what kind of climate?
what season?
here's some generic advice anyways.
for baselayers touching your skin?
usually wool. its antimicrobial and doesn't smell when not washed for a while.
wool's main downside for this is that it takes forever to dry and can be troublesome to wash in the field in some climates/weather.
in really hot weather its simply too hot for wool. synthetic mesh and frequent washing is the way to go.
in really humid weather synthetics and frequent washing might edge out wool.
shirt to throw over it not touching your skin?
completely depends on climate & weather. you don't really need this unless you're stopping in towns and wanna look normal-ish.
midlayer active insulation?
you want something very breathable when moving, that still keeps you warm, if you're in cold enough weather you need to hike with a midlayer on.
richgay flexer: alpha direct hoodie + ultralight nylon wind shirt (wind shirt must be used to regulate heat)
richgay flexer#2: airmesh hoodie from mountain hardwear (standalone)
cheap: polartec 100 fleece (standalone)
other considerations:
always wear shorts or shorts+leggings over pants if you can get away with it. might not wanna off trailing.
by the same logic, rain skirts > rain pants if needed.
if you need a rain shell make sure it has pit zips or fits loosely.
warm weather: loose fitting airy clothes, i usually buy my summer shit +1 size from normal
cold weather: tight fitting lofty clothes
when in doubt, for extended trips, if you don't know what to pack look at what thru/section hikers in your area use. a lot of them post their gear lists on plebbit. it'll be all dialed in for that purpose.
don't listen to this idiot. synthetics --especially polyesters-- get smelly real quick. if you need something for hot weather, get cotton.
things keep coming to mind and i will keep posting them as they do. >clothes
your sleeping bag plays a huge role too btw. if its one trip i wouldn't bother with this but if you're doing extended trips all the time this one is good to know:
your sleep system matters just as much as your clothes for stank factor.
if your tent has shit breathability and air flow you'll smell way more. well designed tents its no biggie. tents with condensation issues will also have smell/sweat issues.
most standard sleeping bags use 20d and heavier nylons as their shell fabrics. it doesn't breathe very well. ultralighter bags made from 10d and especially 7d shells breathe way better. game changer for anyone who sweats at night.
and another one.. not a geargay one.. obvious but ya might not do it without thinking about it.. just pace yourself when hiking.
this guy has a point. you'll want a sleeping bag liner to keep your sleep system fresh. though, if you aren't dealing with low temps, just carrying a wool blanket and a tarp is often times good enough.
don't listen to this idiot. wools can be unwearable and impossible to wash/dry on long distance hikes in humid environments such as jungles. anon assumes everyone lives and hikes in the same climate as him. there's no one size fits all solution or best material for everything.
tl;dr most of the world: wool
jungles deserts and shit: synthetics
spot on
https://i.imgur.com/MJyHwnO.gif
i'm an expert in this field. got stuck at my job for 4 months last year without the ability to shower or launder. wear natural fabrics closest to skin. air them out at night. sleep commando or with a loose shirt.
Only synthetics I used were duluth trading nylon boxer briefs. Easy to hand wash those since they are so thin. I always have the worst luck with polyester. From fleece to Fjallraven it just seems to trap heat in and makes my body much more oily. My shirt is a hemp cotton blend if that matters. I generally use wool in the outer layers and only add a shell during winter/rain. I try to only use polyester in shell layers. Use dickies 874
hand wash the hot spots (pits, face, crotch) every week. I started using that pink zinc stuff (calamine) lotion. I just put it on a cotton swab and wipe it on pits and between legs if they got chaffed. >hair
I always feel dirtier during winter, and guessing that has to do with getting much more sun in summer. Hair is usually the most difficult to manage but I have just been using apple cider vinegar (1 part acv, 4 parts water) in a sriacha bottle for 5+ years now. Took about 3-6 months of getting off hair care 'product' for my hair to adapt as it felt like the shampoo removed all the oils on my scalp making it feel great for 2-3 days and then torture requiring a new scalping. I only shampoo now every 3-6 months when I get more buildup than the vinegar can manage.
My wife gave me some all natural shampoo a couple years back. I barely use it but works fine. I have used baking soda in the past. Apply to scalp, wire brush in shower, rinse.
I also use a boar bristle brush just before jumping into the shower. the boar hair helps push oil buildup on your scalp to the edges of your hair so you are just using the oil you have to condition your hair before the vinegar removes the excess.
During the four months I was stuck, I was able to get by just finger combing my hair to prevent dreadlocks. I usually shower once every 7 days.
>I always have the worst luck with polyester.
here i'll demystify synthetics real quick:
polyester smells
nylon and polypropylene don't smell
stretch material can add a bit of smell factor
https://i.imgur.com/4jIFjft.gif
Guess dickies counts as a synthetic as it is polycotton. Never find my lower layers smell bad. Usually only shirt and socks. I use wool for the latter even in summer. Only problem with them is they are hard to wash after 2+ weeks of use because they get kind of rough and hand washing won't soften it up.
also if it matters I work in desert, so low humidity, low rain, high wind, hot days, cold nights.
the lanolin oil often in wool is anti microbial so my wool overshirts have never been washed. They used to call Filson mackinaws filthy filsons because the working class people that wore them never washed them for years until it was obvious that the outer wilds were becoming part of the fabric.
I'd rank it as
Wool 5*
Linen/Hemp 4.5*
Cotton/Nylon 4*
Polyester 2* (some exceptions)
Certain weaves will breathe less and trap more of your mojo too. Polyester has always felt that way though despite weaves. I've had it in socks and shirts and coats. Only time I don't feel it is my Dickies 874 65/35 polycotton because they are so baggy and my legs tend to not get funky and a surplus cs95 british smock that is 50/50 polycotton.
I think most of the hiker funk comes from waterproof layers and polyester. The shit that the dryer won't wash out.
polycotton is pretty good in dry environments
there's some truth to the "cotton kills" thing but its way over-blown and only actually applies to certain weather and also if your rain gear malfunctions too
i like a polycotton button-up shirt or fleece over a wool baselayer shirt in the fall when its not raining, and it looks like i'm not the only one, pmags feels the same: https://pmags.com/cotton-kills
Wool and wipe down before bed.
Never a bad idea to change your underwear too.
Wool
/thread/
wool is usually the answer but its bad to be in the habit of spamming broad generalizations without asking op where he lives or is hiking. if he's in the desert, jungle, or anywhere in asia then synthetics and frequent washing is less smelly and just plain better than wool. you can't just assume he lives and hikes somewhere similar to where you do unless he says something.
like for example if you're backpacking in asia and you don't want to smell you probably want a synthetic mesh tanktop, a nylon/elastine button down shirt, and a bunch of soap instead of wool.
things keep coming to mind and i will keep posting them as they do. >clothes
your sleeping bag plays a huge role too btw. if its one trip i wouldn't bother with this but if you're doing extended trips all the time this one is good to know:
your sleep system matters just as much as your clothes for stank factor.
if your tent has shit breathability and air flow you'll smell way more. well designed tents its no biggie. tents with condensation issues will also have smell/sweat issues.
most standard sleeping bags use 20d and heavier nylons as their shell fabrics. it doesn't breathe very well. ultralighter bags made from 10d and especially 7d shells breathe way better. game changer for anyone who sweats at night.
and another one.. not a geargay one.. obvious but ya might not do it without thinking about it.. just pace yourself when hiking.
i'm an expert in this field. got stuck at my job for 4 months last year without the ability to shower or launder. wear natural fabrics closest to skin. air them out at night. sleep commando or with a loose shirt.
Only synthetics I used were duluth trading nylon boxer briefs. Easy to hand wash those since they are so thin. I always have the worst luck with polyester. From fleece to Fjallraven it just seems to trap heat in and makes my body much more oily. My shirt is a hemp cotton blend if that matters. I generally use wool in the outer layers and only add a shell during winter/rain. I try to only use polyester in shell layers. Use dickies 874
hand wash the hot spots (pits, face, crotch) every week. I started using that pink zinc stuff (calamine) lotion. I just put it on a cotton swab and wipe it on pits and between legs if they got chaffed. >hair
I always feel dirtier during winter, and guessing that has to do with getting much more sun in summer. Hair is usually the most difficult to manage but I have just been using apple cider vinegar (1 part acv, 4 parts water) in a sriacha bottle for 5+ years now. Took about 3-6 months of getting off hair care 'product' for my hair to adapt as it felt like the shampoo removed all the oils on my scalp making it feel great for 2-3 days and then torture requiring a new scalping. I only shampoo now every 3-6 months when I get more buildup than the vinegar can manage.
My wife gave me some all natural shampoo a couple years back. I barely use it but works fine. I have used baking soda in the past. Apply to scalp, wire brush in shower, rinse.
I also use a boar bristle brush just before jumping into the shower. the boar hair helps push oil buildup on your scalp to the edges of your hair so you are just using the oil you have to condition your hair before the vinegar removes the excess.
During the four months I was stuck, I was able to get by just finger combing my hair to prevent dreadlocks. I usually shower once every 7 days.
Guess dickies counts as a synthetic as it is polycotton. Never find my lower layers smell bad. Usually only shirt and socks. I use wool for the latter even in summer. Only problem with them is they are hard to wash after 2+ weeks of use because they get kind of rough and hand washing won't soften it up.
also if it matters I work in desert, so low humidity, low rain, high wind, hot days, cold nights.
the lanolin oil often in wool is anti microbial so my wool overshirts have never been washed. They used to call Filson mackinaws filthy filsons because the working class people that wore them never washed them for years until it was obvious that the outer wilds were becoming part of the fabric.
I'd rank it as
Wool 5*
Linen/Hemp 4.5*
Cotton/Nylon 4*
Polyester 2* (some exceptions)
Certain weaves will breathe less and trap more of your mojo too. Polyester has always felt that way though despite weaves. I've had it in socks and shirts and coats. Only time I don't feel it is my Dickies 874 65/35 polycotton because they are so baggy and my legs tend to not get funky and a surplus cs95 british smock that is 50/50 polycotton.
I think most of the hiker funk comes from waterproof layers and polyester. The shit that the dryer won't wash out.
>I always feel dirtier during winter
probably because the oils solidify in the colder air; therefore, causing the oils to become more difficult to clean by being more viscous and less soluble in water/soap.
>hair
for me what works for long distance 6-12 month hikes is a scalp brush like anon said and dry shampoo. just mail yourself small amounts along the way in your resupplies. gets the job done. i did the no shampoo thing and had to shave my head, didn't work so well for me.
I love wool but it seems like those who claim it doesn't stink have never used it. Once it gets wet, you're fricked. It's the worst stench and if you can't find something besides water to rinse it with, it smells like death and makes everything else stink. It does stay warm when wet, for a while, but once it cools you're also fricked because wool takes a very long time to dry.
Here's a tip that may not automatically be apparent to many of you: buy (or make) quality soap, such as 100% Castile soap. Good-quality soap is much more effective at cleaning than cheap supermarket "soaps," which typically are not actually soaps, but compressed cakes of cleansing chemicals watered down with literal water and additives.
Proper soap is made of fat (animal or plant), lye, and water with maybe some scents added.
Buy a bar of Dr. Bronner's or any other bar of 100% Castile soap and compare it to the cheap shit. You'll feel much cleaner, much faster and the bar will end up lasting longer. This should interest ultralight gays.
>Maybe I should try to wash my wool socks with real soap then. I'm the anon frustrated with stinky wool.
Probably. I was speaking mainly about washing one's body, and I don't know much about detergents per se, but some quick Googling suggests synthetic detergents are used on clothes first and foremost to boost corporate profits by using cheap chemicals, but also because natural soaps can discolor clothes somewhat in an automatic machine.
But I bet that when it comes to actually CLEANING clothes, real soap is always better, especially when washing by hand. Nature is king, and man's shitty mimicry is always inferior even if cheaper/situationally more useful. For example lots of gear is made out of petrol byproducts, but Merino wool and cashmere still rule over them all.
I personally wouldn't recommend castile for washing your body. pH is too high. It strips your acid mantle (layer of skin protection) which can allow infections to take hold. Happened to me when I switched to using Dawn dish soap (which also has basic pH). Turns out the big reason so many different kinds of body soap exist (shampoo, body wash, etc) is mostly pH balancing to protect your skin from this. Different parts of the body have slightly different pH needs. >But I bet that when it comes to actually CLEANING clothes, real soap is always better
Depends. Commercial soaps contain chelating agents like EDTA that work really, really well for removing certain stubborn contaminants.
100% castile soap is really good for hand washing clothes, it was recommended to me ages ago by a friend who has a business importing raw denim and stuff from japan. i was all my gear (and any expensive clothes i wear in my day to day life) with castile soap in a bucket. i have the best front loaders money can buy but if you hand wash in a bucket like asiatics do your gear and PrepHole lasts longer.
Here's a tip that may not automatically be apparent to many of you: buy (or make) quality soap, such as 100% Castile soap. Good-quality soap is much more effective at cleaning than cheap supermarket "soaps," which typically are not actually soaps, but compressed cakes of cleansing chemicals watered down with literal water and additives.
Proper soap is made of fat (animal or plant), lye, and water with maybe some scents added.
Buy a bar of Dr. Bronner's or any other bar of 100% Castile soap and compare it to the cheap shit. You'll feel much cleaner, much faster and the bar will end up lasting longer. This should interest ultralight gays.
unironically most ultralighters don't pack soap unless its to wipe their ass after taking a shit & just "shower" in mcdonalds bathrooms on thru hikes.
stinky for whom? if it's just you who cares
I don't care about the smell per se, but I do care about it being a marker of bacterial growth.
what kind of climate?
what season?
here's some generic advice anyways.
for baselayers touching your skin?
usually wool. its antimicrobial and doesn't smell when not washed for a while.
wool's main downside for this is that it takes forever to dry and can be troublesome to wash in the field in some climates/weather.
in really hot weather its simply too hot for wool. synthetic mesh and frequent washing is the way to go.
in really humid weather synthetics and frequent washing might edge out wool.
shirt to throw over it not touching your skin?
completely depends on climate & weather. you don't really need this unless you're stopping in towns and wanna look normal-ish.
midlayer active insulation?
you want something very breathable when moving, that still keeps you warm, if you're in cold enough weather you need to hike with a midlayer on.
richgay flexer: alpha direct hoodie + ultralight nylon wind shirt (wind shirt must be used to regulate heat)
richgay flexer#2: airmesh hoodie from mountain hardwear (standalone)
cheap: polartec 100 fleece (standalone)
other considerations:
always wear shorts or shorts+leggings over pants if you can get away with it. might not wanna off trailing.
by the same logic, rain skirts > rain pants if needed.
if you need a rain shell make sure it has pit zips or fits loosely.
warm weather: loose fitting airy clothes, i usually buy my summer shit +1 size from normal
cold weather: tight fitting lofty clothes
when in doubt, for extended trips, if you don't know what to pack look at what thru/section hikers in your area use. a lot of them post their gear lists on plebbit. it'll be all dialed in for that purpose.
tl;dr most of the world: wool
jungles deserts and shit: synthetics
don't listen to this idiot. synthetics --especially polyesters-- get smelly real quick. if you need something for hot weather, get cotton.
this guy has a point. you'll want a sleeping bag liner to keep your sleep system fresh. though, if you aren't dealing with low temps, just carrying a wool blanket and a tarp is often times good enough.
stay safe out there, anon.
don't listen to this idiot. wools can be unwearable and impossible to wash/dry on long distance hikes in humid environments such as jungles. anon assumes everyone lives and hikes in the same climate as him. there's no one size fits all solution or best material for everything.
spot on
>I always have the worst luck with polyester.
here i'll demystify synthetics real quick:
polyester smells
nylon and polypropylene don't smell
stretch material can add a bit of smell factor
polycotton is pretty good in dry environments
there's some truth to the "cotton kills" thing but its way over-blown and only actually applies to certain weather and also if your rain gear malfunctions too
i like a polycotton button-up shirt or fleece over a wool baselayer shirt in the fall when its not raining, and it looks like i'm not the only one, pmags feels the same: https://pmags.com/cotton-kills
wool is usually the answer but its bad to be in the habit of spamming broad generalizations without asking op where he lives or is hiking. if he's in the desert, jungle, or anywhere in asia then synthetics and frequent washing is less smelly and just plain better than wool. you can't just assume he lives and hikes somewhere similar to where you do unless he says something.
like for example if you're backpacking in asia and you don't want to smell you probably want a synthetic mesh tanktop, a nylon/elastine button down shirt, and a bunch of soap instead of wool.
the occasional compostable baby wipe "shower" is recommended if you don't have a place to or its too cold to, btw.
things keep coming to mind and i will keep posting them as they do.
>clothes
your sleeping bag plays a huge role too btw. if its one trip i wouldn't bother with this but if you're doing extended trips all the time this one is good to know:
your sleep system matters just as much as your clothes for stank factor.
if your tent has shit breathability and air flow you'll smell way more. well designed tents its no biggie. tents with condensation issues will also have smell/sweat issues.
most standard sleeping bags use 20d and heavier nylons as their shell fabrics. it doesn't breathe very well. ultralighter bags made from 10d and especially 7d shells breathe way better. game changer for anyone who sweats at night.
and another one.. not a geargay one.. obvious but ya might not do it without thinking about it.. just pace yourself when hiking.
i'm an expert in this field. got stuck at my job for 4 months last year without the ability to shower or launder. wear natural fabrics closest to skin. air them out at night. sleep commando or with a loose shirt.
Only synthetics I used were duluth trading nylon boxer briefs. Easy to hand wash those since they are so thin. I always have the worst luck with polyester. From fleece to Fjallraven it just seems to trap heat in and makes my body much more oily. My shirt is a hemp cotton blend if that matters. I generally use wool in the outer layers and only add a shell during winter/rain. I try to only use polyester in shell layers. Use dickies 874
hand wash the hot spots (pits, face, crotch) every week. I started using that pink zinc stuff (calamine) lotion. I just put it on a cotton swab and wipe it on pits and between legs if they got chaffed.
>hair
I always feel dirtier during winter, and guessing that has to do with getting much more sun in summer. Hair is usually the most difficult to manage but I have just been using apple cider vinegar (1 part acv, 4 parts water) in a sriacha bottle for 5+ years now. Took about 3-6 months of getting off hair care 'product' for my hair to adapt as it felt like the shampoo removed all the oils on my scalp making it feel great for 2-3 days and then torture requiring a new scalping. I only shampoo now every 3-6 months when I get more buildup than the vinegar can manage.
My wife gave me some all natural shampoo a couple years back. I barely use it but works fine. I have used baking soda in the past. Apply to scalp, wire brush in shower, rinse.
I also use a boar bristle brush just before jumping into the shower. the boar hair helps push oil buildup on your scalp to the edges of your hair so you are just using the oil you have to condition your hair before the vinegar removes the excess.
During the four months I was stuck, I was able to get by just finger combing my hair to prevent dreadlocks. I usually shower once every 7 days.
Guess dickies counts as a synthetic as it is polycotton. Never find my lower layers smell bad. Usually only shirt and socks. I use wool for the latter even in summer. Only problem with them is they are hard to wash after 2+ weeks of use because they get kind of rough and hand washing won't soften it up.
also if it matters I work in desert, so low humidity, low rain, high wind, hot days, cold nights.
the lanolin oil often in wool is anti microbial so my wool overshirts have never been washed. They used to call Filson mackinaws filthy filsons because the working class people that wore them never washed them for years until it was obvious that the outer wilds were becoming part of the fabric.
I'd rank it as
Wool 5*
Linen/Hemp 4.5*
Cotton/Nylon 4*
Polyester 2* (some exceptions)
Certain weaves will breathe less and trap more of your mojo too. Polyester has always felt that way though despite weaves. I've had it in socks and shirts and coats. Only time I don't feel it is my Dickies 874 65/35 polycotton because they are so baggy and my legs tend to not get funky and a surplus cs95 british smock that is 50/50 polycotton.
I think most of the hiker funk comes from waterproof layers and polyester. The shit that the dryer won't wash out.
>I always feel dirtier during winter
probably because the oils solidify in the colder air; therefore, causing the oils to become more difficult to clean by being more viscous and less soluble in water/soap.
the ones you wash. it used to be a standard practice in any army but this is an era of spoiled weekend explorers
>it used to be a standard practice in any army
Redpill me on army laundry
get a bar of soap and rub. rinse and repeat.
Apparently the native Americans would use clay to clean their buckskins. It absorbs oil without causing water damage. Just rub it in and shake it off.
Wool and wipe down before bed.
Never a bad idea to change your underwear too.
Wool
/thread/
>hair
for me what works for long distance 6-12 month hikes is a scalp brush like anon said and dry shampoo. just mail yourself small amounts along the way in your resupplies. gets the job done. i did the no shampoo thing and had to shave my head, didn't work so well for me.
I love wool but it seems like those who claim it doesn't stink have never used it. Once it gets wet, you're fricked. It's the worst stench and if you can't find something besides water to rinse it with, it smells like death and makes everything else stink. It does stay warm when wet, for a while, but once it cools you're also fricked because wool takes a very long time to dry.
Here's a tip that may not automatically be apparent to many of you: buy (or make) quality soap, such as 100% Castile soap. Good-quality soap is much more effective at cleaning than cheap supermarket "soaps," which typically are not actually soaps, but compressed cakes of cleansing chemicals watered down with literal water and additives.
Proper soap is made of fat (animal or plant), lye, and water with maybe some scents added.
Buy a bar of Dr. Bronner's or any other bar of 100% Castile soap and compare it to the cheap shit. You'll feel much cleaner, much faster and the bar will end up lasting longer. This should interest ultralight gays.
Maybe I should try to wash my wool socks with real soap then. I'm the anon frustrated with stinky wool.
>Maybe I should try to wash my wool socks with real soap then. I'm the anon frustrated with stinky wool.
Probably. I was speaking mainly about washing one's body, and I don't know much about detergents per se, but some quick Googling suggests synthetic detergents are used on clothes first and foremost to boost corporate profits by using cheap chemicals, but also because natural soaps can discolor clothes somewhat in an automatic machine.
But I bet that when it comes to actually CLEANING clothes, real soap is always better, especially when washing by hand. Nature is king, and man's shitty mimicry is always inferior even if cheaper/situationally more useful. For example lots of gear is made out of petrol byproducts, but Merino wool and cashmere still rule over them all.
I personally wouldn't recommend castile for washing your body. pH is too high. It strips your acid mantle (layer of skin protection) which can allow infections to take hold. Happened to me when I switched to using Dawn dish soap (which also has basic pH). Turns out the big reason so many different kinds of body soap exist (shampoo, body wash, etc) is mostly pH balancing to protect your skin from this. Different parts of the body have slightly different pH needs.
>But I bet that when it comes to actually CLEANING clothes, real soap is always better
Depends. Commercial soaps contain chelating agents like EDTA that work really, really well for removing certain stubborn contaminants.
100% castile soap is really good for hand washing clothes, it was recommended to me ages ago by a friend who has a business importing raw denim and stuff from japan. i was all my gear (and any expensive clothes i wear in my day to day life) with castile soap in a bucket. i have the best front loaders money can buy but if you hand wash in a bucket like asiatics do your gear and PrepHole lasts longer.
unironically most ultralighters don't pack soap unless its to wipe their ass after taking a shit & just "shower" in mcdonalds bathrooms on thru hikes.