In the coasteering post and others, I have briefly mentioned the clothes I wear on. Here I will elaborate further what I wear in streams & dry hikes.

This is just a summary of what works for me & why. Decided after quite some research and tests considering the type of activities I do, distances, that I am able to handle extreme temperatures (for HK standards) quite well, but sweating substantially. What works for me does not need to work for all. I will link to long reviews, in case you want to check further and decide which is best for you.

T-shirts – Trousers – Dry chance – Headwear – Rainwear – Warm clothing – Gloves

T- shirts

When choosing a hiking t-shirt, the first recommendation is to avoid cotton. Look for seamless, breathable, lightweight materials that allow moving as much moisture away from your skin as possible. Usually polyester, nylon, lycra, etc.

Decathlon cheap thin hiking t-shirts have been perfect for me. The main fabric is 100% recycled Polyester Yoke 77% Polyamide, 23% Elasthane. They are slightly stretchy therefore, fit cut, have less material, less weight when wet. They wick moisture very well and dry fast. Thin but they don’t rip easily, even in the thorny jungle where I have brought them in.

Nowadays I always wear short sleeves. No tank tops, I have sunburned shoulders once, thorn scratched them another, and no more. No long sleeves. I prefer “detachable” sleeves for the flexibility they offer.

I put them on whenever I need more protection: dense vegetation areas, scrambling on sharp rocks, in stream for sun protection without polluting, even for base layer when cold. Elsewhere I tend to be without them.

Trousers

For years I have been using different styles of leg cover. I started simply with shorts. The more I hiked outpath, scrambled, climbed and others the more I realized that I needed further protection. Calf guards initially, later full leg tights (Decathlon ones and others) with shorts above. In 2021 I found discounted (HKD400 in Overlander) Outdoor Research Ferrosi convertible pants and after being using them long, they are my preferred option.

Breathable, lightweight, quick-dry, stretchy, and abrasion-resistant. They are very comfortable even when scrambling on tricky walls. I was a bit worried initially, as I could see that they are slightly water-resistant. But they don’t get heavy and they dry remarkably fast after getting soaked in the rivers. Just slightly slower than tights (the reason why I keep on using them for coasteering, slightly more comfortable when swimming). I remove the lower part if running or in civilized hiking paths.

You can find different brands offering similar pants. Check the linked review or others if you want to find more.

My skin is very prone to chaffing (full article explaining how to avoid it, recommended socks & others) and therefore I usually wear compression shorts under. Something like the classic Nike quick-dry base layer.

If trail running you can see me full in leg compression. The Compressport Trail running shorts have been my go-to for almost a decade, but not so happy with the recent models. Not as durable as the old ones. TBH I very seldom just plain trail run. I am always exploring a bit and tend to avoid the most civilized paths, so I’m abusing them regularly with dense vegetation.

There is a season when I don’t use any stretchy materials on my legs though. Seeding time!

Aha! Those are my legs, shorts and calf guards years ago after a little section out of the open trail 🤦‍♂️ It took me forever to remove them with tweezers.

This Common Lophatherum (淡竹葉) seeding usually happens when temperature and humidity start to go down, several weeks around November. Avoid cotton, wool, fabric mixes with Elastane and others. Here is a friend of mine with her tights vs my Decathlon really old 100% polyester non-stretchy trousers after passing through the very same path in Luk Keng.

I use those trousers too for caving for example, where we seldom scramble and I do not need the freedom of movement offered by the OR.

Dry change

Unless short trail running, I always bring dry clothes with me. Within a plastic bag or a fully waterproof bag. The main goal is to be dry on the way back home in the crazy HK air-con public transportation. I can use them also as an emergency extra layer. Usually a tiny towel, shorts & a very light windbreaker. Once the Nike I had been wearing for a decade was starting to break I bought this Patagonia Houdini hoodie.

Not even 200g of weight and able to fit in my hand. It blocks wind completely, it is surprisingly warm for its size, & slightly water-resistant. A video with this & other similar options.

A (thermal) t-shirt or others could work too for the upper body. Depending on the season, the route, and how wet I expect to finish, I also bring flip flops or other extra footwear.

Headwear

In general, I am a visor user. Its main function is sun protection on my face (big nose that burns easily) and to push out small branches and high bush from my eyes (harder brims are better). I have been using for years the same 2XU cap model. The main con is that you don’t have sun protection on your upper head. This can be a problem when in long completely exposed outings if I have my hair cropped short. Or even for female friends that had their long hair clearly parted in the middle. They are the coolest and lightest option anyhow.

In cooler months or when I’m going to be extremely exposed I also use a full cap. I even have (found in a stream) a “desert cap” to fully cover my neck and use less sunscreen.

Rainware

Most of the time I don’t care about rain in HK. Heavier rain tends to happen in hottest months and therefore I even welcome it. Nevertheless I do have a couple of good rain jackets. When selecting one (full article) the main features to consider are waterproofing & breathability. Basically you want a jacket that will keep the rain out but will not make you sweat so much that you get wet anyhow.

I have a three-layer Goretex jacket but it is too bulky for my liking. I have used it as outward layer in Annapurna Base camp route for example and Summer is pretty happy with it in really cold drizzling days in HK. Instead I use an Ultimate Direction Ultra jacket.

Light, super packable (I think it is starting to be clear which are my preferences 😉 ), kind of breathable, and very water-resistant. Supposedly it is designed for trail running, ultra distances with really bad weather. But it would not work for me. Unless extremely cold I sweat quite a lot with it when running. It has worked pretty well with lower-effort activities. In Jeju, Kumano Kodo, South Heaven’s Gate drizzling February cold day hiking with Summer (she with the aforementioned North Face Goretex), etc.

A video explaining things to consider when buying light rainware.

And remember to clean and apply specialized coating once in a while so that it keeps its waterproofness.

Warm clothing

Again, I almost never need it in Hong Kong. Temperatures seldom are below 2 digits and if I’m hiking fast enough usually the windbreaker or rain jacket suffice. In any case, I do have some warm clothes used mainly abroad. When cold, the main recommendation is layering. So that you can remove layers on the go to try to avoid excessive sweating. Full article with layering basics.

I do have thermal t-shirts, but as a base layer usually, I just use the Decathlon like thin, fit t-shirt, or an Underarmor lycra, with the arm sleeves. For insulation we bought this Simond Light Down Jacket (from Decathlon) which worked perfectly in subzero temperatures in Japan and the Canyons in Utah.

Summer even had an accidental full dip into the stream and the water-resistant coating held well enough to keep the dawn almost completely dry.

If you are going to buy something similar learn about the differences between down vs synthetic jackets, with their pros and cons. Similar to sleeping bags already written about.

Gloves

Although I have used them also to keep warm (hands can get cold easier even if fast hiking) we use them mainly for protection when scrambling or withing hard vegetation. From most to less protective.

In most of the routes, I just use the half-finger ones. They provide some protection but allow me to have a better rock feeling and grip. Summer, on the other hand, uses her cut-proof ones on top for most scrambling. Decide on which side of protection vs rock feeling spectrum you want to be.

We have friends that use proper climbing gloves like the above. You can find different finger styles. Singing Rock upper left pair used by HKOutsiders team. They don’t fit me though. The gloves need to be snug enough but without any painful/uncomfortable pressure points. I tried different sizes and brands but I was not comfortable with any and ended up buying the cheapo gym gloves from Decathlon again. They fit me perfect although not as durable. When hard bush walking I bring within the pruners bag an extra pair, full finger cover, to avoid cuts and thorns on my finger tips.

More preparations.