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Met a guy on the Lost Coast Trail who swore by hiking in jeans
Ran into him at the Mattole River camp last fall, and he was wearing full denim. He said he'd hiked the entire 25 mile stretch in them for over a decade, claiming they're tougher than any hiking pants. I argued that cotton is a terrible idea for coastal fog, but he just laughed and said his legs were fine. It stuck with me because everyone online says that's a huge mistake. Has anyone else met someone with a backpacking habit that goes totally against the common advice?
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webb.jordan3d ago
And the thing is, the flannel actually makes some kind of weird sense once you've done it. I met a guy on the Superior Hiking Trail a few years back who did all his trips in a thin wool flannel and old Wranglers. He said the flannel was perfect because he could pop the top button and vent heat, or cinch it up when the wind picked up. I was out there in my fancy synthetic layers and he was just sitting there dry and comfortable while I was sweating through everything. I tried the jeans thing once on a short overnight and honestly they were fine for about 8 miles before the denim started rubbing my knees raw. But that flannel trick actually worked pretty well. I still won't do it in the rain though. That's where I draw the line.
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