthly pages) for March and April this year and previous years from http://www.highonleconte.com/daily-posts and figure you will see several days of similar weather a couple of times as you head north through the higher elevations of GSNP and beyond. Most people will tell you to keep your warmest stuff until mid-May.

[RockDoc]

I didn't start until April 4th, but all I can say is I FROZE all the way to Hot Springs. And we had wool and goose down... You seem a little lightly dressed to me FWIW

[One Half]

I hope you color coordinated all that!