On Sat, 26 Aug 2000, TOMorrow wrote:
> I've done a fair amount of desert hiking (including a solo hike across Joshua
> Tree in late July without caches and in about 54 hours) and quite naturally
> thought a good bit about equipment.
Just to throw in my two cents, I concur with what Tom suggested. I've
spent a lot of time in the deep desert and dress in a similar fashion,
with minor differences. A big thumbs up for the military surplus desert
pants. However, I would recommend selecting the lightweight cotton
ripstop fabric instead of the heavier polyester/cotton fabric. The
polyester blend provides much better insulation and doesn't breathe as
well, whereas the ripstop cotton is designed for hot weather use at the
expense of durability. Both fabrics are military issue and are used for
all standard military patterns. I personally go for straight khaki color,
without a desert camo pattern.
For shirts, I use long-sleeve cotton mock turtlenecks in a light color.
However, actually finding one of these shirts in a lightweight fabric with
a loose cut takes some searching, as most people assume turtlenecks will
be worn in cold weather and design them accordingly. Occasionally, I will
wear two layers of shirts, a relatively tight inner one (e.g. a cotton
tshirt) and a baggy button-down outer layer.
> I've experimented with a couple of hats, neither of which I rate as ideal.
> The standard-issue army desert cap works OK, but has a fairly narrow brim
> that won't protect you from sidelong light and reflected glare.
There are actually multiple "army issue" caps, so I am not sure which one
is being referred to. I personally use military issue "boonie" hats,
though I tend to put the sides up using the retention strap. I've found
this to work reasonably well for me, giving me front and back cover in the
way that I wear it and keeping the head cool quite well (it has vents near
the top). I do wear appropriate sunglasses, so glare is not too much of a
problem.
And plenty of water.
I've settled on this general configuration for most of my desert time.
The most extreme conditions I've put this through was four days in the
desert south of Tucson, Arizona last summer with the temperature doing
120+F during the day. Hot but comfortable.
-James Rogers
jamesr@best.com
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