Summer brings its own听unique challenges for your wardrobe. It鈥檚 hot out, so clothing needs to be as light and breathable as possible. But听that听can mean听sacrificing protection and durability. In most places, summer also means thunderstorms, so in addition to getting rid of your sweat, the clothing you wear this season needs to shed precipitation.听
Is there such a thing as a single outfit that鈥檚 breathable, durable, quick drying, and water-resistant? I think I鈥檝e found one that fits the bill.听And all of the pieces here are听available for both men and women.听
Pants and Jacket
Outdoors, you want to wear full-length pants rather than shorts听to protect your legs from the sun, bugs, and brush. The obvious compromise is that pants don鈥檛 breathe as well as shorts. And in the听past, fabrics that were capable of standing up to activewear outdoors made this听problem worse.听
Fj盲llr盲ven听set out to address this听issue with its new G-1000 Air Stretch fabric, which听combines the strength of long cotton fibers with the abrasion and water resistance of polyester, all while providing a degree of movement that鈥檚 alien to both fabrics. It鈥檚 also exceptionally thin听and breathes like linen. Air Stretch resembles ripstop canvas听and is used across the seat and front of听Fj盲llr盲ven鈥檚 new Midsummer pants ($145)听and for the hood, shoulders, and outer sleeves of its听Midsummer jacket ($200).听
The brand employs poly-cotton blends in thicker versions of G-1000, too, but in those applications, waxes on the fabric听add water resistance. , cotton fibers are hollow听and posses a slight negative charge; this means they attract, absorb, and hold on to positively charged water molecules to a degree that鈥檚 incredibly problematic outdoors.听Air Stretch, however, which is the lightest fabric in the G-1000 range, is not waxed. And while it can be made more water-resistant by applying wax, doing so risks compromising the breathability of the fabric, thereby听reducing听its suitability for hot summer conditions.听
If you run items from Fj盲llr盲ven鈥檚 new Midsummer range听under a tap, Air Stretch will ultimately soak up water听and stay damp for about half an hour, even if it鈥檚 exposed to direct sunlight. The even lighter听recycled polyester-stretch material that composes the body of the jacket and trousers performs similarly.听
I鈥檓 explaining all of this so there鈥檚 no misconception about the role that items in the Midsummer range are intended for:听they鈥檙e durable pieces of clothing that remain exceptionally comfortable in hot weather. They are not suitable as听outerwear in cold, wet weather. But it鈥檚 that trade-off that makes them so perfect for hot conditions.
I spend a lot of time hiking off-trail听through dense pine forests听and thick sagebrush, both of which can wreak havoc听on minimal-weight trousers听and exposed skin. But after several weeks of wear, the Midsummer trousers demonstrated no signs of damage whatsoever. And while they do retain听water if I submerge听them, they听shed light rain and moisture from wet plants just fine. They鈥檝e proven totally comfortable on hot听afternoon hikes, at least听in the high eighties听we鈥檝e had so far听here in Montana.听For even hotter temperatures, Fj盲llr盲ven听includes generous ventilation zips above the knees鈥攖he perfect location for听maintaining听the protection of true pants across the lower legs, while adding the ventilation of a pair of shorts across your thighs.听
For the same reasons that long trousers are a better option in the outdoors than a pair of shorts, carrying a light jacket is a good idea even at the height of summer. The Midsummer jacket is made from the same materials as the pants.听Its听resistance to wind and mild听precipitation is听all you鈥檒l need for early-morning starts or a听late-evening chill, while remaining cool enough to don听over a merino T-shirt into the mid-seventies.听
Another thing proper pants听and a jacket are good for is keeping mosquitoes and ticks off your body. While very determined skeeters are capable of biting through G-1000 Air Stretch, that鈥檚 easily remedied with . The trousers also include drawcords at their ankles. Cinch those down over a tall sock, and ticks will be unable to get in.听
On the subject of adaptability, I听applied听 to both the Midsummer jacket and pants a few days ago. It adds an additional level of water resistance听without sacrificing breathability, and it鈥檚听as easy to apply as running your clothes through the wash. Which brings me to the final benefit of G-1000 Air Stretch: because it鈥檚 not waxed, you can just pop听these pants and jacket in a washing machine without risking a reduction in听their performance.听
Shoes
Our columnist听Andrew Skurka detailed the benefits of wearing lightweight trail runners the other day. I only disagree听with him on one point: ankle protection. I like to wear Altra鈥檚 听($130), an听ankle-high version of the brand鈥檚 popular trail runners.
I鈥檝e detailed the same shoe听in its waterproof form, but in the summer, I prefer the mesh ones, which forego听a waterproof membrane, making them听exceptionally breathable听and quick to dry. These things are so comfortable, you鈥檒l forget you鈥檒l wearing them. Going for the boot-like mid听rather than the low-cut shoe听means dealing with听a tight-fitting upper that makes the Lone Peak听hard to put on or take off, but that piece also adds a little insurance for your ankles on uneven ground听and from brush, rocks, or anything else that might cause injury while walking around听or during听a fall. Such听protection comes at a weight penalty of only two ounces per pair鈥攖otally worth it if you tend to leave听well-trammeled trails behind.听
Socks
The theory of wearing nonwaterproof shoes outdoors is that, due to their proximity to the ground听and their position at the bottom of your legs,听your feet are going to get wet no matter what. This may happen听while crossing a stream鈥攁nd fording is always safer than jumping鈥攐r as rain runs down your pant legs. If your feet get wet inside a waterproof shoe, they鈥檒l stay wet. If they get wet inside a breathable shoe, the heat you generate as you move, plus the mechanical action created by the movement of your foot, will rapidly push the water out of your shoes. So听your feet end up drier听more often if you forego the waterproof membrane. (You should still wear a waterproof boot in winter conditions, however, and听the taller the better.)
None of the above is possible if you wear a sock that retains water. And听in the summer, you want that sock to be as breathable as possible. In very hot, very wet conditions, such as those experienced in a boat, a synthetic sock may be the best option since polyester and nylon fibers do not absorb water. But听in the variable conditions you鈥檒l find on land, I think merino wool is the best option.听
You can read more about the technical properties of wool in this rant I wrote about flannel. The only thing that makes merino different from other types of wool is that it鈥檚 softer听and more comfortable听next to your skin as a result. It retains the same warm-when-wet, cool-when-hot properties as other wool fibers. And all that makes it a perfect material for socks. This time of year, you鈥檙e going to want the lightest, most ventilated merino socks possible. And the best I鈥檝e found are these 听($20). Opt for a taller one听rather than the听no-show kind to help keep ticks off. You can and should spray socks with permethrin for that same reason, too.听
Shirt
Everything that makes merino comfortable on your feet will make it comfortable on your upper body.听The lightest听options you can typically find are in the 125-to-130-weight range.听
Fabric weights are determined by how much a square meter of a given fabric weighs听and are typically expressed in grams per square meter. The lighter weight a fabric is, the thinner听and airier it鈥檒l be. If you want to benefit from merino wool鈥檚听naturally temperature-regulating properties听and next-to-skin comfort in hot summer weather, you want the lightest shirt you can find.听.听
The trouble is, merino is pricey stuff to begin with, and spinning it into a very light fabric requires special听tooling and processes. So听lightweight merino T-shirts tend to cost you. Our example Icebreaker shirt is听$110.听
Luckily, you can protect your investment. The tricks to making ultralight merino clothing last include听washing it infrequently, and doing听so in cold water听on your machine鈥檚 gentle cycle, then hanging it up to air-dry. Putting merino-wool garments into your dryer will eventually result in holes developing in them. Cared for properly, that $110 T-shirt should easily withstand a couple years鈥 worth of very regular wear.听