From: Jason A. Cotting (p2ranger@anvilgear.com)
Date: Fri Feb 14 2003 - 22:36:28 CST
For one thing, I wouldn't use anything from the BSA line of clothing. Pretty
sad since BSA is supposed to be an outdoor organization. There are some
stuff in the Venture scouts line of clothing that are good i.e. the venture
shorts
I use my staff shorts when I go hiking, even off of P2 property. The
columbia shorts (cotton) were excellent (the ones sold in 98). The new
columbia zip offs are pretty good too. These are made of supplex. They dry
faster. I have also used cotton Carhartt shorts and been pretty happy with
them.
Patagonia makes a popular short called the standup short. Good deep pockets
and a nice cut. I've never used them myself but a number of people have sung
their praises.
A type of short I would avoid is Umbros. They are not very durable. They are
also slick and don't help your pack to stay up. The plus side is they are
comfortable. I use them for sleep clothes.
Any T-shirt will do. I echo John's recomendation on the Duofold T-shirts.
Made with Coolmax (which is polyester). Not a necessity, but makes it nice
on those cool evenings sitting around the imaginary campfire.
This is a topic I'm not familiar with so someone chime in if you know about
it. There are some travel shirts that advertise to be UV blocking. These
tend to be nylon or polyester. Are cotton shirts UV protected?
Socks. People who use Smartwool swear by them, or as some people on this
list refer to it, "are in love with them". I've never used them but I can't
see shelling out $20 for a pair of socks. Thats just me. Most importantly
you need to have wool socks. It is difficult to find 100% wool socks. Most
hiking socks are about 80% wool with other materials mixed in. Just make
sure there is no cotton in there.
To echo John's comments about "cotton kills". Just as guns don't kill
people, people kill people; the same can line of thinking can be applied to
cotton. The reason people say this is because it is not one of the more
technical and best working materials out there. How many well informed
backpackers wear blue jeans on the trail these? Not many. Doug Palmer told
us that at one time people only wore synthetic materials, then cotton was
the thing to wear, and now its moving back towards synthetic. Just a fad? I
don't know but I save my cotton for wearing around here in this muggy MS
climate.
If you go with 2 pairs of socks (the Smartwool people say they don't use 2)
then make your thin inner sock either a coolmax (polyester) or silk
material. People used to use Polypropelene (sp?) but those tend to be
warmer than coolmax socks.
Goretex. Yeah, I've got Goretex, but I'm not completely sold on it. I've
done my fair share of sweating in my goretex. Long days of hiking in the
rain at Philmont and other places have left my clothing wet. Pit zips,
venting, what ever, you still get wet. Goretex is an inactive membrane. If
there is water on top of it, moisture won't evaporate out. That's why
goretex is inside (or middle) and there is shell of nylon or some material
on the outside. The outer shell must have a water repllant coating to keep
the water from soaking in. If it is dry on top of the goretex, water will
evaporate out.
There are a number of "breathable" products out there for raingear. I tried
out the new Marmot Thunderstorm jacket this past year. I was reasonably
happy with it. If it rains you are going to get wet. Breathable material
breaths some, just don't expect to come out of a storm bone dry. Rain water
won't get in, but your sweat may build up. This will especially be the case
if you buy a cheap $20 rain jacket that does not label itself as being
breathable.
The main reason you want a rain jacket it is to help keep you from getting
hypothermic. Rain wear keeps you from being completely soaking wet and keeps
that biting wind off. So do use it, just don't expect to be bone dry if you
are humping a pack in the rain.
Warm stuff. Polar fleece is polar fleece. 200 or mid weight is the typical
weight for Philmont's summer climate. Down jacket may be a bit much. Just
don't use a college cotton sweatshirt. I'm sure you can find a good deal on
fleece especially with spring and summer right around the corner. Higher
price fleece is more durable. Then you get into the technical fleeces like
windstopper. Windstopper fleece is excellent. I have one of these jackets
myself and I really like it. Its expensive though.
You can do Philmont without going all out on buying expensive gear. I did it
with an old Tshirt and old pair of shorts, non breathable raingear, no
gaiters, and an old wornout rental pack I bought from Philmont on my trek.
Its doable with out much extra stuff. There's just little things here and
there that, for me, make the experience easier or more enjoyable. I got the
backpacking equipment I use now from 1995-present getting things here and
there, and on a college student budget at that.
Jason
><>
Retired Ranger
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