In this article I will discuss proper hiking attire. Wearing the right hiking clothes might not be the most important thing on a day hike. However, once you leave for a long distance trail you want to make sure that you have a proper attire for your hike.
Wearing the right hiking attire is very important on any hike, especially multiday hikes. Your hiking clothes should keep you warm, comfortable and they should protect you from the elements. The right hiking attire will depend on the type of hike, the environment and your personal preference. A good rule of thumb would be to avoid cotton and embrace nylon, polyester and merino wool.
PS: Check out Mountain hiking clothes: complete checklist if you need an example of a complete list of clothes.
Why does hiking attire matter
Hiking attire is very important when it comes to comfort, warmth and protection from the elements.
The fabrics of your hiking clothes play a big role in how freely you can move and how comfortable your hike is going to be. Bringing the wrong pants for example can result in a very annoying rash and an unpleasant experience.
You obviously want to stay warm throughout your journey and don’t risk hypothermia. Therefore, your clothes should be able to keep you warm, but they should also be able to keep you dry. Quite often the risk of hypothermia only gets real after getting wet.
If you do end up with wet clothes, you want to get them dry as fast as possible. Once again, fabrics play a major role in whether or not you will get your clothes dry quickly.
Last but not least, you might want to protect yourself from the elements. This could be rain, sun, bugs or even plants.
Best hiking fabrics
Now that we know that fabrics play a major role in choosing the right hiking attire, let’s take a closer look at the best hiking fabrics.
- Nylon: Nylon is a synthetic fabric that dries very fast and is quite durable. Nylon is more expensive than polyester, but it is also more durable and weather resistant.
- Polyester: Polyester is also a synthetic fabric that dries very fast. It is not as durable as nylon, but it’s still considered a durable fabric. One advantage polyester has is that it is more heat-resistant than nylon.
- Merino wool: Ultra-fine merino wool is a breathable and moisture-wicking fabric that has become a popular fabric among hikers. Merino wool is -in contrary to regular wool- also itch-free. It is fairly fast drying and is considered to stink less than a synthetic fabric. Some people do not like to wear merino wool simply because their skin is too sensitive for it. It is also more expensive.
Additionally, let’s take a look at the fabrics you should try to avoid.
- Cotton: Cotton should always be avoided when you go for a hiking trip. The main reason is that cotton is very ineffective in wicking away moisture from your skin. Additionally, it takes a very long time to dry and it is a poor insulator. If you do decide to bring cotton clothing, make sure it is not your base layer or your socks.
- Silk: Silk is definitely a better alternative to cotton. However, silk will be less effective than nylon or polyester when it comes to moving moisture of your skin.
Base layer
The base layer is one of the most important layers. This layer provides a layer of warm air near your body, it also manages moisture. Make sure this base layer is made out of either nylon, polyester or merino wool. These fabrics will do a better job at keeping your skin dry. Therefore, this layer will help you prevent being cold and risking hypothermia.
- Underwear: What underwear you should bring on a hiking trip mainly depends on your personal preference, just make sure they are comfortable to walk in. Additionally, make sure they are breathable and not super tight. You should also check that your underwear is not made out of cotton. Once again, polyester, nylon or wool is the way to go.
- Tank top: A very lightweight piece of clothing and one of my favorite things to bring on any hike. A tank top can add core warmth to your body, but it is a lot more lightweight than the alternatives. This could also be used to sleep in. Be careful because a lot of tank tops are made out of cotton, make sure yours is made out of nylon, polyester or even wool. In very cold situations you should use a base layer top over a tank top.
- Base layer top: You should always bring a base layer top when you are going to a very cold environment. The base layer is a very important piece of you outfit when it comes to keeping your body warm. You can also wear this when you are sleeping.
- Base layer bottom: Pretty similar to the base layer top. The base layer bottom will help keeping you warm and is also perfect for sleeping.
- Socks: Most people prefer their socks to be a blend of merino wool and a synthetic fabric with plenty of cushioning. Make sure to try out a lot of socks and see which pair is the most comfortable for your feet. Your shoes will also affect what kind of socks you need. For example, hiking boots require thicker socks than trail runners. You could also try out liner socks to wear underneath your hiking socks. Some people claim this drastically reduces the chance of blisters.
- Liner socks: A lot of hikers claim that liner socks are the best weapon against blisters. Liners should be worn between your feet and your hiking socks, this should result in a friction-free layer. Additionally, these socks are good for moisture movement.
Shirts and pants
Shirts and pants make up an important part of the hiking attire. Once again, personal preference will be a big factor when it comes to choosing the right shirts and pants. Generally it is advisable to have a t-shirt, long sleeve shirt, shorts and long pants.
- T-shirt: It should not be a surprise that you should go with either wool or a synthetic fabric for your t-shirt. You could also decide to bring two. In this case I would advise to bring one that is a bit more tight than the other one in case you want to wear them both at the same time.
- Long sleeve shirt: The environment will have a big impact on what shirt you should bring. Do you want to protect yourself from the sun, the rain, the wind or maybe even the insects? In any case, polyester, nylon or wool is the way to go.
- Shorts: Make sure your hiking shorts is made out of synthetic fabric and that they sit very comfortably.
- Long pants: Once again, stay with synthetic fabrics. You could consider wearing convertible pants, this is mainly handy for crossing creeks. Zipping pants are not recommended because the lack of durability and because it can be annoying to reattach the lower parts every time. A more popular alternative would be to wear a roll-up pants.
Mid layer
The mid layer is very important when it comes to warmth. As usual, synthetic fabrics and wool are recommended. However, using cotton in your mid layer is more acceptable than using it in your base layer. Let’s go over your main options.
- Fleece: A fleece is a very convenient piece of clothing. The main goal of a fleece is to hold in your body heat. It is a very good insulator. However, a fleece is not water nor wind resistant. This means that you should wear your rain jacket over your fleece even when there is just a little bit of rain. The good thing is that a fleece dries very fast ad well.
- Soft shell jacket: A soft shell jacket is something in between a fleece and a hard shell jacket. It is not completely waterproof or windproof. It is, however, rain resistant and blocks 90% of the wind. When there is a little bit of rain you do not necessarily have to wear your hard jacket on top of the soft shell jacket. I prefer the soft shell jacket over the fleece whenever it does not get extremely cold.
- Down jacket: A down jacket is a good alternative for a soft shell jacket in a colder environment. Down jackets can be water-repellent and windproof. The downside is that they weigh more, cost more and are still not completely waterproof. Combining a down jacket with a fleece is one of the most efficient ways to stay warm while hiking.
Outer layer
The main responsibility of the outer layer is to prevent your other clothes from getting wet. Obviously the outer layer should be waterproof and windproof. It is also very important that your rain jacket is breathable, otherwise you would start sweating. Sweat eventually leads to heat loss.
Even on dry days your outer layer could help you stay warm because your rain jacket and pants will be windproof. Also, some hikers like to wear rain-wear to protect themselves from mosquitoes.
Make sure your rain pants has some kind of mechanism in place that allows you to put them on without having to take your shoes off. Most of the time this will come in the form of zippers. I consider this to be mandatory. When it starts raining hard you need to put your rain-wear on as fast as possible. You definitely do not want to take your shoes off.
Accessories
- Gaiter: The purpose of gaiters is to keep dirt, water, snow and pebbles out of your shoes. Some gaiters are relatively heavy, go with lightweight gaiters like “dirty girl gaiters” if snow and water are not really an issue.
- Buff: The buff is a very popular multi functional piece of hiking clothing. It can be used as a sun guard, a scarf, a hat, a neck gaiter, a dust screen or even a ponytail holder. It is very lightweight and can serve multiple purposes.
- Hat: If the weather won’t be extremely cold or warm, a regular trucker hat should do the trick. However, in a very sunny environment you should consider bringing either a wide brimmed hat or a billed cap with a sun cape. If you go somewhere very cold, simply bring a warm synthetic or wool hat.
- Gloves: Gloves can either be used to protect you from cold or from the sun. You could decide to bring dedicated sun gloves if you are about to hike in the desert. However, regular lightweight gloves can also provide some protection from the sun.
Sleeping
Most people like to bring an additional set of clothes for sleeping. I personally would only sleep with clothes if it was very cold. Bringing an additional set of clothes only for sleeping is a pretty big investment in my opinion.
An alternative would be to use a sleeping bag liner and sleep in your hiking clothes. This might not be very clean, but on a hiking trip it is acceptable to be a little bit dirty.
However, keeping a pair of socks that you only wear at night is a no-brainer. Your socks will be extremely dirty and sweaty and an additional pair of socks will not increase your total backpack weight that much. Make sure your feet are clean and dry before diving into your sleeping bag.
If you do decide to sleep in clean clothes, bring an additional base layer top and bottom.
Conclusion
Hiking attire is important when it comes to comfort, warmth and protection from the elements. The environment, type of hike and personal preference will have impact on what is proper hiking attire.
Make sure to check the fabric of your clothes before you bring them on your next hiking trip. Polyester, nylon and merino wool are your friends, silk and cotton are your enemies.
Make sure you think about your base layer, mid layer and outer layer. The exact pieces you will bring will obviously depend on the weather.
Think about wind, rain, sun radiance and temperature before you select your clothes.