?  sounds like you don't bring a spare set of clothes with you ?

I always have one complete change of clothes, head to toe including spare shoes,  so I have dry stuff to change into if its cold and wet and I want to get out of the cold and wet clothes; and in case the #1 set I'm wearing gets torn or something, I've got the spares. That full set of extra clothes is good enough to wear for the entire trip, not just a T-shirt and shorts. 

I'd guess you mostly trip in mid-summer when its warm, and I guess you can get away with not having a spare set of clothes then- if that's the case, T-shirt seems fine, but I'd prefer a long sleeved shirt that offers better bug protection myself.

I don't normally use that spare set of clothes, preferring to just wear the #1 set, which helps dry out anything wet - If its been hot and the shirt is smelly, I'll go swinning and change into the dry spares, but only until the first set is dry enough to wear.  I usually trip the first week of June, starting around Memorial Day - it is more likely to be wet and cold than hot.

I bring 2 sets of clothes (shirt, pants, underwear, socks) both basically the same, but 1 designated as trail, and the other as camp (dry)clothes.  The shirts are typically the button down lightweight nylon long sleeve shirts popular at Cabelas, but for mid summer, I'll bring a decent wicking t-shirt.  After a few days of bog slogging, the trail set gets "laundered" in a ziploc bag with a squirt of camp soap.  Rinse twice in the bag, and it will all smell so much better and be good for several more days.  Usually I'll do this once for an 8-10 day trip, but I also swim most every day in my trail clothes.  Consider it a pre-wash.

Nothing in-camp specific, but I always have a spare change of clothes.

Cotton is fine for mid-summer.

Here's what I take on 3 week outings in late summer: 1 shorts, 1 long pants, 2 T-shirts, 1 long sleeve bug off shirt, 3 pair wool socks, 1 pair merino top and bottom, 1 fleecy jacket, 1 rain jacket, 1 pair boots, 1 camp sandal.  Since my trips in later Fall are typically under 5 days, I take pretty much the same thing but throw in an extra fleecy.  Anyway, as to the shirts.  I've completely gotten rid of anything cotton from my kit - too slow drying, too heavy and a disaster ecologically.  So for T-shirts I recommend Bamboo (actually 70% bamboo, 30% cotton.)  They are silky soft, durable, don't stink, dry much faster than cotton and are kinder to the planet.  They are comparably priced to cotton T's.  Here's where I get mine but that's because they are located here in Toronto.
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But if I were getting a dedicated camp shirt I'd probably get a synthetic bug off type shirt.  They have them at Sierra Trading Post all the time marked way down.  
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I have an Ex Officio shirt with insect shield that is just about the best shirt I've ever had for camping - they're light and vented so that even in the heat and direct sun you can wear it and stay fairly cool plus they're great going through buggy ports or sitting around camp at sunset when the skeeters start a hummin.

db wrote on Dec 3^rd, 2010 at 7:21am:


I don't take a second pair of pants either. Running tights are even better than longjohns: Besides being warm, they weigh nothing, take up no space, and dry very quickly. Cheapest place I've found is web-order from Holabird (Baltimore area). If you can find your size on sale, the price is quite reasonable too.