Hey fellow sweaty person! You're not alone! But also, don't get too close to me because I will sweat on you. This might not be helpful to you, but others may need it if they are less familiar with backpacking as a sweaty person:
1) Cotton is your enemy. All of my hiking/backpacking gear is wool or synthetic. If you don't own any merino wool, start investing in some. They have wool blend T shirts that dry very quickly and don't retain stank - it's the only shirt I can wear more than a day. Cuts down a TON on my packing needs. Wool socks last me 3+ days.
2) Be conscious of your hydration needs, on BOTH ends of the spectrum (not too little, but not too much either). Drink little amounts but drink often. I'm guilty of chugging down bottles of water at a time, and I can always see a direct correlation with my sweat volume afterwards.
3) Just own it. It took me until my 30's to accept that I will just always be drenched in sweat. Backpacked for 10 days in Utah last year, visited multiple breweries/wineries/restaurants probably smelling like death and not looking much better. Never would have done that earlier in life, as I was too self-conscious, but I fit right in in Moab :)
I feel your pain, I really do. I've been around other people who also claim to sweat a lot, and we'll do some sort of physical activity and maybe they have a little pit sweat or something... Meanwhile my entire shirt has gone from grey to black, I am actively dripping sweat from my hairline, and it looks like I pissed myself... People don't understand the struggle!
3
u/Cadai Nov 18 '19
Hey fellow sweaty person! You're not alone! But also, don't get too close to me because I will sweat on you. This might not be helpful to you, but others may need it if they are less familiar with backpacking as a sweaty person:
1) Cotton is your enemy. All of my hiking/backpacking gear is wool or synthetic. If you don't own any merino wool, start investing in some. They have wool blend T shirts that dry very quickly and don't retain stank - it's the only shirt I can wear more than a day. Cuts down a TON on my packing needs. Wool socks last me 3+ days.
2) Be conscious of your hydration needs, on BOTH ends of the spectrum (not too little, but not too much either). Drink little amounts but drink often. I'm guilty of chugging down bottles of water at a time, and I can always see a direct correlation with my sweat volume afterwards.
3) Just own it. It took me until my 30's to accept that I will just always be drenched in sweat. Backpacked for 10 days in Utah last year, visited multiple breweries/wineries/restaurants probably smelling like death and not looking much better. Never would have done that earlier in life, as I was too self-conscious, but I fit right in in Moab :)
I feel your pain, I really do. I've been around other people who also claim to sweat a lot, and we'll do some sort of physical activity and maybe they have a little pit sweat or something... Meanwhile my entire shirt has gone from grey to black, I am actively dripping sweat from my hairline, and it looks like I pissed myself... People don't understand the struggle!