Pin 272 Email 296 Shares

I’ve made some updates to my backpacking clothing system for 2016. My clothing is organized into four layers (base layer, active layer, insulation layer and shell layer.) By making a few substitutions (primarily within the base and insulation layers), I’ve found that a few pieces of clothing can be combined to suit a wide range of weather conditions. Here’s a quick overview of the four layers, followed by a list of the clothing I pack and wear (and how the pieces can be combined for spring, summer, fall and even mild-winter hikes.)

LAYER 1: BASE LAYER

A soft, comfortable next-to-skin layer consisting of: underwear, socks and long underwear. Protects bare skin from being chafed by outer layers, wicks away moisture, provides a thin layer of full-body insulation in cool weather and doubles as pajamas at night.

LAYER 2: ACTIVE LAYER

A lightweight, breathable, comfortable and durable layer consisting of: pants, shirt, shoes, hat and glasses. Protects from UV rays, dirt, light wind and nakedness. Very comfortable in warm weather (and in cool weather, when combined with other layers.)

LAYER 3: INSULATION LAYER

A thick, warm layer consisting of: puffy jacket or vest, warm hat and gloves. Insulates the torso and extremities (which are the most important areas to keep warm to prevent heat loss and maintain a safe core body temperature.)

LAYER 4: SHELL LAYER

A thin outer layer consisting of: rain jacket and optional rain/wind pants (pants are only necessary in very wet/cold conditions.) Protects against wind chill and keeps other clothing dry (wet clothing is dangerous because moisture compromises it’s insulating ability.)

MY BACKPACKING CLOTHING

So that’s the theory behind it – here is the actual gear I use. It’s divided into two categories: Clothing worn and clothing packed (with warm, cool and cold weather variations of the later.)

CLOTHING WORN

I wear these things every day, regardless of the season (and combine them with different variations of packed clothing for different weather conditions.)

CLOTHING PACKED: WARM WEATHER (50 °F +)

For summer hikes (plus late-spring and early-fall hikes in warmer climates/low elevation.)

Packed Weight: 2 lbs

CLOTHING PACKED: COOL WEATHER (35 °F +)

For late-spring and early-fall hikes (plus summer hikes in colder climates/high elevation.)

Packed Weight: 3 lbs

CLOTHING PACKED: COLD WEATHER (20 °F +)

For early-spring and late-fall hikes (plus winter hikes in warmer climates/low elevation.)

Packed Weight: 4 lbs

Have a question or comment about my backpacking clothing system? Please post your comments below…