As summer temperatures slowly drop, the conditions in mountains change. Clothing is an essential element for us hikers. We must ensure ourselves a safe and comfortable hike in all autumn weather conditions – rain, wind, and storm – by the proper shirt, pants and jacket.

Shirts play a very important role when it comes to mountaineering in milder temperatures. While active, we always have a feeling of warmth. After the activity, ex. when we reach the mountain top, our body starts to cool down. Improper shirts stay wet because their moisture permeability is insufficient. This cools our body even more, which is everything but good. 

What shirts NOT to wear for a hike?

All of us have some cotton T-shirts that we almost never wear. Often we use them for occasions that may harm or destroy them, ex. painting the walls, washing the car, gardening, etc. Hiking should not be one of those activities.

Cotton shirts have very bad breathability or moisture permeability. Wearing them for outdoor activities cools our body down while sweating. This is a better option for warm summer days. However, in autumn conditions we want to stay dry and fresh. That is why breathability or moisture permeability is the main factor to pay attention to.

What shirts TO wear for a hike?

Breathability is of the highest importance. When selecting a shirt, we have to make sure that its fiber properties, knitting inflection, and multilayer knitting have great moisture permeability.

Read on Autumn Functional Shirts to find out more about what the right hiking shirt should look like.