Hiking

Image by ebby via Flickr

. . . Hikers Are After All A Pretty Casual Bunch

Casual jackets for hiking, backpacking and walking the trail does not mean the “opposite of dinner jacket” . . . I mean, you’d look pretty silly wearing a dinner jacket on the hiking trail wouldn’t you. But “casual jacket” is a term which is sprinkled pretty liberally in our language these days . . . so what does “casual” mean when it’s talking about hiking jackets?

What is a Casual Jacket for Hiking

Casual jackets are actually suitable for other times of your life, so you certainly don’t need to save your casual hiking jacket for only when you are hiking, you can wear it at other times too . . . at work, at the shops, at the pub . . . . is there anything else I’ve missed, no, those scenarios pretty much cover life from where I’m sitting . . . working, shopping, socializing and hiking!

Jeeze he’s got a lot to say about jackets . . . some of them were suitable for hiking and walking the trails . . . some definitely weren’t. You choose . . .

Choosing a Casual Jacket for Hiking

If you’re going to really get your dollars worth out of your new casual jacket and wear it when you’re not hiking, you do need it to look pretty smart. Everybody might know that you love to hike, but must you walk down the high street looking like you’ve lost your trekking poles? Try to choose a muted color of jacket, something which won’t scare away the wildlife whilst you’re out hiking, even if you prefer to stand out from the crowd when you’re at the pub.

Pockets are an important feature of all hiking jackets, even the casual ones. You need plenty of pockets and they need to have good zippers on them to keep your bits and pieces safe and sound. Zippered hand pockets are a brilliant yet sneaky method of keeping your fingers warm on a cold hike . . . you can zipper them safely away whilst you’re in the pub . . . no problem at all.

Hoods are always an option . . . some casual hiking jackets have hideaway hoods which can be safely stashed until they’re needed, some are a more, shall we say . . . permanent feature. Personally I’m a big fan of the humble hood . . . for keeping you dry, keeping your ears warm and causing a lot less “hat hair” than other types of hiking head gear I say “three cheers for hoods”. Alright, so they might be a little bit “school yard” but that’s just your opinion (can you believe that I’m actually arguing with myself . . . the men in white coats will be coming to take me away anytime soon).

Some casual hiking jackets are also waterproof, some are not. Some casual hiking jackets cost a lot of dosh (many hundreds of dollars), some do not (less than a hundred) . . . how much you spend on a trail jacket depends on your personal circumstances,  taste and maybe even the size of your . . . . Christmas bonus!

Cor, that’s more like it. I wouldn’t mind coming across him on an overnight hike . . . I mean “nice jacket dude” (will you be hiking with it anytime soon)?