Lighten up your outdoor clothing for spring

At last, the sun has got his hat on – and it’s now time to “lighten-up” your outdoor clothing wardrobe. It might not be hot enough just yet to swap trousers and fleeces for shorts and t-shirts all day long but if you’re out and about, it’s great to have the option. In fact, when you’re enjoying the great outdoors, you’ll find that your body temperature is continually changing as you, for example, hike uphill or run downhill. For this reason, many outdoors people have become fans of such clothing as zip-off trousers and bodywarmers.

Versatility of zip-off walking trousers

When it’s cool you stick to the long-legged version of the trousers, and when it heats up you unzip the trouser legs and, hey presto, you have a pair of shorts! It’s a great comfort knowing that you have a pair of trousers and a pair of shorts in the same garment and can utilise whatever suits you on that day, or at that section of the walk.

Walking trousers often come with added benefits such as comfort fit, quick-dry fabrics, SPF protection and lots of useful pockets.

Extra bit of warmth from a bodywarmer

Body warmers add warmth and comfort but without too much extra bulk. Say it’s a sunny day but there’s a bit of a chill in the wind, a body warmer will add a layer of warmth to your body but without the need for a full-on jacket. Many bodywarmers have the added benefit of a hood, too.

A body warmer is obviously a great item to pop into your rucksack just in case... Just in case it gets a bit cooler at the top of the hill, or if the weather suddenly changes.

A great combination on a spring day is a long-sleeved base layer and a body warmer. When you’re working hard and your body temperature increases you can easily slip off the body warmer. And then, if you stop for a bite to eat or as you gain height on a hill and the temperature drops, you can put the bodywarmer back on.

In many spring and early summer situations, a full-on fleecy jacket would offer too much warmth - and just isn't versatile.