John Muir Trail Gear Guide Video: Clothing
In this installment of our JMT gear guide we dive in deep to take a closer look at our trail wardrobe! Enjoy!
Ps: Sorry we’ve been bombarding you guys lately with all of these posts! We just wanted to be sure that everything rolled out together videos/supplementary blog posts for the JMT since a lot of people have requested the info!
The video is long but below are the cliff notes! Each clothing item is linked (the title of each is the link) as well as has quick bullet points covering features and our thoughts on each post trail!
Columbia Ridge Lite Omnis Shade LS
Columbia Omni-Shade LS:
Women’s Columbia Omni Shade | Men’s Columbia Omni Shade
fabric is comfortable, soft and lightweight
antimicrobial treatment that protects it from bacterial growth
light weight so I never felt like I was overheating in it
breathable and wicking fabric remains comfortable no matter the temperature
UPF 40 sun protection
love the roll-up sleeves and added ventilation vents
the lighter color of the fabric shows all the dirt
MAK in her Patagonia tee and Lululemon shorts
Patagonia Women's Capilene:
3.6 oz
synthetic fabric feels like cotton and has a soft
incredibly moisture wicking
breathable and antimicrobial
looks like a regular tee but has the features and functions of a technical garment
Lululemon Running shorts:
long time favorite shorts to hike in
love the large leg opening great for a full range of motion
no binding and no chafing
bonded inseam gave out (but they’re 8 years old)
flat waistband was very comfortable under my pack’s waist belt
great breathable liner
MAK in her La Sportiva climbing pants
La Sportiva Climbing Pants:
longtime favorite climbing pants
great protection against mosquitos they can’t bite though the thick fabric
fabric is resistant to abrasion of sharp rocks, ice, and thorny plants
high waist band comfortable under pack
warm for wearing at night
easy to roll up when it gets hot
Owen in his Atom
MAK in her Atom
Owen in his Houdini Windbreaker
Patagonia Houdini WindBreaker:
perfect light layer
great for adding a little sun protection when crossing snowfields
our favorite windbreaker, but wind protection wasn’t something we really found we needed
not the best breathability because it’s a windbreaker
packs down to fit in your palm
in the future we might find something slightly more breathable, but it’s still our favorite windbreaker
Arc'teryx Hard Shell Rain Jacket:
never really used it on trail due to fantastic lack of rain
this is the best rain jacket I’ve ever had
not at all breathable, so I imagine unless it’s cool out it would be hard to hike in it
still glad we had it just in case!
Stance socks and La Sportiva Trail Runners
Underwear:
Branwyn Essential Bralette | Branwyn Essential Thong | Lululemon Sports Bra | Kuhl Thong
the Essential thong and Bralette by Branwyn are made of performance wool
(branwyn) extremely comfortable
(branwyn) Merino wool construction is naturally odor-resistant and moisture-wicking
(branwyn) never bagged out or got looser
(lululemon) my favorite sports bra but was higher impact than I needed, it was tight and made my shoulders hurt as the day went on
(Kuhl)I really like them, the mesh is really breathable and lightweight
(Kuhl) comfortable but they did bag out and got too big on the second half on the trail
In the future, I will opt for all Branwyn goodies for on trail
Socks:
both are made of performance wool
total performance wool convert after using the underwear and socks!
(stance) loved the crew height because they protected my ankles from scratches
(stance) most excited to wear the stance socks
(injinji) great for when I got a blister in between two of my toes, naturally separated the two toes
(injinji) great to wear paired with my Bedrock sandals
(injinji) wished they were crew height
neither pair of socks ever bagged out or had any issues with smelling! Performance wool for the win!
La Sportiva Bushido Trail Runners:
always preferred trail runners to hiking boots, I find hiking boots to be overly heavy and bulky
these are incredibly lightweight and insanely comfortable
it takes six times more energy to move weight on the feet versus your back: for instance, wearing two-pound shoes versus 4 lb shoes is the equivalent to removing 12 lbs from your pack
these Bushido’s weigh in at just 8.8 onces
my second pair: require no break-in period, they’ve never given me a single blister (in-between toe blister caused not caused by shoes)
they dry out surprisingly fast which is great because we didn’t go a single day with dry feet on trail
can’t recommend these trail runners more!
Owen and Sissy in Bedrocks
Bedrocks Cairn Pro:
long deep and passionate love for Bedrock Sandals
we opted for trail runners for the trail due to the high snowpack
wore them for major river and creek fords as well as around camp
cairn pro: Vibram sole which holds tight to rocks in the fast-moving water
endlessly comfortable
MAK wearing her lucky hat and bandana
Other:
wide-brimmed hat that was handed down to me from my grandfather for sun protection on my face and neck
bandana which my mom wore while she was doing Outward Bound as a teenager for added neck protection
would soak bandana in the river to cool my neck
good luck charms ;)
Owen’s Clothes
For the most part MAK and I carried the same clothes so I’ll try not to be too redundant. I also carried the Columbia and Patagonia shirts, Houdini jacket, Arcteryx Atom, Bushido trail runners, and Bedrock Sandals and have similar sentiments on all those items.
Patagonia baggies, 35mm film
Patagonia Baggies:
wore them everyday
performed fairly well
lined, intention was to not wear underwear with them
the scrunchy waistband started to hurt when being compressed by the hip belt of the backpack
wearing a pair of underwear with the shorts solved the problem
in the future I’ll find a pair of lined shorts that has a flat waistband
Owen in his base layer and shorts combo, 35mm film
Patagonia Base layer:
chose a base layer legging instead of a pair of full pants to save weight
used these around camp and under shorts on cold days or during snow crossings to protect from the sun
did save space and weight, but didn’t offer protection from mosquitoes
in the future I could go either way pants vs leggings
Saxx Boxer Briefs:
Sinconly brought one pair of underwear due to lined shorts… that backfired
performance Saxx boxer briefs
they were great, no complaints
Owen lookin fine in 35mm film
Stance Wool Socks:
carried two pairs of Stance socks
didn’t really get a chance to test them pre trail
performed admirably
best socks I own
Patagonia Rain Jacket:
it’s not great, does it’s job well enough as long as we aren’t getting torrential rains
hardly had any rain, it didn’t really matter
probably recommend a better jacket if you have the extra money
Trail running hat, buff and Stance Socks, 35mm film
Patagonia Trail Running Hat:
I love this hat, but it wasn’t the right hat for the JMT
should have brought a wide brimmed hat to protect ears and neck
Buff:
used it for ear and neck protection due to lack of protection from hat
when the buff was on my face it would absorb sweat and get salty and then the coarseness would start to chafe the back of my neck and face.
the solution was to rinse it out in a creek every night
buff is still very helpful when crossing large snowfields as the sun reflecting off the snow
Laundry at camp, 35mm film
Clothing Care:
never really “washed” our clothes on trail
we would rotate our clothes on and off every day
would rinse them out in a nearby creek or stream without any soap
soaking them in freshwater was enough to freshen them up for our next wear
particularly important for our underwear, shirts, and Owen’s buff
dried everything out overnight on a length of emergency 550 cord strung up between two trees
Alright my friends! That covers our clothes for the JMT. Next week we will be releasing the food installment of this series. Have a great week, and if you read all the way to this part, you’re a champion!
<3 MAK
NOTE: Some of the links provided in this blog post are affiliate links. If you end up purchasing some of these pieces of gear we get a very small portion of the sales. Thank you all as always for supporting us and our life on the road, it gives us the opportunity to share so extensively with you all! - MAK & Owen
