A Question for the TT Girls

“http://www.sequel.tm/stores/online_store/solarsystem/solar_shirts.html

This is the funky looking shirt you see in all my hiking pictures. It has long sleeves with mesh all up the inside of them and the lower half is mesh. It only comes in men's sizes (natch)I have been wearing it for the last four or five years and nothing can beat it. I know it has some cottton in it but it dries in a flash and it is tough.”

“I just love the thought of girls that like to hike...I LOVE YOU ALL!”

“I'm a shorty, so I like 28-30" inseams. But what I'd really like to see is some dressier looking hiking clothes. Both Rolex and Skiracer have pants and shirts made of techie fabrics that they can wear out to a nice restaurant. I don't see that as much in the womens clothing - I'm starting to see a lot of cute long skirts, but I'm not going to hike in skirts! I'd like to have some pants in a techie fabric with a dressier cut and a nice drape that I could hike in or go to dinner in. Shirts are not as hard to find; a plain pull over shirt with long sleeves would do the trick for me (techie fabric, nice drape). The simpler the better.”

“Here's what I'm confused about...and yes, I know I'm a guy, so I obviously need help.... BUT:

Damn, ladies, you're going HIKING...you're going INTO THE WILDERNESS. Why the he!! do you care whether or not your shirt shows off your natural attributes the way you'd like or not... or whether or the color complements your natural skin tone...

or on and on and on... this thread is a TRIP!


GET A GRIP!

God, will I get it for this....”

“wanderer- wouldn't it nice to be a woman just for a day?”

“Those poor creatures...”

“wanderer, If you REALLY want to know and yet still want a MAN's prospective, why don't you ask the local Male TT Hotties?

Ok girls, who gets best dressed male TTer?? Color coordinated Skiracer? Sophisticated Phil? Blue & Maze bicycle shirted Radagast? Tall, slim Spam -- you know what they say about men with big feet? How's about Dunk? Or our red-headed Reptiles? There's tall, dark and hansome PedXing. And don't forget Crocodile Dundee Gojo!

Wanderer, Men put emphasis on what they wear, too. They just don't admit it.”

“Personally, I could do w/out the girly lace/floral/pink etc. I'm not big into feminine clothing.

I just want stuff that fits and makes sense.

Ditto what Sunshine said. I don't think I have ever known a man to walk into a store and not sort through the rack to pick one of many shirts... Your still picking the color, fit, style etc that you like the best.”

“Wonderer, I have to say that even going in to the woods I must allways look atleast decent so if I meet a hot hiker chick, I have a chance with her. However, I don't go drasticly out of my way for it, and most defenetly don't bring any grooming supplys on the trail.....Hell, I usaly don't even bring soap.(whats the point, we all smell like campfire anyway)....”

“I think they asked for advice about active wear, not necessarily bacpacking/hiking clothes.”

“I spend an incredible amount of time picking out my shoes, ties, sport jackets, slacks, shirts etc. for my normal biz attire. I prolly spend a lot more than the avg. guy because I believe it makes sense; I think I look better, therefore I feel better, etc etc etc. I am not argueing with the logic, I an argueing with it's application.

There's a time & place for everything...I'm not going to pick out the pants I BP in because they do or do not show off my crotch or butt the way I'd like... I don't think Yogi Bear cares if my floral print shirt matches my tasty matching thong underwear...

Onece again, get a grip. Decisions as to what you wear in the wilderness should be about functionality, not fashion.”

“I say they your decisions should be both, functionality and fashion. But never put fashion ahead of function. Its like this, if you find a backpack that comes in black and yellow, or red and blue, but the black and yellow one will have to be mailed to my house and I wont get it for another 3 weeks. yet I'm going hiking tomorrow. I get the black and yellow one. Why??? Because the rest of my gear is black and yellow, it all matches and looks cool. And I alread have a BP that will work for tomorrow, but when I buy the new one I will have it for 5 years, and I want to like it.”

“I don't like to look like a bag in a sack no matter where I am.”

“oh wanderer, you're just jealous! Women have so many different beautifully shaped bodies in which we need more variety in our clothes. And yes, we "do" care what we look like on the trail, not for anyone else except ourselves.”

“We know Buddur, we know


we luv ya too”

“hikerchic, I'm so embarrassed. After my posts, I got out some of my gear for an objective, fashion-oriented analysis.

To my great dismay, I've discovered that I am a horrible example of the modern, well-dressed backpacker.

My rainjacket is a TNF Mountainlight, but...it's that ugly green TNF uses in their line. Next, I put on my pack, an Arcteryx pack that is that bright Cobalt Blue that only Arcteryx uses. THE WAY MY PACK AND JACKET CLASHED WERE BEYOND WORDS! I'd never imagined I was such a sight. Thinking back, I can't believe how many times I've been caught in a rainstorm wearing these two articles together...what did the other backpackers think??? I can only hope I don't run into them on the trail again...I'd be mortified!


Next, I pulled out my usual pants...a pair of those beige-colored REI zip-offs. WELL,,, GUESS WHAT,,, my shirt, while a very functional, practical non-cotton, lightweight ex-officio, is a similar beige-color (but just different enough in color) to clash with my pants. I'm beside myself, and can't imagine having gone out on backpacking trips dressed this way.

To make matters worse, my favorite socks are those washed-out looking grey thor-lo's, and they just DO NOT go at all with my beige pants. I just look the mess.

HELP! I never realized just how out-of-step I look.... I'm now terribly self-concious, and am going to evaluate my entire wardrobe / gear list. NEXT YEAR, everything will be color-co-ordinated, and, hopefully, any TT'rs who see me on the trail won't be too embarrassed to say "Hello".”

“Buddur likes women ;)

;)”

“I have a picture taken a few years back of a friend of ours in his very best Eddie Baur(sp) outfit--complete with Aussie hat and wooden hiking staff. He looked very spiffy but we were having the giggles behind his back.”

“ummmmm....Ice Tea, school has turned your brain to mush. That makes absolutely no sense whatsoever.”

“This has very little to do with being fashionable and everything to do with trying to lighten your pack. When you've got to pack your gear for a two week backpacking trip far away, it would be nice if your clothes could work both on the trail and go out to dinner if the occasion arrives. Men have a lot of options for this kind of clothing, women do not.”

“Sunshine, How long do you think Rad spent picking out that shirt? Yea, guys tend to stress about our duds.”

“i bought that shirt because it was fashionably $3.

a trail pimp needs spiffy duds like that.”

“wanderer, to answer your question...perhaps one of the reasons women pay so much attention to their appearance, both on and off the trail, is because MEN pay too much attention to appearance...witness the commotion on Trail Talk among the male regulars, when a presumably young, thin, attractive woman posts ("What a hottie!" etc., etc.). Also witness the "I'm blind, but laughing", extremely disrespectful way that less attractive women are treated, solely because of their appearance...where were the men on that montage of less-than-perfect physical specimens?

Now I know that all men aren't like this, and that women can be guilty of it too, but maybe if people would try to give more consideration to attributes other than physical appearance, we wouldn't worry so much about it.”

“Amen!

I'm pretty sure the majority of us posted first about how much we'd like clothing to fit well, be made of good materials and cost less BEFORE we posted about the color, etc.

Maybe if all men's clothing was made in only peach, pink, and lavender you might ask for something different too Wanderer. I don't think that you can count the majority of female tter's as vain. For Pete's sake, just look at our pictures! Not too many women who are too concerned with how they look backpack. It wouldn't make sense! Let's see...makeup, blowdriers, and showeres left behind for a few days to weeks on end? Naw, not for the vain. Let it go Wanderer, you're off base on this one! :0)”

“Omahiker, Your theory is all wrong. Women much more focused on physical appearance. The fact that men make crude comments is not an indication of their obsession with physical beauty. There is an entire scale of beauty with men, but it basically boils down to the fine line of 'doable' or 'notdoable' and depending on the amount of alcohol involved this line can become very blurry.”

“Might I suggest tights with a seam up the back? Or peek-a-boo jog bras? Or garters for gaiters?”

“My beer goggles are always OFF!”

“so bacpac, do you mean the amount of alcohol you drink or the amount I drink?”

“Le Subtil - you might be in luck. I think that is on Buddha's list of what to pack for the Zaleski trip.”

“So sunshine are you saying I'm well dressed, have big feet, or both? :). I'm 6'-2" with size 13 shoes but well dressed I'm not.

How I buy techie clothing in order of most importance. 1. Is it on sale? 2. Do I need it?. 3. Does it fit. 4. Color?
Number 4 has only been added now that I'm soon to be married. I wear pretty much the same outfit everytime I hike/backpack. Olive REI zip off pants, blue MH tee, wide range of colored SW socks, dark blue TNF long sleeve shirt, grey Magic Hat Brewery hat. Not to mention my bright apricot (orange) colored MH shell.”

“LeSubtil-where do you get those?”

“My wife hates to shop for anything, but particularly clothes. So I have had some experience searching out stuff that is outdoor functional and easy care, particularly for traveling. The first place you might look is TravelSmith.

Famous for their Essential Black Travel Dress, much of TravelSmith's selection is in Coolmax, Tencel, Supplex nylon, microfiber polyester or blends because their aim is to make clothes that can be easily cared for on the road. They even have little symbols that tell you if it can be washed in a sink (or stream I suppose) and dry overnight, or if it is particularly light weight and packable (if you only go with carryon -- or a backpack, ta da!), and if it is wrinkle resistent.

Their lines range from dressy to cruise/resort to outdoorsy, but the latter don't look like BP or mountaineering wear. In the men's stuff they have supplex cargo pants, but you can get them without the cargo pockets, too. Excellent service, too. Check their webpage for great deals on close-outs.

I've done well for my wife, too, with certain Royal Robbins and Ex Officio items, including a nylon-poly sleeveless ExO top last weekend on sale! Quick drying, but not manish looking. She doesn't want stuff that looks like downsized menswear, such as shirt pocket flaps that won't lay flat over her bustline. Her problem is sleeve and inseam lengths, too. Pants have been the hardest. She's an inch shorter than me, but her inseam is longer (love those long legs).”

“wanderer, there is help for you! Get a green cover for your blue pack. Keep your jacket closed over the shirt that doesn't match the pants. So now you are wearing a green covered pack with green jacket and beige pants that go with green. You're good to go, and may I say you look marvelous!”

“Thanks LH, I want to make sure I don't clash when I'm out there . My sensitivities have been peaked!!”

“Eddie Bauer sells tencel stuff too. Mighty pricey tho.”

“buy tencel, buy anything you can find made of it. buy two of them for that matter.”

“I'm wondering how this worked out for her.

I'm also looking in the Title Nine spring catalog and seeing a lot of newly added active wear that looks remarkably like many of the suggestions in this thread. I wonder who's been lurking TT? Anywho, I for one am glad they are and they can keep on if it means those kind of improvements in there product offerings.”

“Now you got me worrying... after a couple days I'd be in trouble if Ted Kazinski wasn't already in jail. It seems that if you don't buy new gear every couple of years your in trouble because they continuously change color schemes”

“I would like to see tank tops that have smaller arm holes so that others do not have to see my bra under my arms.”

“I'm going to get hell for this...suggestion for Tango313...go bra-less.”

“I agrea”

“I use those bathing suit bottoms that look like shorts. No seams, they're comfortable and they dry fast.

Most of my stuff is black, so no problem coordinating. I'm starting to get colors since my hiking wardrobe is so bland. I use my old running tops, so that adds a little color.

I found a Royal Robbins lightweight long sleeve shirt that dries quick, and its a pretty lilac color.

Found short (black) zip off pants, but it makes me look really short and wide, and the shorts look like a skirt. Plus, the shorts are heavier than the ones I wear (bathing suit bottoms).

I have a 24" inseam so everything is long on me and the waist goes up to my neck.”

“Ice Tea, which part do you agree with? The "hell" part or the "bra-less" part?

Snow Nymph, that brings back Olympic images...there was this Cuban (I think) boxer who pulled his trunk's waist line, up to his rib cage...and as you know, in boxing there's no punching before the belt. Anyway, he fought 1 round that way, before the ref made him lower his shorts (he should've done it sooner, since the opponent's trainers were complaining like crazy)...hilarious.”

“anybody seen these or even better ..got one?

not seen a women's altimeter watch til this one..
http://www.suunto.com/suunto/Worlds/outdoor/main/Product.jsp?CONTENT%3C%3Ecnt_id=10134198673986845&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374302757933&bmUID=1202692375370”