Ask An Adventure Leader: Get Outdoors, but Make it Fashion

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Ask an Adventure Leader is a writing series that gives our community an opportunity to learn from our Adventure Leaders' collective experience, expertise, and deepest excitements. This week, Heather (they/them) shares some of their best tips for building a wardrobe for the outdoors.


For many of us, choosing what to wear each day is determined by a few factors including function, comfort, and style. But what’s important when it comes to what we wear when enjoying the great outdoors? Depending on the conditions of your location, plus the activity you plan to do, figuring out what to wear can be just as easy as getting dressed in the morning. What will be comfortable, keep you safe, and show your uniqueness? For me, cost was a concern when figuring out I needed to wear on trail or on a paddle. What did I need to have--or go buy, I assumed,--to be prepared, and how could I get creative? 


Read on for some tips that might help you find the sweet spot when it comes to clothing in the outdoors.


Basics

What you’ll probably need, depending on where you are and what you’re up to.

Tops: short and/or long sleeve

Bottoms: pants and/or shorts

Footwear: socks, shoes (Don’t overthink shoes--sturdy bottoms and full toe coverage should work fine. If you’re going on extended hikes or other adventures, consider investing in a good pair of appropriate shoes.)

Sun protection: hat, sunglasses

Outerwear: jackets, sweaters, rain protection

Underwear


Check what you’ve already got | In most cases, you’ll want to wear synthetic materials (nylon, polyester) or wool when you’re out on a hike or other outdoor adventure. Those materials wick moisture away from the body and to the outer edge of the clothing to evaporate faster. While not always from an “athletic” or “outdoor” brand or style, many of our clothes are already made with these materials. Check out your closet and read the labels. Long sleeve polyester shirt? Nylon tee? Perfect! If it’s really hot where you are adventuring, you might want to consider cotton. It tends to dry quicker in hot, dry weather. Almost all of us have a cotton tee laying around. Just what you might need!

Choose colors you know you like and might go with your other clothes | If I review my (small but mighty!) wardrobe, there is definitely a color scheme. When looking for clothes to wear outdoors, I always lean toward the same type of colors. I’ll go for the olive green before the neon orange, and black over white. What colors do you love to wear? If you’re not finding clothes in the colors you usually go for, consider what might go well with the ones you already have, even if they are a little different for you. Neon orange actually looks great with olive green!

Buy secondhand! Trade! Donate! | The expectation to always buy new clothes has been ingrained in many of us through marketing and advertising. Buying used clothes, or better yet, swapping with friends and folks in your community can be a great way to find the perfect piece for you, get new (to you) pieces without breaking the budget, and pass on items you no longer want to others who might! I hit consignment stores when I want to shop--for any type of clothes. For the outdoors, I have to look a little closer and check those tags!


Accessorize to make it your own | Adding unique elements to otherwise simple clothing can help fine-tune an outfit for ultimate confidence in the outdoors. Rock a hat or bandana in your favorite color or style, even if it's not “meant for the outdoors.” I like to wear five-panel hats instead of the more athletic baseball cap. And on my sunglasses, I add a ribbon or string to keep them from falling down a cliffside. It also gives me an excuse to show my style even more, with something glittery, hand-woven, or perfectly simple.






Mix and match | Feeling like you’re always wearing your blue shirt? Swap the black pants you usually wear with it for your patterned shorts, to make the outfit feel new and different. Layering long and short sleeve shirts, wearing fun socks, or trying jewelry (depending on your activity, consider if it might get caught on something, fall off, or otherwise injure you or others) to give your looks a shake up.


There are no rules! | Remember, no matter what people say, or no matter what the outdoor industry makes us feel, you get to decide what to wear on trail. While you always want to consider safety and comfort--do you! Makeup? Go for it. Animal ears? Why not? All-black-everything? Stunning.

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