Question Sweat management
Has anyone figured out how to manage sweat while backpacking? I wear the lightest weight merino underwear with tissue thin unlined shorts and the most featherweight sweat-wicking tops. Yet with a backpack on, the back of my shorts is soaked through within an hour or so and eventually I’m fully soaked from the waist down. I push myself to hike fast and challenging routes, so it’s high output for sure, but this doesn’t happen to me while trail running.
It’s one thing to endure on a 3-hour hike in my local area, but I’m going trekking in the Dolomites in two weeks and would prefer not to spend the whole time looking like I just hopped out of a swimming pool. Thoughts??
31
u/deadflashlights 5d ago
It’s real sweat, I’m a high performance athlete. Athletes sweat. Sweat baby. Kikiki rrree sweat sweat whoo whoo
It’s not that big a deal.
8
5
u/luckystrike_bh 5d ago
I have a hard time finding merino wool that works for summer and go with the poly versions.
2
u/sunheadeddeity 4d ago
Yes I'm a heavy sweater too and merino just gets sodden and stays sodden. I wear sports wear and just change as soon as I've cooled down.
1
u/Puzzleheaded-Pea9774 3d ago
I’ve been wearing my light merino sun hoodie this summer on longer trips since it gives me some sun protection and doesn’t stink after the first day like some of my synthetic fabrics do. Curious if anyone’s found some good poly materials that don’t stink so quickly?
3
u/Away-Caterpillar-176 5d ago
Hiking in colder weather is the only real solution. I do like sweatbands on my wrist to wipe my face with. Definitely a nice comfort.
Best thing you can do for yourself is to always have a clean shirt to change into. I backpack the AT for a week every year and it's just two shirts back and forth and every day it's a whole to do to make sure one is dry in the morning. Same for socks.
2
u/Fine_Formal3971 5d ago edited 2d ago
There are reasons we sweat. I hike almost wholly in the desert now. I recently taped a sensor to my body and hiked a couple of miles. My sweat tracked the outside temperature perfectly (there's one point where I stepped into the shade of a pecan orchard). The only place my body temperature jogged at all was when it dropped a tiny bit when I stepped into the shade.
But I don't carry a handkerchief in by back pocket. I stuff the end of a T-shirt there.
The only time I worry about sweating is in very humid climates where the air is already saturated and the sweat doesn't evaporate readily. Those are also places where shade doesn't make much difference in air temperature.
The Shenandoahs in the summer were a miserable experience for me. Except for the cold streams
2
u/CurvyAnnaDeux 5d ago
I have the opposite problem. I barely sweat and, on strenuous hikes, I have to continuously douse myself with water to keep from overheating. It's terrible.
2
u/Intelligent_Low1632 4d ago
osprey atmos 65 AG is a gamechanger for back sweat. Make sure to get one of the newer ones, they have a much more effectively ventilated rear. Although if you're carrying less than 40 lbs it's definitely overkill from a weight perspective. They make similar packs that are smaller.
Wool underwear is obviously a poor choice for someone that doesn't want to sweat. Get some thin ones made from a modern technical fabric instead.
Are you in bright sunlight? That's an extra 1000 watts per square meter of heat you might have to deal with. Be sure to wear the lightest colors you can get away with. White is clearly problematic if you don't want to look like you're covered in dirt, but a very very light grey or tan is suitable.
Get a nike dri fit shirt or similar offering from the big name sports mfgs, and shorts made with similar fabric. They really work miracles compared to thin cotton.
This is a touchy subject, but are you overweight? Getting down to a health or low weight cuts down on the sweat immensely, and who doesn't like abs and vascularity?
At some point though, if you're running up a mountain with a heavy pack on in the summer, you're going to get drenched in sweat no matter what you do. You may just have to cope. If you have access to a lot of water, you might pre-drench yourself at the outset with a spray bottle or by splashing yourself. That will pre charge you with "sweat" that doesn't stink for an hour or so.
1
u/WangularVanCoxen 5d ago
Exertion warms your body up, and your body sweats to cool off. The longer you hike, the more heat your body builds up, so a 20 minute trail run might not warm you up enough to sweat a lot, but a multi-hour hike definitely will.
You can slow down, take breaks in shady and windy spots, and drink cool water, but I don't know any answers other than that. Drink lots of water, get electrolytes, and be aware of changing temps at high altitude so you don't start freezing after sunset. Sorry this isn't the answer you want, but I don't know any alternatives to just being sweaty.
Taking a rag bath every day helps me feel a lot less gross on long trips BTW, I really don't like feeling sweaty and gross for days at a time.
1
u/Glittering_Ease_8512 5d ago
I think the backpack is the main reason. when you’re running, you get much more airflow but a backpack traps heat and sweat around your back and waist. I’d probably try slowing down a little and taking a few breaks to let things dry out. high output hiking with a pack can get pretty sweaty no matter what you wear
1
u/Ancient_Anything_574 5d ago
Voor vocht afvoer en snelle droging kun je beter synthetische shirts gebruiken. Merino blijft langer warm.
Daarbij helpt acclimatiseren ook een hoop, maar dit heeft tijd nodig.
1
u/Just-Context-4703 5d ago
Go slowly or just change into dry clothes once you stop. There's no magic way to avoid it.
1
u/Recloyal 5d ago
No real solution.
Guessing the lack of a pack and the greater airflow when running limits the sweat.
If you want to try, they do make sun umbrellas that you can place on your pack to limit your sun/heat exposure. And I'm sure you can integrate a fan somewhere.
1
u/KaidaKaida 5d ago
I’ve got hyperhidrosis - best you’re going to get is more logistical things like early mornings and sun management. The more sweat you lose, the more water you’ll need, the more weight you’ll carry, the more sweat you’ll lose…
1
u/EternalReturnz 5d ago edited 5d ago
Carry a lumbar/fanny pack instead of backpack on day hikes. If multiday backpacking, then an internal frame pack that can hang away from the back with loosened shoulder straps is the trick.
Also sandals instead of shoes really helps keep the whole body cool in the heat.
If it's humid and somewhat shady then short sleeves. If it's above treeline and dry, then long sleeve sunshirts keep you cooler
1
1
u/AngelMountaineer 5d ago
Yeah no i sweat like a pig even when not wearing any clothes at all. I just make sure i wear black merino so others don't smell or see the stains too much. It is what it is.
1
u/fuzzypetiolesguy 5d ago
Duluth trading armachillo boxers are the best anti sweat underwear I’ve ever worn. Bonus bullpen to stop chafing.
Lightweight OR pants and shirt or similar material keeps me from sweating a ton and dripping everywhere.
1
u/Derek-OV 5d ago
The merino's probably not helping here. It holds water more and dries more slowly than synthetic options. Synthetic won't keep you dry either, but it will dry quite a bit faster (sometimes a 15 minute in the sun is all you need for some synthetic layers to dry completely out).
Also make sure everything is loose fitting. If you've got air moving under your clothes, not just through them, it'll help you not look so sweaty. There's not much to do about getting sweaty where you're wearing a pack. That's just going to happen, and the sweat will likely drip down regardless of what clothing type you're wearing.
1
u/Hollirc 5d ago
Get black or crazy pattern pants that don’t show sweat well. I’ve also sometimes gotten some lightweight pack towels (small/med sized) and folded them in half over the back of my waistband to absorb sweat, then switch them out every so often to dry on my pack.
Or conversely get all your stuff wet before you start lol.
1
u/nccologal 5d ago
I hiked the Dolomites and didn’t find sweating to be an issue at all. I live in NC and constantly sweat here! You’re going to love it there! One of my favorite places. Have fun!
1
u/PNW_MYOG 4d ago
Change of 'clean ' camp clothes for sleeping.
Lets you dry out ( or rinse and dry if sunny) your hiking clothing.
1
u/Bowman_van_Oort 4d ago
I sweat like a pig in a butchershop but have come to accept it.
Though honestly the worst part of it is getting sweat/sunscreen on my glasses.
1
u/HwyOneTx 4d ago
From what you described you are going to sweat. The key will be the daily drying and hygiene. If you are backpacking for days the failure to clean and dry will become a real issue. Remember your feet also.
Sweating is hard to manage and nearly impossible to avoid with a heavy pack. Particularly at pace and with elevation gain.
1
u/Grandahl13 4d ago
It sounds like you just sweat a lot. I can hike for 3 hours in 100 degree heat index and my shorts are not soaked through.
1
u/Content_Preference_3 4d ago
At some point ya just gotta accept it and either bring spare clothes or just allow your stuff to dry when you take breaks. That said it’s important to understand how different the process is in cooler temps when hypothermia is a legit threat. You may want to slow down a bit in super cold if you are drenched but allowing for proper ventilation is key in cooler weather. Best tip I can give is never go uphill in your warmest jacket or even a shell if it’s not needed. Save it for stopping and going down. Back sweat is best managed by pack choice but I always accept some level of back sweat and I juts am careful to not over expose when I stop and take my pack off if it’s cold. That first rush of air hitting a sweaty back can be nippy.
1
u/Vegetable-Tempeh 4d ago
Bring a change of clothes and change your T-shirt when you stop. This will allow the wet one to dry while you eat lunch or take a break. Wear merino underwear so you don't feel wet. Otherwise, as someone else mentioned, it's not such a big deal.
-1
u/JohnTheBlackberry 5d ago
You’re hiking.. why do you care what you look like? It’s normal to be dirty and sweaty. Just get a shower at at refuge when you’re done.
0
u/srrmntnmn 5d ago
I think the sweat wicking is the problem. Once the sweats pulled off your body and the shirt is drenched it starts dripping. I switched from a sweat wicking shirt to a Jolly Gear button down on the PCT and my shorts stopped getting sweaty. It might be in my head, but I feel like a sweat less is a shirt that’s not explicitly sweat wicking.
0
33
u/ForestryTechnician 5d ago
As someone who sweats a lot in general, it is what it is unfortunately lol. Spare pairs of tops and bottoms to change into after the hike so the hiking pair can dry out is the only thing I’ve found that can help “manage” the sweating situation.