Campwear

After I set up camp the first thing I do is change into campwear.  Sometimes I do get lazy, in that I will keep my hiking t-shirt and light fleece on and leave my campwear base layer in the dry sack, but most of the time I will change out completely.  Here's what I wear around camp...

Morning brew in Peak District.




Long johns, base layer and socks.



 

Long Johns

Patagonia Capilene 3 Midweight Bottoms.  Great fit...very comfortable.  Made of Polartec Powder Dry polyester double knit, with Polygiene permanent odour control.

Base Layer

I originally bought this Ibex Hooded Indie to be a winter hiking base layer, but found that my t-shirt/lightweight fleece combo made it redundant.  Now I use it as part of my campwear...something clean, warm, and comfortable next to the skin after the days exertions.  Made of 100% soft and durable Merino wool it suits the purpose well, and the hood helps to keep my head warm too.

Socks

Nothing fancy here...just a thick pair of Heat Holders thermal socks my step-daughter bought me for xmas.








Down jacket, insulated trousers and booties.

Down Jacket

Mountain Hardware's Ghost Whisperer Hooded Down Jacket.  One of lightest down jackets around on the market, and with a superb warmth-to-weight ratio, there is no reason to ever not pack this.

Normally on my adventures I'd take my Patagonia R3 midweight fleece and wear it under this, but to save some weight on the Pennine Way I elected to utilise my hikewear insulated jacket on those colder nights around camp...slinging it on over the Ghost Whisperer.

I can't really knock the jacket; a hood cinch would have been nice to stop the wind blowing the hood down, but I guess they just wanted to make it as light as possible.  The outer ripstop nylon provides good wind resistance and the jacket feels very comfortable. 

The sleek design means this can easily be layered over... and the roomy cut leaves ample room for layers underneath.

Awesome camp item.

Insulated Trousers

Here I use the Montane Prism Pants as a second leg layer over my long johns.  The Pertex outer layer is windproof and the 40g Primaloft Eco insulation is warm and packable.  Normally on cold nights I will go to sleep with these on, but normally wriggle them off once the sleeping bag has warmed up.

I bought a size large and find the waistband elastic a smidge tight, (my waist being 34/35 inch).  I'll no doubt pick up an XL in the future, but it ain't a priority.

They do a good job of keeping my legs warm around camp.

Insulated Booties

Montane Prism again.  These booties are stuffed with their Primaloft Gold insulation with the same Pertex windproof outer as the pants.  The sole is made of tough Hypalon for increased durability for use around camp, but I prefer to keep them clean by just wearing them inside my shelter.  When I need to go outside I just slip on my boots with the laces inside.

Before I got my Lowa Tibet GTX boots whenever I stopped to make camp my feet would start to get pretty cold not warming up until I was established in my sleeping bag.  This prompted me to buy these booties.  Combined with the thick socks my feet are now well protected from the cold whilst in camp.  With the Lowa boots though...my feet don't even get cold anymore when I stop hiking. Win win.




In addition, I wear my light hikewear gloves around camp to keep my hands warm.  With the wind-chill blocked by the shelter I've never needed anything more.  For my head I just use the hoods that my base layer and down jacket provide...I don't bother with hats.