Choosing The Best Hiking ClothingAn introduction to choosing hiking clothing Often the hardest thing when walking up a mountain is to keep cool and dry and when you get to the summit you need to keep warm. So you should consider investing in the best hiking clothing you can afford. The type of hiking gear we describe in this section, and our subsequent linked pages, is clothing you will need for mountain ascents because that is when you build up the most heat and perspiration and often the problem is trying to keep cool and dry! A lot of people make the mistake of just wearing too many layers even in winter. In dry weather that is not too cold or windy you should only need two layers – a top, by that we mean a base layer next to your skin, and a windbloc fleece (see hiking fleeces page) on top of that if you need it.
Hiking clothing begins with... a good windbloc fleece & a synthetic, breathable base layer. These two form the ultimate combination for hikers. (See the base layer and fleece pages linked in the paragraph above. Plus, why you won't want to wear cotton for hiking ever again). If the wind feels like an icy blast then you will probably need your waterproof coat and waterproof trousers plus of course a hat and waterproof winter gloves or mitts depending on the conditions.
In winter a spare base layer (or better still a mid layer, which is essentially a very thick, breathable base layer) can be carried in the rucksack as backup but is rarely needed. If you had to stop for any length of time say because of injury then the spare top can be put on as well as your waterproof coat and over trousers. For a prolonged stop you need to get out of the wind-chill behind a wall or in to a dip etc. Last, but not least, we uncover (pun intended) Sports Underwear for men and women that reduces chafing, sweating and other common sports problems on the sensitive areas of your body. Of course this is just our preferred way of hiking but it is based on several years of mountain walking experiences in all seasons and in all weathers. However we continue to strive to improve the mix of the hiking clothing we wear with the twin objectives of maximum comfort coupled with minimum weight and we will update these pages frequently to try and improve on that.
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