How to Layer your Clothes for Spring Hiking

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Summit of Mount Major in Alton, New Hampshire on a spring day. A girl with brown hair clipped up in a bun is looking at the view. She is wearing a blue fleece, dark legging, and brown hiking boots. In front of her is a pine tree and a view of Lake Winnipesaukee.

Spring hiking can be some of the trickiest conditions to hike for. Between the frequent rain storms, changing temperatures, and snow that seems to come out of nowhere sometimes you really need to be prepared for all seasons. With that said… here are some things to keep in mind when preparing for your spring hike!

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Base Layers for Spring Hiking

Base layers are the lightweight layer of clothing closest to your skin. The purpose of your base layer is to wick away sweat. This means you’ll want to avoid cotton and look for fabrics like merino wool, polyester, or silk. Check out a couple of these options linked below.

Check Price for Polyester Base Layer
Check Price for Merino Wool Base Layer
A girl is sitting on the edge of a rock at the summit of the Indian Head trail in the Adirondacks. She is wearing an orange tank top, black leggings, yellow hiking socks, and brown hiking boots. Ahead of her is a long lake between two large mountains.
Typical base layers for a warm spring hike
A girl is hiking between two trail markers in the Presidential range of New Hampshire's White Mountains. She's wearing an Osprey backpack, a pink puffy jacket, black leggings, and hiking socks and boots. It is a clear day with blue skies. There is a clear view of Mount Washington.
A puffy jacket or fleece can help keep you warm especially on summits with high wind gusts

Mid Layers for Spring Hiking

Warmth is key for your mid layers. Popular options are fleeces, vests, or puffy jackets. You will probably not wear these for the whole hike so make sure they can be easily packed away. It can be tempting to skip out on extra warm layers but they’re very important to have on you, especially, for those chilly mountain summits where temperatures drop well below what you experience at the bottom.

Patagonia Down Sweater Hoody as seen in the photo to the left
Columbia Benton Springs Classic Full Zip Fleece

Outer Layers for Spring Hiking

The purpose of your outer layer is to protect against the elements. This may include items like a light rain jacket/pants, windbreaker, or gaiters. You may also need to pack things like a pair of gloves, and a hat. As we know, spring hiking weather can be finnicky, especially in New England, so you’ll likely not wear these for the whole hike, and again, you’ll want to make sure they can easily pack away.

REI Rainier Rain Jacket
REI Women’s Rain Pants
A girl is standing looking at the view from the edge of a cliff. It is a cloudy day with low hanging gray clouds. She is wearing a baseball cap and a blue rain jacket that has recently gotten wet from the spring hiking weather.
A waterproof shell and hat are perfect outer layers for when you get caught in a surprise spring rainstorm

Which Options are Right for you?

Sometimes in the hiking community there can be a lot of pressure to get all the latest and greatest gear, but it’s important to remember that you don’t need to break the bank in order to participate in the great outdoors. Merino wool may make you smell a little better, but overall, that might not be worth the price to you. One of my favorite hiking shirts is a polyester one I found for $6 on sale at Target and it’s just as effective as any of the items I’ve splurged on in the past. It all comes down to what you are comfortable with. As long as you are safe and prepared it really doesn’t matter, you are not any less of an outdoorsperson because of the gear you buy.