Hats
I used to use a Tilley hat.
Then I switched to Frogg Toggs.
I enjoyed the Frogg Toggs hat. It is much lighter than Tilley. It was also much more waterproof and it was cooler in the rain. I climbed Katahdin with it and, of course, was pleased at how much less than the Tilley it cost.
$15 (now $17) vs $80 for a Tilley. The Costco clone is less, but I managed to lose it.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0083E5EOC?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title
That hat has been popular enough that there are now lots of variations on it.
There are a couple downsides. Especially once you hike more exposed and with both wind and sun hoodies, the hat catches wind, doesn’t fit under a sun hoody and the brim isn’t as stiff.
I tried a hat by Outdoor Research that appears no longer to be for sale. It disappeared at a hostel on the Appalachian Trail when we were doing laundry. I miss it as it was light, comfortable and a great blue color.
I went through several other hats. A gimme hat a trail angel gave me on the AT and then a cheap hunting season orange ball cap I picked up on trail. Then a polyester weave that lasted until it disappeared at a family reunion while we were hiking the PCT.
https://a.co/d/2uorcCK—really enjoyed the polyester weave. Too bad it disappeared.
I replaced it with another ball cap picked up in a grocery store and then a UVA hat I got in Charlottesville.
Then I bought this built cool hat.
First I bought one in orange that I wore last year and now I have one in blue. Unfortunately they don’t have it in green.
With ball caps or trucker hats I want something that has a hood brim for keeping rain and sunshine off my face.
Then I want either polyester weave which is hydrophobic (repels water and sweat) or otherwise moves the sweat away from my scalp.
I appreciate that all of them add some warmth.
The color often doesn’t matter as the hats disappear under my sun hoody. Orange for hunting season. Blue for me. Green to match my current hiking gear. All good colors.
So I end up looking at price, availability and does it come in a large—I wear a 7 5/8 or so and some “one size fits all” hats are too small.
I switched brands because of delivery delays that have since been resolved. But the new one worked and was less expensive so I’ve stuck with it.
Postscript.
I realized that of all my gear, the item I’ve lost the most of is hats. I put my glasses, sunglasses and cell phone in them while I sleep and wear them constantly during the day. 🤷♂️
On the other hand I have a lot of “leftover” hats too.
“Crocs”
Not name brand, but the trail use generic name for camp shoes is what I mean when I use the term “crocs.”
They are useful at the end of the day for letting your feet rest, for taking showers at trail locations and for getting up at night without putting your shoes on.
With trail runners replacing boots the “let your feet breathe” feature doesn’t really apply.
They are iconic on long trails.
My first ones were lightweight “croc clones” from Walmart. Here they are:
They weigh 9.9 ounces. I used them on section hikes and then to do the Appalachian Trail. I lost my pair on the PCT. One was found and returned to me, but the other never surfaced.
Win still has hers.
To replace them I grabbed some flip flops at a town stop.
I also grabbed an extra pair later.
Not sure why the weight varies.
In addition to flip flops I used Swiftwater Crocs on the Pinhoti and some other hikes.
The Swiftwater line work very well for water crossings. But they weigh 13.3 ounces and I found that they take long enough to switch in and out of that I started just wearing my shoes to ford and just walking my socks dry.
Being secure on my feet comes at a time penalty.
I also have some new clones.
I used to fret about how they were not as light as my originals but the extra ounce is in the straps and having used them with and without the straps, I’ve decided to keep the straps.
I also tried just doing without camp shoes and using my hiking shoes instead. I found that unpleasant. I also made some minimalist camp shoes from inserts and cord.
Basically homemade Xero Shoes.
There are lots of variations:
- https://youtu.be/pRsNVFbkrZs?si=zEob95QPbHUJlzI0
- https://bikepacking.com/gear/ultralight-camp-shoes/
- https://www.theultralighthiker.com/tag/diy-camp-shoe/
- https://zpacks.com/products/zpacks-ultralight-camp-shoes
Even Croc has gotten into the act. However, Classic Crocs weigh circa 14 ounces. The LiteRide Echo weighs about 10-11ounces. Others in the LiteRide line weigh 12 ounces.
Amazing how I can fret over a few ounces.
Shoes and dirt and gaiters
How your shoes deal with dirt can be important— especially when the “dirt” comes from sand or from ash from fires. The issue is that most breathable shoes let fine grain dirt in.
That leaves you hiking with sand and dirt in your shoes.
There is a test you can use:
… perform the “flashlight test” on the upper:
- If direct light passes through, keep looking — these models are definitively not sand-resistant.
- If some ambient light passes through, performance will likely be so-so. Double-layer meshes will block direct light, but will still allow sand to filter through them.
- If no light passes through, you have a winner, at least in this regard.
Breathability and sand-resistance are somewhat mutually exclusive.
https://andrewskurka.com/recommended-footwear-for-desert-backpacking/
That said, on the CDT when worn with gaiters I had good luck with Topos even though they came in “so-so” on the list.
I’ve had a lot of variable luck with gaiters. Tried the Topo gaiters with other shoes and disliked them (got a pair on sale). With the matching shoes they worked very well.
I’ve used a lot of gaiters with various degrees of success—usually because they wore out or the Velcro tabs for connecting them to shoes could have worked better.
But without gaiters I’m constantly digging detritus out of my shoes and dealing with dirt and sand. With them I have a vastly different experience.
This hiking stretch won’t really have desert sand or burn zone ash to deal with but it will have detritus. I’m glad for gaiters.
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