Miscellaneous clothing/gear.

If you started at your feet and worked your way up your head, I'll give you some ideas of gear/clothing that you can have a think about and it might be of help.

Socks, In all fairness, very much personal preference. Some will swear thick bridgdale type socks, others will go lightweight walking socks, some will go Hi-Tech merino, some will go dual skinned socked. Whatever you choose it is important that you are comfortable and that the socks don't rub in the boot and give blisters. Perhaps a too tight fitting could rub, perhaps too thick could rub, find a pair of socks that are nice to wear in your boots and stick to them. Also carry another pair of either the same type or thicker warmer socks for wearing around camp or the hut.

I've been wearing a pair of socks called Silverlight and have probably clocked up well over 1200km in them and they are still going and will probably get another 1000km's at this rate. I would highly recommend them.

My Sliverlight socks, I'd highly recommend them. 

Let's go outer wear as in gaiters, Again there are alot on the market, ranging in price from $40 to around $150. Gaiters keep things like twigs and small stones, snow and to some degree, water out of your boots so they are a useful item but do you need them for track walking, probably not. They can come in a few different sizes, ankle gaiters, which track walkers tend to use. knee gaiters are used for off trail, alpine or snow. If your new to track walking you probably don't need to buy any, you can get away with an old sock with the foot cut off and just roll the sock over your boot. If you are going to buy a pair of gaiters remember that fancy gaiters with zips, domes, clips will eventually fail. They may work well enough for awhile but at some stage you will find that dome now does not do up or when you pull the zip up it comes off in your hand. It will happen.

My Cactus gaiters, simple and build tough. (and check out that hat for sun protection) 

I have used Cactus gaiters for over the last 15 or more years as I have found they are real simple and only have a Velcro fastening down the front of the gaiter, nothing can fail.  Yes they are a bit top end of budget but you might find buying a better quality or hard wearing gaiter they will last a very long time. My Cactus gaiters have probably lasted 12yrs and still going.

Clothing is again very much up to individual preference. You can spend lots of money buying Hi-Tech clothing but it really does come down to what you want to wear. Obviously stay away from wearing cotton as it gets wet quickly through sweat, holds more moisture and cools the body quickly. This could be a precursor to hypothermia. Merino is good, a bit more expensive but keeps your warmer, dries faster and doesn't smell as bad as polypro. Although there is no reason you can't take a cotton tee shirt to put on later once you get to the hut. Check out buying gear from the Salvation army or second hand stores you can pick up some real bargains.

 

An extra layer of merino in a set of long johns top and bottom is always good to carry in you pack. A warm fleece and fleece pants are good to have on cooler nights. The likes of windproof type fleece is a good option.

My warm back up hut clothing, Merino Long Johns, hat, neck warmer and gloves. 

A good wide brimmed hat is always a useful item. It protects the head and neck from the sun, especially the ears from sunburn. And a wide brimmed hat that has a neck protection on those hot sunny days is a good idea. Carry a warm merino beanie and gloves in your pack for those cold days or once you get to your hut or camp site you know you have warm head wear to put on. It's not a good idea to wear your warm beanie on your tramp as the material will trap moisture in your head and act like a big sponge. Then the trapped water will get cold and cool your head down, which could then help in the process of hypothermia kicking in.

A wide brimmed hat is the way to go. Give good sun protection. 

A good quality Gore-Tex type rain jacket is an essential piece of gear you need to invest in. As well as being waterproof they are also windproof and that's very important. Once again you could spend anything from a couple of hundred dollars to over a thousand. Again, shop around, you are not going to wear this all the time, you might only put your jacket on a few times a year. It sits in the bottom of your pack for 98% of the time. But it's always there if you need it.

Buy one that's a little bigger than you need, this allows for you to wear other items of clothing under it if you need to keep warm. You might be a size medium then buy a size large. More protection is better than not enough. Buy a good quality jacket from a good manufacturer, they are worth it.

A good quality Gore-Tex jacket is essential to carry. 

Warm layers of clothing, extra items in your pack are handy things once the temperature drops. Think about where you are going, the time of the year, what night time temperatures are likely to do. It's better to have a few extra layers and not need them than need them but not have them. A light weight puffer jacket is mighty handy as they squash down to a small footprint and can be pulled out if needed.

My gear I take on any given walk or hunt. 

A thermal balaclava is mighty useful once the sun sets. Even a merino neck warmer is a really useful item.  You might also carry a light weight extra pair of footwear. After a big day wearing your walking boots it can be nice to take them off and put on some hut shoes, might be some warm slippers or a pair of crocs.

Remember, put all your clothing out on the floor before your hike or hunt and work out what you will be wearing while your walking and what you will wear at the hut or around the tent. Don't take more than you need. There is no point carrying it in to carry it out and not use it.