Essential adventure gear: my hardest working items
Edition 1
Welcome to my newest series!
In this series of posts, I share essential gear that I like to say - I cannot live without on my adventures. These items make my life easier and more comfortable.
Over the past 30 years, I have created and curated an extensive list of gear items that I find I cannot do without. My experiences as a long distance hiker, mountain climber, marathon and ultra-marathon runner, cross country skier and paddler provided me with plenty of time to field test gear and find what works and does not work for me.
In my new series, I plan to cover the following - clothing, outerwear, footwear, technology items, safety equipment, hydration packs, gear bags, essential energy items and more.
As you plan and pack your bags for your next adventure, I hope you find this information useful.
Please note: I do NOT receive any compensation for any of the following product recommendations.
Today’s topic - my hardest working clothing
1 - Quick dry pants with sun protection (UPF)
I cannot live without these pants by Orvis - Jackson Quick-Dry Convertible Performance rated at UPF 50 for sun protection. I like how they fit - material is stretchy with a touch of spandex so they move with me nicely as needed. The pants come with five (5) pockets - including two (2) with zippers. Finally, the straight pant legs go from full-length to capri quickly. Similar men’s version at Orvis here.
2 - Sun protection (UPF) tops with hoods
Many companies sell sun protection clothing. I look for a high UPF (ultraviolet protection factor) rating which is a measure of how much a material protects against exposure to the sun's UV radiation.
Orvis offers a complete line of sun protection clothing in many colors and styles. I keep coming back to Orvis to purchase clothing because of their quality of the workmanship, fabric choices, excellent customer service and a variety of sizing choices for women. Here is one of my favorite UPF hooded tops. I like a hooded top as it adds flexibility on those sunny days when I can flip the hood over my visor hat to cover more of my neck. Some hoods are designed to cover most of your face. The Orvis UPF tops are quick dry and breathable. Similar shirts for men’s also available at Orvis.
3 - Janji 7/8 pace tights
Janji is a small, independent company manufacturing limited-run collections. I have been wearing their tights for all kinds of activities - running, hiking, paddling. I like to use them for base layers too - perfect for under a pair of over-pants. Their clothing is top-notch, lasts a long time and washes well. Their 7/8 pace tights have a deep pocket on each side which can easily hold a smartphone nice and snug. I also wear their 7” Pace Short which has four pockets, including a deep pocket on each side. Their men’s tights have seven pockets.
4 - Merino wool base layers
I wear merino wool all year round. It is light and breathable and perfect as a base layer. For my recent 10 day trip to London, I brought 3 - 4 merino base layers. At the end of each day, I hung them up to air out. That’s it - I did very little wash on this trip. Oh, I forgot to add that merino wool rolls up nicely and does not take up a lot of space in your suitcase.
Many companies sell merino wool clothing today. Although good merino wool clothing can be expensive, it lasts a long time. Some of the companies to check out are Unbound Merino, WoolX, Bombas, Smartwool and Icebreaker. In my wardrobe are items from Icebreaker, Bombas, Smartwool and WoolX. I do like the Bombas for their softness and washability.
Here is an external review comparing the Smartwool brand to the Icebreaker brand.
5 - Socks
Depending on the activity I am doing, I switch between various kinds of socks. For running longer distances, I like to use Injinji toesocks. Over the years, I have battled blisters and switching to Injinji toesocks has completely eliminated that issue. In fact, I wore Injinji toesocks during a 50-mile ultrarun in the rain and mud and had no blisters.
For hiking, I like merino wool such as Darn Tough and Smartwool socks. I use a liner sock if I hike longer distances. Merino wool socks last a long time and wash well. Darn Tough has an excellent guarantee too.
My go-to daily sock is usually a Bombas sock. Lots of cushioning and they wear well. I wore Bombas every day on my recent London trip where we walked everywhere.
6 - Gloves
I wear gloves almost year-round. Now that I think about all the gloves I have, I guess you could say that I collect gloves. In the summer, I try to wear sun-protection gloves. If I am on the water - paddling or angling - gloves protect my hands from the sun and help to prevent blisters. I also wear gloves hiking to protect my hands when I am traversing rocky or technical terrain. Sometimes I wear fingerless gloves - either by design or I take a pair of older gloves and cut the fingers off. This makes it easier to use my fingers to eat on the go, use my smartphone camera and such.
My favorite go-to brands for gloves are: Outdoor Research, Odlo and Worldwide Sportsman.
Stay tuned for my next edition on essential gear including my favorite clothing for the colder months.
I would love to hear from you about your favorite gear. Let me know by posting a comment. Thank you.
Thanks for the recommendations! I will second Merino layered tops based on my experience skiing across Finland 🇫🇮. They are super comfortable and do a great job of wicking sweat in endurance settings!