Why Not naked: Multi Day Hiking Clothes

This is a series of articles called Why Not Naked: outdoor gear advice and guides for those who plan to go out for a multi day hike. I know, there are gazillion of these out already, but maybe this one is just a tad different to provide additional insight.

Going outdoors is much about returning to the basics. To forego luxuries and obesities of our comfort-infested homes and for a short period enjoy the freedom of being streamlined, being stripped down to minimum, weighing every piece we wear, trading off weight for time outdoors, shaving off every non-essentials, asking existential gear questions to the point of asking … why not naked?

Topics:

• Basics of heat transfer and heat generation
• Multi-day Sleep System
• Multi-day hiking Clothing
• Multi-day hiking Boots & Socks

Dressing principles

Onion layering: use many layers and add precisely what you need:

• Base layers: wicking absorb or draw off (liquid) by capillary action enable body to regulate temperature by sweating
• Thermo layers: keep warm air close to body but allow moisture to escape
• Wind layers, water barriers: keep wind and water away from skin

Tips:

• Save on upper layers: wind & water barriers, these do not breathe and make you sweat
• Use stretchy, slim-cut thermo layers that can be layered. Using all pieces of clothing in different combinations should be daily use.
• Ventilation: all layers should enable vapors to move away from skin. (Except in long rains or extreme cold)

Base layers

Purpose: Enables body’s ability to regulate high temperature by sweating.

If fabric over your skin does not dry as fast as your skin, your skin will not cool, and you will sweat more — vicious cycle. Good base layers suck moisture and spread it over surfaces so that it can dry and with this cool your body.

On multi day hikes you don’t sweat all that much, it is more slow pace, long time activity. If you are sweating, you don’t last. You just need 1 base layer which will dry with you when you reach day camp.

Materials:

• Needs to dry quickly: woolen or nylon. No cotton!
• Nylon: Cheap, super durable, stretchy, dries fast and … super stinky.
• Wool: expensive, not so durable (usually mix with nylon), dries fast and not stinky at all!
• Cotton: cheap, durable, dries very slowly, not so stinky. Super heavy when wet!

Tips:

• Spend 35€+ for cheap woolen upper base layer, can go up to 80€
• Lower long base layer for cooler temperatures. I have used it more often for sleeping to protect my sleeping bag from my body oils. For sleeping these must not be tight.
• Underpants: nylon or woolen. Again, no cotton, it doesn’t dry, it doesn’t breath when wet. If you can keep your liquids well you need one.
• Bandana. For me a no-brainer as it collects sweat not to trickle down my face, glasses and neck.

Thermo layers

Purpose: Enable your body to retain heat by adding a barrier of air bubbles close to your body.

Cold is your enemy: it makes you use energy for keeping warm instead for walking. Dress yourself whenever you feel cold. The speculation that your body needs to adopt to low temperatures is BS. Your body has one optimal, delicate operating temperature of 36.5, which you need to maintain, or body will have to burn calories.

Sweating is also your enemy: it releases the heaviest thing you have to carry: water. Adjust your thermo layers according to outside temperature and your activity early. Do not wait to start sweating to stop and put the jacket / sweater down.

Tips:

• Classical and still good thermo layer is woolen pull-over. Light, super breathable, non-stinkable, warm, relatively cheap.
• Most modern thermo uppers are fleeces: stretchy, fast drying, nylon fabric.
• The ultimate one piece of the best gear is: down jacket. Super warm, gigantic warmth to weight ratio. Versatile. Compressible. Savior of cold nights in combination with your sleeping bag. It is completely useless when wet and is not cheap.
• Onioning! Every piece of thermo layer should be possible to be worn with others — e.g. do not take heavy thick fleece jacket over which you can hardly fit your rain jacket or down jacket.
• Remove thermo layers as soon as you think you are warm, not when you are sweating
• Woolen hat might often seem overkill, but is quite welcome in cooler weather.
• Simple fleece hand gloves are necessary esp. When using hiking poles.

Wind / water barrier jacket

Purpose: Keeps you dry and prevents windchill.

GoreTex and other membranes promise 3 in 1 package: Waterproof, Windproof, Breathable. However, they forget to mention this only works when outer-most layer of fabric is dry. New GoreTex jackets have DWR (durable water repellent) treatment applied on them, which makes water bounce of in droplets. DWR however is not that durable, and goes off in a matter of few heavy water uses or with time, consequentially making every GoreTex jacket fail to deliver after some heavy rain uses.

Worth their price? What a good membrane jackets never loose is windproofness. What good membrane jackets loose late (and cheaper very early) is waterproofness. So, good membrane jackets are still worth their price, but surely not 800€.

Heavy rains. Rarely any jacket is 100% waterproof for long periods of time, with pressure points backpack shoulder and waist straps an chafing on upper arms. If you are going to walk for hours in rain, most likely your jacket will start leaking. Since your jacket is probably not breathing anyway in areas where it got wet, you should consider wearing a cheap, light, well-ventilated nylon rain poncho.

Rain/wind pants. You will use them very rarely, when it is raining full-on and you have decided to still walk. But then they will save your ass. Aim for a few hundred grams and rather thin material. Breathability with these requirements is somewhat optional.

Key features of good jacket:

• Ventilation: zippers under pits
• Long-lasting zippers. Waterproof zippers are harder to operate and might be overrated.
• Good, adjustable hood (that allows for helmet)
• Smart positioning of pockets that can be reached with backpack on — chest pockets
• Durable. Thin materials are light, but they tear quickly and lose their waterproofness faster.
• Allow for all your thermo layers including down jacket underneath and still offer good agility. Yes, it will be somewhat baggy.
• 500g-ish weight

Hiking pants

Purpose: Protection against cold, wind, sun, insects. Your everyday warrior tool against elements.

Tips:

• Should allow free movement, check chafing between legs
• I swear by airing zippers, they make any pants much cooler
• Belt section should not interfere with backpack. You will carry 12+ kg on your hips, do your pants have a problem with that?
• Dry quickly
• Storage front. I prefer no side pockets as things wobble around.
• I am happy with my versatile geeky Fjallraven pants, however, I think cheap pants are fine.
• Pants last long, good investment for 3-season outdoor.
• If they look cool, you will look cool for some time.
• Tights are very popular, but I fear they might provide little ventilation when needed and little protection against wind and cold when needed. Also, they are usually dark: terrible on sun.