one hiker wearing fleece and base layer the other just a base layer in the background are snowy rolling hills — Backpacking clothing is a personal choice, but best practice principles ensure there’s no such thing as bad weather on any of your hikes, including this one in Iceland!*
* “There’s no such thing as bad weather, only unsuitable clothing.” (Alfred Wainwright)

What Clothes do I Need for Multiday Hiking?

If you’re planning a multiday hike, a stroll through any outdoor shop presents a vast, confusing selection of clothes. How on earth do you choose which suit you best? Which rain jacket? What is hydrostatic head? Does it matter? Synthetic or merino tee? What about long underwear? Nightwear? Should I get a fleece or down jacket? Or both? Why? And wow, these clothes are super pricey and I’m on a budget. Can I still hike with cheap gear? Spoiler alert: YES!

This article is not to tell you which brand to buy, though you’ll see examples as exemplars… or as warnings! Rather, when you’ve read this article and Part 2 (coming soon), you’ll be able to walk into any store – not only an outdoor store, but a Kmart or Aldi – and recognise which clothing suits the hiking and climates you experience yourself.

Part 1 covers:

How the Outdoor Clothing Industry Seduces Hikers
Why You Don’t Need Expensive Clothing
One Non-Negotiable
One Important Choice
Expensive vs Cheap Clothing
Introduction to the Layering System – General Principles
Peripheral Clothing (gloves, beanies, buffs, balaclavas).
Buying Tips

Part 2 covers The Layering System in detail including

Materials/Fabrics/Design/Choices for

Baselayer

Mid/Insulating Layer
Shell Layer
Alternative layers
Alternative layer combinations
Examples of layering systems for different environments/seasons

hiker with backpack walking past interesting rock formations wearing zip off long pants and mid layer over his base layer — *Appropriate clothing, whether of wool(s), synthetic or a blend, ensures comfort on long hikes when you need to wear the same items, sometimes damp or wet, day after day.*

The Outdoor Clothing Industry

The multi-billion-dollar outdoor clothing industry did not get that way by telling you to wear pretty much anything comfortable for hiking. Instead, you ‘must’ buy the latest and greatest, often at eye-watering sums.

The industry aims to keep you buying gear. Even though they have always served you well, those old hiking pants and fleece should, you are told, be replaced with something newer and, it is implied almost by definition, better. But this is often a lie.

Worse, when you follow any outdoor influencer – and even with our little not-for-profit website, Geoff and I reluctantly find ourselves in this category – nearly all of us promote certain products either deliberately or just because it is what we happen to be wearing. If we are using it, it must be good for you too, right?

Well, no. What you need depends on the kind of hiking you do: exposure, climate, weather, terrain, remoteness, number of days away, whether the path is manicured or bush-bashing. Fastpackers may need different clothing to slower hikers. It depends on your personal preferences – even on the same day, Geoff and I often dress differently because I am a cold fish and he is a toaster. And of course it depends on your budget.

So if you’re considering those expensive brands… yes, they are seductive, and often beautiful: I love the colour palette of one particular brand and am far from immune to marketing, unlike Geoff who replaces clothes only when they quite literally fall apart. Often the pricey things are functional too. But do you need them?

Do You Need Expensive Clothing For Multiday Hiking?

No.

Let’s repeat that. No. I do not need those expensive clothes to do a multiday hike.

I can choose them if I can afford them but, for the vast majority of hikes, I do not need them.

Are there exceptions? If you are going into remote terrain in extreme climates, your gear must be both appropriate and reliable. However, even more important is that you understand your clothing and how it functions – how else will you assess its appropriateness and reliability? – rather than how much it costs per se. A cheaper and heavier product with correct waterproofness, robustness or insulating properties is more effective and reliable than a featherweight expensive one with inappropriate waterproofing or insulation parameters for conditions. A heavy tradie or Kmart synthetic fleece withstands bush-bashing better than a delicate Senchi top that snags on every twig or scrap of Velcro – imagine it in Tassie’s infamous scoparia!

an expensive Senchi base layer garment looks soft but very fragile — This Senchi is as famously light and warm, as it is infamously snaggy and delicate. Fantastic for clearer trails and healthy budgets, less so for bush-bashing and the cash-strapped. (Image Credit: Senchi)

Quality technical gear such as you might need at the poles, above 10,000ft altitude, in extended wet weather and/or in alpine or Northern Hemisphere winters, is always going to be more expensive, but fewer of us hike in those conditions. And if you do, by the time you’re ready for such challenging multiday expeditions, you’ll have accumulated both the experience and knowledge to select appropriate gear, whatever its price.

One Non-Negotiable

As well as understanding your gear, you have one non-negotiable. Hikers who have ignored this rule have died from hypothermia: ‘cotton kills’ is literally true when you’re considering clothing. Bamboo is equally bad.

Never Choose Cotton or Bamboo clothing for a Multiday Hike.

Unlike synthetics, wools and silk that retain much of their insulating properties when wet, bamboo and cotton do not. Instead, they efficiently whisk away your body heat, which is no problem when you are walking around town with a hot shower and a wardrobe of dry clothes waiting at home. However, on trail, moving slowly in wet cotton or bamboo clothing, or moving at an ordinary pace in windy weather, can induce hypothermia in temperatures otherwise considered benign, the latter even above10C/32F. Cotton and bamboo absorb a lot of their own weight in water, and dry slowly.

two models wearing bamboo base layers — *These soft and comfortable bamboo tops are marketed as baselayers and would suit commuters, but they are as bad as cotton for multiday hiking (Image Credit: O2Wear).*

In scorching desert environments, temperatures plummet at night, often to below freezing. In tropical regions, extended periods in wet clothing can kill at temperatures that don’t drop below 5C/41F.

When hiking in sustained heavy rain over many days, it’s almost impossible to stay dry even with excellent rain gear. At this point, your base and/or insulating layers become damp from your own sweat as the water repellent coating wets out and loses breathability (more on this in Part 2). If your layers lose all their insulating properties, you might as well hike naked under your rain shell. Brrr!

After a hiker death in 2014, Rangers on Australia’s alpine Overland Track instituted a mandatory checklist of appropriate clothing and now do not let you set out if you are wearing jeans (cotton) or are without an appropriate rain shell. They are not being nannies: multiple rescues (and deaths) of hikers occur due to the wrong clothing for conditions. Please take a moment to read the link now, remembering that these hikers were in a southern Hemisphere summer with temperatures hovering around freezing (well below with wind chill).

Unlike on a day hike when you are usually reasonably confident of the forecast and are by definition no more than half a day away from your car, shelter or the trailhead, you are on a multi-day hike. Weather forecasts change: benign conditions deteriorate to horrendous, and you must carry all the protection you need.

Having said that, hikers without appropriate clothing who are delayed by injury on a day hike, can become hypothermic as easily as someone on a multiday hike. Similarly on multiday treks, should you leave your main pack at a junction to hike a spur trail with an ultralight day pack, pop in a shell (and an insulation layer if appropriate) together with your other safety imperatives such as first aid kit, PLB, water etc. in case you are unable to return to your main pack.

hikers standing next to timber platform with many backpacks resting on it — At a short spur trail on the Overland Track. This hiking group have left their packs at the junction but, in remote areas or when you are solo, always take essentials and protective clothing with you in a day pack.

One Important Choice

In anything other than guaranteed dry and warm conditions, a quality rain shell is potentially life-saving. Quality is not brand, it is any jacket with the correct hydrostatic head, seam taping and robustness needed for the conditions and weather. And weather is never one hundred percent predictable. Even on the Larapinta in central Australia, we experienced freezing temperatures at night with ice on the tent, plus one daytime temperature around 8C/46F on an exposed ridge in light rain, with a howling 25-30kt windchill dropping the apparent temperature to near zero. We were moving slowly due to the scrambly, wet track and were extremely grateful for our lightweight rain shell pants and jackets (plus other clothing), that kept us warm and dry. Conversely, on a multiday hike in Tasmania’s central plateau, we wore much heavier thigh-length three-layer goretex jackets to better withstand the scrub and extended rain.

Light and Expensive or Cheap and a Bit Heavier?

Expensive clothing brands are often expensive purely because of the label. Many are made in the same factories as cheaper brands. At worst, there is zero difference between a cheap polartec fleece and an expensive polartec fleece other than the price and the name on the label. You’re paying for a fashion statement, rather than for utility. How about a Northface-Gucci collaboration backpack? Fashion Critical hilariously writes,

“Considering a day hike? Look no further than this back pack. Starting at around AUD4,550 (USD2,945), you’ll find it extra roomy and light weight, given you’ll have no money left to put anything in it!”

Indeed!

But seriously, often – not always – expensive brands fit better, hold their shape better over multiple washes, are more resistant to pilling, are less likely to develop holes, or have better seam-sealing and leak-resistance. Sometimes they are more durable. But will that garment really last ten (or more) times longer than the cheaper one? It might look better, but that doesn’t automatically mean it also functions better.

For backpacking, more expensive clothing usually offers just one characteristic over its cheaper equivalent: its warmth to weight ratio. A cheap down jacket with lower-loft (less fluffy) feathers can be just as warm as an expensive one, but requires more down (ie weight) to achieve it. Some of the new insulation and base layers rely on patented patterns of gridded fleece or mesh that not only breathe extraordinarily well, but also trap additional air under a windproof shell. Although this makes them extremely light and cool or warm for their weight, some sacrifice robustness or practicality, at least in certain climates.

net style base layer is warm but offer poor sun protection — Norwegian company Brynje has been creating active wear clothing for cold climates since the 1800s. Their mesh is extremely effective as a light wicking and evaporative baselayer when worn on its own, and astonishingly warm when layered under a shell or even midlayer, but you can see the obvious SPF drawback for an Aussie climate. It’s also very expensive in Oz. Does it work for you? Always assess products relative to your own hiking conditions. (Image Credit: Brynje)

You can therefore always buy cheap clothing that is as warm as its more expensive counterpart – it will just be heavier. Think: cheap, warm, light: pick two! When you’re backpacking, the greatest weight savings come from the ‘big three’: tent, backpack, and sleep system, not from clothing, though a rain shell is one of the first items of clothing that weight weenies shave grams. Those on a budget wanting to shave weight should therefore direct their dollars first to the big three, rather than to clothing.

Reducing Clothing Weight

Having said that, it’s still worth reducing weight where possible when you carry everything on your back either in your pack or as worn weight. If you’re on a budget, you have several ways to do this. The best is to take only what you need. New hikers often carry several changes of clothes, with multiple tees, pants plus a pair of shorts, and many pairs of socks, undies and bras. Conversely, the more experienced multiday hiker can instantly be recognised by their stinky, filthy clothes as they lie dead beside the track!

Just kidding, of course! No one has ever died because they are hiking in a smelly tee shirt, and experienced hikers tend to take just one set of clothing for hiking, with perhaps two pairs of undies to wash and wear on alternate days. If our clothes get wet, we change into something dry in camp when we stop moving, and put the damp clothes back on the next day, warming up once we start hiking again. When you do this, you’ll be surprised how quickly that clammy synthetic or wool warms up as it retains the heat you’re generating. This is why cotton and bamboo are so bad for hypothermia: if you are forced to wear wet clothing, these materials stay cold.

Many hikers take an extra pair of sleep socks, but that dry set of clothing to wear in camp or in your tent at the end of the day or when you’re holed up in storms need not duplicate your hiking clothes: it can be as simple as long thermals which double as warm sleepwear, or which can be worn under hiking shorts or pants during the day, under a rain shell in camp, or as an extra midlayer between your base and fleece.

The Layering System: An Introduction

jacket with insulating layer inside with water beading off on outside — The Kathmandu Trailhead 2 Layer Insulated Jacket’s name implies it will be great for hiking, and the description enthuses, “Waterproof, breathable, insulated rain parka to stay dry and warm on the trail and around town.” Around town and commuting, sure. On a multiday hike, a hard no. (Image Credit: Kathmandu).

We’ve mentioned rain shell, fleece and baselayer, but how do you put together a set of clothing for a multiday hike?

Outdoor clothing stores all carry multi-function jackets. They are usually thick, heavy, insulated, with a plethora of pockets, and supposedly “waterproof.” This one jacket, you think, will do everything! Keep you warm, dry, and it’s just ONE item!

But that very sales pitch – really aimed at people wearing them to the bus stop or around town – is exactly what makes these jackets terrible for hiking. They might feel perfect when you get up in the morning but, as soon as you begin walking with a heavy pack, they are too hot. If it begins to rain, water seeps into the stitching and soaks the insulation. Or, the jacket doesn’t breathe, so it becomes heavy with sweat. Truly waterproof insulated jackets might be fine for hunters sitting motionless for hours, not for hikers climbing hills all day.

The layering system is considered current best practice for outdoor activities like hiking. The details vary depending on activity – skiing and hiking have slightly different requirements – but the principle of a modular system of clothing that you mix and match to suit conditions is the same.

The system is based on three layers: Base, Insulation (or Mid) and Shell.

two hikers resting back against a log wearing woollen T shirts as their base layer — Closest to your skin is the **base layer, above**. It is usually relatively form-fitting (but not always — hiking shirts work too), and its primary aim is to wick moisture away from your skin to keep you *dry from sweat* (and hence warmer in cold weather). In hot weather, the base layer allows wicking plus evaporative cooling rather than trapping moisture against your skin.

two hikers both wearing a base layer one wearing a fleece as an insulation layer the other wearing a fleece and a puffy jacket for two insulation layers — The next layer is your **insulation or mid layer**. The aim of this layer is to keep you *warm.* It also breathes well, so that moisture wicked from the base layer passes through without becoming trapped. I’m wearing two insulation layers!

two hikers wearing rain jackets as their outer shell layer — The outer layer is the *shell*. A shell is waterproof and usually also windproof. The purpose of the shell is to keep you *dry from rain, sleet and snow*, and also to prevent windchill.

These three modular layers can be mixed and matched for most conditions while you are on the move. Wear just the base layer if it’s warm. Add the midlayer if it’s cool. Add the shell if it’s cold or raining. If you’re hiking in rain but it’s not too cold, wear the base layer and shell without the insulation. You can immediately see how these three layers are more versatile than one waterproof insulated jacket.

Many people carry a fourth layer, or use a combination for their insulation/base layers – ultralight down puffies, sun hoodies and windshirts are three popular additions.

Part Two details these layers, systems, materials and combinations, plus sustainability considerations and responsible sourcing so that you can customise to your preferences, climate, hiking style and budget.

Other Clothing

The layering system is focused on the torso, arms and legs but we need to protect other parts of our bodies too, and the same principles apply.

Head and Neckwear

We lose body heat from our heads, though the oft-quoted 20%+ figures or ‘losing most of your heat through your head’ are myths: it’s closer to 7-10%. Nevertheless, a beanie is an essential item of clothing in anywhere but hot tropical environments. It can be wool or polyester fleece (fleece is lighter and dries faster) but should be big enough to cover your ears and pull low over your brow. Our trusty Macpac beanies, at least a decade old, cover our ears and have a dorky but effective cord that secures under the chin:

two hikers wearing beanies with earflaps one black the other pink — *Dorks Inc, but who cares? Function wins every time. No sartorial splendour here, but we were warm and dry on the entire Overland Track despite the rain!*

We also carry lightweight merino balaclavas (ours are discontinued but these are similar, as are Aldi budget ones at just AUD11.99 at time of writing, available May in temperate Australia). Aldi also has synthetic balaclavas (a bargain at AUD9.99!).

man modelling different ways to wear a combined balaklava — Slowerhiking’s famously stylish outdoor supermodel demonstrates how balaclavas can be worn to leave exposed only eyes, or nose plus eyes, or the entire face. They can also be bunched around the neck as a scarf/buff to block drafts, or folded up onto your head as a beanie. In very cold weather, we wear these under fleece beanies and/or rainshells – the layering system applies here too!

The good ol’ Aussie Akubra is great for sun protection, but is insufficiently warm: this unsuitable headwear was noted by a coroner as contributing to a hiker death on the Overland Track (together with other inappropriate clothing choices; it’s another report worth reading).

two hikers sitting on a sand dune wearing different styles of hat — *Friends on the Bibbulmun Track. They both also carried beanies; Legionnaires hats and Akubras are great for sun protection but not warm.*

For sun protection, a broad brimmed hat is effective, but a cap leaves your neck and the sides of your face exposed: not ideal in Australia with its high UV ratings in most regions, most of the year. Legionnaire’s style caps are better but, in warm parts of Australia, you’ll still need sunscreen, even in winter when the sun arcs lower, unless you choose one whose flaps velcro together or, like the excellent Adapt-a-Cap model sold by the Cancer Council, have an added flap to cover the lower half of the face:

Ones whose flaps are like the one above or which secure together to cover your mouth and/or nose are also handy in sunny, windy weather. Choose models that hold firmly with velcro, a drawcord, or a chin strap.

two hikers with same style hat one the brim is bigger — *My polyester hat is extraordinarily light at just 82g (this cheap one* is almost identical), but you can see the positioning of the flaps provide less coverage than Geoff’s hat. It came with a detachable face flap covering that I unfortunately found intensely annoying. YMMV!

Many hikers wear a baseball cap under ultralight rainwear, whose hoods often have a small peak or none at all. Legionnaires hats whose flaps velcro out of the way behind the neck also work well under hoods in rain.

Gloves and Mittens

Gloves make a huge difference because extremities are prone to cold and frostbite.

Gloves can be any combination of the following:

Waterproof/not
Breathable/not
Made of wool or other natural fibres, leather, synthetics such as fleece, neoprene, or combinations
Thin and light, thick and warm, used separately or together as with a liner glove.
With touch screen finger pads, nosewipe and other features.

Gloves should match conditions. In very cold, snowy weather such as in northern hemisphere winters, the dry cold means gloves also stay dry, so those thick insulated gloves work well. However, here in Australia, winters mean cold and wet in most regions other than the tropics.

Waterproof breathable gloves exist, but don’t stay dry inside during extended rain. They wet out eventually as the DWR (durable water resistant) coating fails or the breathable membrane blocks with sweat and oils: they are no longer breathable and therefore your sweat is trapped inside. Water running down jacket sleeves may also funnel inside cuffs of poorly fitted gloves – look for ones that are long enough to extend up inside the jacket cuff. Gloves with short knitted cuffs wick water from jacket sleeves, especially when you use trekking poles. If using trekking poles in rain, the position of your hands and wrists means you may need to roll up long-sleeved mid or baselayers to prevent funelled water wicking up the arms.

pair of sky-blue work gloves — *Showa 281 work gloves, a colour you’ll never lose on trail. (Image Credit: Japan Agri Trading).*

Rather than buying expensive insulated waterproof gloves, many US hikers swear by worker gloves such as the Showa 281: cheap there, not as cheap in Australia. They don’t have a conventional water-repellent coating, but remain waterproof whilst retaining a degree of breathability. On its own, this glove isn’t warm, so it’s combined with a liner glove (often wool) for additional protection. Woollen gloves retain heat when wet but absorb water.

Waterproof gloves are always windproof, but a windproof non-waterproof glove with sufficiently thick insulation also keeps hands warm even when wet; Geoff and I use fleece ones with a windproof backing and reinforced palm. They are sufficient in temperatures around 0C but we would need thicker insulated gloves for extended hikes in snow.

Mitts are warmer than gloves but affect dexterity. If that isn’t a problem, consider combining waterproof thin mitts with gloves. Waterproof mitts are less likely to leak because they have fewer seams.

Although many gloves boast touchscreen capability, in our experience they often fail in rain when not only your glove, but also your screen is wet. Conversely, if you’ve ever battled soggy tissues on trail, you realise that nosewipes on gloves are somewhat disgusting but practical!

This website illustrates different kinds of hiking gloves including liner, insulated, waterproof and mitts available in Oz. You can mix and match all these options. In Australia, aim to choose a glove or glove combination that is 1. Windproof or waterproof (bearing in mind the latter will almost always wet out) with 2. sufficient insulation of a type that retains warmth even when wet.

Bras

hiker wearing top shorts wading through water to cross creek — *A wade and swim in Hugh Gorge,* *Larapinta Trail*

A comfortable hiking bra is transformative. Those with small breasts have plenty of models from which to choose (or wear none), but those of us with bigger puppies are usually more comfortable with a degree of support to reduce bounce and underboob rash.
Some people find that pack shoulder straps chafe the sides of larger breasts; try a compressive bra, or choose a pack with S-shaped rather than J-shaped shoulder straps. Some packs allow you to raise the position of the chest strap, useful for short busty people; high impact compressive style bras that contain the breast rather than just raising the lot higher up your chest wall are worth a try if you have this issue.
Many women prefer merino bras (not available in larger cup sizes); sports bras and crop tops are happily now available in a wide range of sizes. She Science is an Australian company with a great range catering to active people with large to very large boobs.
I use a Lululemon Enlight Bra . It’s the most comfortable hiking bra I’ve tried and has enough coverage to use unremarked-upon as a swim top. Cons are that it’s heavy (156g in my size), dries slowly, and isn’t especially shapely for those whose boobs are no longer as pert as they once were! Better options are no doubt available, so please share your own recommendations and experiences in the comments below.

Undies

garments drying on clothesline strung between two tree trunks — *Undies, socks, towel, tee and bra drying on Western Australia’s fantastic* *1,000km Bibbulmun Track.*

Underwear is another highly personal choice. Here are considerations for multiday hiking:

Merino remains stink-free for longer than synthetic, but dries more slowly.

Snug-fitting synthetic underwear dries incredibly fast – those with proprietary treatments are dry enough to wear after a spin dry or even just blotting with a towel. However, for people with vulvas, synthetic undies get funkier faster, especially those without natural fibre gussets and/or combined with tight leggings. Ex-Officio are popular with many hikers, but did not work for me. YMMV.

Reader Mara recommends the ultralight Paire Lipstick travel undies, at just 13g/0.46oz each it’s basically the same weight penalty as going commando!

Flat wide waistbands and flat-lock/offset seams are often more comfortable under pack hipbelts.

Boy leg undies, long boxer-style undies or undies worn with bike shorts help prevent chafing.

Some men prefer underwear with more support for the family jewels when hiking.

Consider bringing two pairs, with one washed and drying while the other is worn and, yes, the inside-out option extends wear!

Swimwear

hiker in black shorts and green T shirt walking out into the water for swim — *A paddle in t-shirt and quick-drying running shorts, Larapinta Trail.*

Few experienced hikers carry swimwear and instead use underwear as described above, or swim naked. Unless in countries or waterbodies with mandated clothing requirements (eg Iceland’s hot springs that usually require either nudity or real swimwear), more modest hikers on busy tracks or on tracks like the Jatbula that feature daily swims with many hikers, lightweight quick-drying running shorts teamed with a sports bra for women are a practical multifunction option because you can hike in them too.

When and Where to Buy

Specific design aspects of what to look for when buying your layering system will be detailed in Part Two (eg quarter zip or full zip, hood or no, flat seams, pocket placement, length, thumb holes, weight, materials etc), but here are general guidelines for buying outdoor gear.

First, seriously consider whether you need the item: is it something you don’t have, or are you replacing something that’s still 100% functional? If the latter, why replace? Often it’s to save weight, but is $200 for 30g saved cost effective? You’ll always save more weight by leaving an unnecessary garment at home on your next hike than by buying a lighter one!

If what you have is still completely functional, reconsider. Geoff has had the same blue Berghaus fleece for at least a decade and it is as functional as the day he bought it. I replaced mine a year or two ago when the zip failed whilst between hikes interstate; serendipitously, we were actually in the outdoor shop replacing a broken trekking pole when the zip also broke!

I got fatter and needed to buy a bigger pair of hiking pants, but fortunately I kept my favourite old ones and can fit into them again a decade later! So now I have a slightly thicker, warmer pair, plus an ultralight pair for hotter climates.

hiker holding on to top of rock slab making her way around narrow rock ledge at edge of water pool — Scrambly gorge in lightweight pants.

*Wearing my lightweight old-new pants on the Larapinta, plus an Australian* *Ottie merino* *tee that was expensive but still in almost perfect condition after countless multiday kilometres of trail, and several hundred additional days at home and on day walks.*

Where to Buy

Once you know your materials (wools, silk, polyester/nylon, no pure cotton or bamboo, more in Pt 2), and requirements, you can find suitable hiking clothing almost anywhere.

In Australia, tradie shops are often great places for robust polartec-type fleece, but many of the work shirts are cotton or cotton blends. If you find lightweight long-sleeved synthetic work shirts, they are likely to be cheap and of excellent design for hiking because Australia has mandated SPF requirements for outdoor workplaces.

Peruse the Active wear sections of Big W and Kmart and similar budget chains – again, check labels to ensure they aren’t cotton or cotton blends. Cheap hoodies and windcheaters in these outlets often include cotton. Decathlon has cheap synthetic running tops that work well for hiking.

Amazon sells merino tees and clothing at good prices:

photo of long-sleeved merino thermal top and long thermal pants — A quick search found this set of merino thermals on Amazon for just AUD29. We can’t vouch for these and suspect they aren’t superfine merino, and won’t wash and wear as well or last as long as merino blends with lycra or elastane but, at that price, who could complain! (Image Credit: ZMart)

Australian hikers debate the differences between higher-end, more expensive outdoor shops such as Paddy Pallin, and cheaper chains such as Anaconda, BCF and Kathmandu that cater more to fine weather weekend warriors, folk on day hikes, or even commuters, than to hikers on remote multiday expeditions.

That’s not to say they stock no suitable gear, it’s just that they have a larger proportion of stock that’s less suitable for your needs. They’ll likely have perfectly good base and fleece layers, but their range of rain shells is different. This is not about clothing quality: it’s simply fit for a different purpose because, for example, a commuter or someone on a day walk with a light pack won’t need a rainshell with the same hydrostatic head as someone hiking for days in rain with a heavy pack.

Nevertheless, when you understand what you need in and from your clothes, it won’t matter where you shop, because you can find the right product yourself by reading labels; you’ll have the necessary knowledge after reading Parts 1 and 2 of this article series. However, if you have to rely on staff advice, the level of expertise in shops like Kathmandu and BCF is, in our experience, well below that found in stores like Macpac and Paddy Pallin. In the backpacking facebook group Overland Track Tasmania, which sees a large proportion of hikers on their first multiday trek, members tell with depressing regularity of being sold completely inappropriate rain shells by staff at Weekend Warrior Shops. And as we’ve seen in those coroner’s reports, an inappropriate rain shell can be fatal.

Take Advantage of Sales

hikers lying stretched out on a flat rock promoting Kathmandu clothing — *Once you know what you’re looking for and at, you can take advantage of sales in any shop, including chains like Kathmandu, because you can identify the characteristics that you need in a garment*. (Image Credit: Kathmandu).

If you’re after a particular big-ticket item of clothing such as a good rain shell, get onto the mailing list of the brand/outlets that sell them. The trick is to decide what you want in advance, or you will be sucked into unnecessary impulse buys!

Mont is a reputable Australian company that has regular outlet sales of its rain shells at significant discounts.

Aldi has catalogue sales that cycle annually, and include budget merino base layers that usually appear in May in temperate Australia. At 150gsm, they are light weight and, although the women’s model has an impractical deeply scooped neckline (choose instead a smaller men’s version with a higher neckline), the AUD34.99 price at time of writing is a bargain. The baselayer uses <17.5micron wool so is soft and non-itchy, and is machine washable.

Aldi also sell a 250gsm merino quarter zip, merino leggings with a wide flat waistband, as well as synthetic seamless baselayers designed for skiing. All are excellent value for money and, because they’re German, fit taller folk too.

Start-of-season sales are the perfect time to buy discontinued models/colours being cleared for new stock. This is great for expensive items like good rain jackets: we bought ours at close to half price (we would never buy this brand at eye-wateringly full price); one came in from interstate. It’s also excellent for things like merino undies, as long as you don’t mind wearing the often slightly odd colours that no one else wants – Geoff once had an awesome lime green pair with pink stripes!

Second-hand

Op-shops/thrift stores often have marvellous bargains because the people donating and the store often don’t realise the value of the items, but you have to visit regularly because these bargains get snapped up quickly!

Caveat emptor and commonsense are key for online purchases. You’ll see new items being sold with tickets still attached, usually because they are the wrong size, and these are often bargains. Sometimes you’ll find older outdoor clothing, perhaps being sold as a set, after closet clear-outs of things hikers no longer use or fit into.

collection of old second-hand rain jackets — Rainwear on Facebook buy-and-sell groups: Caveat Emptor!

However, beware buying used secondhand rainwear. It does wear out; there are only so many times that the waterproof coating can be restored and you have no idea how the jacket has been maintained.
Would you sell a perfectly good jacket that kept you completely dry on your last hike? Probably not, although legitimately functional second-hand jackets do come up for sale. My (superseded) ZPacks jacket leaked badly because the neck seams weren’t taped in the factory; by the time I discovered the cause, it was out of warranty. I’ve worn it twice but can’t sell it because who would buy: “Rain jacket, as new but leaks badly!”

Scammers are rife in online buy and sell groups such as GumTree and eBay, and on facebook groups such as Ultralight Gear Australia, Gear Freak Australia, and especially facebook Marketplace. Practise due diligence and preference local items where you can pick up in person.

Plus- and Differently-Sized

Browsing racks in outdoor shops, you’d be forgiven for thinking that all hikers are scrawny Insta folk with tiny waists and no thighs; we older women with vanishing waistlines are not hikers, apparently. Big men presumably don’t hike either. Nor do really tall ones. Grrr.

My Montane pants are a men’s model because the waist fitted better than the women’s and because, infuriatingly, the men’s model had cooling zippered thigh vents but the women’s did not. Berghaus used to cater to middle-aged-woman shapes; I’m not sure if they still do but you could try them if you’re not having much luck. The Scandinavians comprise some of the tallest people in the world, so long-legged folk could explore their local companies, though exchange rates make their clothes extremely expensive for Aussies.

table of clothing sizing options — ***Plus Outdoor provides detailed sizing information for each item of clothing — an outstandingly useful service. (Image Credit: Plus Outdoor).***

In Australia, Plus Outdoor is a bricks and mortar and online retail outlet catering to plus-sized folk, stocking a wide range of base, mid and shell layers, as well as skiwear and other practical outdoor gear. They offer a measuring guide, phone and video consults, and have a good return/exchange policy.
Other outdoor clothing stores and resources include:
In Canada:
Sportiveplus
In the UK:
Cotswold Outdoors
In Europe:
Scandinavian Outdoors
In the US:
Treeline Review Plus Size Review
Treeline Review Big and Tall Review
Switchback Travel Plus Size Review
Outdoor Research

Now that you know the general principles of choosing hiking clothing, stay tuned for the specifics in Part 2: The Layering System!

Clothes for Multiday Backpacking Part 1: What You Need to Know