New Views in New Hampshire: Backpacker’s Wardrobe

wpid-20150912_103234.jpg

   I’m 350 miles along my way south of Mt. Katahdin and am celebrating a successful choice of clothing! For the first time yesterday morning I wore everything in my clothes bag except my extra socks. That was INSIDE the Lakes of the Clouds hut while we waited for breakfast. Outside, on the trail, I was warm and dry. I thought you might enjoy a peek at my “wardrobe”. A lightweight backpacker’s challenge is to balance weight with need. On this trip  in the northern 600 miles of the Appalachian Trail during August and September, I considered possible cold mornings and evenings, some rain, and cool days. I gambled on my coldest, rainiest conditions being in The Presidential range where we would summit Mt. Washington, known as having the worst weather in the US.

Here’s what I decided to tak

e:

Base layer:

Nylon underwear and bra

Darn Tough socks

Quick-dry shorts (from thrift store)

Polyester short-sleeved shirt (my Benton MacKaye Trail Assoc shirt!)

Trail runner shoes

Warmth and Rain layers:

Insulated stretchy shirt

Light wool sweater

Wind shirt jacket

Rain jacket

Lo

ng stretchy pants

Silnylon rain skirt

Fingerless wool gloves

Extra socks/mitts

Warm hat

Sun hat

For emergency warmth, I can wrap up in the rain poncho that doubles for a ground cloth, the fleece sleeping bag coupler, or the down sleeping bag. That’s it for this trip!

As the temperatures drop, I would add the next layers of insulation, but for now, I’m a happily clothed hiker!

One Reply to “New Views in New Hampshire: Backpacker’s Wardrobe”

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *


This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.