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Wilderness Backpacking Trails in British Columbia Lesson 4 - Clothing
By Robert Bannon

It is not possible to have too much clothing on the West Coast Trail and it is not possible to carry it all, so some serious decisions need to be made in advance. You could potentially experience all four seasons in one week and during any month of the year, but the one consistent is water. Backpacking trails in the wilderness of BC are never to be forgotten but should never be remembered for just being cold and damp.

The key is clothing and cotton is a no-no. Just forget it, no matter how nice it looks or how much some amateur store clerk tells you to buy it - stay away from cotton and go for the man-made fabrics and blends. Cotton retains moisture, both from your own body and the environment and is guaranteed to leave you cold and damp even when just resting during breaks from the strenuous day of lugging 50 pound packs over hill and dale. An experienced backpacker will always opt for the fabrics that will dry quickly.

The key is layers, since you may be chilly when you start off in the morning but without a doubt, you will create a lot of body heat very quickly on the trail and need to start peeling some of that clothing to stay comfortable. On the other hand, it gets cool early in the evening, even in midsummer and a nice fleece pullover will ward off the dampness and chills. When it comes to pants, I suggest a pair with zip off legs so that you can enjoy the warm sun during the day and still be able to stay warm if it rains or in the evening. You will want to bring gators to pull over your lower legs for those famous mud holes and in the event of rain, just wear them full time.

Once again, don't wear cotton pants, they will never dry, as I found out. 2 pairs will be enough. A rain and wind resistant jacket that allows body heat to escape is a must because of the combination of wet conditions and moisture produced by your own body that needs to be released. It would be nice to have room to bring two hats and one should be a toque, which is a knit (polyester or nylon) skull cap and the other should have a chin strap and brim that goes all the way around your head. Here's the problem with a ball cap - if it rains, the water runs straight down your back. That might be nice in Florida but trust me, you don't want that happening on the West Coast Trail.

Another item that might be nice is a swimming suit for the time you spend at Tsusiat Falls which has a nice swimming pool at the bottom, if it's warm enough. The other thing I would suggest, which breaks my own rule about cotton, is a T-shirt because if the weather at the campsite in the afternoon is warm, it is much more comfortable and you may also decide to wear it while sleeping.

And lastly, for this time, bring lots of small plastic garbage bags to hold various items like your clothing so that they stay dry, even in your waterproof backpack. Up next will be a discussion about things like walking sticks, cameras and much more.

I am Robert J. Bannon a published author, keen observer of the human condition and I recounted the entire story of our wilderness backpacking trail in my book The West Coast Trail: One Step at a Time. You can read an excerpt here: http://RobertJBannon.com/

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