Clothes for the JMT

Prana Zions are my favorite pants and shorts of all time. I wear them daily in the real world but I find them far too warm on the trail. I also don’t care for the stiff cuff due to the zipper in the convertible version.

I wore Railriders Eco-Mesh pants on the JMT last summer and I would definitely wear them again. I also had a very thin pair of nylon shorts with me. I’d probably not bring those next time.

The sun is brutal at that altitude. I will not bring a short sleeve shirt next time. My new favorite shirt is a Patagonia Tropic Sun Hoody which is extremely light weight and allows me to go without sunscreen.

Next time I do the JMT those two would be my main clothing. I’d layer my Montbell Tachyon windshirt and Ex Light Anorak over them and top it off with my Packa rain jacket and call it done.

+1  Patagonia Tropic Comfort Sun Hoody

A hoody is contraintuitive for the hot and dry, but for me, a NOBO, there is nothing better for keeping the heat at bay.  The very generous hood (worn over a ball cap), loose fit, and porous fabric make it a very functional top.  Caveat: I did add a 12″ zipper to mine for even better heat control.

Add a hooded wind shirt and you will have a temperature range of 25*F to 100*F, when walking. The only time I wore a puffy was in camp.

Ohhhhhhh I like the zipper addition. I might have to do that.

How’d the sun hoody do with smell? Would hiking a week in it become unbearable?

thanks!

Early, mid, or late season?

I’d drop the short sleeved shirt and just use a light breathable long sleeve as my active shirt. If you’re going early to mid season then I recommend treating it with permethrin to repel mosquitoes (check out Insect Shield’s “treat your own clothes”). Otherwise your clothing looks fine.

How far are you going? Have fun!

“How’d the sun hoody do with smell? Would hiking a week in it become unbearable?”

For me personally, on any shirt its not just smell but salt buildup when I’m climbing elevation in summertime. Bring a collapsible canteen or fabric wash bucket and a 1 oz bottle of Dr Bronners.

I’d drop the 1/4″ fleece.  If it gets cold wear the S/S shirt, L/S shirt, down jacket and rain jacket and you’ll be fine if you’re going in July or August. I like the S/S shirt especially if it’s 150 wt; it can be used a backup to keep warm in the event you get soaked during a sudden thunderstorm(been there, not enough time to get the rain jacket out), extra warmth if it gets cold and for when you wash the L/S shirt and waiting for it to dry.

I’d also drop the long johns, they’ll just add another 7-8 oz and rarely get used.

K

Thanks for all the replies…based on this and a thread a started about fleeces I’m rethinking. What do you guys think about the systems below.

Bottoms: Instead of the Prana convertible pants and long johns what if I brought-

Trail running shorts to hike in (more comfortable in my opinion to hike in)

Long johns – warmth at night

Rain pants- shell for more warmth and should I be bringing rain pants anyways?

Or do people recommend wearing pants when I hike fore sun protection as well?

Tops: I think I’m set on brining both a short sleeve shirt and long sleeve sun shirt for more options in camp/sleep etc. For warmth though which of the follow do you guys think would be the best if I’m just bringing the following please the two prior shirts?

1. Patagonia capilene Thermal hoodie + Montbell Versatile rain jacket- light, capilene would be the best to hike in when it’s cold, rain/wind repellent when put together but would it be warm enough?
2. Patagonia R1 hoodie + Montbell Versatile rain jacket- little heavier than the above but warmer, not as good for hiking but not bad
3. 100weight REI fleece + Stoic Hadron down + Montbell Versatile rain jacket- Warmest, heaviest, overkill?

Thanks!

Smell… My $.02 is your going to smell no matter what. I managed to stink up my merino icebreaker tee.

I assume you are going late summer.

I would prefer the shorts. My legs don’t seem to burn much.  Adding long johns and rain pants combo should be more than enough.

On top, I prefer very thin long sleeve top (such as an OR Echo or Paty lightweight) to keep the intense sun off. Then I would add a Cap Heavyweight and Stoic Hadron for mostly camp use.  Your rain jacket will round out the system nicely.  The Cap Heavyweight should be plenty for insulation on the go if it gets cool while hiking.

For me I’d stick with the convertible pants. as that’s what I use.  Much easier when the mosquitoes show up plus the added sun protection.  It’s just easier to go from shorts to pants with convertables as opposed to running shorts/long johns.  Most of the time I’m only using just the shorts option.  I sleep in mine with the legs on; since i don’t use the leg portions they’re pretty clean.  If you have an warm sleeping bag/quilt, I see no need for long johns.  But really the running shorts/long johns works also.  They may weigh a little more, but not enough to make a difference.  It really depends on what’s more comfortable to you. Whatever you use, I’d recommend you spray with Permathrin for mosquito control.

I’d skip the rain pants and use a rain skirt(Zpacks).  The skirt is nice as it’s easy to put on, lighter, plus I use it as a entry mat/ground sheet to the tent which allows me to sort everything before it goes into the tent and backpack.

For the three top options, what’s the total weight for each option?

K