Clothing Confusion...

[Snoopy]

Can someone help me clear up a few questions regarding clothing for the AT? I keep seeing clothing lists that are sounding like greek to me. I read base, mid-layer, etc... I can figure out what this means but then I get lost in the types and kinds.

I thought that I had my clothing list prepared for my hike in April but as I keep reading posts my head swirls with information.

Is there any videos out there that anyone knows of to help narrow the confusion? Or just sound and simple advice?

I live in Florida and I'm not prepared or knowledgeable for weather colder than 40deg.

[Lazy Maintenance Man]

This is probably the best write up on hiking clothes that I have seen so far, hope it helps. http://blackwoodspress.com/blog/2157...othing-system/

[zombiegrad]

I'm with you, Snoopy! Information overload.

Thanks for sharing this link, Lazy (hope you don't mind me shortening your name). It's incredibly helpful. And my goodness expensive! I'll be hitting the thrift shops first, that's for sure.

[Appalachian Tater]

To over-simplify things:

Base layer is a moisture-wicking teeshirt and underpants, both short or long.
Midlayer is for warmth, like a sweater or fleece.
Outer layer is a rain jacket to protect you from wind and rain.

You wear the base layer all the time and then add one or both of the other layers as needed for comfort according to the temperature and weather.

[Blissful]

List your clothes, Snoopy, and I can take a look.

[Snoopy]

Okay.. Its a pretty simplistic list compared to what I have been seeing..

Montbell down camp jacket
Northface venture rain jacket
long underwear
3 pairs shorts
2 synthetic shirts
3 pairs of socks


The End!

[Mags]

I apologize for posting in the women's forum...

But, I used to lead a beginners backpacking trip every year, and I wrote this doc that seems to help. Meant for CO, but can apply to almost any mountain environment.

Hope it helps.

[Red Hat]

Good info, Mags... Here's what I used last year:
Longsleeve Smartwool top base layer for cold
Shortsleeve Smartwool top base layer for warmer
Barely there bra and panties
Smartwool long base layer for cold
Mountain Hardwear Kilt all year
light fleece jacket for hiking (in extreme cold)
Montbell down jacket for camp
Packa and rainpants

In extreme cold (like this January) I ditch the kilt and wear Mountain Hardwear slacks, but didn't need them on the AT from March to Sept last year

I know that merino wool and down are expensive. But they are so worth it! Look for buys on Steep and Cheap or resale shops. If I had purchased them early on, I wouldn't have wasted money on the polypro or fleece that sit in my gear closet...

[Country Roads]

Eriks blog/website is very good. He gets to the facts with no BS
www.blackwoodspress.com

He also has a book on ultralight backpacking in the works. (No we are not related, except as fellow backpackers ).
His article/pics on dressing for backpacks is very good and explains the different layers very well.

It is probably better to carry several light layers that you can combine in many different ways for comfort, than to carry only 1 or 2 heavier layers that might be less versatile.
Remember that your needs are different than anyone else's; don't be afraid to experiment and tweak your set up as you go.

[OliveOil]

Okay.. Its a pretty simplistic list compared to what I have been seeing..

Montbell down camp jacket
Northface venture rain jacket
long underwear
3 pairs shorts
2 synthetic shirts
3 pairs of socks


The End!

your clothes looks good for your shirts make sure you have one long and one short sleeve you can send the one long sleeve shirt home when it gets warm out.
and for the shorts you should have one pair of shorts and something longer to hike in for the cold weather in the beginning, let it be wool tights or running tights.


For my thru-hike the clothes I had:
(with a small budget)

when it was cold:

Campmore Rain Parka and Pants (these both didn't work very well)
wool sweater
therma wool long johns both shirt and pants (to sleep or walk around town in)
Cold gear long sleeve under armour shirt (to hike in)
cold gear under armour tights (to hike in)
a synthetic dress from a thrift store (to wear over under armour suit while I hike)
three pairs of socks (1 to sleep in 2 to hike in)
one sports bra
down botties (these are not necessary just awesome on a cold night especially if you don't have a full length sleeping pad)
mittens (to hike in)
light wool gloves (to wear while I was at camp)
hat
flip flops
lace thong (it weighs the least and dries the fastest, I also find them to be extremely comfortable but I know others may not agree, I mostly wore it when I got my period)

when it was warm:

Raincoat
long johns (they were unnecessary but I liked wearing them to bed)
three pairs of socks
cotton dress (I bought in TN for $3 used it to hike in kept me cool in the heat)
sports bra (only wore this occasionally mostly when it was too hot to wear the dress)
1 pair of runner shorts (I wore this under the dress or just with the sports bra)
lace thong
fake crocs (got them in Damascus for $5 i think)
a bandanna/cotton wide brimmed hat (to help with the sun)