What to Wear Hiking? | Layer Up, Stay Dry, Skip the Cotton

Wear a moisture-wicking base layer, an insulating midlayer, and a waterproof outer shell, plus sturdy shoes and wool socks.

The single biggest mistake new hikers make is cotton. A cotton t-shirt feels fine in the parking lot, but once you sweat or get caught in a drizzle, it holds water against your skin and pulls heat from your body. The right answer to what to wear hiking is a three-layer system — a wicking base, a warm middle layer, and a waterproof outer layer — built from synthetics or wool instead.

The Three-Layer System

Every serious hiking source, including REI’s expert advice, points to the same foundation: a base layer, an insulating midlayer, and an outer shell. This system works because it lets you add or remove a layer as your body heats up and the weather shifts.

Here’s what each layer is for:

• Base layer: a moisture-wicking shirt (and bottoms when it’s cold) in merino wool, polyester, or nylon. Its job is pulling sweat off your skin so it can evaporate.
• Midlayer: a fleece, wool sweater, or puffy jacket that traps body heat. This is the layer you unzip or remove when you’re climbing hard.
• Outer layer: a waterproof, breathable rain jacket — and rain pants in wet conditions. This blocks wind and rain while letting heat escape.

The order matters more than the individual pieces. A wicking base under a puffy under a shell is a system; a cotton t-shirt under a hoodie under a rain jacket is a trap.

Bottoms, Footwear, and Socks

Hiking pants or shorts should be durable, flexible, and moisture-wicking. Zip-off pants are a practical pick when you expect both sun and brush along the trail.

For footwear, fit trumps everything. REI’s guidance notes that well-fitting shoes or boots with traction and stability are essential, and that lighter boots or trail shoes often serve day hikers better than heavy leather boots. Whatever you choose, it needs real tread and solid ankle support where the terrain is rough.

Your socks do more work than most people realize. Hiking-specific or wool socks provide cushioning and breathability and cut down on blisters, while cotton socks soak up sweat and rub. The Washington Trails Association’s hiking basics echo this: cotton next to your skin is the mistake to avoid.

When you’re ready to stop researching and buy, our roundup of the best appropriate hiking clothes covers tested base layers, shells, and footwear picks.

Sun Protection and the Ten Essentials

Sun protection is a year-round, every-weather requirement. WTA’s guidance is blunt: wear a hat, sunglasses, sunscreen, and consider sun-protective clothing even on overcast days, because UV passes through cloud cover and reflects off snow and water.

Your clothing is only half the preparation. Experienced hikers carry the Ten Essentials — navigation, sun protection, insulation, illumination, a first-aid kit, a fire starter, a multi-tool, nutrition, hydration, and emergency shelter. None of it helps if it’s in the car, so pack these before you lace up.

Common Clothing Mistakes Worth Skipping

Most bad hiking days come from preventable clothing choices. Wearing cotton next to your skin or as insulation is the top offender. Choosing footwear with no traction or support — flip-flops on a rocky trail is the extreme case — is a close second. Skipping a waterproof layer when the sky looks doubtful, or dressing in a single heavy layer instead of removable ones, leaves you stuck with no way to adapt to your own body heat.

The fix is simple: layer so you can peel off as the trail warms you up, and always pack the shell even if you don’t wear it out of the car. The North Face’s advice on hiking wear makes the same point — a packable rain jacket weighs almost nothing and can save a cold, soaked hike.