Camping - What Clothes should I wear?

Car Camping
Pretty much anything goes when you are just planning on packing your stuff in the car and heading outdoors for an overnight-er in your car. A few suggestions might help to keep your car a little cleaner in the process. First of all, it is a good idea to bring along some slip on shoes that you can put on when you get out of the car and then slip off and leave outside when you get back in. This will keep all of that unwanted dust and debris from ruining your nice interior. I would also suggest bringing some clothes to wear to bed. Unlike your tent, most car windows don't have a way to block out unwanted sightseers or the occasional passerby's that you will normally have while car camping.

Cold Weather Camping
If you are going to be camping in cold weather, most of the rules of layering are going to apply. If you missed the article on layering here it is again(click here). Wearing the proper layers will allow your clothing to provide more insulation thus keeping your body warm. Camping in general doesn't require any strenuous activity. Most of the time, you will just be sitting around relaxing and enjoying all of the peace and quiet that mother nature has to offer. In cold weather conditions, this lack of activity will make it easier to get cold. But, if you are properly layered, you will have no need to worry. I can't believe I'm going to say this but, with regular camping, you can substitute some of the clothing suggested in our layering article with regular cotton garments. These include wearing some thick cotton long underwear instead of a hi-tech synthetic product. You could also substitute your middle fleece layer with some cotton
sweat pants if that is all you have available. It is very important to keep in mind when substituting synthetic fabrics for cotton is that cotton does not dry very fast. If there is any chance that you could sweat or otherwise get wet, you do not want to wear cotton. But, if you are just going to be sitting around a campfire roasting hotdogs before heading off to bed in a cozy warm tent, then you'll probably be just fine.

Warm Weather Camping
The first thing I would state here is Be Prepared! You probably couldn't count the number of folks who thought that they wouldn't need that extra jacket or knit hat because they were going camping in the summer time only to have the temperature drop below what they were prepared for. It is always better to bring too much rather than too little. Especially if you are transporting it all in your car. Having said this, you can usually get away with wearing some shorts and a t-shirt so that you can enjoy the fresh outdoor air. If biting bugs are going to be present, you will want to wear a lighweight long sleeve shirt and long pants to limit your exposure to these pests. When I camp during the summer, I like to wear a pair of long pants that zip off at the knee for those times when I want to wade out into the lake a little or put my feet in a cool stream. Additionally, I always wear synthetic socks so that they will dry quickly if I do get them wet from sweating or from accidentally slipping in the creek while washing my face.