I am curious to find out what percentage of your hiking bag is taken up by clothing? Do you take a new set of clothes for each day of a hike and if it is 5-7 days long where do you keep your dirty clothes so that they are separated from clean?
We recently did a 5 day hike and I got so frustrated with repacking my bag every day to have clean clothes in easy reach whilst storing the dirty ones in a separate space. Travel pouches didn’t really work for me as they still had to be packed/unpackaged within the bag.
I might bring an extra shirt or so on a very casual hike, but from most of my hikes I only take two sets. One to hike in, and one to sleep in. I Do my best to clean the hiking set after the day is done. It’s stinky, but that’s the hiking life for you. Getting some Merino wool hiking clothes does help a lot (they don’t stink as badly).
Close to none.
Just an extra pair of socks and jocks, which I wash and rotate. Wash your s&j in the morning or at midday, then hang / loop on outside of pack to dry.
So as @Wandelaar says but I’ll add not in rivers with soap, even if it claims to be biodegradable as biodegradation does not happen in rivers but in soil…so wash with soap away from river.
Agreed on Merino.
And keep your sleeping kit dry and clean.
Swim a lot.
Logic is that even if you put on clean clothes every day it will be grungy within an hour or two of hiking anyway.
I’ll add too that it takes a bit of getting used to this concept as we operate from cupboards all our lives. But the thing is that a bag full of dirty clothes that end up smelling up everything is actually worse than going a bit rough, I find. I have hiked with a few ladies who love clean clothes and such but over time they all resort to the one set of kit for hiking and one for sleeping scheme. It’ll also motivate you to swim more often, if you need motivation. And get used to the fact that you are an organic animal after all.
Storing hiking clothing can be a challenge, especially on longer hikes. I usually pack a fresh set of clothes for each day of the hike. To keep my dirty clothes separate, I use a lightweight dry bag or a separate compartment in my backpack. This way, I can easily access clean clothes without rummaging through everything.
If you’re finding travel pouches inconvenient, you might consider using a compression sack or packing cubes to organize your clothes. For more tips on hiking clothes and gear organization, you might find this article on hiking outfits helpful. It’s all about finding what works best for you and your hiking style!
As little as possible, clothes are generally pretty heavy for what they return in value. Outfit to hike in (Weather and environment dependent) and one light set to sleep in (Very light shirt and leggings which are both polyester outdoor wear so they can also be hiked in or layer up if need be).
Two to three pairs of socks, two to hike in and one as a dry pair to sleep in if the weather is cold. Rinse and clean the socks I’m wearing each evening or at lunch and hang the wet pair to dry on my pack. Underwear tend to just rinse in the evening and let dry over night while I’m in sleep clothes.
Sleeping clothes just get stuffed in the bottom of my sleeping bag and that goes in the bottom of a trash bag in my pack as it’s the last thing I need at camp. A down jacket I might need if stopped for a while or when arriving at camp goes loose at the top of the trash bag, so it is protected but only just bellow my food for the day if I need it.
Rest of the clothes I’m either wearing or is stuffed loose into an outside pocket for easy access (Eg, rainjacket, windbreaker, beanie and gloves depending on weather)
Find you tend to need way less than you think, you are sweaty and smelly no matter what doing something multiday. I understand anxiety particularly around areas that chafe and the feet, but most hiking stuff is nylon/polyester and if given a rinse at night and then kept inside or tucked into your bag is dry by morning.
Reckon Andrew Skurka wrote the definitive guide to this - Core 13
I usually wear the same t-shirt for 2 days, have separate t-shirt and shorts for sleeping (stuffed in sleeping bag), I wash underwear and socks along the way (usually 3 pairs socks - 2 for hiking rotation and one for sleeping if its cold and 3 pairs underpants). I usually wear a t-shirt under a long sleeve shirt - that outer shirt lasts the whole hike. Dirty laundry goes into a supermarket bag at the bottom of my pack.
I still use a Backpacker Boulder - bottom compartment for sleeping bag and parts of the tent. Main compartment, a the bottom - pre packed / packed in a separate shopping bag, full food for each day, so every day I just grab a bag and distribute snacks to pockets and keep the rest as a last item to pack, then I pack spare clothes in a different colour plastic bag, so its food, clothes, food, then jacket. Side pockets are for stoves and gas, spoon, cup (if its not clipped ot the outside) and litter and snacks, compass and maps in front pouch, med kit in top pouch.
This way I don’t need to repack everything - when I get to camp, set up tent and sleeping kit without opening the main compartment, this is great if its raining, haul out days food and Im done.
I only access the spare clothes and food once a day, in the morning when packing up tent and stuff anyway and then is just wiggle hand down and grab the right bag!
Everything packed in a dustbin bag lining just in case!
I don’t like the modern packs with one big compartment and no side pockets - its a real pain to have to unpack and scratch through everything to find something.
BUT I always have fresh clothes in the car with a towel and wash kit etc - I always try to find a shower somewhere to clean up before driving home.
I do, perhaps my first mistake!
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