UKC

Hi looking to start hillwalking and need to get some clothing what would everyone recommend ? As I stay in Glasgow walking will be done in Scotland. What type of jacket ie fleece with separate waterproofs or a down jacket etc And with trousers do the thermal lined ones get to warm or are you better with them. Any tips help or advice is much appreciated.

Seriously 115 views and nobody got any advice or recommendations.....

Its an often discussed subject eg in forums. I'm not confident about giving concise, detailed advice to someone starting out. Look at books in your local library or look on the internet. You needn't spend too much money at first (don't start with a down jacket). Use a layering system including fleece, base layer, and waterproof so you can vary it to suit changing weather conditions, generally don't wear cotton as its very cold when wet and dries slowly. You might start off with trainers (not cotton) and waterproofs rather than a lined trouser. Start where you can easily retreat if conditions are bad and get advice from experienced people you meet.

Thanks 

For starting out don't look to spend a fortune. Gear from the budget brands like Regatta work pretty well. 

I'd suggest plenty of layer options rather than thick layers.

Id start with synthetic base layers, thin fleece, thicker fleece and a set of waterproofs.  If you are going to splash out get well fitting footwear.

Once you have been out a few times you will upgrade with whatever works for you. Everyone's different 

Thanks was in Decathlon and prices seemed quite reasonable for starting out

As others have said - lots of thin layers rather than one thick layer and avoid cotton.  A wind resistant (but not fully waterproof) layer is usually a helpful addition for most people.

The thing to remember is that you can get very hot walking up hills out of the wind, cooler in the wind or where it is flatter/downhill, and very cold very quickly if you stop to eat or take photos.  Your clothing system needs to be flexible enough to keep you comfortable in all of these conditions.  If you have one thick layer, you are likely to get too hot early on, then you will get sweaty, which will make you cold later on.  More thin layers allow you finer control of your temperature, so you can remain comfortable for a larger proportion of the time.

I also always get tops with either full, half or 3/4 length zips as this allows more fine tuning of your temperature without the hassle of removing / putting on layers. 

Look though the for sale adds here and get stuff: I got a great synthetic belay jacket (usually cheaper than down and performs better when wet). Should be easy enough to get a good hard shell (i.e. rain & wind proof outer layer)

Yes, apart from my base layers, all my tops are "jackets" - i.e., they all have full length zips.  Good point.

Thanks had a look at some Belay jackets from Buffalo and Keela.

Keep an eye on your local TKmaxx, outdoor section, you can drop on some decent stuff there sometimes, but cross check their prices if you can.

Time of year for your intended walking trips would help us give advice.

But here are a couple of posts about layering that I wrote years ago. Searching the forum for 'clothing' or 'layering' will find hundreds of threads. That would explain the lack of response, I think.

https://www.ukclimbing.com/forums/gear/layering-442761?v=1#x6238765

https://www.ukclimbing.com/forums/gear/layering_clothing_and_mountaineering...

The days of finding decent stuff in TKM are long gone, I'm afraid.

Decathlon is now my primary source.

Probably obvious but when I said "trainers" I wasn't talking about footwear but meant synthetic leggings eg tracksters. Apologies. 

Thanks all for the replies much appreciated and helpful.

My clothing system for everything from year-round UK rock climbing* to summer in the Alps: long-sleeve synthetic T-shirt, thin merino long johns, very thin softshell jacket and trousers, and a lightweight mid layer if it's cold enough (I have a Nano Air, but a fleece or a woolly jumper would work equally well). I usually wear a Buff as a hat/sun protection, and will have gloves/etc if needed. I'll also likely have a warm belay jacket in my bag in anything but the most benign conditions - it's useful to keep warm when you stop moving, and very useful to keep warm if you stop moving because you've broken yourself.

The only things that change for winter are that the softshells are replaced by thicker (ie much more windproof) softshells, the Buff will probably be replaced by a thin woolly balaclava, and gloves (and spare gloves) will be essential.

I never take waterproofs anymore unless the forecast is for a huge amount of the wet stuff to fall from the sky. Practically that means my waterproofs only see the light of the day in UK summer, because if it's forecast for torrential rain in winter or in the Alps we almost certainly won't be out playing in it.

* - unless it's a blazing hot summer day. In which case a disgusting colour clash of shorts and T-shirt is mandatory.

Thanks will have a good read through them.

Decathlon is definitely a great place to start. Depending on your feet you might want to shop around for footwear but for everything else you could do loads worse.

Don't buy a jacket which is 'padded'  Buy a separate waterproof/breathable anorak.  Then you can wear it in summer when its raining.

Buy waterproof boots with a 'membrane', often goretex  or other similiar lining, in them.

Waterproof overtrousers - make sure they have a full length zip so that you can easily take them on and off while wearing boots.

This is sound advice. Even if the half or quarter zips ones are £10s cheaper, resist! If you get them, you will hate them and avoid using them or delay putting them on.