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Few gear decisions will end a hike faster than an ill-planned layering system. Smart apparel choices keep you warm in the cold, cool in the heat, and dry when it’s raining. For technical hiking, next-to-skin layers need to be highly breathable and moisture-wicking, while midlayers should be warm, protective, and stowable when the weather is cooperating. Here are our top picks.
At a Glance
- Outdoor Research Astroman Air Hoodie ($99)
- Ibex Paradox Long Sleeve Tee ($90)
- Columbia Silver Ridge Lite Utility Shirt ($60)
- Beyond Clothing Alpha Aura Jacket ($180)
- BlackStrap Brackish Button-Up Shirt ($80)
- How to Choose Hiking Tops
- How We Test
- Meet Our Lead Tester
All gear in this guide was tested by multiple reviewers. When you buy through our links, we may earn an affiliate commission. This supports our mission to get more people active and outside. Learn more.
Outdoor Research Astroman Air Hoodie
Weight: 5.6 oz
Sizes: S-3XL
Pros and Cons
⊕ Super light and airy
⊗ Holds on to odors
We’re longtime fans of Outdoor Research’s sun shirt line, and the Astroman Air might be our favorite addition yet. It replaces OR’s original Astroman Hoodie with a lighter, recycled nylon fabric (mixed with 15 percent spandex) that testers loved for its airy, weightless feel. That breathability is especially important in a sun shirt, which is designed to cover your arms, neck, and head in the hottest weather, and we found that the Astroman Air could dump heat even during strenuous hikes in sweltering conditions. “I’m always looking for that elusive layer that I can wear all the way from the trailhead to the summit. This was it,” said tester Bruce Etter after an early fall hike up Mt. Jackson in New Hampshire.
The hoodie features micro perforations under the sleeves for added breathability, and offers anywhere from 30 to 50+ UPF-rated sun protection, depending on the color you choose (lighter colors offer less protection). It packs down to the size of a softball—as small as any long-sleeve we’ve tested, and offers a slim, but not tight, fit. Testers were split on other features like the half-zip on the chest, with one liking its function as a heat dump, while another said the fabric itself was breathable enough to make the zipper unnecessary. One drawback: it gets stinky, and one tester said it took multiple washes to set things right again.
Ibex Paradox Long Sleeve Tee
Weight: 6 oz
Sizes: S-XXL
Pros and Cons
⊕ Silky-soft
⊕ Four-season versatility
⊗ Pricy for a simple shirt
We’re always on the lookout for the shirt that we’ll take on every single trip regardless of season, and this year, the Ibex Paradox made the cut. “I can imagine it under my outer layers when cross country skiing, as an outer shirt on a blustery day, and stashed in my pack on a warm summer day for use when the weather turns,” says tester Dorn van Dommelen, who wore the shirt daily in rainy, brush-choked conditions while mapping public lands outside Anchorage. As for fit, it’s slim enough to serve as a baselayer, but loose enough to wear by itself without feeling like you’re wearing a skinsuit.
Though Ibex is known as a merino wool company, the wool content in this shirt is actually fairly low at 45 percent merino, with 45 percent Tencel and 10 percent nylon filling out the rest. In our view, that’s a winning combo. The wool helped to keep out the stink, while the Tencel made the shirt softer and more breathable than a pure merino would be. The merino and Tencel blend is spun around the nylon core, which improved merino’s trademark fragility, though testers did notice some pilling after heavy use.
Columbia Silver Ridge Utility Lite Long Sleeve Shirt
$60 at Backcountry $60 at Amazon
Weight: 7 oz
Sizes: XS – 2XL
Pros and Cons
⊕ Light
⊕ Well-ventilated
⊗ Not as stretchy
⊗ Less coverage than a sun hoodie
The button-up sun shirt is a classic hiking piece, and Columbia’s Silver Ridge shirt is about as classic as it comes. There’s a good chance your dad, or even your granddad, has one of these in his closet. In recent years, though, the button-up shirt has faced stiff competition from another sun protection layer: the sun hoodie. That’s why this year’s updated Silver Ridge looks so different from previous generations. Gone is the super baggy fit and crinkly fabric: today’s version is trim enough to look stylish, and the 100 percent recycled polyester is incredibly soft—one tester said it compares favorably to a silk dress shirt he owns.
Sun hoodies might have the advantage of better coverage, but the Silver Ridge has an edge in another important category: durability. Thanks to the fabric’s tight weave (most sun hoodies are made of stretchy knits) our testers said the shirt fared better in tough conditions, like exploring overgrown trails in the woodlands of northern Pennsylvania.
The polyester weave doesn’t compare to merino in terms of odor control, but Columbia’s Omni-Wick polyester is far from the stinkiest we’ve tested, probably thanks to its paper-thin construction. Other small design details didn’t go unnoticed either, like subbing in snaps for the top two buttons (this made opening the neckline easier) and removing the flaps on the front pockets for easier access. Finally, longtime Silver Ridge fans will appreciate the return of well-loved features like a venting back flap and buttons to hold rolled-up sleeves in place.
Beyond Clothing Alpha Aura Jacket
Weight: 13.4 oz
Sizes: S-XXL, regular and long
Pros and Cons
⊕ Warm
⊕ Breathable
⊗ A bit fragile
Polartec Alpha Direct, an exceptionally light and fuzzy fleece-like fabric, has been popular in ultralight hiking circles for several years now, but the Beyond Alpha Aura might be the jacket that introduces the ultra-breathable material to a wider market. Namely, it has the kind of features that your average hiker appreciates in a typical jacket, like a full-length zipper and hand pockets, while still capitalizing on Alpha Direct’s ability to shed heat better than any other fleece we tried. The Alpha Aura combines the thickest and warmest version of Alpha Direct (186 grams per square meter) with nylon reinforcements on the shoulders and hood, which testers liked for a few reasons: It protects the rather fragile fleecy material from backpack straps, and provides a bit of water resistance. In colder temps, we especially loved pairing the Alpha Aura with a hoodless wind shell, since the jacket doesn’t provide much wind resistance on its own.
BlackStrap Brackish Button-Up Shirt
$80 at BlackStrap $64 at Amazon
Weight: 9.8 oz
Sizes: S-XXL
Pros and Cons
⊕ Fast-drying
⊕ Good looks
⊗ A bit heavy
For short hikes and after-work jaunts, nothing beats a shirt that’s as appropriate in the office as it is on the trails. A new favorite that fits those parameters? The Blackstrap Brackish Button Up, which pairs a classic, relaxed fit with tech chops like excellent moisture-wicking and 50+ UPF-rated sun protection. The loose fit, combined with the super-stretchy polyester fabric, made for serious comfort, both under pack straps—where the simple softness of the fabric helped to prevent rubbing and chafing—or while reclining on a lawn chair.
One tester said he liked the fabric so much that he preferred the feel over an average tech tee, despite the collar and buttons down the entire length of the shirt. And if you want to show a bit more personality, it comes in both solid colors and prints. One complaint: the Brackish picked up odors quickly, but did come out of the laundry smelling fresh after each wash—something we can’t say for every poly shirt.
How to Choose Hiking Shirts
Hiking shirts like baselayers and midlayers need to be breathable and effectively wick moisture, especially in the summer. The material you choose will have the biggest effect on those factors.
Merino wool is a common baselayer material thanks to its odor resistance, temperature regulation, and wicking ability, which makes it ideal in both warm and cold climates. The downsides of merino? It wears more quickly, is more costly, and can be itchy on sensitive skin. Merino blends often offer the best of both worlds.
Synthetic garments, like those made of polyester, are less expensive, dry faster, and are more durable than merino, but get stinkier much faster.
Opt for multiple layers instead of a single, bulkier piece of clothing. It’s easier to regulate your body temperature, and therefore avoid sweat-induced hypothermia. For baselayers and midlayers, look for items that fit snugly to fit under other pieces, but still allow freedom of movement while hiking. Check for the features that are most important to you, like pocket and zipper placement, hoods, and thumb loops.
How We Test
- Number of testers: 17
- Number of products tested: 25
- Distance covered: 400+ miles
- Hottest Temperature: 102 degrees
With 17 testers from around the country, our apparel testing team was exposed to a variety of conditions for the full 2023 hiking season. Temperatures ranged from the mid-30s in Alaska to over 100 degrees in the foothills near Boise, Idaho, and everything in between in California, North Carolina, and New Hampshire.
Testers wore apparel on outings of varying difficulties, from easy, after-work strolls to demanding multi-day adventures in rain and sleet. They ranged in size, body type, and experience level, including both casual day hikers and experienced thru-hikers. Over the course of the summer, we rated every aspect of the apparel, from comfort and breathability to durability and water resistance.
Meet Our Lead Testers
Nathan Pipenberg, our category manager, is a Boise-based freelance writer who covers ultralight hiking for Backpacker. The team of 14 testers also included Alan Verona, firefighter-turned-forester who recently moved to Vancouver, and Dorn Van Dommelen, a professor who lives in Anchorage, Alaska.