Need to dress for success

[Bubba shmubba]

Well as most of u know ( if you've read any of my pots) I'm new to the hf. I'm new to backpacking and the only camping I've done has been camp ground car camping until recently. But I have to say, I've caught the bug. I can't get the woods off my mind. All I can think about is the next wilderness adventure. Now all that being said, I'm starting to accumulate some gear, and what I don't have I've been able to borrow from my good buddy Carolina Razorback. But to get to the nitty gritty of why I'm posting this.... I got no clothes! Well that's not exactly true. I have clothes, just not trail clothes. And to be honest, I don't even know where to start. I think I might have the top half figured out, but I'll tell you what inthink I know and all you hardcore hf hangers can correct my ignorance.
I think you start with a decent base layer. I got this covered. I bought a set of Columbia omni heat base layers, tops and bottoms. And on top of that you wear a light weight t shirt. Then a wind shirt or fleece jacket, or depending on the temps maybe both. Then over all that a rain jacket as an outer shell. How's that for a noob?
But when it comes to pants I have no idea what to put on over my base layer that's not gonna be too heavy. I know that wind pants and rain pants are a must, but what do you wear under that?

[Catavarie]

For cold temps I like to wear fleece pants, fleece pajama pants will work until you can get some good fleece pants, with nylon wind pants over those. I don't even own a pair of rain pants.

Convertable hiking pants are nice as well and can be a great asset when the temps go from 80s during the days to 40s at night. Though I often find myself hiking in swim trunks when the weather warms up, really good for those river crossings as they dry out super fast.

I'm sure you've heard of using nylon dress socks for hiking, and while they are nice Walmart sells nylon athletic socks that feel better on my feet, and wool socks for when the temps drop.

I don't have a large amount of money to spend on this wonderful hobby of ours, so I'm constantly looking around to find a solution to the problem with what I already have on hand. One bit of advice I can offer is that if you haven't already check Craigslist, your local pawn shops, and reuse centers (Goodwill, Habitat for Humanity, Salvation Army, etc.) for good deals on used gear and clothing. You never know when someone or somewhere is going to have a perfectly good down coat for $10 or lightweight messkit for a buck.

[Bondo]

Bubba, take a look at the Riggs Ranger pants. These pants are the toughest pants on earth in my mind next to a pair of Filson's. I wear these daily. I work in the Ag industry where I have to inspect cotton fields. 6 months out of the year I am wading into chest high cotton that is constantly in contact with my legs. And I also hunt upland game in some of the thickest brush in the west. These pants hold up! They are a little heavier than a normal light weight hiking pant but I think they are well worth the extra weight. That being said I have no idea what the terrain looks like where you are at.

http://riggsworkwear.wrangler.com/Ca...s/pants/3W060#

[Str1der]

Bubba, you took the words out of my mouth. I was considering posting almost the exact same question, but couldn't think of how to ask it. I too am graduating from car camping and coming to the realization that my blue jeans and 2.5 pound synthetic jacket aren't exactly ideal! I will follow this thread with interest!

One thing I have done is read other people's gear list or watch videos where they pack their gear and pay attention to the clothes section. Everyone does this a little differently, but it gives you some good ideas. Seems like a pair of rain/wind pants, insulated pants, a 100/200/both weight fleece, wind-proof outer shell, and possibly some down jackets or vests are popular choices.

[jons4real]

Honestly , marshals tj max and Ross are going to be you best friends. Everything I own is either from there or the clearance racks from dicks sporting goods. It's hard to find good xxl and xxxl clothes but there out there.

[eflat7]

Walmart has killer deals on on the Starter stuff. I got almost everything I use there. I wear 2 to 3x as well. Look on their site, they always have stuff on clearance.

I got starter dry wicking base layer, windproof jack, and some outdoor type pants for less than 30$. The jacket was on sale for 5$. You really cant beat it and its all plain colors and styles, you won't look like a jogger from the 80's!

[Bubba shmubba]

I dunno if this helps any body else but I have a pear of insulated nylon warm up pants. (like from a jogging suit). they are pretty light compared to Jeans and I believe are a little warmer. they have a zipper up the side so you dont have to take ur boots off to put them on, and a draw string at the cuffs at ur ankle. I wore them on my last hike and they worked out great. How ever the nylon is like a micro fiber, and i wasnt sure how they would hold up against the briers and bushes so i added a set of gators to make sure I had no rips along the way. but these pants cover the top three criteria I look for. light , warm and cheap.

[Shug]

Here is a pretty good article on what to wear backpacking....http://www.easybackpackingtips.com/b...ngclothes.html
Take a trip and make notes on what works and what does not.
Carry Forth.
Shug

[Bubba shmubba]

thanks shug, that helps out alot, and dito on the livermush

[SilvrSurfr]

There are a ton of winter clearance deals this time of year for outdoor clothing. I regularly check these websites:

http://www.ems.com
http://www.rei.com
http://www.cabelas.com
http://www.bargainoutfitters.com
http://www.sportsmansguide.com
http://www.sierratradingpost.com

I've seen deals for 50-75% off sometimes. And there's always good deals on the Bay of Evil and Amazon.