[at-l] clothes for AT thru hike?

[Mara Factor]

Hi Tom,

You've gotten great advice with regards to layering.  I also recommend 
layers.

Keep in mind a couple of things...

While there will be times in March when it does get cold, during the day, 
it's entirely likely to be warm.  I would be prepared for temperatures 
reaching at least the 70s during the day.  Short sleeves and shorts should 
be part of your clothing ensemble.

For your body, I recommend a variety of layers:

A lightweight short sleeved shirt
A lightweight long-sleeved shirt
A medium weight long sleeved short
An insulative jacket
A windproof/rainproof layer

Fiddle with this list as appropriate for your own comfort.  I tend to get 
hot quickly when moving and get cold quickly once I stopped.  I needed 
layers to deal with this.

For your legs:

Lightweight leggings, pants, or long-underwear
Wind/rainpants
Insulative layer for your legs(if you think it's necessary)

More to think about:

Steer clear of cotton - even for your t-shirt.  Cotton holds a lot of 
moisture, does not wick, becomes abrasive when wet (from rain or sweat), 
takes a long time to dry, and is heavy to carry while wet.

Synthetics, for all your layers are a better option.  They are light, wick 
sweat, and dry quickly.  Some can be expensive (Patagonia), but many generic 
polypropelene shirts are inexpensive.

For your insulative layer, consider filled jackets instead of fleece.  They 
are warmer, lighter, and pack smaller.  If you know you will never wear it 
while sweating, consider down.  Otherwise stick to synthetic fill.  I wasn't 
convinced when I got my first jacket so got the cheapest I could find - the 
MEC Northern Lite jacket.  I love it.  When it wears out, I hope to find 
something similar with a slightly more water-resistant (but NOT waterproof) 
shell.

For your waterproof layer, there's no reason to spend extra bucks on 
Goretex.  Something cheap will work just as well.  For a write-up about why, 
see:  http://friends.backcountry.net/m_factor/raingear.html

I never had a "dedicated" set of clothing to use as camp clothes.  Instead, 
I just made sure to always have a dry set of clothes in my pack.  There were 
times when it may have been my medium weight layer or times when it was my 
lightweight layer, etc.  I felt this gave me more flexibility.

One more thing to consider, while it is still winter in early March, it is 
unlikely you'll have extended spells of dangerously cold weather. Before you 
leave each town, get the forecast, if a major storm is coming, sit tight and 
let it pass.  March snows melt quickly along the southern A.T. and you're 
giving yourself enough time to take extra days off early on.

Oh yeah...  mittens are better than gloves to keep your hands warm.  I like 
the ones with the cut off glove fingers and the mitten fingertip coveres.  
Just be sure to get ones where the thumb also folds back, too.

Don't forget an insulative hat and make sure your rain layer will cover your 
hat, too.

More random thoughts about gear at:  
http://friends.backcountry.net/m_factor/gear.html

Mara
Stitches, AT99

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Visit my Travels and Trails web site at:

http://friends.backcountry.net/m_factor
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>From: Tom Mantooth <tom.mantooth at comcast.net>
>To: AT-l <at-l at backcountry.net>
>Subject: [at-l] clothes for AT thru hike?
>Date: Wed, 30 Aug 2006 22:15:22 -0500
>
>I was wondering if someone who has hiked the AT or any other long trail
>could assist me with a question I am  trying to decide concerning the
>weight of various clothes on the AT.
>
>This has to do mainly with winter hiking.  I am starting on March 10th.
>I was wondering if it is better to purtchased lightweight clothes and
>wear more layers that to say use midweight?  I have for example notice
>that 2 lightweight under garments some time weight a few Oz less that
>one midweight.  I have read in a couple of Hiking books that using
>lighter weight clothes and using say 4 leyers instead of 3 is lighter
>yet just as warm because of the cusion of air between layers.
>
>Has anyone had any experience with this?  I would appreciate any
>pointers that anyone can provide.  Since I shall be 71 years old when I
>start I need to keep the old body as comforable as possible but with the
>lightest weight that I use.
>
>Thanks,
>Tom
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