Tights & shorts or convertible pants

imported
#1

November’s Backpacker magazine had a great article about Winton Porter at Mountain Crossings. (I’m sure a lot of you have seen or read it already) Anyway, one of his recommendations is to hike in long underwear and nylon running shorts instead of zip-off pants. These has sparked quite a discussion in our household so I thought I would ask all the seasoned experts out there what they thought. So what do you find most comfortable? What works best for you? Any difference in male & female thoughts? Thanks

Janet

#2

I NEVER hike in my long underwear. I always save it as my dry clothes/sleepwear that keeps my expensive sleeping bag clean.

Hiking in rain, snow or freezing temps I layer clothes and keep moving. That is enough to keep me warm until I set up camp.

I hiked my first thru with nylon running shorts and rain pants. Then I switched to zip-offs to save clothing weight and mass in my pack.

YMMV
…GottaWalk

Marcia

#3

I’m a convert to nylon swim trunk like shorts. I thru hiked the AT, many hundreds of trail miles & half the LT in zip off convertable pants which dry quicker than some pants but no where near as quickly as nylon shorts. I sweat far less in these shorts. I’m currently looking for much more breathable & lighter non convertable pants (no zippers = less weight) for when it’s cooler. Doubt I’ll ever go back.

Have never hiked with tights or smartwool long underwear and shorts but many have. I’m sure it works far better than zip off convertable pants. Breathes better, dries quicker, weights less.

FedEx

#4

Tights works if it’s very cold but dry. If it’s rainy, you don’t want to get your warm layer wet or you’ll have nothing warm to change into later. It has to be really really cold before I wear long underwear under rainpants as I sweat so much when climbing. On the AT and PCT I wore shorts. Both can be very warm trails. I wore rainpants on the AT for the first couple of months and the last month but not in between. For the CDT and PCT I wore convertibles. I took off the legs on the PCT during the day but put them back on at night to protect from mosquitoes. On the CDT it was so cold an there were so many blowdowns in the forested sections I kept the legs on most of the time. I occasionally wore my longjohns to hike, but not often as they were my only warm layer.

Ginny

#5

According to the article, Winton recommends 2 pairs of long underwear. One to hike in with shorts and one to sleep in. This is also labeled as a cold weather list.

Janet

#6

I don’t usually hike in my underwear, least not as the outer garment.

Nimblefoot

#7

zips these days.I am with gottawalk on this 1…I like me tights on the evening to protect my gucci bag. My eye site is’nt what it used to be so I use a marker on them to label right and left. That is the 1 thing that is a pain… trying to put them on in the middle of the day, wind blowing etc. Azt I will have my glasses in my pocket. it sucks getting old !

yappy

#8

I prefer hiking in short tights or long tights with a dress or skirt over them. Never had a problem keeping them dry cause I would take them off and change them for rainpants if it got too wet or in colder weather layer the rainpants over the tights. I think I’ve seen more hikers doing the long underwear thing than the zip off thing. Also heard of a lot of hikers losing their zipped off pant legs.

Apple Pie

#9

I am wearing nylon zip-off on our 2009 AT hike. They dry quickly, but I’m not sure if they will be warm enough. I had polyester zip-offs, but they are worn out after 4 years of use. We will see.

My nylon zip-offs have metal zippers which are so much easier to use that the plastic ones on polyester.

Good tip about marking the legs L or R.

swamp fox

#10

I prefer knit tights to woven fabrics in the cold. I find woven fabrics to be more binding over the knees. I carry a pair of long underpants for sleep wear, and a pair of thicker tights or knit pants for day wear. Running pants and tights can work well. I am talking about cold weather wear only, of course.

Five-Leafed Clover

#11

Gotta agree with Winton on this one. I have 2 pair of mid-weight tights. I use one for cold weather hiking, and one pair to sleep in.

I wear the hiking pair under light weight tights. If it is raining, I put on my rain skirt. They may get a little wet around the bottoms, but the wool still stays warm.

I’ve had this work on both the AT and PCT, and will be using the same method on the CDT this year. I’ve used rain paints, but finally converted to the skirt. It keeps me much drier, especially in warmer weather and rain.

Ellie

#12

Oops…meant to say, “under light weight shorts.”

Ellie

#13

dude!..those zip off pants look soooo gooood!..alas…folks are used to seein’ me and paw-ee sporting our COMFORTABLE home-mades!..actually, i’m with ‘apple pie’ on that ‘skirt advice’…(on shorter hikes i LOVE my long skirts!..PLENTY of freedom of movement!)…but i use homemade, ‘no frills’ nylon shorts and shell pants on thru hikes (each weigh less than 3 ounces)…i also like saving my soft, clean, warm, dry, non-smelly smartwool long johns to sleep in (i told ya i was into comfort!)… though in ‘03, i also carried an extra pair of polys… (they are very lightweight and warm, dry quickly, too, and can be worn under shorts for hiking…but mine were WHITE, and how un-cute is THAT!)…i’ve found that my 5 ounces of shorts and shell pants is usually sufficient for most weather…i am lookin’ at the possibility of makin’ a ‘desert skirt’ for the pct this year (perhaps zip-off? that way if i misplace the zip-off part, at least i still have one WHOLE article of clothing!)…i’m almost CERTAIN that if there’s even the SLIGHTEST chance of zipping off one leg of my pants and losing it, i’d have no trouble accomplishing THAT particular feat!..but, OH! how stylish are those zip-off pants!..(oh yeah…EVERYBODY’S wearin’ 'em, dontcha know!..just check out the latest gear catalogs! ;^)

maw-ee

#14

Zip-offs, being light and “roomy”, were just as easy to simply roll bottoms to above the knees. Saved some time and effort and worked great on days when weather couldn’t make up its mind to be warm or cold.

Seneca

#15

plus, I really like the pockets…I basically can stuff all my morning snacks in the suckers. I tie them together when I am not using them. I think that has helped in not losing them . so far. That would be a drag and probably , in a wierd way, sorta funny if I did…:girl . The 1 thing I liked about the nylon shorts is that I can pee standing up… but, I would often lose me lip stuff in them.

skirts are cute though ! golite has some VERY bright ones…you would’nt get lost wearing them puppies.

yappy

#16

I bought a pair of inexpensive convertible pants about 25 years ago and didn’t really like them. They didn’t fit well for my 6’5" height. Maybe now they are longer. I have always hiked in shorts (AT, months of May, Aug. and Oct.) and reserve my long underwear for sleeping. For the non-hiking hours in the evenings and early mornings, I wear a pair of oversized rowing pants over my hiking shorts. The rowing pants are made of supplex, have a cotton lining and have snap buttons for easy take on and off with my large feet. They are similar to the warm-up pants NBA players wear when coming off the bench, but much cheaper. I ordered these pants online from a Canadian company in Toronto named “Rowing Sports” for about $19. I do take them off when I start hiking. After 10 minutes of hiking, I feel comfortable again. This works fine for me during non-snow months. I used to run outdoors and cross-country ski in tights, but now prefer to exercise indoors for my upcoming hikes.

Happy Trails!

Steamer

#17

The only way to hike is in board shorts…your no mountain man hiking around in the woods in short shorts…come on! Make a cut up the inner thigh for those big steps and stitch it so it won’t rip.

Ozzie

#18

Board shorts, board shorts, board shorts.
It’s 29 outside and I have some on right now.
Cheers!

Bubble Boy

#19

ha If your legs are cold you haven’t been hiking enough or your hiking too slow.

Ozzie

#20

I hiked the AT in shorts the entire way, and had long underwear to sleep in only. I never wore these hiking (as many here advise). Keep in mind the season you are planning to hike in though. I was on the AT from Apr-Aug during a warmer, drier year, and thus never needed more leg insulation when walking. However, for the PCT I packed biking tights and long underwear and was glad I did so. The temperature swings are more dramatic out west, such that one day I’d be freezing at the top of a mountain range and the next I’d be sweating in 100* heat on the desert floor. Seasonal variability in the weather can change everything though.

mainesail