Does anyone ever take a spare baselayer shirt for temps between say 20°F - 40°F ??

Just wondering how long it takes for a 195gsm merino L/S shirt to dry once you hit camp if you sweat a bit and it gets damp.

Is a light 150gsm tee shirt a good idea for an additional dry camp baselayer or will the L/S shirt dry quickly if I put some warm layers on over the top ??

Just wear the shirt and it dries out in an hour

Sure, put on additional layer to stay warm if needed

I don't worry about sweat so much, but if I am hiking in near freezing weather with a likelihood of heavy rain, I bring an light baselayer to sleep in. I usually go straight from hiking to sleeping so no time to dry a shirt, but I wouldn't relish sitting around in the temps you are talking about soaking wet. In warmer climates, or with lower likelihood of rain, I leave it behind.

i use synth myself, some thin polartec shirt

it dries fast enough that ive never had to worry about it ...

i simply put on my synth puffy ... and its all good in short order

... I carry a med. weight polyester zip T neck "sleeping shirt" for cooler temps. Plus it's a clean shirt at the end of the day and keeps my sleeping bag cleaner and better smelling.

So if I put a "down" jacket over the damp merino shirt (or synthetic for arguments sake) will the moisture get transfered into the down or will it all get transfered out and dry quickly for the warmth??
I'm not talking about a drenched baselayer, Just the usual moisture from sweating like a damp back and underarms.

Edited by forest. on 06/02/2011 23:18:49 MDT.

If it's not wet enough to immediately wet out the down in that area, I would think that it would evaporate and pass into the insulation. If it's below the dew point, it will condense in the outer layer of the insulation. If it's warmer, it may pass through completely.

If you're backpacking, use the Ray Jardine method and wear the jacket backwards. This will keep the back of the jacket from getting soaked, and you'll be able to ventilate better.

if your jacket is breathable, shouldn`t be a problem. I`ve done days with one merino shirt. highs of 80 degrees and as low as 25 at night never collapsed insulation and froze on week long trips.

you should be fine ... as long as youre not drenched ...

body heat will tend to push the moisture out of the entire system ...

i do find that layers drenched in sweat do tend to reduce push the moisture into the down and collect there if its very humid ... which is why i use synth in such situations

I carry a spare base layer all year. (So I'm breaking a cardinal rule of UL hiking -- sue me.) I sweat like a pig, and prefer to have a dry, clean shirt to sleep in.

Sounds like you are not a heavy sweater so my experience probably doesn't apply to your situation. You did ask "Does anyone ever take a spare baselayer shirt for temps between say 20°F - 40°F ??", however, so I'm responding as that "anyone" who does.

I'm typically soaked head to foot by rain or sweat by the time I reach camp. Everything I put on to keep warm while hiking will be cold and wet. If the temps are in the 20 to 40F range (particulary if raining) the stuff might not dry for hours or days or until I get home. For this reason I carry a complete set of clothes to change into once reaching camp (socks, undershorts, polypro top, insulating layer, wind pants and jacket and stocking cap).

When I start out the next day I will put the (possibly still wet)stuff back on and start over.

YMMV

"Everything I put on to keep warm while hiking will be cold and wet."

This may be your problem--too much insulation on the body. In those temps, you need very little if any insulation to keep you warm while you are actively moving. The idea in cold weather is to wear so little that you avoid sweating. In those temps I wear just a single baselayer top with wind shirt or (if absolutely necessary) a breathable rain jacket. I do take a second very lightweight (4 oz.) baselayer top as an extra hiking layer (which I need when it gets down to the low 20's). It's also my dry spare top, if I need one. Otherwise I use it for sleeping because the top I wear as a hiking shirt is usually pretty grubby.

I certainly never take an extra set of clothes. I do leave off the rain jacket and pants in warmer rain conditions (50's F and up), but I pack a top and bottom base layer which I wear in the sleeping bag and in camp when it's cold (certainly on cold mornings until I'm ready to start hiking).

BTW, a 2 gallon ziplock bag is great to put those wet clothes in to keep them inside the sleeping bag. The clothes may still be wet in the morning, but they're warm! Once I start hiking, if it's not raining, my body heat has dried everything within 15-20 minutes.

Edited by hikinggranny on 06/03/2011 12:58:56 MDT.

Mary,

Thanks for the advice. Unfortunately none of the conventional guidelines work for me. There is no way I can prevent the heavy sweating if I'm exercising strenuously.

I would sweat heavily if I was hiking naked and uncomfortably cold. I've experimented with this in every way I can think of over the the last 40 years or so. I've let myself get really cold, for example, when I felt that it was safe to do so. The sweat keeps coming. Perhaps at a reduced rate but still plenty to soak all my clothing. I think the muscle activity generates heat that causes sweat.

You said "Once I start hiking, if it's not raining, my body heat has dried everything within 15-20 minutes."

My experience is just the opposite:Once I start hiking, if it's not raining, my body sweat has soaked everything within 15-20 minutes.

Daryl

Edited by lyrad1 on 06/11/2011 10:04:17 MDT.

What Daryl said. It doesn't matter what I wear, or the weather conditions, everything I wear is soaking wet as soon as I start hiking.

The only spare clothing item that I carry is socks for sleeping in. Nothing else gets sweaty enough for it to be a problem. If I was on a longish trip and expecting lots of rain I might carry a very light spare T-shirt, but would also consider using synthetics instead of wool as a base layer, as they dry quicker.

Thanks everyone for the comments, This place is a great wealth of knowledge !!

Over the weekend I did a 8km hike wearing my 200gsm merino long sleeve hoodie.
Weather was a balmy 21°C and obvioulsy I was quite wet once we got into camp (That was the plan)

It took the shirt about 2 hours to dry off completly as I left in on but the best bit with merino is even though the shirt was wet I didn't really notice it except if I ran my hand over it. I was warm the whole time and by the time it dried it was down to about 11°C. (not that cold but it was still a good test)

I'm guessing that in colder weather things will take a bit longer to dry and could also be slowed down as I'd have a down jacket on over the top which might minimise airflow compared to having nothing on over the merino shirt this time.

Several years ago, I stopped carrying spare clothes, except for socks.

I wear a long sleeve merino shirt which keeps me reasonably comfortable from 40 F to 90 F. That includes steep climbs with rest stops at cold passes (New Mexico, Colorado, and Utah Rocky Mountains, mostly). I may have to add a light gortex rain jacket for warmth and weather. I have fleece sweat suit and gortex rain pants for my legs. For around camp, I add a Feathered Friend down jacket.

I would like to switch out my fleece pants for merino wool, but only because I love merino. It doesn't itch, carry odors, is comfortable even when wet, and has a wide temperature range that is comfortable.

Down is wonderful as long as it is dry, but wet, it is a disaster. So I keep both my down sleeping bag and jacket in waterproof silnylon bags, which I have lined with turkey roasting bags. These bags are impervious to moisture, very rugged, and almost bullet proof. In 40 years of backpacking I have only got my bag slightly wet as a result of a leaking tent. So down is a happy solution to the cold for me.