With all due respect to ponderous, fully lined, three-layer jackets that can set you back a few C notes, summertime in the Lower 48 is no place for such Armageddon armor. Rain, wind chill, maybe high-elevation snow flurries and a sub-freezing cold snap are your worst antagonists, and a lightweight defense like Sierra Designs Entrant DT Jacket ($100) is the practical pick for your bell-curve backcountry wanderings. The 2.5-layer creation is an SD hybrid that's waterproof as a rain fly, with fully taped seams to prove it. Thanks to some nifty R&D, the liningless interior sports a fabric treatment that keeps it soft and super dry, nixing the clamminess of the more hardened heavyweights. Specialized, external openings from your 'pits to wrists vent like chimneys, and the roll-up stash hood lets you run with the top down without bothersome fabric flapping behind your neck. Finally, a real deal sweetener is the soft fleece chin guard that any unshaven mug will appreciate. Contact Sierra Designs: 800-635-0461; www.sierradesigns.com.

Recite after us: "Cotton kills." Sounds erroneously ominous, we know, but given the right recipe of weather and conditions, a wet cotton shirt will suck precious body warmth like a Hoover. Our trail-tromping advice? Ditch stinky, dingy cotton altogether and go with a lightweight, multi-purpose top like the Moonstone Kinetic Zip-T ($100). This body-hugging synthetic coddles you in four-way Power Stretch fabric that dries like the Dickens, is super breathable, and provides insulated warmth without excess weight. A deep front zipper that descends well below the sternum lets you adjust for climate control, and gusseted underarms leave room for limb-flapping exertion. Unlike garden-variety fleece that's as porous as a screen door, you can wear the wind-resistant Kinetic as a primary warmth garment, or as part of a layering strategy. Contact Moonstone: 800-390-3312; www.moonstone.com.

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