New Normal on the trail.

[Pattree]

It’s been a while since I’ve been out on the trail - day or overnighting but even I am finding changes to my kit in response to the current weather.

We used to be all about keeping cool or warm in waterproofed gear. Is our climate becoming any more (usefully) predictable?

I’d be interested in how those of you who are hiking in air temperatures of 30+ are handling it. How are you adapting?

Members outside the UK may be more used to it than I am. Your ideas would be informative.

How much water are you setting out with these days?

The description 3 season or 4 Season has become a misnomer. You can’t use either sleeping bag when it’s 25 at night (I used mine as a mattress).

Are we revising our rucksacks?

 

[Broch]

I've done fair bit of arid country trekking - only mad dogs and Englishmen actually go hiking in the peak heat of the day. A lot of my time, as a kid and on our treks, the temperature has been above 40C not 30.

Move slowly if at all, wear long sleeves and long trousers but in lightweight loose fitting natural fabrics. Rest in shade whenever available. Be careful not to over-drink without taking in the salts. Once the excess water has sucked the salts out of your organs you start to feel tired and feint.

There's something very pleasurable about trekking in the very early morning and late at night and just resting up during the day. At least we don't have hyena or big cats roaming around at that time!

However, in arid countries, the temperature often drops to just a few degrees in the early hours; it's surprizing how often a jacket is needed.

 

[Aristotle]

As above.

A collared shirt with long sleeves that can be rolled up.

I like wearing shorts in the UK, but when out in intense sun all day, lightweight long trousers make sense. Less need for sun cream.

A brimmed hat. Always wear a hat.

Sunglasses with UV protection. Polarised is good.

A warm jacket for when the sun goes down if you are in desert and/or high up.

Eat and drink regularly.

(My grandad was one of those WW2 mad dogs, in Malta and Eastern India)

 

[HorseGuy]

I wear a long sleeve shirt with a Dorfman Outback hat or Sunday Afternoons Adventure hat. I also have well ventilated shoes which can easily be slipped off to help cool my feet whenever I sit down.

 

[HorseGuy]

Move slowly if at all, wear long sleeves and long trousers but in lightweight loose fitting natural fabrics. Rest in shade whenever available. Be careful not to over-drink without taking in the salts. Once the excess water has sucked the salts out of your organs you start to feel tired and feint.

In the summer we give our horses big 1kg blocks of Himalayan salt to lick which naturally contains all of the electrolytes and minerals they need in this hot weather. Whenever I find myself drinking an excessive amount of water I have a few licks of it too.

 

[Aristotle]

In the summer we give our horses big 1kg blocks of Himalayan salt to lick which naturally contains all of the electrolytes and minerals they need in this hot weather. Whenever I find myself drinking an excessive amount of water I have a few licks of it too.

Do people also feed you sugar lumps?

 

[HorseGuy]

Do people also feed you sugar lumps?

I wish!

 

[Herman30]

In Finland some walk during the night and sleep daytime when it is a very hot summer. Up here in the nordics sun practically do not set in middle of summer.

 

[Sooty22]

I hike /sail a lot in Greece and Italy every summer.
Set off very early in the morning on hikes, sunrise -30', you can just about see well enough. Stop around 11ish, that is around 2h prior to true noon. Eat and maybe snooze a bit somewhere nice, then continue around 3pm with a mild pace and pick up as it cools down for another few hours and set up camp, assuming the sun sets ca. 9pm.
Avoid like the plague the mid day sun, few hours before/after.
Use the terrain to your advantage, e.g. the north side of treelines / features. Hydrate, I plan for minimum 4-5lt water a day (but I am tall and sweat like a pig on hikes), and make sure you eat something that contains a lot electrolytes (not just NaCl, as you need a variety or you'll get cramps and headaches).
Always carry a small dark tarp to block the sun. Hammocks are great in the summer, but take an underblanket or you'll freeze at night.
And keep your load to the minimum you need.

 

[Sooty22]

I perhaps forgot my most important piece of advice for hot weather hikes; just don't go if it's 'too much'.

If it's suddenly hot, i.e. a heatwave, something your body is not used to from the immediate few days before, just don't hike. Heat stroke and heat exhaustion are pretty serious and can be lethal, especially as we get older.

We spend 2-3 months a year in the continent typically. If we arrive in hot conditions from Scotland, we will take 2-3 days just to not feel totally miserable, and then around 2 weeks before we actually get pretty active again. I find that it takes me longer to adjust, now that the years are piling up, certainly a lot longer than it did in my 20s.

Adjusting back to the cold is always easier, there is still adjustment though you just dress and suck it up. But the heat can be a bit overwhelming at first! So, if it's too much, just chill and avoid anything strenuous.

One more thing; if you will be hiking somewhere hot, avoid AC like the plague when you get there. It feels good at first when you need to cool down a bit, but you wake up feeling miserable and you never really adjust to the conditions outside, plus it dehydrates you really badly. Maybe OK for a little while on the first few days, if you really are feeling miserable, but generally avoiding it.

 

[Billy-o]

There's something very pleasurable about trekking in the very early morning

 

[Silverclaws2]

Effective cooling is all about airflow and in that my goto for hot weather is baggy cover all clothing that through baggy fabric acting like a bellows regularly changes heated air.

Would suggest long sleeve ' safari ' type shirt with high collars and useful chest pockets, made out synthetic wicking fabric and baggy combat/cargo trousers with useful thigh pockets made out of a similar material for anything involving exertion.

 

[Billy-o]

Don't forget the old string vest

 

[Sooty22]

Effective cooling is all about airflow and in that my goto for hot weather is baggy cover all clothing that through baggy fabric acting like a bellows regularly changes heated air.

Would suggest long sleeve ' safari ' type shirt with high collars and useful chest pockets, made out synthetic wicking fabric and baggy combat/cargo trousers with useful thigh pockets made out of a similar material for anything involving exertion.

Good call. Cragghoppers Nosilife cargo pants and long sleeve shirt come to mind, great stuff. It stinks after a couple of days and I avoid synthetics for that reason, but it washes easily and dries very quickly so it's not a big problem if you can wash.
Also, it's inherrently tick-repellent, so double whammy.