I am planning an AT thruhike starting in GA in early March. Advice from anyone about a layering system with minimal weight is appreciated. I am considering lightweight capilene crew, insulating layer(part I’m having trouble with), and precip shell. I am having trouble deciding between a MH Monkeyman jacket, MEC Northernlite jacket, and several others. Would windblocker fleece be really benificial with using the precip? Thanks for your help.
boleweevel
Prefered were a silk weight Cap. long sleeve, a 300# guality fleece jacket without a hood, minimal zippers, wind bloc fleece hat, Precips or other, shorts, hiking undies. Even on the coldest days just your undies under the Precips and you’ll be fine. First you have to get used to starting out frozen fricken sold each morning. Add a down jacket like the Feathered Friends Helios for camp.
If can get wind bloc fleece do it. At some point you will get wet, okay you’ll get wet a lot, something that won’t pass air and still be warm when wet will keep you alive and happy. On Max Patch we were soaked to the bone and warm in a lovely 50knt 35* rain/sleet storm. Thanks Malden Mills.
Bushwhack and Bramble '01
I like an inexpensive polyester t-shirt, Patagonia Medium wt. or Expedition wt. Capilene top, a puff vest or jacket like the Mountain Hardwear Chugach and/or a Mountain Hardwear Windstopper Tech Jacket depending on how cold natured you are. For bottoms get Patagonia mid or Expedition wt. capilene bottoms, and a lightweight zip-off pants. Get a Mountain Hardwear Fleece windstopper hat, some gloves and a lightweight rainproof shell.
Matt
The gloves were weird. I wore the same ones a fellow hiker used. NorthFace Goretex shells. His gloves FROZE to his hands and he got nasty frostbite. I was warm even on the coldest days with out liners gloves. I like just shells to keep the wind off since I hike warmer than most. A t-shirt and a hat in the twenties is fine for me.
Bushwhack
I am leaving out Dec. 26 and in preperation I have been doing alot of cold weather backpacking.
What I have found for myself is that a liteweight Capaline crew (longsleave) is perfectly comfortable for me down to right at 32 degrees during the day if…
1.I am moving 2. There are no Gail force winds to cut me in two. When I stop I use my Patagonia PuffBall vest to slow down core heat loss, this piece also doubles as a pillow at night and is part of my extreme cold layering system.
I also have come to love a thin fleece and polyseter sweater I got at K-mart (12 bucks). When I slipped into a 2 ft deep creek getting water several weeks ago (34 degree day) After stripping the heavy cotten shorts off (cotten is as bad as they say and worse) and wringing out my midweight capaline “longhandles” I put on the k-mart sweater over the lite weight capaline and after about a 1/2 hr of hiking I was dry and warm and had to pull the sweater off. All except the days in the low teens or cutting wind the little puffball causes me to sweat, during cold days if you get “too hot”, you can count on being “too cold” not far behind.
In camp down to the midteens and low 20s I use the capaline the sweater and the puffball, and by the time my core gets chilled, its time to retire to the tent/shelter and bag.
On hiking days where it gets into the 20’s or teens (rare so far but it has happened) I use my backup/town/sleeping shirt a Patagonia R .5. This thing almost makes me sweat above 35 degrees while I am moving.
Now the key that ties this all together is the hat. I hike out in my took (fleece pant leg that acts as a hat/balaclava/neck gaitor) When I start to heat up, I regulate my body temperature by pulling the took into a head wrap leaving the top of my head exposed to whatever degree is needed to regulate while my ears stay toasty.
Not tested, but in theory I would use the precip/rainjacket for rain with the lt wt capaline and when the wind is hard and bone chillin cold.
Hope this helps.
bono AT 02/03
I have found that if it
bono
i spent the night in the grayson highlands, virginia, on saturday night. hiked in from fox creek. cut across pine mountain. ate an early dinner at thomas knob shelter (temp was about 20 degrees at 4:30). hiked a little down the trail toward brier ridge to watch the sunset and pitch camp in the woods. by the time i had my tent set up and was in my sleeping bag (which was a 30 degree bag) it was about 6:15 and already 15 degrees.
i experienced the longest night of my life on saturday. yep. i’m pretty sure of it. i can’t remember a longer night. there were gail force winds (i’d say about 40-50 mph) and a lite snow/icey granules all night. i started to get a little cold sometime in the night. so, i put on both pairs of gloves- glove liners and fleece gloves. as for clothing: i wore capaline uppers and bottoms, fleece pants, a fleece top, smartwool socks and a smartwool cap.
the last hour or hour and a half of the night was definitely the longest. when i finally dug myself out of the not-so-warm depths of my sleeping bag, my little thermometer that i carry read zero degrees. yes. zero degrees. it was definitely the most extreme conditions i’ve ever camped in.
i was never chilled to the bone. i did get to watch a pretty incredible sunrise on sunday morning. i did cut my hiking trip a day short on account of the severe conditions. once i started hiking i took off my down jacket (which was used as a pillow the night before) and fleece pants and was fine in a pair of shorts, a fleece top, and a layer of capaline.
i think it is just because i’m either cold hearted or cold blooded. i can’t remember which.
grizzly adam
We remember those from '01. Not being ones to have a shelter named after us we got new bags. On the really cold nights I keep the stove near by to heat up a Nalgene. Stick it behind you near your lower back and you’ll be in heaven. Or between your legs but don’t forget to move it around. I fell asleep in the Fire Warden’s Cabin on Roan and burnt myself.
Bushwhack
I spent the night on the Cumberland Plateau recently and and to test my sleeping bag I spent the night on the ground with my a ground sheet, thermarest FL UL and my sleeping bag, no shelter/tent. NOAA weather radio predicted temps in the low 20’s. I woke in the night to find the outer layer of the sleeping bag frosted over. Really it was more like the skin of the bag was frozen. This was at 3:40 am according NOAA and the temperature at the reporting station (not a the location I was at) was in the low teens. I rolled over and slept like a baby. Later I would find out the temp hovered between single digits and low teens. This is not 0 degrees mind you but I was as snug as a bug in a rug with no getting out of my bag and no disturbed sleep. I have to admit I did desicrate my Nalgene that night, but according to a book I read by Mike Stroud “Shadows in the Wasteland” Artic expiditioners are known to double there water bottles as pee bottles. UNDERSTAND I DO NOT RECCOMEND THIS. Not to mention it is gross, but Oh well.
As for myself the most expensive piece of gear in my arsenal is my sleeping bag. I did manage to get a $600 + Marmot Gore bag for a little more then the retail price of a good 20 degree bag by careful shopping. My bag is comfortable (unzipped) to the point where a fleece blanket is satifactory.
Bono
That was one of the things that was necessary on the trail; a cathiter (sp). And what wasn’t?; hair and reproductive organs that rub you the wrong way. Women can’t sit on a Nalgene in thier bag without falling over anyways. It’s like cow tipping! Speaking of Nalgene swapping; THREE TIMES I made Nestle Raspberry Hot Cocoa for myself in that rat bastard Raindog’s bottle which I thought was mine. However it did take me until Portsmouth, Nh to get a bottle sticker. Doh!
Bushwhack