3 weeks to go a few questions on clothing

[Stick]

To start with in from the border:
Long johns medium or light?
Rain gear- will I need rain pants to start or at all?
Gloves or mittens?

Basically how cold can it get I will be starting the 21st of April.

[girlscout]

long johns- i assume you're taking them for sleeping clothes? i used patagonia capilene, lightweight, for my entire hike.

rain gear: you won't need rain pants in socal. i didn't carry them until washington. as for a rain jacket, i think that's more a personal preference. you might get rained on in socal, but whether or not you need a rain jacket for that possibility is debatable. i carried a rainshield jacket in socal, but even when it rained, i didn't bother putting it on, so it was a waste of pack space for me.

gloves/mittens- if your hands tend to get cold, you should have something starting at campo. whether it's gloves or mittens is, i think, largely a personal preference. i carried gloves.

it can and does get quite chilly at night in parts of socal. you're not likely to get chilled during the day, but the wind can be very strong in places. you should definitely take enough to keep you warm, but you don't need to overdo it- you'll definitely need warmer clothes by the time you hit washington, though.


hope this helps!

[Stick]

Thanks thats what I was looking for.

[chai guy]

You might also do well to take a tip from Girl Scout and think about investing in some "sun gloves" to keep your hands from becoming sunburn, it's one of the pieces of gear I really wished I had.

[AlohaTink]

I know of one person who had to end his hike due to badly burned hands...Len
Also Glen from Gossamer Gear just did a part of the PCT and use Sun Gloves as well.

Here's a great link to Sun Protection Clothing of all kinds....and of course
Sun Gloves

http://www.coolibar.com/sungloves.html

[girlscout]

i used the sunprecautions fingerless sun gloves.

http://sunprecautions.com/

they're a bit pricey, but to me, they were well worth every penny. i still have the original pair that i bought, and even after wearing them constantly and using them with trekking poles (which increases the wear n tear), they're still serviceable after 3k+ trail miles.

these gloves are very comfortable, and after an initial break-in period, you'll hardly notice you're wearing them at all. often i'd never take them off all day, even on breaks in the shade.

[footslogger]

Since we're on the subject ...I have a pair of lightweight white silk liner gloves that I was planning on carrying.

How do you think those would work ??

[chai guy]

That's what I ended up doing (using the silk liners), the problem is that they get really disgustingly dirty (not that the leather gloves don't they just don't get as grimey, as fast). They also fell apart after about 300 miles.

Will they work? Yes. Will they last, not at all.

[footslogger]

That's what I ended up doing (using the silk liners), the problem is that they get really disgustingly dirty (not that the leather gloves don't they just don't get as grimey, as fast). They also fell apart after about 300 miles.

Will they work? Yes. Will they last, not at all.

================================

Good input ...thanks.

I already have the white silk ones so that's probably what I'll start out with and then go from there.

[AlohaTink]

i used the sunprecautions fingerless sun gloves.

http://sunprecautions.com/


girlscout:That's a excellant company too... I have their Solumbra Sun Hat ... only so dirty I can no longer keep it looking tan....but no sign of wear as yet.

footslogger: I use to wear silk gloves when I rode across country on my motorcycle...they keep you warm or cool depending on what you need...I do not see why they would not work for you to protect from the sun. Like everyone else just said...only dirt wears out silk fast.