Hiking clothes

I'm a noob. A normalgay. I have no meaningful experience with camping or hikes more than a day in length. My wardrobe is that of typical streetwear. I have no "hiking clothes". I've always worn something like shorts and a tshirt. Say I want to get serious about the hobby and go out in more rugged terrain for longer periods. What's a good start in terms of clothing?

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  1. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    In winter or on milder temps?

    • 1 year ago
      Anonymous

      Milder, I'll start doing long/difficult hikes in the spring and summer when there's not such a threat of cold. I'll eventually do it in colder weather I'd hope but that's a thread for another time.

  2. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    I usually just wear athletic shorts/comfy swim trunks if it's warm enough. I've found this is the most comfortable option for me. But, I usually bring rain pants with me to put on if weather gets bad, or worse the bugs get bad. If mosquitos and ticks or prevailing cold conditions are something you need to worry about then hiking pants are actually pretty nice. In saying that I usually just wear shorts and a t shirt and have my rain gear and a puffy jacket easily accessible

    • 1 year ago
      Anonymous

      Thanks, much appreciated!

  3. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    You can get most everything at a thrift store, or through cheap and solid brands like Columbia. Don't go splurging on high end brands just yet. You will probably have some of it already. For clothes for milder temps I would get
    -thin synthetic cargo pants
    -thin synthetic shorts, like running shorts
    -thin synthetic longsleeve. Can be a button up with a collar or have a hood if you like those features
    -merino wool blend long johns
    -merino wool blend longsleeve
    -fleece sweater, zip up or pullover depending on preference
    -light down jacket (probably the most expensive thing on the list, but can find one pretty cheap these days)
    -merino wool blend socks, at least 2 pairs
    -wind shirt. Mountain Hardwear Kor Preshell is the OG and can always be found on sale somewhere
    -trail running shoes. Or hiking boots. I have both but don't use the boots much anymore unless I'm going off trail
    -rain poncho or rain jacket. Ponchos are cheaper and pack smaller, best choice for trails, jackets are better if you are going off trail.
    -toque
    -baseball hat
    -buff
    -gloves (depends on temperature and climate)
    -rain pants (optional, but very useful if you end up needing them)
    This is pretty much all I bring for clothes on 10 night hiking trips and canoeing trips in northern Ontario in the spring, temps between 0 and 17°C

    All the synthetics are because they are cheap, dry fast, breathe well, and block the sun well.

  4. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    I always wear liner socks underneath my usual socks for hikes more than an hour or two, saves your toes from blisters and the like

  5. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    >shorts
    do you have a pair of rugged jeans like Wranglers? I'd never wear shorts while out, but jeans are awesome for out-and-back day hikes.

    • 1 year ago
      Anonymous

      >jeans
      Ew
      5.11 cargo pants are worth triple what they sell for.
      I have one pair I go PrepHole in at least several hours a week in warm seasons. Bought them 4 years ago?
      Bulletproof and ultracomfy polynylonwhatrver

      • 1 year ago
        Anonymous

        >he fell for the tacticool pants meme
        many such cases

  6. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    Hiking clothes are just clothes that you feel comfortable in and don't care if you damage them. I use an old windbreaker, an old baseball cap/beanie, old cargo trousers and a merino midlayer that I got from a sale. Also I have some old "technical" sports shirts. It is not rocket science, especially since you aren't planning on hikind during winter.

    • 1 year ago
      Anonymous

      jeans are ass for hiking in and shorts are great as long as there's no sticker bushes BUT
      >wrangler
      https://www.wrangler.com/shop/mens-wrangler-flex-waist-outdoor-cargo-pant-NW780.html
      here's the el excellente cheap hiking pants i was thinking of.

  7. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    unironically if you live in a somewhat wealthy area with PrepHole going on go to your local thrift store and look for anything made out of merino wool. i'm a richgay and i don't see the point of spending a lot on PrepHole clothes. then again i live somewhere where the goodwill is loaded to the brim with this stuff.
    for the warm months you pretty much just hike in work-out clothes.
    rain: get yourself a set of frog toggs ultra lite 2 for $20. cop a marmot precip next time they go on sale for $60. avoid the eco version.
    cold months: for hiking all you need is a light weight fleece jacket made of polartec 100 and some synthetic or wool thermals. they're cheap as frick. you can get cheap thermals at any box store. if you want to splurge on nice shit get merino wool thermals, an alpha direct hoodie, and a wind shirt (ideally hooded) for the richgay min/max setup.
    gloves: just get some cheap liner gloves at the outfitter for like 20bux. try them all on for fit. good fit on the gloves is what matters.
    hat: any old synthetic cap that blocks the sun works when its warm. you want a good beanie when its cold, or when you're camping to sleep in.
    camping: once you're camping you'll need a puffy jacket. down is the best unless you live somewhere super rainy or humid, in which case synthetics are worth looking at. this is the first actually somewhat expensive thing you'll need. you'll also need sleeping thermals.

    TO BE CONTINUED

    • 1 year ago
      Anonymous

      CONT.

      shirts: any old athletic shirt's fine for hiking. thick ones when its cold, meshy ones when its warm.
      leggings: cop some generic synthetic leggings at the box store to get started. wool's better in the cold months when you have $$ later on.
      pants: shorts and shorts+leggings are always best whenever you can get away with them. generic stretch nylon hiking pants are fine. rustler (wrangler sub-brand) has really good $20 ones. so does amazon.
      underwear: synthetic mesh when its warm, wool when its cold, not worth cheaping out on frick having swamp balls all day
      socks: merino wool or coolmax CUSHIONED HIKING socks. its worth having dedicated socks for hiking.
      shoes/footwear/boots: got some old running shoes you don't mind beating up? start off with that. first thing to buy is a pair of trail runners. buy last year's model on sale. read online how to size them its not like normal shoes. lifespan on runners is 300-500 miles and don't wear them on pavement or indoors. boots worth owning are always $200+, and you might not even necessarily need them until you do gnarlier stuff. get those later on. if you're one of those people who MUST HAVE BOOT then get keens or merells on the low end to get into hiking.
      watch: casio terrorist watch
      day-hiking backpack: literally anything, if you don't own something rei flash 18/22.
      did i miss anything?

      I usually just wear athletic shorts/comfy swim trunks if it's warm enough. I've found this is the most comfortable option for me. But, I usually bring rain pants with me to put on if weather gets bad, or worse the bugs get bad. If mosquitos and ticks or prevailing cold conditions are something you need to worry about then hiking pants are actually pretty nice. In saying that I usually just wear shorts and a t shirt and have my rain gear and a puffy jacket easily accessible

      swim trunks with the liner cut out of them are un-ironically excellent PrepHole shorts.

      • 1 year ago
        Anonymous

        >good boots
        >$200
        You were absolutely solid until here. $300 minimum really for good leather. I've never seen a good line go under that, even decent redwings are like $375 now.

        What's up with not wearing trail runners inside?

        • 1 year ago
          Anonymous

          >Not wearing trail runners inside
          Well that's just being civilized by removing your shoes when you enter peoples homes.

          • 1 year ago
            Anonymous

            Inside can be places other than a house anon

            >he fell for the tacticool pants meme
            many such cases

            t. Will never know the extreme comfort and convenience. I will pray for you.

  8. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    socks easymode: there's two camps most people fall in. merino wool hiking socks (darn tough is prly the most popular) or those injinji toe socks. either one's about 20bux to get into and i'd say the first thing actually worth spending money on assuming you already own some old running shoes you don't mind turning into beaters.

  9. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    here's one last post to help you out:
    here's a really popular beginner ultra-light camping gear list on a $600 total budget. this list is a bit out-dated and i would personally say its worth it to buy dedicated PrepHole footwear but its a pretty good starting point to learn from.
    https://macon.me/shoestring
    another big money saver that is really good to take the time to learn is how to plan meals once you get into camping so you don't have to buy those freeze dried frickers all the time. they add up.

    this video and this guy's channel in general is a great resource for finding good PrepHole foods off the shelf at the grocery store that give a lot of energy and don't weigh a lot.
    the sweet spot for price to performance for PrepHole gear IMO would be more like a 800-1200 budget and buying a few pieces of kit used but if you want i could even make you a $300 list or even less that's solid.

    • 1 year ago
      Anonymous

      >$1k budget sweet spot
      Concur. That's a solid starter budget.
      $2500 is a "good" setup
      Anything more gets really diminishing returns or niche luxury items
      I probably have $500 worth of old starter gear sitting in a box at this point. You will replace a lot as you learn your gear and PrepHole style
      >meals
      Join the nocook patrician approach
      Prebake bannock or pemmican
      Toss tuna cans on coals
      Never boil anything, its a massive pain, roast, bake only, bring no cooking equipment its just a huge moneymaker for outfitters and big titanium

  10. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    Don't come to Alaska. You're not welcome here.

  11. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    OP here, thanks for the actually very insightful advice. Sorry if it seemed like I abandoned thread. I hope this is read by other beginners.

  12. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    Honestly I hike often and I have been switching my entire wardrobe over to Kuhl and have recently replaced all of my socks with darn tough. I also don't get the whole leather boot meme, I wear leather work boots all day, no way in hell do I want something like that for hiking outside of deep snow, nor do the majority of thru-hikers I run into wear them. Even when I hiked in deep snow and needed crampons for ice, I wore Merrell gore-tex boots. I reccomend Oboz for a shoe or mid-boot. I've tried most brands at this point and find the shoes that are most usually recommended are also usually uncomfortable oddly enough. Soloman gets shilled a lot but the shoes are too narrow in a regular for men's feet. After convincing myself to try a pair of Hoka running shoes to combat shin pain, I purchased a pair of Hoka Gore-Tex hiking boots that are insanely comfortable albeit they aren't really known as an "outdoor" brand.
    In terms of regular clothes, Mountain Hardware is also good, I try to avoid Arc'Teryx because I've found the quality isn't worth the price unless you are planning on mountaineering. Not too fond of Eddie Bauer or 5.11 Tactical. Some of the budget cabelas camo is good for spring hikes but you will freeze your ass off in the winter.

  13. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    )1/2(
    OP there are a lot of autists in here recommending you spend $1k+ on entry-entry level gear. Keep it easy, keep it simple, keep it cheap to start.

    For starters, boots will make or break your entire experience. Starting off, your boots should be your most expensive component, and even then might still only run you $100-150; don't start off buying $200+ boots if you don't know what you're looking for yet. With Christmas sales going on, and being the off season from hiking, many outlets are running sales on boots (Dick's, Cabela's, Field and Stream, Walmart, etc) so you might be able to find a good pair *in-store* to buy (ALWAYS try a pair of boots on before you buy them). I purchased a pair of Merrell's MOAB Prime 2 mid waterproof boots a few years ago, pic rel, and they're serving me incredibly well in all seasons. This particular model doesn't have the breathability that mesh offers for summer usage, but I also strongly value water protection especially when summer months often cause standing water on trails. Figure out what suits your needs.

    Backpacks. Have a pack sitting around from school? Basic-ass one from Target or wherever? Cool. Flip that b***h upside-down and use that for now. If you're at the very start of your hiking endeavors just begin with that, and as you progress into longer hikes you'll figure out the need for bigger, more comfortable packs. $0. Already out of room during your shorter hikes? Pack less shit - find out what things you've never, or seldomly, have pulled out on a hike and leave those behind at home.

    • 1 year ago
      Anonymous

      https://i.imgur.com/xJGaoUc.gif

      I'm a noob. A normalgay. I have no meaningful experience with camping or hikes more than a day in length. My wardrobe is that of typical streetwear. I have no "hiking clothes". I've always worn something like shorts and a tshirt. Say I want to get serious about the hobby and go out in more rugged terrain for longer periods. What's a good start in terms of clothing?

      }2/2{
      As for clothing, my only recommendation is a good pair of hiking/outdoors pants. I bought some lightweight, breathable, climbing pants a couple years ago - the brand is escaping me - however I've only used them one or twice since, being lighter material, they do not hold up to brush and vegetation as much; if you plan to trek in the woods or fields you will likely want thicker pants that will hold up to all the snags, in my opinion. Cabela's offers many varieties, but I've gone with a pair of Wrangler pants (outdoor work pants) that have held up incredibly well for the 3 seasons, however often get too stiff for functionality in the winter time. A solid pair of pants will run you $50-80. Don't get into the ultralight stuff unless you plan to be hardcore off the bat and/or don't care about longevity. Clothing tops can be anything (assuming 3 season) you already own, s0 wear whatever is comfortable (e.g. sweatshirts, workout tops, flannels, etc).

      Food is the easiest thing to figure out for starting off on whole-day hikes. Don't dive dick-first into dehydrating, MREs, or even boiling water yet. Find some food on the shelves at your local store, such as trail mix (maximizing fruits within), grains like crackers, "entrees" like shelf-stable canned meats (think Chef Boyardee, chicken salad), jerky and meat sticks. Don't have to get too crazy, or too exotic, with day trips just yet. I've taken the occasional MRE or ready-to-boil lunches for day hikes and it just creates added complexity, however two-day+ events it's nice to have those foods. Do not forget hydration/water, including vitamin/drink packets that can help avoid fatigue as you push the mileage.

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