Dress for Success

“Rain shell, Soft shell, insulated jackets, Gore-tex, precips, vents, breathable”……What do they all mean and how can they make your hiking trip a success. This article aims to help the hiker with tips on dressing for comfort and convenience during an adventure.

The weather and type of terrain plays the most important part in choosing the type of clothes to wear. Before embarking on your trip, check if the country is still experiencing winter or is having an early spring. Did summer last longer than usual or was the winter especially warm and felt like autumn. Go to http://www.weatherunderground.com/ for good information on temperature, humidity and wind chill.

Those who are experienced know that even with the best prediction, the climate changes rapidly depending on the altitude of the mountain that you are hiking. You could be experiencing humid hot tropical weather at the foot of the climb. As you go midway, the temperature changes to a cool aircon temperature of around 20 deg C to 25 deg C. Then as the night turns and as you near the submit, the temperature suddenly drops to sub 0 deg C and the winds are blowing strongly. In this particular climb, a hiker can experience almost 3 seasons within a short span of time. How do you prepare yourself so that you do not bring too much gear which can burden your climb but bring adequate clothes so that you do not suffer or even endanger your safety?

Always Very Cold Type Hikes (below 0 deg C)

Insulated jackets are jackets with inbuilt padding usually of goose down or synthetic fiber. These jackets are useful for hikes in winter where there is constant snow and temperatures are constantly below 0 deg C and wind chill is high. Insulated jackets make ideal outer layers for such conditions. I would recommend insulated jackets with hoods.

During such hikes, I would usually wear a dri-fit T-shirt as a first (innermost) layer. Never wear cotton clothes or socks in such conditions (underwear is up to you but I prefer synthetic material). Cotton retains sweat and water and therefore once it gets wet, it doesn’t dry fast enough and that would give the trapped water time to freeze or get very cold and may cause harm (hypothermia) from the cold temperature more easily. Moreover, sweaty clothes add weight to your gear and make you uncomfortable. Wet socks also give more friction and thus are more prone to blisters. Some people prefer to wear long johns as their inner layer but I find them unnecessary as the body usually heats up and long johns can be a bit too warm.

For the second layer, I usually wear some form of insulation that limits wind and is also made from a dri-fit material to evaporate the sweat from the first layer T-shirt. This is usually termed as the soft shell.

I bought a Northface M Apex Zip shirt jacket. This soft shell is water resistant and limits the wind quite well. It also provides some warmth and works well for a second layer. Some people prefer to use polartec fleece jacket which also works well. The important thing is to ensure that the cuffs are elastic so that wind cannot enter and that the neck part zips all the way up to cover your whole neck.
For pants, wear windproof pants. Some may wear long johns under their pants but I find that unnecessary. I use convertible pants because the heating in some mountain huts can be quite warm and being able to wear shorts can be rather comfortable.

Convertible pants also save you the trouble of bringing shorts if the country you are visiting has very cold mountains but warm cities. Some people prefer to wear gaiters around their ankles but I find them unnecessary unless you are wearing a very expensive hiking boots and you are afraid of scratching the leather. Otherwise, just buy wind proof pants that have tightening straps at the bottom.

It is also very very important to bring along a hat or a beanie (I recommend beanie). There is a saying “if your feet are cold, wear a hat”. This is because the body loses heat most from the head area. Cover your head to minimize heat loss. Gloves are also important and I recommend using the 3M Thinsulate material which can be found in Cold Wear stores.

Not So Cold Type Hikes (10 deg C to 26 deg C)

These hikes are the most pleasurable and I would usually like to time my trips for such weather conditions. It feels like hiking in an air-conditioned mountain.

For such trips, rain is a possibility. As such a rain shell is extremely useful. Some people prefer to use ponchos as their outer layer. The ponchos not only prevent them from getting wet but their backpacks as well.

For myself, I prefer to use a rain shell and a rain cover for my backpack for added mobility. However, for over night camping trips, the poncho can double up as a rain shelter by tying the ends of the poncho to trees.

It is important to buy rain shells that are light and foldable. This is because the rain shell will stay in your backpack for most part until it rains. You would want something that is not heavy and takes up less space. Breathability is also important in a rain shell. Air vents are best located in the arm pit areas but some rain shells also have a vent in the back. Do not forget to lookout for hoods in your rain shell. It is useless to cover your body but forget your head.

For the innermost layer and the second layer, I use the same strategy as those in the very cold hikes (see above). The Northface M Apex limits wind but yet is breathable so I won’t feel uncomfortable when I sweat.

For the pants, again I recommend convertible pants for the same reasons. The only difference is that I would use pants that are not windproof but are more breathable. If you do not want to add weight to your pack by carrying an additional rain pants, ensure that your pants is water resistant and has wicking properties. Royal Robins make such good pants and are less expensive as compared to their Columbia counterparts.

Hats are also important in such hikes. I use jungle hats bought in Beach road. These hats are cheap and have dri-fit properties and provide adequate protection from sun and drizzle. For gloves, I use half gloves also with dri-fit properties. Beach Road sells good ones at $3.50 a pair.

Sandals are useful if you are going to take baths but I find them (bath and sandals) unnecessary during such ideal temperatures.

Tropical Hot and Wet Type Hikes (26 deg C and above)

This is the climate that Singaporeans are most familiar with especially the men with their military service experience. This is also the most convenient to pack for in terms of clothes.

For such hikes, I would wear a sleeveless dri-fit T-shirt and bring along the rain shell. Bring along extra as your clothes get dirty more easily than the other 2 climates. Don’t ask me why though. The second layer is totally unnecessary as the rain shell can double as a jacket to keep you warm during the night.

For pants, I would use the same breathable convertible pants as the “not so cold type hikes”. If the weather is warm, the pants can be converted into shorts. Royal Robins pants have a design that allows you to fold the detached parts into a bag to clip on your waist.

I would also bring along a pair of Teva sandals and swimming shorts in case I get to bath in a water fall. The Velcro on the Teva sandals can be attached to your backpack after your swim to allow it to dry as you continue your hike.

Again, hats and gloves are equally important even in tropical hikes. Dri-Fit half gloves and jungle hats from Beach Road are cheap, good and effective.

Party in the City included

For Singaporeans, when we go mountain hiking, we go out of the country usually by plane or a long drive. We do not just hike and come home. Usually some time is spent shopping, sight seeing and clubbing. Therefore our hiking trips also double up as backpacking trips. For light and easy packing, I would include a pair of dark (black) jeans that look like pants and a wrinkle free shirt or polo tee. I try to buy hiking boots and socks that are dark in color so that I do not have to bring an additional pair of black leather shoes.

The above are just from my experience and are of course not exhaustive. There are many considerations for choosing the type of hiking boots and rain shell as well as soft shell. These topics may be dealt with in later posts. However, in the mean time, if you have any comments or tips to add, please feel free to post your comments or email your write ups to grator.outdoors@yahoo.com.sg