How many shirts, underwear, etc for a 2 week backpacking trip?

Question

I'm going on a two-week backpacking trip with some other incoming freshman from my college before school starts. It's the first time I've done hiking or backpacking or anything like that, so I'm not sure exactly how to pack for it. How many t-shirts, underwear (I'm a guy, if that makes any difference), socks, etc should I bring for a two-week trip--I don't want to not have enough, but every pound I bring I have to carry around so I don't to pack too much. In terms of pants I already know what I'm going to do--I have two REI zippy convertible pants/shorts that are super dirt and sweat resistant--I wore each of them for a week on a missions trip, so I'm just going to bring the two of them and alternate them every other day.

Answer 1

"sascoaz" gives some good info. 2-week trip? I'd bring 4 pairs of underwear, at least two of them nylon, and wash as I go. On a longer trip like that, anyone who is experienced will be doing that. Get "Campsuds" or "Doctor Bonner's" biodegradable soap. 4 oz is enough, you use only a few drops each time. It is also your shampoo and body soap.

Four extra pairs of socks (in a ziplock), all wool or polypro or a blend. Double that if you insist on cotton - they take much longer to dry.

Hopefully one of your pair of pants is a bit oversized - bring medium or heavy weight polypropylene long underwear. By mixing/combing with your long pants and shorts, you can cover temps from 30F to 80F.

For your top, 3 T-shirts, at least one that isn't cotton. A long-sleeve shirt to keep the sun off, a fleece or wool sweater and a Goretex parka. Again, play with the layers.

Bring a HAT! The fastest way to warm up or cool down is to add or remove a fleece or knit hat. And a light-colored, light-weight sun hat.

A few one-gallon ziplocks to keep clothes dry and clean until you use them. Two heavy-duty Hefty trash bags (or trash-compactor bags) - line a hole in the ground and you have a sink to wash clothes in.

Bring something about who you are - a small musical instrument, song lyrics, a hacky-sack, etc. Be yourself, be open. Some of the other people along will be your friends and support system for 4 (or more) years to come. Hell, you might marry one of them!

-David

Answer 2

Backpacking Underwear

Answer 3

What I'd say is bring about 3-5 T-shirts (they're small and can pack small) and bring a sweatshirt for the evenings. In terms of underwear, if you wear boxers you can get by with bringing a lot less because they don't get dirty as quickly because they don't touch your skin. So if you wear boxers you are probably good with 5 pairs, if you wear other styles of underwear you will probably need more like 8-10. In terms of socks I'd suggest bring a lot because they get dirty quickly, unless you are wearing hiking sandals, then you do not need to bring any socks. If you are going to be able to do laundry then you need fewer (about 3-5 of each) socks and underwear, but then make sure that you do not bring cotton socks and underwear because they take forever to dry. Have fun.

Answer 4

I did a two-week backpacking trip around Mount Rainier last summer.

I had one set of 'hiking' clothes that I would wear on the trail consisting of convertable pants and similar shirts with roll-up sleaves and vented 'pits'. I then had a separate set of 'camp' clothes that consisted of another pair of convertable pants and a t-shirt. The camp clothes stayed pretty clean and felt nice to put on at the end of the day. The hiking clothes stayed pretty grimey of course, but even if I had a clean set each morning, they would be sweaty and grimey after an hour on the trail anyway, so it really did not matter much. This approached worked very well and I only had one set of clothes to carry in my pack at any given time.

If our camp had a stream or lake nearby and there was plenty of sunshine, I would put on my camp clothes, wash the hiking clothes and hang them on trees overnight to dry. I also washed my camp clothes, but ONLY if my hiking clothes were dry and I was sure the washed clothes would dry before the next day. Drying stuff over a fire is a hassle, can damage some items, and makes everything smell like smoke and soot - do only as a last resort.

I also had a set of lightweight thermal underware (long sleave t-shirt and leggings) to wear in the tent, a light fleece-type sweater and a light waterproof 'shell' jacket and pull-over waterproof pants (these also provide wind protection). I had three sets of underware and three sets of socks. Get the special synthetic fabric underware from REI... cotton underware takes forever to dry. If you are sure it will be warm the whole time, you could ditch the sweater, but I would never do an extended trip without a waterproof backpackers jacket and pants. The REI Element jacket is nice lightweight backpacker shell jacket and packs down into a little bag for packing. Marmot has nice shells too.

The most important thing - and this is critical - is that I went to great lengths to ensure that I always had one set of dry clothes (clean or dirty). If all of your clothes get wet, you are going to be miserable and in danger of hypothermia. Always ensure that you have one dry set of clothes.

The second most important rule is to dress in layers - have clothes that can be combined and interchanged for different situations. On really cold rainy days, I would wear the t-shirt, hiking shirt, sweater, and shell and be perfectly warm and dry. On cold dry days, I could take off the shell for better ventilation and on warm days, I could zip off the legs of the pants and wear just the hiking shirt with the sleaves rolled up. Anything in between I could adapt to by mixing layers.

Have fun!

Answer 5

A pair of socks and underwear for each day and 3-t shirts and pants. Done. You're a guy!

Answer 6

one to wear, one to carry until you find a stream. don't load yourself down. or maybe just go commando!