Mesa Long Sleeve Shirt from Mountain Hardware Just $43.97
Camping in Red Rock Canyon, NV this weekend was a good time, but the desert weather reminded me how hard it is to find camping clothes that can handle 45° mornings and 75°, blazing-sun afternoons.
Unless you’re going to hang around camp all day put on all the clothes you’ll need all day in the morning. Stick with light layers, since it’s a pain to carry half a weekend’s clothing on every Red Rock hike or excursion into Las Vegas. Lightweight long underwear over a short sleeve shirt will work for backcountry days, but if you’re planning to try to get free beer at the tables in a casino - stick with shirts instead of long underwear tops. Likewise, stay away from fleece or shell jackets, because they’re just baggage after the first few morning hours.
One piece that served me well on hikes and on the Vegas strip was an older version of this Mountain Hardware Mesa long-sleeve shirt. The light, synthetic fabric stays pretty wrinkle-free in a pack, stops wind better than fleece - without the profuse sweating either, and it doesn’t pick up dirt or stink quickly either.