Jacket Guide

Jacket Guide

Choosing the right hiking jacket can at times be a right old pain, I mean should you do for a lightweight jacket? A packable jacket and do you really need a softshell?

Well I’m Shaun from Simply Hike and here’s my quick and to the point ‘jacket guide’
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[WillNGo]

Good guide. Thanks. I've been doing this for years, so here's my two cents. First layers and shell. I had a Norwegian friend in high school, I asked him about his parka. "I don't have one. just sweaters." But what if it's really really really cold?" "I just put on another sweater." He used to go cross country skiing and camping in mid Norwegian winter-- so he knows what he's doing. I've had big parkas. They're nice and cozy, but bulky. I keep mine in my car but I usually don't hike with it.
For a trip last year to your neck of the woods (the UK Eng & Scotland) I bought a puffy-jacket, shell, merino wool t-shirts/layers, sweater, and a couple of synthetic layers. Synthetic layers work pretty good, but they stink (smell bad). I wore a couple of layers of them this morning for a 3 hour kayak paddle, but then I changed out of them, drove home and threw them in the washing machine. In Japan a couple of years ago I smelled like a sweaty corpse. On a multiday? Even I don't want to hike with me. The Patagonia Puffy can actually be layered outside a base merino T-shirt (long sleeve). In a couple of hours it smells horrible, and stays stinky until I wash it. The wool that was directly against my skin (and my arm pits) quickly airs out and smells okay. What use is something that smells horrible and is expensive?
Shell. This is my main jacket. I like a good shell that would keep my dry on the deck of a boat in a gale (Berghaus, and it worked great off the west coast of Ireland) But large enough that I can pile on the layers underneath. My layers: it's really important that I can zip some of them up to my neck. (I also travel with a scarf. I have a buff, but had to add a panel.) Zippers velcro and strings are good. I want a big loose jacket and layers that I can open up, or cinch closed. Underarm zippers are really nice. You can wear the jacket, in the rain, maybe cycling and zip open those vents and not over heat.
I do like fleece, it's cheap, cozy warm and even though it's made from water bottles, it doesn't get yuck!-stinky like the capoline and polyester. (Someone who knows, please explain this. Thanks) And rain pants, a scarf, a wool cap, mittens (I get chilblains. A brilliant person said that 'gloves are not for hands that are already cold.' For me this is true.)
One basic principle behind all of this is, don't get wet against your skin. When I hiked Dorset last April, I first just wore my smartwool socks, feet got wet, toes got cold... not too bad (I thought. But I'm older, so they don't warm back up...) in my sleeping bag it would take over an hour before my toes got warm. Last two days on the trail I thought to try my sealskinz waterproof, but breathable, socks. My feet weren't toasty warm in them, but they were comfortable. At the end of the day, switching to my sleeping bag socks and crawling in: my feet were not cold and quickly warmed up. (I think the Sealskinz material is by far the best demonstration of the 'goretex' effect. Water vapor passes right out, but no water gets inside. With a Goretex jacket it can be difficult to notice this. I bought some Sealskinz gloves, went out on the ocean. I thought, 'well these aren't waterproof.' My hands froze. At home I washed them, dried them and tested them in a bucket of water. They are exactly the same as the socks, I'd just gotten water in them through the wrists. Which is the complaint a lot of people have with Goretex boots.) The principle is keep dry, lots of zippers so you can adjust ventilation, and layers, as many as it takes; preferably wool, not synthetic.

[JB-xiek]

I opine, Páramo with NikWax could do with a mention for it not only has breathability, it also offers wicking of moister away, providing more comfort whatever the weather; they do a full range of layers.

[catherinebaker]

I’d say, as a suggestion to women, don’t discount trying ‘mens’ jackets. I find women’s ones are sometimes cut so as to be flattering but aren’t long enough in the body or sleeves to be comfortable. (Admittedly I have a longer body than most and like to pull sleeves over my hands though...)

[kennethcabreraroman]

Guys you're amazing and very helpful.
I got a question!
I would like to buy you a tent, are you guys able to send it to me in United States? Thank you very much