Hiking Shirts and Layers

Hiking shirt and layer reviews, recommendations and tips.

Favorite Hiking Layers

We’ve used many different top layers over the years but we keep them for so long that the particular model isn’t available anymore. These are the most recent pieces we love.

• Smartwool Quarter Zip (Women’s)
• Kühl Interceptr Jacket (Men’s)
• Patagonia Capilene Cool Daily Hoodie (Women’s)

Wicking short-sleeves: Most of our wicking shirts are REI or EMS store brands. Smartwool or Patagonia is a tad nicer, but even a basic one from a sports or big box store will do the trick. We also have some New Jersey specific designs available.

Long-sleeve: You can’t go wrong with a classic Smartwool merino long sleeve. I use mine all the time in fall and winter. It’s warm on its own but thin enough to easily layer over.

Sun Hoody, long-sleeve: We did two hot-n-sunny hiking trips (Arizona; southern California) and my Patagonia Capilene Cool Daily Hoodie was fantastic.

No need to slather sunscreen 24/7 and it actually kept me cooler than if I had a short-sleeve T-shirt. Super comfortable, lightweight, dries quick. Popping the hood up kept the sun from sizzling my face.

Mid-layer/fleece: I am usingTom has been using an Interceptr fleece jacket for years – so much that he got a second to keep just for nicer casual use. See our full Interceptr review.

Related: Gifts for Hikers | Hiking Clothing | Hiking Footwear

Favorite Puffer Jackets

A “puffer” jacket is a solid gift pick for any hiker. The classic in this category is a Patagonia puffy jacket. It comes in different weights, both with and without hoods.

• Patagonia Puffy Jacket (Women’s)
• Patagonia Puffy Jacket (Men’s)
• Patagona Nano Puff Vest (Women’s)
• Kühl Spyfire Jacket (Men’s)
• Kühl Spyfire Hoody (Women’s)

I get a lot of use out of my Patagona Nano Puff Vest. It’s thin but warm, layers over a hoody or under an outer shell, and it’s nice enough to wear around town.

For a winter jacket we both ended up getting Kühl Spyfires (in the same color no less, sighhhh) and really like them. Lightweight but warm. The mens jacket is shown here and I got the hoody version.

Custom Performance Tees

We’ve created our own original hike designs that are available on performance hiking shirts, like the Hike New Jersey Trails one shown here but also some of NJ’s favorite trails/parks such Mt. Tammany, Sunfish Pond, High Point, the Batona Trail, and several Appalachian Trail designs.

These can be further customized by adding your own text on the back. Check them out in the NJ Hiking Store.

Hiking Shirt Tips

Synthetic fiber is better than a cotton t-shirt to hike in. Cotton tees are comfy but hold moisture – a damp cotton t-shirt can be an invitation to hypothermia.

There are tons of synthetic options to choose from. They “wick” the moisture away from your skin to the shirt, where it dries.

Synthetics sometimes have a tendency to retain a little odor after washing, but the technology improves all the time (you’ll likely have the shirt awhile before that starts to happen).

See Also:  Hiking Pants and Shorts | Hiking Shirts and Layers

Layers. I usually use a wicking short-sleeve then add a light long-sleeved layer or a mid-weight 1/2 zip.

In the winter, I’ll layer all three and then top with a fleece or shell. With these three shirts (short tee, long tee, long 1/2 zip), I’m covered all four seasons. Just remove a layer to regulate heat as needed.

Durability. Many of the shirts we currently use weekly are ones that we’ve had since 2008 or 2009, maybe longer. They show a some abrasion marks from wear but are mostly fine.

One of the best ways I’ve found to make them last is to wash in cold water and hang dry – performance clothing dries quickly so it’s best to keep it away from high heat.

Disclaimer: All of these are our own purchases and were not supplied by any company for review except for some of the Kühl items.