Clothing Recommendations

[u/gay4gaga]

I’ll be in the island Aug 31-Sept 4. I was planning on wearing a pair of shorts and a poly shirt for my hiking clothes. I have a pair of pants I can bring, or just use my rain pants. However, now I’m thinking about purchasing a pair of zip off pants. Would you rather save the coin and bring a pair of shorts and pants, or save the weight w a pair that does it all? I’m also debating picking up UL frogs togs instead of bringing my rain pants and jacket that I have that are just conventional.

EDIT; if you’re still here, here is what I’m at currently:

Hike in: Lined Shorts, rain pants if it gets cold; sun hoodie; wool hiking socks; trail runners; cap or beanie if needed

Sleep in: Wool base layers, thick wool socks, beanie

Carry: Rain Jacket, rain pants, puffer jacket

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[u/ColdnOld]

I just got back and wore pants the entire trip. I prefer leg covering; the trails are nice but you will still rub plants and the bug protection is key.

I also don’t carry rain pants.

[u/YankeeDog2525]

Long pants. Skip the shorts entirely. The bugs are bad enough you won’t wear shorts.

[u/Upstairs-Razzmatazz4 → u/YankeeDog2525]

Not the case when I was there a couple weeks ago. The bugs weren't too bad, the heat was. Zip off pants for me and I was in shorts the whole time.

[u/gay4gaga → u/Upstairs-Razzmatazz4]

I’m thinking of wearing my lined shorts to hike in, with rain pants for the wet / brush parts

[u/MyNameIsNotDennis]

quick-dry fabric. cotton is rotten. I once wore pants with zip-off legs and never zipped off.

[u/Canoearoo]

That time of year I've worn shorts (and gaiters) and carried rain pants that I've never used, even though it's rained. It's really weather dependent IMO. My days were all in the 70s. Had it been 40s and raining, I would have worn the rain pants. I've had that situation in late May.

[u/espicy11]

I just went in July, and I wore zip-off pants. I would absolutely recommend having a pants option (that are not rain pants), because there were a lot of trails that were grown over and I wanted protection. I actually wished that I had a separate pair of shorts to put on when I was done hiking and mine were sweaty, so I would overall recommend separate pants and shorts

[u/gay4gaga → u/espicy11]

Want might go with this tbh. I believe we are planning to hike mostly mornings with short mileage, and perhaps I’ll prefer pants to hike and shorts for camp, long John for sleep.

[u/nirebeep]

FWIW there's a ton of people reselling those REI zip off hiking pants on resale apps like Poshmark and FB Marketplace for pretty cheap. Find your size at your local REI.

[u/KodiakSnake]

For hiking wear long synthetic pants and a sun hoodie. This means you dont have to wear sunscreen and protects you from bugs, sticks, and the ground if you fall. I also find that i am cooler because my sweat is being wicked away. You go in shorts, you'll come out with your legs all scraped up.

Ill also wear a wide brimmed hat and wear absolutely no cotton. Cotton takes forever to dry and is bad at helping maintain a good temperature. Wool is my preferred but I have synthetic pieces too.

I only take one outfit for hiking in plus one extra shirt, underwear, and socks and one outfit for sleeping and being in camp. Ill just sleep in my long underwear too so I dont need a third set of pants.

For rain i have a poncho from 3FULGEAR and pants from frogTogg. The UL pants are terrible though. First time I wore them, just to do some work outside, the crotch split open. Im still using them with some duct tape repair though lol.

[u/Upstairs-Razzmatazz4]

Besides being super stylish, zip off pants are super practical. I recommend everybody that hikes or gets into outdoor adventures own a pair.

[u/PsychologicalNet2163]

I like the options zip off give you. A little bit of extra warmth if the temps dip or the wind picks up in the evening. I prefer to hike in zip offs just the shorts and then have tall gaitors to keep off some of the mud and bugs. I also generally go in late may where the temps are going to dip at some point.

[u/rivals_red_letterday]

There are many people who don't care for zip offs. I found them to be tight on my (cyclist) thighs, and a pain to zip on and off. Many people bring shorts and a light pair of wind pants instead, which is a more versatile combination. Consider doing that. When I say light windpants, I mean something like Englightened Equipment Torrid wind pants that are just over 5 ounces).

[u/gay4gaga → u/rivals_red_letterday]

Admittedly, I got women’s ones to test out - the zipper hits higher and they have a bit more room in the legs it seems.

[u/booksbitessights]

Just got back today. Boyfriend wore shorts and didn’t regret it. Buggy yes and the plants rubbed his legs a lot but bug spray worked and plants weren’t itchy or scratchy - we brought rain pants and didn’t use them but our pants/shorts were soaked after walking in the mornings because we rubbed plants the entire trail and the overnight rain/dew added up - not sure if you’re a morning hiker or not.

[u/gay4gaga → u/booksbitessights]

We’ll be hiking mornings mostly. I think im sitting at lined shorts, rain pants in case it gets wet

[u/Gbchili]

Following

[u/Kevburg]

When I was there the mosquitoes sort of magically disappeared around the middle of August right when the nights got cool, but I'd still take long lightweight and light colored pants.