Using hiking clothes in everyday life.

I surf almost daily before work so my Patagonia Houdini, Montbell Thermawrap jacket, and Patagonia Wayfarer board shorts get tons of use. Integral Designs hot socks get worn for the drive to the beach in winter a lot too. A Black Diamond Bee Bee is my pack for work/lunch.

I sound like a walking advertisement.

I keep my good stuff only for trips and day outings but my older stuff I use day to day.
Just a few minutes ago I was wearing an EB Peak XV while at lunch and now wearing a Pati
Down vest at my desk.

I don't necessarily use my hiking clothes, but I have gotten away from cotton clothing alot. The only cotton clothing I use is some dress clothes and jeans.

I wear a lot of hiking clothes on a day-to-day basis, though I've never worked anywhere w/ a strict dress code. I love Ibex merino tops, especially the hooded indie–great layering piece. I wear silkweight Capilene long johns in cold weather; they're light enough to go under almost any pants and not too hot indoors (and in black they look good with dresses/skirts).

I'm from northern New England, where just about everyone wears some kind of puffy down coat all winter, so I never looked out of place wearing my down vest or jacket. Now I'm in Las Vegas, where most of the year I'd probably look ridiculous/feel uncomfortable wearing a puffy, even midwinter. But I do get a lot of use out of my microfleece quarter-zip and merino hoodies.

Pants are harder (especially for women!). I've basically given up on nylon "hiking" pants. I mostly hike in running/yoga tights, running shorts, or (for day hikes) cotton Mountain Khakis/Carhartts. I have a hard time finding nylon pants that I can wear for casual use without looking like GI Jane. For backpacking I like the versatility and weight savings of running shorts+wind pants, but that's not really my preferred look for around town. Although I have seen some high schoolers lately sporting parachute pants, so maybe we should all start rocking the shiny nylon on a daily basis… ;-)

My hiking clothes are dialed in, rarely change, and my warm and cool to cold weather "uniforms" have seen almost constant use in their respective seasons for several years. They're not appropriate for either work or casual wear, so they remain dedicated to hiking/backpacking. Except for my little down pullover, there is no overlap. I don't even wear my hiking socks or shoes for anything else.

I've been sleeping in my primaloft jacket on weeknights, the only bedding I have at this place is a sheet.

I work a desk job with no dress code, I don't have any work cloths. Almost all the clothes I buy with the intention to use them outdoors. I piece it together with various cotton t-shirts people have given me over time.

I think its a good way to be. I can't imagine how dull my life would be if instead of my wardrobe being full of climbing/kayaking/hiking it was full of suits.

Evidently I'm not a sales guy, or a corporate ladder climbing type :)

I live in NYC. For work, I wear a suit. I have two dressy long overcoats (one brown, one black), and neither has moved from the coat rack all winter.

I've taken to wearing a hoodless thermawrap under my suit jacket. With silk-weight long johns, a beanie and gloves, I stay warm. Its not like I am outside a lot, but I do have to wait for the morning train on an outdoor elevated platform. (I also keep my wind shells in my bag, in case of precip, but they almost never get use.)

If I'm going into a meeting, I pause in the lobby and stuff the gloves/hat/thermawrap into my work bag. When I arrive, I look like I checked my coat somewhere, while everyone else is dealing with their overcoats and scarves.

I've tried the same with a down vest, but its too puffy. The whole suit looks weird, and arms are prone to get cold. The relative low loft of the minimalist synthetic works well. Just need to take care when you put it on, to not extend the sleeves all the way. They will want to go out to your palms, which doesn't look right, poking out from your suit sleeves. I'm fine with the bit of collar that pokes up, but maybe that's just me.

The two items I wear the most are also on my short list for replacement:

1. my old GoLight Parka has gotten me through a dozen or so winters. First in NYC, then in Oregon. (it's 21 oz., want something lighter)

2. I wear my mid layer fleece everyday. It's a little bit embarrassing. But I lost weight and it's too baggy. For backpacking I want something w/a closer fit.

I work freelance, so I don't have to dress up unless a client wants to Skype.

I had an old pair of hiking pants that I loved, grammicci, wore them all the the time, but I can't find the same model in the current offerings. So I now I reserve my patagonia hiking pants for just hiking.

I wear Merrell Moab lows to work on casual Fridays. I hiked PCT Sec. D in these and have moved on to lighter shoes, but I think they still count.

Stoic Thrive shorts for workouts and sometimes yard work. I bought 6 pair of these a couple years ago, and it looks like they're discontinued.

Stoic Vaporshell jacket for the 3 or 4 days a year it rains here in San Diego.

I do wear my rain shell or down jacket as appropriate over office clothes, whether casual or a suit, rather than a trench coat or topcoat. But I'm most comfortable in cotton, which has limited use when hiking. Other items that occasionally do double duty are wool turtlenecks and other sweaters and wool shirts.

I can't stand wearing cotton socks any longer.

I don't wear much of my hiking clothing off-trail. I prefer to hike in loose-fitting clothes in light colors, with extra pockets and such, and aesthetics are pretty far down on my priority list. I don't dress up most days, but I do try to pay attention to fit and style even for casual wear. Hiking and workout clothes tend to look sloppy out-of-context. Same with shoes… but a lot of people (especially guys) don't really care, so I guess I'm an outlier there.

I also don't want to wear out my gear prematurely, or have to constantly re-apply permethrin and DWR because I'm wearing and washing my stuff too often. And besides looking silly with jeans and khakis, trail runners have soft soles that wear out quickly on pavement and carpet.

The only exception is my down puffy, which I chose specifically with that sort of versatility in mind.