WRFH/Radio Free Hillsdale 101.7 FM - Off the Trails: Gear Essentials

Episode Date: March 23, 2026

Join Nicole Sighiartau as she discusses some of their wildest experiences in the great outdoors! This week Storm is on vacation, so Nicole talks about the fundamentals of building an outdoor apparel wardrobe and where to find some great deals. 

You're listening to Radio Free Hillsdale 101.7 FM. Welcome to Off the Trails. I'm Nicole Seguer Tau, and I'll be your adventure buddy every week as we discuss some of my wildest stories for my outdoor endeavors. This week, once again, it is a solo episode. Storm has abandoned me for two weeks because he is off in Europe with his friends from back home having a blast. I think he said he's going to Vienna, Prague and somewhere else. So you're stuck with me, which I hope is okay because I actually have something that I want to talk about, which I feel like is more of a solo episode, Delio. I don't really know how I would bounce. I mean, I could talk bad with him, but we're just going to do it by ourselves. So we're going to be talking about outdoor clothing slash gear. I have accumulated lots of different gear throughout my entire life. I use this equipment and these clothes all the time when I'm out in the mountains and just across a wide variety of activities. And I feel like I finally curated my wardrobe to be ready for any outdoor

activity. And I thought it'd be helpful to kind of give a baseline of what the essentials are and how to build your outdoor wardrobe in an affordable way. Before we get into that, of course, we're going to do trail markers. And my trail marker is more of a funny coincidence. So the weather has been very wild here in Michigan this past week. On Friday, we had a tornado siren go off because there was a tornado about 45 minutes away. And the weather was rather warm that day. Stayed pretty warm on Saturday. Sunday, it dipped down a bit. And then Monday and Tuesday were beautiful. It was 70 degrees, so lovely. On Tuesday, I went for a run and it felt like summer. So I titled my Strava activity feels like summer. The very next day on Wednesday, I went for a run a little bit

later in the afternoon than the previous day, but it had dropped to be around 30 degrees and it started snowing in the middle of my run. So I got to experience both winter and summer, within around 24 hours of each other. So that was kind of fun. I definitely was not expecting that my freshman year when coming to Hillsdale. I didn't know that the weather changed that drastically, but here we are and now I'm kind of used to it. And honestly, this is a perfect segue into the topic for today because here in Michigan,

you have to be ready for all four seasons within the same week, it feels like. And so having different layers and different types of outdoor clothing to suit the changing weather is very important, especially if you want to have a good time while being outside. Because you can be outside, it just may not be as pleasant. So with that being said, let's get into what I consider the essentials to be when building your outdoor wardrobe. So we're starting very, very basic with base layers. Base layers are extremely important regardless of what the temperature is. If you are in a desert environment, I feel like oftentimes your base layers there can be transferred into the mountains as well. What I mean by that is I like plastic long sleeve t-shirts that can protect you from the sun.

So I grew up sailing and it was very customary to receive these t-shirts, not t-shirts, these long-sleeved shirts, at regattas. So I accumulated quite a few from my sailing career. But you can buy these shirts almost anywhere. They're really growing in popularity. A lot of them have hoods now to protect the back of your neck from the sun. And overall, these layers are incredible. If it hadn't been for sailing, I think I would be a bit more skeptical of that, especially as a young kid, because when you think long sleeves, you think, oh, I'm going to be hot in the sun. But actually, if the shirt is a light color, it's going to reflect a lot of that sunlight back, and it's going to keep you a lot cooler than you would be if you were just wearing a short sleeve shirt. Additionally, I really like them because it protects your skin from the sun. Some of these shirts have different varieties of quality, you could say, and some do a better job of protecting your skin from the sun than others. And oftentimes they feel like companies do a good job of advertising that with like the SPF ranking that they may have. So you can do your research in

regards to that. But honestly, I feel like you can find a pretty good decent long sleeve plastic t-shirt at Costco. I have quite a few from there. There may be 10, 15 bucks. And they lasted me six plus years. and I'm going to keep using them. These t-shirts, as I mentioned, are great in the desert, but also I like to use them as a layer when I'm climbing in the mountains. The higher that you get up in elevation, the more sunlight you're getting. You're getting closer to the sun, and the light gets harsher up there. Also, when you're climbing on a glacier, the snow is reflecting all of that sunlight back to you. So being covered up is important. If it's a little too chilly to be wearing a thin, plastic long, sleeve shirt, I would recommend having a different option for a long sleeve shirt. A lot of people like marino wool layers. And I only have a marino wool long sleeve, but I absolutely love it. Lots of people rave about the quality, how quickly it dries, and how it doesn't smell after wearing it for many, many days. I believe my long sleeve is from RIA and that it was a great deal. Again, with all of these outdoor clothes, a lot of it can be priced rather exorbitantly,

but in my experience, if you want a deal, you can find a deal. So don't let that hold you back. I'll get more into that at the end of the episode. Continuing with upper body layers, it's important to have a solid fleece jacket. These can be either a pullover, quarter zip, full unzip if you're into that. but a good fleece jacket is going to keep you warm and hold in that heat that you're going to have from your base layer, whether that's a plastic shirt or a marina wool if it's cooler outside. The key thing with these fleece jackets is they should be pretty thin.

If you're looking to be active in the outdoors, having bulky layers is really annoying both in your ability to move and in your ability to stay at a comfortable temperature. Being able to shed thin layers and adapt as the temperature changes is essential to not overheating and to not getting too cold. The next layer that I would consider pretty essential is having a good down jacket. I will admit that this is probably one of the most pricey items of clothing on this list because the quality is truly important. Purchasing a down jacket from a second-hand gear store can sometimes work, but I found that a lot of these jackets tend to be rather compressed after years of use and storage, and they're probably not going to be as warm as a newer jacket might be. Down jackets are a great layer to use when skiing or when doing

high mountaineering. I use my down jacket when climbing if it's early morning or late evening or if we're on the top of the summit, but oftentimes when I'm walking, I'm not wearing my down because I'll overheat. To be fair, most of my climbing is done during the summer, so I haven't experienced the colder months, but a down jacket is definitely essential for keeping you comfortable while at camp or while on the slopes. Finally, to finish off our upper body layers, a windbreaker or a rain jacket is key. Being able to stay warm in the wind is super difficult, and a down jacket and fleece layer simply aren't going to. to cut it. You need a jacket that's going to block out the wind and that's going to keep your body heat trapped within. These Gortex waterproof jackets are also extremely expensive, but they're

definitely worth the investment. Without one of these layers, the rest of your layers aren't going to be much help if the wind picks up or if it starts raining or snowing. In my experience, it's not too difficult to find a good windbreaker at an affordable price, but finding a good rain jacket can be challenging. Some secondhand stores have pretty good options, especially if you're open to re-waterproofing the gear, but otherwise, finding a good sale at REI or another outdoor store can also be a great fit. You are listening to Off the Trails on Radio Free Hillsdale 101.7 FM.

Now for pants and shorts. I personally am a big fan of hiking in shorts, especially in the summertime. I'm definitely not as worried about my legs getting sunburned, and also I really just prefer having the ventilation on my legs. So I typically will just wear a pair of running shorts. I'm not super picky. I do want them long enough where they're not riding up super high as I'm hiking, but as I mentioned, I'm pretty non-particular when it comes to hiking shorts. Hiking pants, on the other hand, are a different story. I have gone through many, many pairs of hiking pants. Unfortunately, I have lost quite a few of them two holes. I've been known to scoot down rocks on my butt,

and that has led to, I think, two pairs of hiking pants getting holes in the back of them, which we duct taped for the rest of the trip down, but unfortunately they needed to be scrapped, and I needed a new pair. With that being sad, I'm a bit more conscientious of trying not to do that, but also I do have two different pairs of hiking pants, kind of for different purposes. So I have a longer, looser pair. This is great for hiking more in the desert or for warmer hikes. They're pretty loose and you can roll them up. I used to have a great pair of pants where you could unzip them and they would become shorts and you could re-zip them and they'd become long pants. Those were fantastic. Unfortunately, I grew out of them and I haven't been able to find a pair that I really like since then.

Otherwise, I would highly recommend those. I believe my dad has a pair. So I have my lighter weight hiking pants, but I also have a thicker, more sturdy pair of pants that I use for more technical routes where some scrambling might be involved and I might snag the pants on a rock. They're a pair of cool pants. I've had them for three years now, and they're still doing fantastic. They're tighter, so I can't really fit a layer underneath, but I haven't had a need to. They're thick, sturdy, warm, but also fairly breathable, and they've served me well, even with scooting down a few rocks. So I would be pretty picky when picking out a pair of hiking pants and making sure that it fits your needs and whatever level of hiking or climbing. that you're looking to do. Outside of actual pants, I hike in leggings sometime. I also use leggings as a good base layer when I'm skiing. There are obviously varying levels of quality when

it comes to leggings, but I feel like you can't really go wrong. My personal favorite are Athleta's leggings. I feel like they are really warm, but also they're nice if I just want to go for a light hike. Finally, I'll throw in ski pants or ski bibs as a final thought when it comes to pants. I know that some people basically just have a thin shell layer. I personally have never had a pair of ski pants or ski bibs like that. I've always had some sort of insulation in them. Pretty thin insulation, but I do like having some. And I've also been a fan of bibs my entire life. I don't think I could ever ski in just ski pants. I'm afraid that snow would somehow get inside of my pants or my jacket if I were to fall down. And also, I just like the security that bibs

provide and they help keep my core warm. Again, I would stay away from ski pants that are too thick and too bulky. Once more, this makes it difficult to layer appropriately. On warmer day, sometimes I just wear leggings when I ski, or I'll just wear my ski bibs without leggings at all. And so that kind of gives me some flexibility to deal with the weather and to not overheat, because I really don't like overheating while I'm skiing. All right, so we've hit all the major layers. Now I'm going to touch on a few accessories. Number one, hats and sunglasses. Having a hat and having sunglasses when you're outside is extremely important.

The sun is a beast and it will get to you. Squinting tires you out a lot more than you would think. I've learned this from sailing. So just minimizing strain on your eyes and especially when you're on snow, it really reflects back and it can be extremely bright. So I would highly recommend any form of baseball cap hat, a circle brim hat, whatever you want, figure something out and wear a hat. Also, sunglasses, you don't need to go and buy the most fancy pair ever. I got mine for $8 from R.E.I. And they're

fantastic and they work great. So those are two must have essentials for the outdoors. Another one, if it's colder, I recently got into this, but fleece-lined headbands, this is definitely more of a girly thing. but I really like them when I'm running, and I think it'd be great to wear under a ski helmet when I'm skiing, especially on a cold day. So that's kind of nice just to keep your ears warm without wearing a full-on winter hat or beanie. Another recommendation is just having a bandana. This can provide as a source of shade for your neck if you tuck it under your baseball cap. And honestly, sometimes I'll tie it over my head, and I use that to help keep my ears warm as well. Good socks are also extremely important. No one likes blisters, and so if you're wearing socks that

don't dry out quickly or don't fit your feet properly, they can quickly bunch up and give you a painful blister during your hiking, climbing, or skiing. I have a pair of smart wool socks that I use for all three of those activities, and they work great. Yes, they're definitely a bit more expensive, but not having to deal with blisters is totally worth it. And honestly, I wear this one. pair of socks for sometimes up to five or six days at a time, and I don't think that they smell too bad. Going hand in hand with socks, we have shoes. Once more, some people think shoes have to be extremely expensive, but I really don't think they need to be. If you're doing basic hiking or even a low level of mountaineering, you can get away with a decent pair of trail runners, and they'll serve you

well. Just make sure that the bottoms are grippy enough, that they're breathable and have pretty good ankle support and you should be good. So many times I see people hiking easy trails and really heavy-duty hiking boots and not only is that extremely uncomfortable and more tiring, but also you could save yourself a lot of money just by buying a pair of decent running shoes. So with all that being said, that's my basic list of essential gear that I think you should probably invest in if you're looking to get into the outdoors. Obviously, there's tons of other stuff you can get, especially when you start looking at more niche activities, but as a solid baseline, that's what I recommend. If you were to go to the store and buy all of this gear brand new and not on sale, it can be extremely expensive,

but I just want to share some of my best finds and some tips that I would recommend in order to save yourself a pretty penny when it comes to buying your outdoor equipment. An important note on this is that you don't want to skimp out on quality when quality is important. As I mentioned earlier on, a good down jacket and having a good waterproof rain jacket can make the difference between having a wonderful outdoor experience and a pretty miserable one. Thankfully, I've been pretty lucky when it comes to finding gear on sale and probably one of my best finds was my ski bibs. One day my dad and I went to REI just for fun and we were looking at their clearance rack which is a great place to find stuff because I found a pair of Flylow ski bibs for $40 which is insane because normally I think

now they're around $400 so crazy discount absolutely nothing wrong with them I've had these bibs for six years now and they've never failed me I'm a huge fan and so we bought another pair on sale at a different location. So definitely check clearance racks. Another recommendation is I know our REI started doing this thing where they have a return section where gear that has been returned is now offered at a discounted price. That's where I got my sunglasses. Eight dollars later, I have a great pair of sunglasses. Yes, they had a little scratch on them. No, it doesn't bother me in the slightest. So again, it depends on how picky you are, but you can really save a lot of money. Another great example of this is running shoes. I found a pair of running shoes for 20 bucks, and yeah, they're a bit beat up, but there's nothing wrong with them, and they still carry me well on the trails. In addition to sales and clearance sections and stores, there's also a lot of secondhand gear stores, often in mountain towns, and these places can be gems. Some of them don't have the greatest prices because the people who

are selling this clothing do know the actual value, but I was able to find a pair of $18 running shoes at a store in Steamboat, and initially they were 160 bucks. It looked like they had been used one or two times, and I then ran 400, 500 miles on them, and they were perfect. I also found a pair of nice Stio Goodwin shorts, which are a bit more expensive, and the deal I got on them wasn't anything crazy, but they were still a great find and I love wearing them and they've lasted me a long time. I think these secondhand stores are a great place to buy ski pants, ski jackets, even skis. I got my skis from a secondhand gear store. Really, there's lots of gems in there. You just kind of have to poke around. And honestly, if you ask the employees for help, sometimes they'll point

you exactly to what you're looking for. With that being said, I hope that if you are looking to become a more outdoorsy person and just don't know where to start with your wardrobe, that you are encouraged and know that there are affordable ways around this. The outdoor apparel industry is certainly getting more expensive by the year as technology continues to improve. And as more people become inclined to go outdoors and explore, but secondhand stores really can't fail you. And honestly, if you have family members who are rather outdoorsy, you can ask them to borrow some gear from time to time. Overall, my biggest piece of advice is investing in new gear can be completely worth it if you take care of it. A lot of my clothing has lasted me years and years and years now that I've stopped growing.

so if you properly store your gear, you keep it dry, you don't brush up against rocks all the time, these clothes will last you a long time and they will serve you well. Thank you for listening to Off the Trails on Radio Free Hillsdale 101.7 FM. I hope you have a great week and make time to go outside and enjoy the great outdoors. I'll see you out there. Happy trails. Bye guys.