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newsThinking about layered clothing for ultralight hiking
Continuing the rethink of gear for ultralight hiking. Previous post:
https://bkhome.org/news/202102/space-saving-soft-water-bottles-for-hiking.html
Analysing the gear, aiming to reduce weight (and volume) to the lowest
possible, without sacrificing comfort or convenience. Today I was
reading a thread in a hiking group on Facebook, discussing how much
weight to carry on multi-day hikes.
To me, anything over about 7 - 9kg is unnecessary, and I am astounded when I come across hikers carrying those huge loads.
Like me, many hikers examine how to reduce weight, and there are many posts on YouTube, such as this lass:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dAXaPafZRZg&feature=youtu.be
These can be entertaining to watch, and a source of ideas, about what
to add, change, or leave out. Kate might seem to have gone a bit
overboard with the medications and first-aid, but you have to take what
is right for you. In my case, first-aid bag has only a few antiseptic
sachets (or a partly-used tube), one or two bandages and a small roll of
fix-o-mull tape -- the latter you can buy at any pharmacy, good to apply
to feet before blisters get started.
For clothing, the way to go is light-weight layers. It gets cold, put
on a puff-jacket, colder still, put on a wind-cheater, and/or a beany.
Which is what I intend to pack. Wear a t-shirt and shirt, with beany, puff-jacket and wind-breaker in the waist pack.
However, the legs are a problem. I do have polypro long johns, from
Kathmandu, however, never found them to be effective. Besides, they are
not suitable for the layering method. For the lower half of the body, I
will wear underpants and long pants with zips at the knee, so they can
be turned into shorts.
Not the same as mine, but this is the style of pant:
https://www.kathmandu.com.au/mens/clothing/pants-and-shorts/clark-men-s-zip-off-hiking-pants.html
However, if it turns cold, the layering method requires something to be put on over the pants...
A few years ago, I put some lateral-thinking into this, and bought
light-weight chaps. Yes, chaps, like cowboys wear. I bought them from
Mountain Laurel Designs in the USA -- and I just now checked their
website, they no longer sell chaps.
They only weigh 73g, waterproof material, but very loose, so there
will be ventilation and sweat on the legs will evaporate. Or so I
reasoned.
Here is another manufacturer:
https://sierradesigns.com/chaps/
The idea of having the crotch open is that it allows air flow, as well as the chaps being very loose.
They serve more than one purpose: keep the legs warmer, reduce wind-chill, and protect from rain.
Some discussion on chaps and rain pants here:
https://bushwalk.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=58&t=28210
Here are some rain pants:
https://www.outdoorresearch.com/us/mens-helium-pants-242968
...but twice the weight of my chaps, and there would be, I think a serious breathability issue.
So, aiming for super-ultralight hiking in spring/summer/autumn here
in the South West of Australia, mild to hot weather, but there can be
cold snaps at night. And in the extreme South West there can be sudden
rain and cold wind. I can take care of the top half with the
puff-jacket, wind-cheater and beany. For the bottom half, will throw in
the chaps.
My puffer jacket is cheap down without sleeves, 193g, from MacPac.
Bought many years ago and it has had a lot of use. They still seem to
have something very similar, though I recall mine was much cheaper:
https://www.macpac.com.au/macpac-uber-light-down-vest-%E2%80%94-mens/114099.html
My wind-cheater is super-ultralight, only 95g. It is classified as
"rain resistant" rather than rain-proof, and has a hood. It is made by
Helly Hansen, and packs into its own pocket. Looked on their website,
this is another item no longer available.
The beany is wool, 67g.
Finally, here are guides to choosing layered clothing and what fabrics are best:
https://www.rei.com/learn/expert-advice/how-to-choose-hiking-clothes.html
https://australianhiker.com.au/advice/layering-for-comfort/
And, the conundrum of applying layering principles to the bottom half
of the body is something that has puzzled other people, for example:
Tags: light