Introduction
My backcountry layering system has evolved through the years. I’ve replaced wicking garments with hydrophobic garments, I place a high value on air-permeable fabrics, and I prefer to spend a little extra weight on ventilation. My goal with these choices is to assemble layering systems for inclement conditions that allow me to stay comfortable. For me, comfort is most challenging in the blustery conditions I experience where I hike the most – the Rocky Mountains of Colorado and Wyoming.
In this article, I discuss some of the challenges that an effective layering system needs to address. I also highlight a handful of the layers that I use the most and how I combine them into various ensembles for different use cases.
The Issues
Thermal comfort
During physical activity, your body generates heat. In addition, heat is absorbed by your clothing when you are exposed to warm temperatures and direct sunlight. That heat must leave your clothing system in order for you to remain comfortable.
Likewise, during periods of inactivity in cold temperatures, heat loss can make you uncomfortable. Heat loss to the environment is exacerbated in wet conditions (evaporative heat loss), windy conditions (convective heat loss), and when exposed to a clear night sky (radiative heat loss).
The movement of heat from inside your clothing system to the outside environment is critical for maintaining thermal comfort. Heat moves through a clothing system in response to convection (air movement in the system), conduction (the transfer of heat along fabric surfaces from warmer to cooler temperatures), and radiation (e.g., heat loss to an open night sky or heat absorbed from an open sunny sky).
Moisture accumulation
During activity, your body generates moisture in both vapor and liquid (sweat) phases. The movement of sweat from your skin surface to the environment occurs in response to complex processes that involve evaporation, condensation, and capillary movement along fiber surfaces (wicking). Likewise, the movement of moisture vapor through your clothing occurs in response to convection, diffusion, and vapor pressure differentials.
The extent to which moisture accumulates in your clothing will depend on the hydrophobicity (or hydrophilicity) of fiber surfaces, capillary forces within the fabric structure, fabric porosity, air permeability, diffusion (breathability) resistance, and mechanical ventilation features.
Storm protection
Protection from wind and precipitation requires tightly-woven fabrics (for wind resistance) and waterproof coatings, membranes, or laminates (for waterproofing). The fabric physical characteristics that are required for keeping Mother Nature’s elements out also keep your elements (the heat and moisture generated during activity) in.
Sun exposure
In Managing Sun Exposure in the Backcountry, we study how fabric materials and engineering influence clothing’s resistance to the penetration of ultraviolet radiation from the sun. Because I live at and spend most of my trail time at altitudes in excess of 8,000 feet (2,440 m), I’m attentive to the amount of cumulative sun exposure I get. My normal summer hiking uniform includes a long-sleeved shirt, brimmed hat, neck gaiter, sun gloves, and long pants.
There’s an inverse relationship between sun protection and thermal comfort. The tightly woven fabrics that prevent the penetration of ultraviolet rays also inhibit the movement of heat and moisture.
Biting insects
High-thread-count (tight weave) woven fabrics are more resistant to puncture from a mosquito’s proboscis than knitted fabrics. However, knitted fabrics are generally more air-permeable and more comfortable to wear in warm conditions.
As with sun protection, there’s an inverse relationship between biting insect protection and thermal comfort.
Scrambling & Bushwhacking
Most thru-hikers and other trail followers don’t often have to consider the impacts of traipsing through brush or scrambling on rocks. Both of these activities can abrade, puncture, and tear clothing. Clothing that is most resistant to damage (more durable) will be made with higher-denier fibers and tightly woven. Of course, those factors interfere with the clothing’s ability to facilitate the exchange of heat and moisture and your ability to remain comfortable during activity and warmer temperatures.
My Strategy
I tend to gravitate towards layers that are more hydrophobic, dry faster, are more air permeable, better ventilated, and have high insulation-to-weight ratios.
Hydrophobicity
In Do Moisture-Wicking Fabrics Work? and Why is My Base Layer Soaked? Stephen Seeber explored the relationship between fabric hydrophobicity, wicking, and moisture movement in base layer apparel. One of the conclusions from his testing:
“The most critical element of a wicking fabric is how well it allows sweat to be drawn away from the skin, converted to moisture vapor, and then transferred out of any clothing layers. This element is different from how well the fabric itself wicks. How well the fabric wicks does not determine whether you will be comfortable. The disposition of sweat to the environment depends on much more than whether a wicking fabric can absorb lots of moisture in a laboratory test.” – Stephen Seeber [source]
The data from these studies suggest that wicking per se (the capillary movement of liquid moisture along a fabric surface) may actually increase moisture accumulation and hinder moisture transfer out of your apparel system. Of course, it will depend on the breathability, air permeability, and ventilation features of other garments in your clothing system as well.
However, this work suggests that more hydrophobic base layer fabrics may not only absorb less moisture and dry faster, but their notable lack of wicking may also contribute to more comfort and more rapid expulsion of moisture from your clothing system.
My preferred base layers are made with polypropylene, a hydrophobic fiber, rather than polyester, which is more hydrophilic. Because most insulating mid-layers are made with polyester, I look for open-weave fleeces (e.g., Polartec Alpha), which don’t promote wicking to the extent that more tightly woven or knitted fabrics do.
Rapid dry time
Garments that are thin, light, and made with hydrophobic fibers will absorb less moisture and dry faster than garments made with fabrics that are thicker, heavier, and made with hydrophilic fibers. Rapid dry time is an attribute that can be correlated to moisture transfer out of a clothing system. In addition, rapid dry time may be valuable for users who risk water immersion (e.g., packrafting, river crossing).
My fastest-drying garments are fishnet, open-weave fleece, and shell fabrics made with 7 to 15 denier fibers.
Air permeability
Air permeability contributes to the evacuation of moisture vapor from a clothing system by allowing the vapor pressure gradient on either side of the fabric to create convective (moisture-laden) air movement across the fabric surface. I prefer wind shirts and rain jackets that are at the higher end of the air permeability spectrum in those product categories.
Likewise, the three base and insulating layers I own and use regularly (Brynje fishnet, Finetrack polyester mesh, and Polartec Alpha) are highly air-permeable and facilitate convective moisture vapor movement through clothing without having to rely on wicking.
Ventilation
Mechanical ventilation has been discussed in depth previously and is a critical feature of outer shell layers. Ventilation promotes the exchange of large volumes of warm, moist air inside a clothing system with the cooler, drier air of the outside environment. Ventilation, air permeability, and breathability (the diffusion of moisture vapor through a fabric) are all important processes involved in evacuating heat and moisture from a clothing system. However, ventilation has the ability to move the most amounts of warm, moist air in the least amount of time. I’m a big fan of mechanical ventilation features – pit zips, full-length zippers, and adjustable cuffs/hem/hoods – on shell layers.
Insulation
When it comes to insulation for active use (while I’m hiking), I want insulation that has a high warmth-to-weight ratio but is highly air permeable so it’s capable of allowing heat and moisture to escape rapidly when I open vents on an outer shell layer. For insulation while inactive (at rest or in camp), I look for insulations and garments that maximize loft-to-weight ratio and that use shell and lining fabrics that are as light as possible.
My Layers
Trekking Shirts
- Patagonia Long Sleeve Sun Stretch Shirt – polyester, tight weave, resistant to biting insects, not very air permeable.
- Jolly Gear Triple Crown Button Down Hoody – polyester, stretch, less resistant to biting insects, more comfortable in warm temperatures.
Base Layers
- Brynje Super-Thermo C-Shirt – minimalist polypropylene base layer for cool and cold conditions or warmer temperatures under an air-permeable shirt or shell, very light, rapid dry time, maximum air permeability.
- Finetrack Elemental L1 Long Sleeve Crew – polyester mesh base layer, very light and thin, very air permeable, hydrophobic, rapid dry time.
- Helly Hansen LIFA Long Sleeve Crew – polypropylene base layer, less air permeable, hydrophobic, light, rapid dry time.
Insulating Layers
- Senchi Designs Alpha 60 Hoody – active use, ultralight, air permeable, hydrophobic Polartec Alpha.
- Farpointe Alpha Cruiser Hoody – active use, ultralight, air permeable, hydrophobic Polartec Alpha, more consistent inventory.
- Enlightened Equipment Torrid Apex Hooded Jacket – inactive use in cool / wet weather, synthetic high loft insulation, 7d fabrics, not air permeable, high warmth-to-weight ratio.
- Feathered Friends EOS Down Hooded Jacket – inactive use in cool / dry weather, high fill power down insulation, not air permeable, higher warmth-to-weight ratio than synthetic high loft insulation.
Shell Layers
- REI Flash Jacket – full zip, hooded, pockets, air permeable, adjustable hem and hood.
- Gorewear R7 Shakedry Jacket – two-way front zipper, very high breathability, exposed waterproof membrane = no DWR required but subject to abrasion damage.
- Montbell Versalite Jacket – pit zips, ultralight fabrics, high breathability, somewhat fragile.
My Ensembles
Here are some examples of how I combine various layers for different use cases in three-season conditions.
1. Sunshine, warm temperatures, biting insects
2. Cooler temperatures, no wind or precipitation, no biting insects
3. Warmer temperatures with wind or precipitation
4. Heavy rain, strong winds, warmer temperatures
5. Cooler temperatures (no wind/rain, wind only, wind + rain)
Recommendations: Essential Layers
I’m in the fortunate position as an outdoor industry professional to have a steady influx of “gear to try” without having to shell out thousands of dollars trying to figure it all out. Over the past few years, I’ve made some changes to my layering systems, and the following represents my recommendations for what I think are essential layering pieces that represent a good balance of price, performance, form, function, versatility, and durability. Everyone will gravitate towards garments that appeal to their own aesthetic preferences and performance criteria – consider these as personal recommendations based on my experience, and don’t necessarily assume they will be optimal for your environment or use cases. Share with us in the forums below other layering options and ensembles that you find to be optimal for the use cases you experience.
Active Layers
Brynje of Norway makes both synthetic and merino wool fiber fishnet base layer apparel for outdoor adventures. Fishnet construction is more breathable, lighter, and faster-drying than conventional knits.
The Jolly Gear Triple Crown Button-Down is the only sun shirt integrating a full button-down front with a hood, offering adjustable ventilation rarely found in sun protective hiking apparel. Made from an 86% polyester, 14% spandex blend with antimicrobial and quick-drying properties, it includes zippered chest pockets, thumbholes, and a uniquely designed hood with a vent/hair hole and cinch cord. The body fabric is one of the highest air-permeable fabrics we've tested. Men's medium: 7.5 ounces (213 g) and up, depending on fabric choices.
Polartec Alpha Direct fleece hooded midlayer with fitted hood and paracord drawcord, constructed from open-knit synthetic fleece in 60, 90, and combination fabric weights, with manufacturer-listed medium weights from 3.8 to 5.3 oz (108–150 g) depending on selected fabric configuration.
Storm Layers
A full-featured, durable, air-permeable wind jacket.
- one of the lighter full-featured wind jackets on the market
- ventilation features - full zip, adjustable hood and hem
- durable, air-permeable fabric
- hand pockets
- not quite as light as the lightest 7d wind shirts available from cottage brands
A membrane-out rain jacket that requires no DWR for durable water-beading, with one of the highest breathability ratings of any jacket available.
- Intrinsic hydrophobic outer membrane requires no DWR
- 2-way zipper for ventilation
- very high MVTR (breathability)
- designed for slim fit over a base layer, size up 1 size for backpacking
- outer membrane is too fragile for sustained bushwhacking, scrambling, or shoulder strap wear when carrying an expedition-weight backpack
We recommend a synthetic insulated jacket for most conditions where weather is unpredictable, and the Torrid Apex is one of the best in terms of its warmth-to-weight ratio.
- available in 7d or 10d fabrics
- very high warmth-to-weight ratio for synthetic insulation
- synthetic insulation requires care, not as durable as down
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Discussion
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Companion forum thread to: The Dirt Catwalk: Modern Layering Ensembles for Backpackers
In this article, I discuss some of the challenges that an effective layering system needs to address. In addition, I highlight a handful of the layers that I use the most and how I combine them into various ensembles for different use cases.
Thanks nice
More pros for the EE Torrid Jacket:
It’s available in tall sizes, and custom fabric options.
So many brands make very similar items, and often in multiple colors. Instead, what we really need is more size and fit options, so any item that comes in a wider range of sizes, or short and tall fits, should really get a big pat on the back.
I’ve been using a DAS light hoodie along with EE’s Torrid pants. I don’t find the synthetic insulation that fragile. Certainly not a deal breaker.
Don’t be afraid to experiment. I often wear fishnet as a second layer over AD.
Then a question on the bags in the first set of pictures. Who makes them? Are they annoying at all?
Good article as always. Thanks.
I don’t think Apex is that fragile. It looses a little bit of loft (20%) out of the gate, but after that, it’s a pretty slow fade as long as you aren’t using a compression stuff sack or really stuffing it tight with other gear in a sack. Sometimes I think the act of stuffing (some people are rough) can cause some damage. When you grip a handful of jacket and shove it hard into a stuff sack, you may be causing some shear stress on the insulation that could tear it.
The Torrid Apex Pullover I’m still using today was purchased in 2018 and it has several hundred user days of use. I’ve taken good care of it, and honestly don’t feel like it’s lost enough loft to warrant replacement yet.
Here’s how I deal with it:
Issues:
Thanks Ryan. As I’m in the market for some new gear, this article is very timely for me. As far as the Brynje fishnest shirt, last year they were out of my size so I purchased a much less expensive brand called Darevie to tide me over. I’m incredibly pleased with it. It’s made of 66% polypropylene, 28% polyamide, 6% elastane, not 100% like the Brynje. Do you think there would be a noticeable performance difference with the Brynje?
I like the Daravie, but I was surprised that it actually starts to smell (body odor) in spite of the lower PP content. But Brynje uses some pretty expensive PP that’s antimicrobial treated (from Schoeller) so that’s probably part of the cost.
Also, the Brynje Super Thermo fishnet has bigger holes than the Darevie. It also dries a bit faster. I thin the polyamide and elastane in the Darevie hang on to water a bit.
Great article. Appreciate you being to able to save us the money testing gear, and also saving us time in the field figuring out what works. I’m relatively new to backpacking and it’s hard to get out enough in a variety of conditions to get better at it.
I know it’s relative and hard to give exact advice but what kind of daytime/hike temps are we talking about? Warmer (70s+), Cooler (50s-40s), and Colder (40s-30s)?
I guess the evolution of systems has made jackets like the Atom LT, Proton FL, and Nano-Air hoody strictly for grocery shopping use, and out of the lineup for being too heavy?
Interesting you’re using the Bryne shirt in the summer. I might consider that under my OR Echo Hoody. I have a few of these treated for bugs and they’re great, but they tend to stick to my body and get really wet from my sweat.
For insulation at rest/camp, does anyone recommend AD pants sized up to wear over trekking pants, or slim fit to wear under them? I have torrid pants for fall nights in the upper teens-20s, but for colder late summer nights in the upper 20s-30s I am considering the far pointe pants.
Since I’m camping in 2 season conditions I think I’m pretty well covered, and would plan on just using two layer systems if I ever dip into colder seasons. (instead of zero degree down bag use my magma + larger synthetic summer quilt, instead of bigger down jacket use my Decathlon or SD down jacket + larger LW synthetic jacket, instead of down pants use AD + torrid pants)
Thanks for the comprehensive write-up Ryan.
Have you tried the OR Astroman button up. I have been using one for the last 9 months from recommendations from some other folks. So far, I have been pleased with its performance. One claim made by others, which I have yet to verify is that it’s pretty good keeping mosquitos at bay. So far, all my trips have been miraculosuly low bug pressure. If it does work, it will be the best shit I have used when facing heat and bugs.
It’s useful to hear good things about the EE Torrid Jacket. When I need a new jacket it will be at the top of my list. For now, I continue to be happy with a Patagonia Micro Puff Hoody, though doesn’t quite match the Torrid’s reported warmth/weight.
I use the Vado 90 weight AD under torrid pants. I’ve used torrid pants over pants for warming up. . I have worn pants over the AD, but not for hiking.
I prefer the PlumaFill over the Apex.
The Brynje under Lifa has been very versatile below freezing. As temp drops into the 20s, just layer an octa if not too windy, or a nylon quarter zip with zone fabric if a slight wind. As winds pick up more, layer on a Dooy.
I use either short sleeve or long sleeve Brynje, the long sleeve providing 10f lower temp coverage.
Below about 5f, the quarter zip gets replaced with something heavier but still breathable. But the Brynje plus Lifa is a base that works for me from -15f to 35f with great moisture management
Above that it’s button down, or Echo all the way with no base. I still think a mesh base above 35f is kinda kooky
Kooky and comfortable.
And hot!
You’re probably faster than I am and take fewer breaks.🤠
If I have air going through, I don’t get that hot. I guess it’s not a base layer at that point.
Have you ever reviewed any of the Buffalo system garments? I never had any Buffalo clothing but I had the Patagonia Infurno Jacket, which was a silicone impregnated polyester jacket lined with really thick Retro Fleece (not called Retro at the time). It was the best garment I ever used in 35F driving rain. as my body heat was enough to always keep a dry layer next to my skin no matter how hard it was raining. It was totally windproof and breathable at the same time.
I think buffalo products tend to be a bit heavy weight for this crowd. I don’t recall buffalo ever recieving a full review here, though they are sometimes mentions such as Ryan briefly mentioned them in https://backpackinglight.com/episode-49-untraditional-layers/
The only “review” I remember this side of the pond was michaelO’s review from 20+ years ago… though still relevant, the products haven’t changed:
https://web.archive.org/web/20021005195116/http:/www.monmouth.com/~mconnick/clothes.htm
Well thought out and timely article, Ryan!
I’m a long time user and beliver in fish net base layers and have been using Brynje since the late 90’s (and LIFA even longer), but I never saw the point of a short sleeve or tank top brynje shirt. Until reading this. I guess I’ve dismissed fish net shirts for summer use outright due to poor sun protection and not the most versatile for social encounters / modesty police encounters. I still feel like thin wool shirts holds an edge in versatility for my use, but you convinced me to give fish net a try this summer.
What I feel is missing, from this otherwise well written article, is leg wear/pants. Both what you look for as it relates to your layering philosophy and specifically what you found to work best for you. While the upper body is more complex and needs more fine tuning of layers to keep comfortable, it is very easy to adjust upper body layers on the fly. Whereas adjustments to lower body layers takes more effort and as such I often find myself contemplating much more about what pants to choose for a specific outdoor activity, than I do for the more easily adjusted upper body layers. In essence this probably boils down to a pair of pants that strikes a good balance between sun protection, sufficient protection against insect bites and decent enough breathability/ventilation to get you through a hot day. The supporting layers, e.g. rain pants, base layer etc. are a lot easier to pick because the use case is more limited.
TT, I like to make myself sweat I guess :)
What I love about the Brynje is that it adds a lot of warmth under a tight Lifa because the Lifa traps air pockets in the open mesh. Thats what provides the warmth.
Used in warm weather without a tight over-layer, I don’t see the point. Using a button down loose fit to bellows air provides all the evaporative cooling needed and a mesh won’t improve that.
Thing that I don’t like about the (non wool) Superthermo polyprop Brynje is that it gets stanky faster than even my 30 year old polyprop Lifa. They could really improve it by adding an antimicrobial into the fabric. I have a MEC hiking shirt with it and it works well.
The Brynje would stink to high Hades at 30C working hard.
@David D, that’s very strange that you find the Brynje PP smelly.
Ryan mentioned before that he doesn’t find it to be so, and so I bought some.
I really tested it this winter, in a 5 day backcountry ski trip. Wearing a shell over it all the time, and a pack, there was plenty of sweating. The last day was warm, but I fell a lot, so kept my shells zipped up to keep snow out. I was sweating like a pig. The Brynje PP still smelled fine.
30c is rather warm.
@Tjaard, I wonder if it comes down to whether an individual has any proclivity for it?
I wore the Brynje on ~ 15 long winter day hikes sweating pretty hard in snowshoes, microspikes, some post holing. After each it had a taint to it, not throw it out strong, but noticeably above average. I always washed it immediately and use a spot remover spray on strong areas.
Only select garments get smelly for me (including a couple poly tennis shirts). OTOH, I routinely soak my Columbia Silver Ridge Light shirt right through with sweat where I had to ring it out by hand at the end of the day, but it never has any noticeable strong odour. I backpacked~ 12 days in it in the last month and this shirt never smelled. Same with a few other tennis shirts, cycling shirts, hiking shirts, bball shirts… no problems worth mentioning.
For me, the Brynje was one of only a few shirts that had a consistently noticeable smell after hard work.
@David D, strange. For me, the Brynje PP is the least smelly baselayer I have. Miles better than my ~25 y.o. Helly Hansen Lifa (the smooth fabric one, not the OG fuzzier one), better than the few polyester baselayers I have, and way better than the fine mesh (not fishnet) polyester baselayer that I use for mtb (because it has pads for protection). All of those get -ratty bad after 1 or 2 days.
Good, interesting article, with some excellent discussion of pros/cons of (some of) the fabrics in play for layering.
The fishnet underlayer reminds me of similar sleeveless tops, generally knit polyester, I used to wear under my cycling jersey back in the day. Occasionally wore ‘em under other thin layers as well for purposes similar to those described here, but somehow moved away from that practice over the years. I’m gonna be rethinking that.
Regarding smells, I note that some posters report rare problems with odors, whilst others describe variable rates of such, depending on fabric, treatments, construction, etc. My own experience is that most synthetics tend to accumulate odors, just at different rates. MOE re: treatments is that they don’t really last very well; after a while, one is down to the native fabric behavior, it seems. But it is something I have to combat with just about all synthetics; less so with thin wool underlayers. (Icebreaker merino is my current fave.)
Query re: sizing of the Brynje Unisex Thermo C-Shirt. The sizing chart on the website includes three columns of size-guide info: height, waist, and chest dimensions. And the three don’t seem to necessarily correlate in a helpful way. Example: Size Small corresponds to a height range of 5’4”-5’6”, waist of 29-31”, and chest of 37-40”. Medium: height 5’7”-5’9”, waist 32-34”, and chest 40-42”. I’m 5’ 8-1/2”; waist 30, chest 38. Do any of y’all know the utility of the height in the sizing? It seems to me the most unreliable/unnecessary parameter for consideration.
Finally, a shout-out to the Patagonia Houdini. About an ounce lighter, with a better fit (for me, anyway) than the REI Flash, and only $10 more.
How much of this “smell” is assessed by independent raters? You certainly can smell yourself, but I doubt the sensitivity is the same as if you asked someone else to smell your shirt.
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