Clothing

Wearing your birthday suit is not an outing option.

Clothing Recommendations

Outdoor clothing does not need to be expensive and Scouts are unlikely to appreciate a well engineered and highly fashionable $400 jacket.  For the most part, clothing can be purchased at Costco or even Goodwill.  The key is to avoid cotton and purchase layers appropriate for the season and environment of each outing we go on.  

High end items include hiking shoes/boot and raingear.  Footwear needs to fit and Raingear needs to be waterproof.  You can sometimes find deals at a secondhand store, but these two items may need to be purchased new and can be very pricey.  We list a few examples, to include less expensive options.

Specific Clothing

First off - NO Cotton. Cotton holds water and leads to significant cooling.  Cotton is not appropriate except on some summer outings. 

Top Layers

Your shirt and jacket keep your core warm

• In the summer, you may just need a shirt

• The rest of the year, you will need to consider what layers you might need

• For Winter Outings, you will need to put some thought into what you need

  • Packing the wrong clothing can lead to a miserable outing or even put you at risk of hypothermia

  • See our Winter Clothing Page for more on Winter Clothing

• Select 3 Layers

  • Base Layer

    • Long Underwear with thickness appropriate to weather

    • Short sleeves may work for warmer times of the year but cotton should be avoided from September through July

  • Mid Layer (aka Insulation Layer)

    • Fleece for hiking

    • Puffer Jacket for colder months and sitting in camp

    • You can bring and wear more than one of these at the same time

  • Outer Layer (aka Shell)

    • Waterproof Breathable is required for most of the year in the Pacific Northwest

    • A water resistant softshell may get your through the warmer days of the year

    • Examples:

      • Frogg Toggs Ultra-Lite Rain Suit

        • Economy raingear 

        • Poor durability and breathability

        • It is easy for a Scout to destroy this jacket on his first outing

        • Excellent emergency layer if you don't want to spend $200

        • NOT ACCEPTABLE for WINTER USE

      • Columbia Men's Watertight II Rain Jacket

        • Budget Jacket with matching construction quality 

        • Poor breathability and feels like plastic

        • Can get deal on Amazon and other places

      • REI Co-op Rainier Rain Jacket

        • Reasonably priced, quality jacket

      • OR Men's Foray II GORE-TEX Jacket 

        • High quality jacket for adult who are done growing

        • Designed to last years

Pants

Pants are often overlooked when selecting clothing

• Pants

  • Polyester or Nylon

  • Convertible pants of OK, for those who like shorts

  • Need to be comfortable enough to allow for long distance walking

  • Need to be durable

    • Yoga pants will get shredded

• Shorts

  • Expose legs to sun, cold, abrasions and bugs

  • Pants are almost always better, except when swimming

• Denim Jeans 

  • These are an absolute NO-NO

  • Denim is Cotton and Cotton kills

  • Can cause chafing

  • Take forever to dry out

  • Suggest lack of outdoor knowledge

• Summer Outing Pants (and some of Spring and Autumn)

  • A pair of synthetic pants may be all that you need

• Cooler and Cold Month Outings 

  • Need a 3-Layer System

  • Base Layer

    • Tights or thermal underwear as needed

  • Mid Layer (aka Insulation Layer)

    • Insulated layer as needed

  • Outer Layer (aka Shell)

    • Durable pants

    • Waterproof layer as needed

    • Examples:

      • Frogg Toggs Ultra-Lite Rain Suit

        • Economy raingear 

        • Emergency layer for single Scout use

        • NOT ACCEPTABLE for WINTER USE

      • Columbia Men's Rebel Roamer Rain Pant

        • Economy rain pants ($45)

        • Not great breathability or durability

        • More durable than disposable Frogg Toggs

      • OR Men's Foray GORE-TEX Pants

        • High quality pants for adult who are done growing

        • Expensive

        • Will last for years

        • OR Helium are lighter weight but less durable 

Hat

• Headgear protects you from sun, rain and cold

• Appropriate type dependent on sport and climate

• A beanie will work for most outings

Socks

• Discussed elsewhere - Footwear Page

• Propper material

  • Wool - preferred by most

  • Synthetic - some prefer the wicking ability of synthetic socks

  • Cotton - absolute NO-NO - these get icky when wet and keep you cold

• Durable, tight weave and padded

• NO Iron Bar of Woe

  • stitching over toes and cuts into then on long treks

• Specialty waterproof socks are available

• Vapor Barrier Socks?

  • Advanced option for winter use (below 10°F only)

  • Prevents boots and socks from getting wet from sweat

    • But keeps feet wet in the process 

  • Plastic Oven Bags are sometimes used

Boots and Shoes

• Discussed elsewhere - Footwear Page

• Note: waterproof boots sound great, but:

  • Don't breathe well

  • Get hot and muggy

  • Heaver than what is generally needed

• Type dependent on use and environment

  • For the most part, Trail Runners will work for most outings