Clothing set up

Get rid of liner socks. Bring two pairs of light to mid weight wool socks. Done.

Don't carry any changes of clothing.

So I normally dont bring a change of clothes for short trips…but if I am doing a week or longer trip I like to bring an extra shirt and underwear…..that not necessary?

I always bring an extra pair of socks no matter the length of the trip in case the pair I am wearing gets wet. Is that a waste of weight as well?

Thanks
Dan

Do you ever have to wear both T shirts and both pair of underwear at the same time? If not, you need only one of each. The only changes of clothing I take are socks. Everyone else on the trail smells just as bad! I leave a change of clothes and some moist towlettes in the car so I won't reek too badly when I get back to civilization. Should the worst come to the worst, it's no big deal to go without underwear for a couple of hours while the item that had to be rinsed out is drying (with lightweight synthetics, it won't take long).

I gave up liner socks when I switched from boots to trail runners–I haven't needed them. Trail runners have more "give" so there's far less chance of blisters. Your mileage may vary, but if you're still wearing boots, you might find trail runners with a single pair of medium or even lightweight socks a lot more comfortable and definitely lighter on your feet and legs.

A puffy top (such as the Montbell UL Thermawrap, if you can find it on sale) is definitely lighter than fleece.

Re the base layer, a lightweight polyester or merino wool fabric (the latter is usually more expensive), similar in weight to Patagonia's Capilene 2, will do the job. Since I prefer long sleeves (I'm allergic to most sunscreen and detest bug repellent), I use my baselayer top as a hiking shirt. However, this means the sleeping bag gets dirtier. I may wear my 2.5 oz. windshirt over it at night.

Just for comparison, my total clothing carried, including rain gear and a dry bag for my insulating clothing, suitable for late fall/early spring trips or for summer trips in the high northern Rockies (below freezing temps and occasional snow), is 41 oz. That's more clothing than you need for summer in the Sierra. Of course I'm short, but I'm unfortunately also pretty stout, so unless you're pretty big I doubt that similar clothing in your size would weigh more than 5-6 ounces more. And I'm definitely not an ultralight backpacker; my base weight for the conditions outlined above is 13.5 lbs.

What do you wear when it rains?

I strongly recommend setting up a spreadsheet with your complete gear list, including weights for each item. If you don't have a digital postage scale, that should be your next purchase. That's the best way to analyze your gear list and also gives you a checklist for each trip. Just comparing your list to other gear lists on this site will give you lots of ideas for paring weight. You can post the spreadsheet on your profile and let us whack away at it, if you don't mind some people hollering at you about using toilet paper. :-)

2 pairs of liner socks
2 pairs of wool hiking socks
Replace with 2 pairs of light, short socks. I prefer synthetic as they dry quicker, but light wool is okay or a blend.

1 pair of lightweight hiking pants with zip off legs into shorts.
I would grab a pair of simple 7-9oz hiking pants with minimal features for most trips. Carry really light nylon shorts if the trip is super hot. Zip offs are okay but you're stuck with all the weight on every trip. I find even in really hot weather I don't mind long light pants.

2 pair of under armor underwear
Good if they aren't more than 2oz/pair.

2 northface hiking t-shirts.
I love really really light hiking shirts as they dry faster and keep me cool in hot weather. In cold weather I add more layers over top. Look at the GoLite 'trail running' tops around 2.5-3oz each.

1 thin northface fleece
1 thermal bottom and 1 thermal top (Im not sure the material…ive heard there is alot of differnt types…what do you recommend?)
I normally carry just one insulating layer. Both your fleece and 'thermal top' are likely quite heavy. Replace both with an insulated down or synthetic jacket around 7-12oz depending on how warm you want.

Do you carry rain gear?

My clothing:

Rain Gear: Marmot Essence Jkt (6.2oz) & GoLite Reed Pants (3.9oz)
Synthetic Boxers: 2oz x 2
Synthetic Socks: 1.5oz x 2
Hiking Shirts: GoLite DriMove Silk (1.9oz) & GoLite Wildwood (2.9oz)
Hiking Pants: 10oz Patagonia (looking for lighter ones)
Beanie: 1oz
Wool Gloves: 1.5oz
Insulation: Montbell UL Down Inner (8.5oz)
Windshirt: 5oz (could be lighter, I just had this one)
Extra Insulation for cold trips: GooseFeet down pants (7.3oz) & First Ascent Down Vest (7.5)

Total:
– 48oz normally
– 63.5oz on really cold trips
– 38oz in summer for short no rain trips

Of that, 21oz is normally worn (hiking pants, boxers, socks, hiking shirt, wind shirt) so only 17-41oz is carried.

So I have a rain jacket that I bring….I think its a sierra desings…I think it weighs 10oz. I use that for rain,and as a wind break….its pretty old and out dated….so I am guessing that is why is weighs so much.

I will definitely switch up my socks. I have big problems with blisters, but recently got a new pair of boots that are treating my feet really well. I tried trail runners, but rolled my ankle twice with them….so I am leaning towards the boots….I also do alot of off trail hiking, so I like the additional support.

it sounds like a big problem with my weight is my fleece and my base layers. My fleece weighs 7.5oz, my upper base layer weighs 8.1oz and my bottom base layer weighs 4.3oz.

I am a VERY broke college student in nursing school, so I am trying to lighten my load without spending an arm and a leg…but i am finding that very difficult haha. I have an every growing list of backpacking gear I want to get as soon as I graduate in 12 months!! A new insulated jacket is on the top of my list.

First Ascent had some crazy deals going (ie. $30-$40) for their down jackets recently. I think it's over now but you could check the gear deals section. You currently see quite a few of these jkts in the gear swap as people are switching sizes so you may be able to get one cheap.

GoLite has 40% off sales a few times a year, so you may be able to stock up if they have one soon (christmas?).

What jacket would u recommended…maybe a few options? It would be used in temps ranging from the low 50s or 40s, down to the high 20s. Are there issues with those types of jackets by fires?….i do all my cooking on a fire, so I am always in close contact with the fire.

It depends on the fire.

Some firewood spits out lots of sparks. Those can get nasty on a very fragile nylon fabric. Other firewood types can be very tame.

–B.G.–

I guess it would be mostly pine. I have had my fare share of sparks fly out on to my pants and fleece and melt holes…thats why I asked/am a little worried.

I hike the same area as you and had a similiar clothing list as well up to last year. Here are the changes I made:

2 pairs of liner socks
2 pairs of wool hiking socks

I switched out to 1/4 length Wrightsocks. These are double layer lightweight socks that many runners wear. These are lighter and cooler than most traditional hiking socks.
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1 pair of lightweight hiking pants with zip off legs into shorts.
I was in search for stripped down lightweight hiking pants without zipoff legs. I wanted something that I could sleep in without getting poked by zippers. I bought a pair of REI Sahara pants and removed all the crap from them. They now have one front pocket and one side pocket. They are lightweight and cooler than the originals which will be important for the desert portions of the PCT.
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2 pair of under armor underwear
2 northface hiking t-shirts.

Only take one and wash out. They will dry instantly. I started taking the Golite equivalent of Capilene 1 in Long sleeve in white. Then I dont have to worry about the sun.
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1 thin northface fleece

If you can afford replace with down vest or jacket.
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1 beanie
1 pair snow liner gloves

I have these as well but will likely switch to down beanie.
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1 thermal bottom and 1 thermal top
I stopped taking bottoms for three season, I only wore them when sleeping. For three season I would also take either the down vest or thermal top, not both

I would also add a wind shirt and I also take a pair of running shorts.

I generally am either hiking or sleeping so my setup may not be ideal for someone spending a lot of time stationary.

I have a pretty similar setup, used in similar California terrain, so my only main advice is to think about ditching the fleece, raincoat, and one of your shirts. Your ability to do so might depend on what other gear you're carrying, including sleeping bag and shelter.

Softwood (wood from coniferous trees) fires and synthetics aren't very compatible. I play with fire often, but it's almost all hardwood which is fairly well-behaved. If you're ruining your clothing, I'd recommend 100% wool or a long cotton smock/anorak and maybe cotton chaps for the legs for use around the fire. This would add considerable weight of course! Incidentally, densely-woven cotton is an excellent and breathable wind shell for use over non-cotton insulation layers in temps around 20 F and below. I currently use mostly cotton and wool as my "really cold winter" (< 20 F daytime temps) system. At those temps, warmth and function take priority over weight.

Warmlite makes nomex hiking pants. Nomex sleeves may be a good addition for working with pine fires, and would add some warmth too.

1. the extra weight in yr gear looks like its mostly through redundancy … ie extra sets where one will do .. the only extras i would bring is in socks, one hiking pair and one thicker sleeping/cold hiking pair … so 2 pairs total

if you have thermal bottoms (or carry light shorts) and thermal tops, the extra tshirt and underwear becomes redundant … with light synth top/bottom … you should be able to soak and wring it out … and itll basically be dry

2. a 10 oz rain jacket aint exactly heavy … if it looks like its in decent condition a bit of DWR wash in revitalizer can do wonders … bring it in case it rains or if you need a bit more warmth

3. yr fleece and thermal top are fine if they work for you at that temp … dont listen to everyone telling you to buy this or that gear … if it works for you what's an extra ounce or two for a nice durable fleece that you wont cry if it catches a spark … a 7.5 oz fleece aint exactly a huge backbreaking burden

4. if you do want to buy a down jacket … its up to you what you buy … but if i were a broke student living on mr. noodles … id just buy something under 50$ … you can get a good 600-700 fill jacket at that price or less, sure it'll weight a few oz. more than a comparable UL jacket … but then it might cost 1/4 the price … and if it catches a spark you wont cry

youre young, broke and probably in good strong health … use what you have more efficiently

unless you want to give up beer money (and we all know that the more beer you have the better looking the girls get) … dont go off buying stuff until you NEED it … or wanna impress dem female yuppie hikers with yr Arcteryx gear ;)

lol

Now that you've included weights and budget, that puts your clothing list into a whole new perspective!

As mentioned before, do ditch the changes of clothing except for the extra socks.

The fleece is fine if it's warm enough, which it hopefully is over the T shirt and thermal top together, with your rain jacket on top to block wind–and rain, of course. Check that combo when sitting around on a really cold windy day. My only concern is if it is warm enough; that is really light weight for fleece!

The thermal top and bottom you have are fine, as long as they are not cotton. Certainly the weight, especially the bottom, is close to what I have. If they contain cotton, though, please do replace them with a wicking synthetic such as polyester. Once cotton gets wet , it takes forever to dry so can be a sure ticket to hypothermia. Be sure to get lightweight, not "expedition" weight. Merino wool is pricey, so forget that. Check the athletic (not outdoor) departments of big box stores (Target, KMart, Wallyworld) or big box sporting goods stores. Just be sure to read the fabric labels carefully to avoid cotton. You might even find some in a thrift store.

Your rain jacket is fine as far as weight is concerned. As Eric mentioned, it may need to be washed and have the Durable Water Repellent finish renewed. You can test it in the shower. As an outer layer over your insulation it will provide warmth even if it isn't raining, especially if it's windy.

In other words, except for the "spare" stuff, it isn't your clothing that is causing a weight problem. Time to look at the rest of your gear list!