Can 3/4 of my wardrobe be hiking gear?

[Josh Greninger]

First off, let me say that I'm a college student and will be for the next 3 years. So, I won't be running around in a monkey suit anytime soon.
I have a lot of button-up shirts, khakis, (Gant Rugger, APC, J Crew, etc) that I usually wear, but after acquiring a few Patagonia and Icebreaker pieces I'm starting to wonder if I can abandon the button-ups in my day-to-day life. The types of clothing that I can wear hiking are typically made to be comfortable, allow for a full range of motion in the arms and legs, are lightweight, but not always fashionable. My opinion on this has changed since I've started to rotate Patagonia and Icebreaker pieces into everyday use.

Has anyone tried to make more of your everyday wardrobe "hiking" clothes?

Can anyone recommend other manufacturers whose clothing has a "tailored" fit for an athletic build?

Am I just trying to make an excuse to buy more gear? Or am I just trying to simplify my life by combining clothing for both situations?

[Mike Oxford]

Lots of people in the world use the same small set of clothes over and over.

The only downsides are:
1) Lack of expression/style/freshness/etc
2) Smaller set of clothes to be washed more frequently

In this case, hiking clothes are probably more expensive, so the more wear & tear (even from everyday use and simply washing) compared to stupid-cheap cotton clothing is, IMO, the only real consideration.

Nothing wrong with dual/triple/quad/penta-use gear! :)

-mox

[michael levi]

Especially during the winter I wear a lot of the same stuff, that is only because I have some nice threads.

My Arcteryx Atom LT has been with me almost everyday latley, my Smartwool merino long sleeve "casual fit" looks good when worn by itself.

Sometimes I wear my Prana Zion synthetic pants, but they can look a little too "hiking" sometimes.

Basically my goal is not to be flashy with these nice clothes, but practical, and economical.

[Ozzy McKinney]

I wear most of my hiking gear every day. When I have to buy socks, I buy the type I like to hike in. Same with underwear… too much info. I'm a tshirt and jeans guy, so the shirts transfer over, although I've never worn a long sleeve in every day wear. Shorts get worn on summer hikes and summer everything else, and for running year round. I wear the same wool hat on cool winter days that I take backpacking all year. Same with sunglasses, baseball cap, and shoes.

I own a button up Columbia nylon shirt that I like for mountaineering or bug season, and I suppose if I needed a button up for some casual use, I would use it, but I never have.

Pants is where it ends for me. Regardless of the oddly poor reputation they have on this forum, I like convertible nylon pants for hiking if I suspect a lot of sun exposure or bugs. Where I hike, that accounts for 3/4 of my summer. However, I never really wear them casually, I think mostly because I own 4 pair of jeans that I've had for 6 years and hope to have for 6 more (They are getting pretty patchy…).

[EndoftheTrail]

My hiking clothes are my travel clothes and my everyday clothes too! The trick is to avoid stuff with the exaggerated outdoorsy look (you know, seventeen different panels or 19 different pockets, etc.) — and also avoid stuff with LOUD logos. Stick to basics with neutral colors and a few pieces can be mixed and matched into numerous 'different' outfits.

I do have one exception – one specialized piece of apparel: my pair of convertible hiking pants. That one is only worn on the trail. It's comfy, versatile — and also butt ugly. I would never wear it in town — and I hope y'all wouldn't either. :)

[Justin Baker]

Kinda the opposite. I have worn a lot of everyday clothing while hiking. Jeans, flannel shirts, ect. It's the kind of thing that most hikers scoff at, but really not a big deal in reliably mild weather. I wear my windshirt around town a lot and I got rid of every cotton sock.

[Jennifer Mitol]

I work in an orthopedic PT clinic, so my work wardrobe is always a challenge…I need to be flexible and get on tables and on the floor, demonstrate exercises and stretch people out…yet still look professional enough to teach, give presentations, and to be taken seriously as the clinician and the doctor that I am.

I find merino to be my new favorite hiking/work gear…I can look ok (not like a personal trainer) and still multi-purpose my clothes for my hikes. Pants are a different story…although I wore my marmot scree pants (my normal bike-to-work pants) all day at work yesterday (forgot my regular slacks) and got tons of compliments on them! Haha…I may have to rethink my lower half, too!

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