or is that 'theorys' ? Hmmm

My way of thinking when it comes to the clothing needed for a particular trip is to very carefully work out what is needed for all expected conditions with a bit of an emphasis on the worse conditions that can be expected.

To me, the perfect clothing list is one whereby if conditions do turn to cr*p then I am wearing almost every item of clothing and all that is left in the pack is maybe one or two pairs of socks, I pair of undies and one thermal short sleeve top.

If this happens and I am able to keep warm and dry then I feel like it's a success.

How do you work out your clothing list and do you have any theories or theorys on the subject?

I agree... I pretty much pack the same way.

Hi Ian

> To me, the perfect clothing list is one whereby if conditions do turn to cr*p then I am wearing almost every item of clothing
I do remember Carol Crooker pointing out to me that excess clothing in my pack overnight was just excess weight ... I think it was in reply to a comment of mine that we had almost every bit of clothing on one night when it went somewhat below freezing, and all we had were our 300 g bags. :-)
And yes, we were adequately warm and certainly dry.

We have just a little more than that for our 4-month trip, but not by much.

Your "theories" are correct!!

I'm going to adopt the 'turn to cr*p' theory now that I've read this thread. It makes sense.

Clothing is my last and I've found worst category to figure out for me. I took everything I have that I've hiked in over the past three years and weighed each piece yesterday.

Before now I'd not given clothing much thought. However, now that I've gotten much lighter on sleeping, shelter, and pack, it'd be a shame not to improve.

It would be easier for me to start from the beginning, but that's too expensive for my budget. Today I'm reading all the clothing info I can find. Will let you know what I find.

That is a good way to phrase it, "turn to cr*p"; that is what I do, and it results in a heavy pack for winter, at least at my beginner level of Light, not UL. My new micro puff pants were great to sleep in, but almost 400g. Unzipping them I could immediately feel the boundary layer of hot air escaping.
In the cr*p situation I had last weekend when the forcast was all wrong, I had on my wool-1 base, windshirt, thermawrap jacket, and DIAD. And sleeping I was in my MB #7 bag zipped up with only my mouth and nose out.. Amazing that Roger is bringing a 300gram bag!

It's socks, undies and the top/base layer that have to deal with your bodily extrusions (sweat and grime!) so these are the layers that you may need more than one of and should be cared for to help keep the other layers as clean as possible. So when I go overseas for 3 months I have one of everything but 1 extra base top layer, 1 extra undies and 1 or 2 extra pairs of socks and I am constantly washing and drying these. Or turning inside out ! HA !

Aye, that's the thing: base layer, wicking intermediate layer, insulation, wind-proofing, and rain protection. All my layers (excepting perhaps rain gear) can be worn comfortably on the skin, so I can use any combination that suits the conditions, sleeping, and laundering.

I just switched off from a vest to a long sleeve pullover insulation in the realization that I can eliminate a spare long sleeve base layer and get better cold protection with about the same weight. It extends my sleeping bag range too. It's all about maximizing every facet.

Your description is good-- when the poo hits the ventilation system, all that is in your pack is spare underwear and you look like the Michelin Man. You can wear two pairs of socks too :)

You know, what I would like to see is an insulation payer that doesn't duplicate my wind protection. Fleece is an example, but compresses poorly and is heavy. What I have in mind is a garment that has a lining, high loft synthetic fill, and some sort of bonded gauzy mesh outer layer to be worn with a wind shirt.

My very favourite layer which is sort of an invention of mine is a short sleeve fleece top. Better then a vest but less bulky than a long sleeve (just cutting of the sleeves makes a difference) and keep your torso warm. I made it by altering a basic 100 weight fleece pullover, it has a short zipper (irrelevant) and I shortened the sleeves to just above the elbows. Having your shoulders covered makes it much more warming then a vest but at the same time the shortened sleeved stops you building up too much heat on the forearms which I find a problem. Think about how few layers your legs need compared to your torso and the arms are pretty much the same.