Yosemite 1st Timer, What to wear/buy?!

Nino, what do you have to wear for the trip already. Let us know, then we can help out with what you need. With that said, the weather has been a tad different this year. From what I am hearing, the weather reports are saying that we could have chances of rain all the way to Memorial Day Weekend. List your clothing that you have, and I will help you

I'll be buying, everything. From base layer/worn, to outer wear to insulation.. down to wool socks and shoes. I already have a good hat but thats about it. Dont get me wrong, I have money.. I'm just not hoping to spend hundreds (except for good shoes) leaving the store.. whichever that may be.

Clothing is easy and does not have to be expensive.
Get a synthetic tshirt to hike in.
Bet you have a fleece jacket around the house – fine there is your insulation layer.
Dri Ducks rain gear sold is on this site and others, less than $20, light weight and works great.
Nylon hiking pants are good because they dry quickly, get some at REI if you don't already have a pair.
Long underwear top and bottom are nice to wear as an underlayer / extra insualtion around camp and also to sleep in. The material is usually something synthetic, but that's not necessary as it is mostly just a nice dry warm layer to change into at the end of the day.
You actually need TWO hats, sun hat or baseball cap for the day, fleece or wool beanie type for warmth in the evening – bet you have those already as well.
Shoes needs to be something you are comfortable wearing hiking all day, for me that is essentally sneakers (same kind as I wear around town, but I keep a muddy pair just for backpacking.)
With these layers you just add and subtract as needed. There you have it – not hard at all.

You can put together a warm and fairly light kit for pretty cheap using a decent pair of heavyweight synthetic baselayers, fleece sweater, pants, beanie, and gloves, and dri ducks jacket (all that in your pack should be around about 4 pounds give er take) Add clothing worn, synthetic hiking shirts and boxers can be found cheap, and convertable hiking pants and socks are always on sale in the internet.

I used a kit similar up until a couple years ago, 4lbs of packed clothing for <$120 good to high 30s.

synthetic shirt and underwear, fine.
fleece pullover/zip up.
nylon pants.
wool socks.
hat for day and beenie at night.
long synthetic under armor top+bottom for night.

but those dri ducks..they look good for rain..

if i run into snow, will this all be enough?

That should probably be enough clothes. If the weather report has a cold front bring another layer.
I like old cashmere sweaters, I have several that I have picked up at the thrift store, never more than $5. But any sweater you have around the house will do.

The DriDucks are huge and go on top of everything to keep out any wind, rain or snow.

If you end up not bringing an extra layer you can just wrap your sleeping bag around your shoulder if it get's chilly.

If you go, have a blast and are planning a bunch more trips – come back for more advice. At that point we'll calibrate your gear down to the nearest tenth of an ounce and have you spending big bucks. This time, just go out there and enjoy!

What are you doing about a bear canister?

What backpack and sleeping bag are you using?

I live in Alameda.

You can borrow some gear from me if you need to Just bring it back.

email

sriprank (at) yahoo (dot) com

Plenty of good clothing at Target. Synthetic base layers, wind shirts, shorts — all the running/workout stuff is fine. Some is too heavy, of course, but you can easily find short and long sleeve synthetic base layers and running shorts with liners, and possibly a light wind shirt, total cost under $50. Add a 200-weight (mid-weight) fleece pullover that you can find at your local Goodwill for $5. DriDucks are fine for rain gear.

Spend the money on your shoes, though I would choose trail runners over boots. Wool socks are good. Get a nice warm hat and gloves for camp.

With the exception of rain gear and footwear, you can find almost all the clothes you will need at Goodwill or Salvation Army. I'm not dirt poor either, but heck, I like to spend my money where it counts!

Wool and synthetic clothes are a breeze if you wear a common size. Convertible pants are a little trickier, but not too difficult to find, depending on your area. If you live in an outdoorsy area with a nearby REI and people of means (check), you will even find items like smartwool and brand name clothes in excellent condition. Go on a sale day and you can literally get these items at $3-4 each.

For rain gear and footwear, I do my research, then find what I want on ebay or at Sierra Trading Post. You can get brand new, high quality gear for 1/4 retail cost! (especially if you wait for a sale)

Good luck and have fun!