You’re wearing that!?!  We’re going hiking, not to Grandma’s for brunch!

Ok, so first off, neither one of us has said “We’re going hiking, not to Grandma’s for brunch!”, but both of us has exclaimed to the other “You’re wearing that!?!” on more than one occassion.  It takes careful planning and hours of hiking experience to find the perfect (breathable, warm or cool, comfortable, durable) outfit for our outdoor adventures.  But we (mostly Lindsay) still throws together a questionable outfit every now and then.  So today we put on our typical hiking uniforms and hold a fashion show for you (and for Lindsay’s reference on those questionable days).  Of course, our outfits do change with weather, type and length of hike, and the seasons. 

A spring hike with polypropylene long sleeve over t-shirt, swooshy nylon pants, and baseball cap.

A fall hike (bright colors means hunting season) with wool hat, rain jacket over fleece vest and probably long sleeve, the least swooshy of her nylon pants, and those terrible heel biting leather boots.

Lindsay’s Hiking Uniform

• Head: nothing or baseball cap or fleece or wool hat
• Shirt: Any T-shirt (cotton or otherwise), polypropylene (or similar) long sleeve in winter, fleece vest in spring, fall, and winter
• Outerwear: Rain coat or umbrella when raining, wool coat in spring and fall, softshell in winter
• Pants: Nylon pants in summer (but the “swooshing” can be annoying, so we are currently looking for some light weight cotton pants), wool pants in winter (with long underwear)
• Boots: After suffering for years in stiff leather Asolo boots (they just need another…and another… hike to break ’em in) and coming home with blisters and sore feet, Lindsay has finally started wearing her beat up (and nicely broken in) pair of HiTec hiking boots.  But she wants a new pair – so stay tuned.  Columbia snow boots in winter.

A rainy spring hike isn’t complete without an umbrella. Rain jacket over t-shirt, cotton pants and leather boots complete this outfit.

Andrew in his typical summer uniform: t-shirt, baseball cap, light cotton pants, and leather boots.

Andrew’s Hiking Uniform

• Head: baseball cap or wool hat
• Shirt: everyday T-shirt in summer (with polypropylene long sleeve waiting in pack), polypropylene long sleeve in winter, fleece vest in spring, fall, and winter
• Outerwear: Raincoat or umbrella when raining, wool coat or soft shell in fall, winter and spring (we live up north)
• Pants: Cotton twill pants in spring, summer and fall, wool pants (and long underwear) in winter
• Boots: Light leather hiking boots in summer, Sorel hiking boots in winter

For a winter hike, Andrew and Lindsay are wearing fleece lined wool hats (aw, how cute, they match), soft shells over long sleeve and vests (looks like Andrew went with a down vest instead of fleece), and probably both are wearing wool pants.