Beginners' Basics - Clothing

If you're just starting off in the outdoors, don't get the idea that you have to have the latest, most technologically advanced high spec' wonder clothing to have a good time. A good day scrambling on Snowdon is a good day scrambling on Snowdon regardless of whether you're wearing a pair of 100-quid trousers or a 20-quid pair.

Of course, good kit can make you more comfortable and in extreme conditions may even be safer, but you really don't need to spend thousands, especially when you're starting off. In the first of a new Beginners' Basics series, we'll help you decide where you should spend slightly more and what to look out for in different areas of your (ahem) clothing system.

There's a load more useful information on different kit on the site, check the articles linked to at the bottom of this one for specific advice and buyer's guides on different bits of kit and clothing.

You'll probably hear a lot of people banging on about something called the layering system. Here's how it works in theory - you have three layers of clothing.

• Base layer which sits next to the skin and is designed to transport moisture - sweat really - away from the skin and keep you dry and comfortable.
  
• Mid layer which is usually fleece and designed to trap warm air and keep you warm by holding that air and minimising heat loss.
  
• Shell layer that's waterproof and / or windproof and sits on top of the other two layers in wet or windy conditions and protects you and the other layers from getting soaked and losing heat when the warmed air from your body is blown away. It also needs to be breathable or you'll get soaked from the inside out by your own sweat - nice...

All well and good, the next bit is that the layering system theoretically allows you to control your temperature by adding or shedding layers - just wearing an outer shell layer over a baselayer for example if it's mild and wet, or using a thicker mid layer if it's really cold. In reality, struggling to remove clothes in a raging gale doesn't really appeal, so it often remains just that, a theory...

A lot of beginners and, surprisingly, more experienced walkers, use cotton tee-shirts. Don't bother, for any of your other kit to work properly, you need a wicking baselayer, either synthetic or possibly made from fine merino wool. Cotton will just hold sweat like an old flannel and leave you wet and cold.

You don't have to spend the earth either, baselayers from the likes of Regatta and Field and Trek's own brand perform really well and at half the price of more expensive kit, the Berghaus Tech Tee is a decent intermediate step. The top end stuff will work slightly better, but the main point is not to wear cotton.

We like long-sleeved, zip-necked tops with collars because they provide some protection from sun - particularly at the back of the neck - but also allow a little ventilation at the next as well.

Buyer's Tip A close fit will work better by contacting the skin and wicking moisture away more effectively.

Fleece is the classic insulation layer and the good news is that there's very little difference in performance between budget fleece and expensive branded fleece. The branded Polartec stuff may last a little longer and look sharper, but both will happily trap warm air and keep you snug. Even Polartec - the original Malden Mills fleece - is coming down in price. Later this year, Regatta wil be introducing Polartec fleeces at sub £40 prices.

Fleece is a good choice as it wicks okay, dries fast and traps air to keep you warm. A zipped jacket design is most versatile as you can open the entire front to cool down. The big choice for most users is which weight to go for.

• Microfleece or 100-weight fleece is a thin, lightweight fleece that's great for active use, particularly if you run hot. It's also light and easy to carry.
  
• Midweight fleece usually 200-weight fleece, it's the standard weight and quite warm, too warm for a lot of people when they're actually moving. Good for stops though or if you run on the cool side.
  
• Heavyweight fleece usually 300-weight fleece, is very thick and very warm. Too warm for most people to actually walk in, though great for slumming around campsites in winter. As a beginner, we'd simply ignore this option.

Buyer's Tip Don't get hung up on labels if you're on a tight budget, instead think about thickness and how warm you run. A neater fit will, again, be more efficient.

Do what it says on the box - keep water out. Just as important though is breathability - without it, the sweat you produce when moving will simply soak you from the inside out. The bad news is that even very expensive, high tech breathables will still have trouble coping with sweat and heat output once you're moving. The very best are Gore's Paclite and eVENT, but neither are cheap.

The economy brands like Regatta, Wynnster and Gelert, now produce very reasonably priced designs that aren't as breathable or as 'designed' as more expensive kit, but should still keep you dry from the outside.

Look for a waterproof guarantee, but also pay attention to the hood design - you want a hood that you can adjust to a close fit and will protect your neck and the lower part of your face in foul weather. You should also look for a stiff or wired peak that will stand up to strong winds and stop water from dripping down into your eyes.

Don't worry about cunning ventilation features like arm-pit zips - you can always just open the main zip if you get hot. Oh, and don't bother with the interactive zips that let you zip a fleece into the jacket as a liner. Fine around town, but they leave a big cold spot right down your front, which isn't such a good idea.

Buyer's Tip Lightweight waterproofs are great for summer use when they will be carried a lot of the time, don't expect them to last as long as heavier weight fabrics though.

A bit like baselayers, your prime objective should be to avoid wearing jeans - here's why, thick cotton fabric like denim may be comfortable when dry, but once it gets wet, the material soaks up water and sticks to your legs like chewing gum to a dog. That's not only uncomfortable, it can be dangerous as well since the wet fabric will transmit your body heat outwards and make you very cold, very quickly.

Better options are either Ronhill-type tracksuit or running bottoms or a pair of light ply-cotton or other synthetic cargo pants or similar. Both will be far more comfortable when wet and will dry much, much more quickly as well. For a real bargain basement option, look for Army surplus 'lightweight' trousers, which are made from a thin cotton.

Tracksuit trousers are more flexible and stretchy, while cargo pant-type legwear has greater wind resistance, fits more loosely and comfortably in warmer weather and gives you handy pocket options. If you're feeling flush, the best legwear fabric for all but hot weather use is Schoeller fabric or similar - it's water and wind resistant, stretchy and tough, but expensive.

Buyer's Tip Zip-off variants look like a great idea, but it's hard to engineer the zipped interface for comfort, so try very carefully before sploshing the dosh. The zips have a tendency to rub uncomfortably against your delicate skin.

On days when it's dry but blowy or even damp, but not really raining and blowy, a basic windproof top is a good substitute for a full waterproof jacket. Most windproof fabrics are more breathable than waterproofs, so you're getting protection from the wind, but in a less sweaty package. A lightweight Pertex top, for example, will pack really small, think tennis-ball sized, but stiff offer great protection against wind. Well worth thinking about, though you should always buy a waterproof shell first.

Buyer's Tip Small and light is the way to go, that way you can pack it away without worrying about the extra bulk and pull it out for stops and when it gets blowy.

Softshell is the latest buzzword in outdoors gear. Effectively the kit is an alternative to a waterproof shell layer which is windproof and highly water resistant and more breathable than pure waterproof shell clothing. The idea is that you can wear it in any conditions short of a full deluge and benefit from increased breathability. The snag is that it's very expensive, comes in a lot of confusingly different fabrics with varied qualities and doesn't suit everyone.

Our advice is to give it a miss for now and think about it later when you have a better idea of what works for you.

Buyer's Tip Hold fire till you have more experience or win the lottery...

You can lose a lot of heat through your head in winter and suffer badly from overheating in summer. We'd suggest a fleece hat or beanie for winter use - the caps with waterproof shells seem good, but in our experience are too warm for most people, a windproof, thin fleece beenie works brilliantly and can be supplemented with a hood when things get wild.

In summer look for a hat which has either a wide brim and or a peak and neck flap for basic protection from the sun. Light colours work best.

Buyer's Tip Shelled mountain caps are generally too warm but also cover the ears so it's nigh on impossible to understand what anyone says to you.

We'll cover boots in another article, but it's worth spending a little extra to get your footwear right - sore, blistered feet will ruin your day, so don't economise here.

The same is true of socks. Modern walking socks are very effective and use wicking fabrics and padded construction to maximise comfort. You shouldn't need more than one pair of socks, forget the old days when a liner and wool sock were normally worn. Brands to watch out for include Smartwool, Bridgedale, Brasher, ThorLo and X-Socks, all of whom make a mean walking sock.

Buyer's Tip It's worth investing in good socks and boots - a shonky jacket may be irritating, but a badly fitting boot will be misery all day and beyond. Good socks will also help you prevent blisters and are worth the investment.

Don't panic if you're on a tight budget. It's worth spending on good boots - see our boot buyer's guide linked below - but it's perfectly possible to get serviceable kit at decent prices. Try shops like Marks and Spencer and supermarkets for alternatives to outdoors specific baselayers and fleeces, plus there are often bargains to be had in outdoor shops at sale time - check out the OM shopping partners on the top left of this page for web buying.

Finally, don't forget the OM Classified section where you can browse sellers' ads and post your own 'wanted' ads.

Buyer's Tip Buying clothing online can work well, but try to check sizing guides before buying. We'd be wary of buying boots online unless you're already familiar with the particular fit of the brand you're buying - it's not worth getting it wrong.

Hopefully this article will have given you some basic pointers. The good news is that there's a load more advice on OUTDOORSmagic:

• Ask on the gear forum about general issues or specific items.
  
• Check the member reviews section for user experiences of kit.
  
• See OM editorial reviews on the front of the site for our impressions.
  
• Ask Richard Gear if you have a specific question you need answering.