The weather is unpredictable here, but you’ll still want to pack light for overnight trips so you can cover a lot of ground comfortably. The nights are typically quite cool, particularly at higher elevations where there’s no forest to hold the day’s heat, so you’ll want warm clothes and a three-season sleeping bag for the evenings. And while you can avoid mosquitoes and bears, both of which show up with some frequency in the backcountry, we’ll still offer two gear picks that protect you in a chance encounter.
1. Trekking Pants:Convertible trousers with zip-off legs may look a bit dorky when you wear them around town, but they’re a good pick for the mountains. The ExOfficio Nio Amphi pants are a favorite of BACKPACKER editors, one of whom wore them 40 miles straight on a Peru jungle trek. Cool, quick-drying shorts by day, they become wind-resistant, cotton-soft pants by night (full review here). (Photo by courtesy)
2. Shirt:Wool is a winter fabric, right? Not any more. Today’s extra-fine merino wool layers are perfect for warm-weather hiking, because they wick moisture away from your skin, breathe well, and resist odor better than synthetic fabrics. A new t-shirt that many BACKPACKER editors are wearing is Patagonia’s Wool 1, a light blend of merino and polyester that you can wear day after day without stinking up the joint. Review the review here. (Photo by courtesy)
3. Jacket:If you want to sit out and enjoy the stars after dinner, pack a warm fleece or insulated jacket. Temperatures can drop 30 degrees in some spots, and a lightweight puffy jacket like the Mountain Hardwear Nitrous will ward off the chill. This down sweater packs as small as a grapefruit (full review here). (Photo by courtesy)
4. Sunglasses:The glare above treeline in the Sierra can be fierce, with the constant sun bouncing off the light-colored granite just like it would off snow. Protect your retinas and prevent eye-strain headaches with a quality pair of sunglasses like Smith’s Factors, which come with interchangeable lenses for different light conditions and activities. See comments from BACKPACKER testers on these and other models here. (Photo by courtesy)
5. Bug Spray:Early in the summer, RockyMountain comes alive with mosquitoes breeding in the meltwater of all that snow. Some nights, the air is so thick with bloodsuckers in the high country that you can hear the hum. Try to pitch your tent on a breezy spot away from water (get more bug-beating tips here), and pack a big bottle of repellent. DEET-based products work well, but BACKPACKER prefers Repel’s Lemon Eucalyptus natural spray, which performed well in side-by-side testing. (Photo by courtesy)
