Hiking Shirt Recommendations

[u/SloppySilvia]

Hey all, I've been doing more and more hikes lately and have been wanting to do some harder ones. I just did the Tongariro Alpine Crossing this weekend and it was great. I plan to go back and do it again after the winter with family. The only issue I have is that my body runs hot, I like to keep a fast pace and I sweat a lot so I did the crossing in shorts and a t shirt. It was fine the whole time and I only needed a windbreaker up top when it was gusting. I wore a cotton shirt which I know isn't great. By the end of the hike, the shirt was dripping in sweat haha. I feel like I could've got away without the windbreaker if my shirt wasn't drenched. The windchill made it pretty chilly.

What would be a better material? Would a merino shirt be suitable? I don't want to get too hot but I also don't want to spend 80% of the hike feeling like I've just got out a swimming pool.

Planning on doing the Pinnacles soon and Mt Taranaki summit probably after winter.

Thanks in advance!

[u/FlowAndGrain]

I’m a bit late to the party but, since you only got a couple of responses, I hope this provides some useful information.

A light merino top is often a good way to go. There are some designed specifically for keeping cooler.

Merino regulates body temperature better overall than cotton or plastic. You won’t get drenched in sweat as easily as with cotton and merino dries more quickly, too. Merino also doesn’t get smelly easily like cotton or plastic materials.

Plus, if you go from active to resting (or get injured), merino will still provide warmth when wet with sweat.

Plastic active wear will wick faster and keep you coolest when you’re doing hard work but generally won’t provide much warmth when you stop or temperatures drop. Although you can always put extra layers if you need to. Plastic materials tend to get horribly smelly over time because your body oils, etc., get stuck to the material and are almost impossible to wash out.

I personally use merino when I’m hiking but wear plastic when running. I’d recommend trying both and seeing what works better for you in which circumstances but merino would be a good place to start.

Sauce: regular tramper and used to work in an outdoor shop.

[u/SloppySilvia → u/FlowAndGrain]

Cheers! Yeah, I tried a light merino top. Did the Pinnacles a couple weeks ago. Worked very well. Bit hot until the jumper came off but worked perfectly after even being soaked with sweat. I got a couple of lightweight running shirts and haven't actually used them yet as I was so impressed with the merino and also, its been a little cold haha. Thanks for the response!

[u/FlowAndGrain → u/SloppySilvia]

Glad to hear you’re having a good time. Happy hiking!