The Ultimate Expedition Clothing Guide: Head To Toes

The Summer before my first year of college, I went on a 28 day wilderness expedition. I lived out of a canoe with 8 other 19 year old kids. We spent our days paddling through the Boundary Waters of Canada, portaging (hiking while carrying a canoe on your shoulders), and carrying our very heavy packs with tents, food, and other supplies. Although we were mostly focused on our tasks for each day and basic survival and safety, a big aspect that determined our comfort and success was our clothing. It was still early summer, so days would get to the high 70s but also quickly get colder at night. Our clothing had to be durable, comfortable, and practical. It had to be able to keep us cool during the day, dry quickly in the transitions between us launching our canoes in the water and hiking, and keep us protected from critters or plants that might cut us up while breaking through brush. We were limited in the amount of clothing we could bring as well. Every item had to be essential - any extra layers meant extra weight to carry for the entire trip. With my experiences in mind, I hope I can offer you some insight into the products I would suggest getting, as well as some narration to explain my reasoning in these choices.

Headwear

I know hats aren’t the first thing you think about packing for a wilderness expedition, but these were lifesavers for me. I suggest packing two different hats. One would be a hat that is very warm and thick - a hat you’d wear in the middle of a Wisconsin winter. Mine was a woolen knit hat that was lined in fleece. Even if you are going in the dead of summer, the nights get cold and a warm hat makes a big difference for comfort. Even if you decide not to wear it, it acts as a great substitute pillow. For women, going to bed with wet hair when it gets into the 40s at night can be pretty terrible. A warm hat will help to keep you warm and dry your hair faster by trapping heat.

Sighted: My infamous blue bucket hat that almost got lost in a river.

Secondly, I suggest getting some sort of sun hat. Paddling for long periods of time exposes your face and eyes to some pretty glaring reflections, whether they be off of a canoe or the water. Your neck is also a wide open patch of skin that sunscreen will quickly sweat off of and unfortunately, you won’t have any spare aloe vera. A bucket hat made out of light colored material, preferably with a neck flap is perfect. The wide brim will help keep the sun out of your eyes and a flap in the back will protect your neck from sunburn. Additionally, picking a light colored hat will keep you cool if you have darker hair, and bucket hats tend to have neck straps that can be tightened so they won’t blow off into a lake in the middle of the day.

Sunglasses will be a lifesaver. They’ll protect you from rogue bugs flying in your eyes and with particularly sunny days.

Topwear

Now that we’ve covered what you need to keep that precious head safe, let’s go over what you’ll use to keep your top half covered.

Cotton T-shirts

You will need at most 3 short sleeve t- shirts. This is what you will wear every day for your base layer. In hindsight, I recommend bringing 2 synthetic based shirts and one cotton shirt. When on a canoe and portaging expedition, you are constantly wet. Cotton retains moisture and holds it against your skin, leading to chafing and exaggeration of cold temperatures. Pack one cotton shirt to keep dry for setting up camp at night. The other 2 synthetic shirts will help to wick sweat away and dry quickly, regardless of the temperature. These will keep your temperature more regulated when quickly going from being rib deep in water to sweating your butt off hiking. I personally packed three cotton t shirts and regretted it. You aren’t allowed to pack deodorant on trips because they attract ticks, and the cotton t-shirts really held onto odors and quickly gained a mildew smell. They never properly dried out unless we spent a few hours paddling in the sun, which luckily for me, only happened two times on the whole trip.

Cotton shirt & Quick Dry Pants

Long underwear

Nope, I’m not kidding. Wear it. Buy a set of loose fitting long underwear and a long sleeved top. They normally come in sets together. This will form your base layer, also known as your wicking layer. Moisture is the enemy of warmth. Sweat from physical activity like backpacking, paddling or climbing is your body's attempt to cool itself off. Synthetic long underwear pulls moisture away from your body so your sweat won't cool you down too much and make you cold. Make sure that the sleeves and legs are LOOSE not tight. You want to have some airflow and make sure your movement won’t be restricted by too tights of pants or a shirt too small in the shoulders. Wearing this underneath your other layers on cold days will help to trap body heat and also make great pajamas for at night. You might feel like an old grandma, but it’ll help, trust me.

Sun Shirt

I know, wearing a long sleeve shirt on a hot sunny day doesn’t exactly sound enjoyable, but you know what’s less enjoyable? Sun poisoning from getting burnt to a crisp. Get a long sleeve button down shirt that is loose and made of light material. It can be synthetic or cotton, but the main goal is to have a breathable layer that will protect your shoulders and arms from the sun while also keeping you cool. A large men’s dress shirt will do the trick.

Heavy Fleece or Lightweight Jacket

Although you may be experiencing some heat during the days, night and morning bring misty breaths and shivers. You’re going to need another layer. This should be thick fluffy sweater or jacket that will trap and store the heat your body is producing to keep you warm. This layer is worn on top of the first layer, which could be your long underwear and/or t-shirt. I suggest checking out the average temperatures at night in the area you will be in. I only packed a fleece quarter zip, which was warm, but I definitely had some very cold morning. I wish I had packed a lightweight down jacket from Patagonia that stayed dry better and was warmer and more breathable. Research what kind of temperatures you’ll be experiencing ahead of time to make more informed decisions.

Wind Jacket

This is amazing. Pack a wind breaker with a hoodie to keep cutting winds from chilling you on colder, rainy days. You’ll be given more sturdy rain gear, but a waterproof and windproof outer shell will help preserve what comfort you have.

Sports Bras

For women, packing good bras will be essential. You will only be able to pack around 3 bras, so make sure to pack ones with great support and durability. Choose function over fashion. No one is going to care what you look like, but if you have an unsupportive bra that chafes or doesn’t dry easily, you’ll be in a world of discomfort. Try to pack bras that don’t stretch out easily when wet. Synthetic bras will stay dryer and will maintain their shape and support much better than cotton ones. I packed more cotton than synthetic and regretted it.

Pro Tip: This list may feel pretty overwhelming when looking at the financial cost of gathering all these materials. I suggest you hit up your local Goodwill or thrift shops first to find some of the more common items. To find more wilderness specific clothing, you don't need to buy all name brand clothing (Patagonia, The North Face etc.). You can shop at Army Surplus Stores, second-hand outdoor stores like the Wilderness Exchange or Play It Again Sports. Another good place to shop is Sierra Trading Post.

BottomWear

Now that you know how to keep your upper body protected from the elements and comfortable, let’s move onto our bottom half.

Quick Dry Pants

What are “quick dry” pants? Quick dry is just a term to describe the material the pants you wear are made of. It is essential to buy these kind, rather than heavy khaki or cotton pants because they’ll weigh you down, and lead to issues when you’re jumping in and out of water. Cotton pants will wick moisture all the way up the pants of your leg and stay wet for hours. I suggest getting two light khaki colored set of pants. Most outdoors stores have these is a wide variety of cuts and sizes for all body types. The khaki color will keep your legs cool when sitting in the sun paddling. Make sure they fit comfortably on the waist and allow for you to move easily. If you can’t do a full lunge, high kick, or deep squat in them, they’re not the right fit. DO NOT BUY TIGHT PANTS/LEGGINGS! I am a huge fan of leggings when living on a college campus, but you need pants that have airflow. Tight pants could lead to chafing, rug burn, ingrown hairs, and infections in private areas. Remember, you won’t be able to shower, so let everything breathe a bit more than usual.

Pro Tip: Some lists may suggest buying an additional pair of quick dry shorts. I did that, but ended up not utilizing them because I didn’t have time to quickly change pants on the trail. Instead, purchase a pair of pants that have zippers that allow you to convert them into shorts without having to do an entire outfit change.

Underwear

Regardless of gender, you’ll want to pack a mix of synthetic and cotton underwear. Ladies, go for the granny panties. We are going for comfort and practicality. Fellas, pack something a bit more fitted than loose boxers to give you some support during hiking. Even though you’ll be wearing the same shirts for multiple days, DO NOT wear the same underwear for longer than two days. Get creative. Wash them in the lake or turn them inside out but for protection against yeast infections, don’t keep the same pair on for a week.

As aforementioned, also make sure to pack a pair of long underwear. They should feel like loose leggings.

Footwear

Congratulations! You’re almost to the end, but certainly not the least important part. Actually, your footwear will make or break your expedition and determine how comfortable and able you are to explore the wilderness.

Socks

You’ll need about 4 pairs of hiking socks. Go to an outdoors store for these. Do not go cheap. They’ll save your feet. Get thick, wool, hiking socks. Wool will trap moisture, keep your feet warm, and prevent any terrible rubbing. Make sure they're long, so you can tuck the bottoms of your pants into them to prevent anything from crawling up your pant leg.

Hiking Boots

Get a good pair of boots. They should fit your foot like a glove when your first buy them. DO NO get waterproof boots. They’ll trap water in them and will make hiking painful. Make sure they have solid ankle and arch support. Make sure to wear them around the house for a week or two to break them in and mold them to your feet BEFORE the expedition starts. Breaking in good boots is a painful process, so it’s best to get it done before it becomes a major hindrance.

With these tips and list in mind, I hope this list inspires you and gives you confidence on what to pack for outdoors wear. I truly believe that a wilderness expedition is something every person should experience, and this list will help you prep your outdoor “fashion” for the best comfort and durability! Happy Trails!