Hiking Lady

Womens Hiking Underwear

Womens Hiking Sunglasses

Layering

The key to being comfortable on the trail is layering. Whether you’re on a one hour hike or a multi-day trip, the weather can change at any minute, and to stay comfy you need to have layers. Additionally, your hiking apparel should be “wicking”, which means that it will “wick” the sweat and moisture away from your body so you remain comfortable on the trail. Anything fleece or polyester is wicking. Fleece vests and jackets are great!

Ok, so here’s the basics on layering. You need to have 3 layers:

1. BASE LAYER: What you wear directly against your skin. Always avoid cotton unless you’re hiking in super hot, dry, desert conditions! That means wear nylon/synthetic underwear, and a lightweight thermal top to wick sweat away. Believe me, this is super important. This may be a little too personal… but my favorite underwear is Ex Officio Women’s Give-N-Go Bikini Brief. After a long day on a trail, they stay dry and eliminate odors. If you are hiking in cold conditions (ie, on a snowshoe trip or a winter, fall or early spring hike) you probably want to wear long underwear. Any synthetic material or silk will do well. Just make sure it isn’t too bulky to fit under your mid and outer layers.
2. MID LAYER: This is what will keep you warm! Again, just make sure it isn’t cotton. A fleece vest is always great, and it gives you great flexibility. It is easy to put on over a base layer, it packs down small, and is lightweight.
3. OUTER LAYER: This is what will keep you dry if it rains or snows, and it will block the wind! The outer layer is also called a “shell”, so think of a turtle’s shell… it protects him from all the elements. Same for you! Common materials for shells are Gore-Tex, which makes the material waterproof yet breathable. The more you hike, the more you’ll want shell bottoms as well (aka Rain Pants). Just make sure your shells fit over your base and mid layers!

Did you notice a common theme? NO COTTON!! Why not cotton? Because cotton fibers collapse when they get wet, so it takes a very long time for it to dry. Much better materials are synthetics (like polyester and fleece) and natural materials like wool. Wool is on the heavy side in terms of weight, but if you get caught in the rain or snow, your wool sweater will still keep you warm. Unless you are hiking in super hot, dry climates, I highly recommend avoiding cotton.

Hiking in Super Hot, Dry, Desert Climates: In the summertime, the hot and dry conditions in areas like the Southwest U.S. provide an exception to my no cotton rule…This is a tip from my friend Denise at Hit the Trail, a website dedicated to helping people plan trips to the Grand Canyon and the Southwest U.S.

“In the canyon during hot weather, cotton is actually the fabric of choice since it does stay wet longer and provides evaporative cooling. In fact, one of the best things you can do for a hot hike is to carry an extra wet cotton t-shirt in a Ziploc bag to put on later in your hike to cool yourself off.”

UPF Sun Protection

I recently went to a new dermatologist, and when I told her that I spend entire days outdoors on hiking and backpacking trips, often at high altitude, the lecture began! Plenty of sunblock, long sleeve tops and long pants, hat, sunglasses, and a new twist… UPF rated clothing!

As we all know, it is very important to protect ourselves from harmful UVA and UVB rays from the sun. When I’m out hiking, I am pretty diligent about wearing sunglasses, long-sleeve tops, long pants, and a broad brimmed hat. The reason is I burn easily, and I want to make sure I don’t get melanoma, like my grandfather had. Over 90% of all skin cancers are because of sun exposure, and I don’t want to be another skin cancer victim. Plus, UV rays are especially high in areas where I like to explore: snow, sand, water, and high altitudes!

Almost all of my hiking clothing is technical gear from great companies like The North Face, Outdoor Research, and Columbia Sportswear. When I am at the store happily buying hiking pants, tops, and hats, I have noticed the UPF rankings, but paid little attention to it until my recent doctor’s visit.

I decided to do some research and get knowledgeable on UPF. UPF is a rating factor on apparel that stands for Ultraviolet Protection Factor. The ratings are typically between 15 to 50+. Unlike typical fabrics, UPF rated fabrics only allow a fraction of harmful rays to pass through. So for example, a UPF rating of 15 means that just 1/15th or 6.7% of harmful rays pass through the fabric. Obviously the higher the UPF number, the more protected our skin will be. This compares to a typical t-shirt that is likely somewhere between 5 and 8 UPF.

The bottom line is that if you are like me and love to be outdoors, UPF apparel is the way to go. Unless you are highly unlikely to burn, the extra few bucks to buy technical hiking apparel will be well worth it.

Here are some of my favorite UPF rated hiking clothes and hats:

• The North Face Women’s Paramount Porter Convertible Pant: UPF 30
• Women’s Columbia Explorer II Pant: UPF 50
• Columbia Women’s Titanium Omni-Dry Silver Ridge III Long Sleeve Shirt: UPF 30
• Dorfman Pacific Solarweave Mesh Trekker Hat: UPF 50

Is there any flattering hiking clothing for women?

After searching high and low, I’ve finally found some flattering hiking clothes! Some of you may be tired of those super baggy hiking pants and the oversized field shirts. Just because we love the outdoors doesn’t mean we need to dress like guys!

Here are some of my favorites:

The North Face Women’s Paramount Porter Convertible Pant
These 3-in-1 pants, shorts, and capris, made by North Face, can be on the expensive side, but they’ll last forever! The fit is great because it provides for a nice straight leg look and boot cut bottom. They come in 3 lengths: short, regular, and long. The pockets on the front are stylish (though not that useful), but because the pockets are up front and not on the sides of the thighs, it doesn’t accentuate any excess curves many of us ladies have! They’re made of thick nylon fabric, so if you like to hike near prickly bushes or abrasive rocks, they’re a perfect choice. Plus, they have built in sun protection (UPF 30) and look great when converted to capris!

The North Face Women's Paramount Porter Convertible Pant

The North Face Women’s Horizon Utility Pant
If you like to hike in the summer or in hot conditions, but don’t want bushes scraping at your skin, these pants are great. They’re of a lighter weight nylon than the North Face Paramount Porter pants, and the waist a lower rise. The other difference is that they don’t convert into shorts, but they are convertible into capris. The only drawback is if you do a lot of backpacking, these are hip hugger pants and your pack tends to rest right at the waistband of these pants. You can find these at a lot of sporting goods stores in addition to REI and outdoors stores. They’ve been spotted at Dick’s Sporting Goods and The Sports Authority, and have been on sale for as low as $35.

The North Face Women's Horizon Utility Pant