Socks and liners. . . One pair of socks can go for days with multiple pair of liners. Better is two pair of socks with 3-4 pair of liners. Alternate the socks daily, change the liners whenever your feet start to get damp.

The liners can be cleaned and air-dry (overnight) to keep you in clean dry socks almost indefinitely.

REI Merino Wool Liner Socks

I would like to echo Dagny's comments about the Marmot Dri-Clime jacket and the Pre-Cip items. They work very well for guys, as well, and they are classics. And this is coming from a Patagonia fan.....

My Dri-Clime jacket is probably the most versatile item of clothing I own..

Marmot makes some really nice stuff, I was lucky to snag a jacket on sale at REI and a nice fleece vest from Sierra Trading Post. The Dri-Clime Jacket looks great, however the guys sure got the good colors!

Living in the PNW I pretty much keep a three layered approach to clothing in my suv year round. I Tweak it some between the seasons but not all that much. With the fleece and technical fabrics they really don’t take up much space and it could save your life.

Is it possible to get a guy's color in the right size and get a reasonable fit - given that this is outdoor gear and not something for a job interview?

I ask because I bought my Dri-Clime a bit on the loose side.

Guy's jackets tend to be cut narrower in the hips, so it depends on the woman's build and how that brand's sizes tend to run. My Marmot's stuff is all women's.

I have some guy's jackets and coats because, like you said: I'm not wearing them to the office. For walking my dog or around a campground, a perfectly tailored fit is not a high priority -- pockets, material and color are.

I like my Dri-Climes loose enough to allow wearing over a lightweight fleece top.

Here's an example of a man's jackets that I have because there was not a woman's version (and because I got this one half-off). Great for dog walks in mild temps and for bumming around camp where I am especially fond of having numerous pockets. As the description below states, it's a reproduction of a 1956 safari-style jacket. Lotsa pockets.

Explorer Jacket
http://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/63073?pag...4-sub2&np=Y

"Inspired by our 1956 Bush Jacket, it features 10 functional pockets – six outside and four inside – and an improved vented back cape that keeps you cool in hot climates without allowing weather to penetrate. Durable cotton canvas is enzyme-washed for a soft, weathered appearance and treated to be water resistant. Lined with lightweight, fast-drying mesh to help air circulate and keep you dry. Gusseted back allows for a natural, comfortable fit across shoulders. Zip front and drawcord waist."

Rebwa mentioned Sierra Trading Post. It's a great place to find excellent prices on Marmot and other brands, for women and men. Colors are often a limited selection.

Here's the "original" style Dri-Clime windshirt for $47 -- about half-off the full retail prices.

http://www.sierratradingpost.com/p/,1585D_Marmot-Original-DriClime-Windshirt-Jacket-For-Women.html

Good-looking Jacket Dagny! I have one that’s similar in style from Outback Trading, picked it up a long-time ago at a Tack shop, unfortunately they don‘t make it anymore. It’s great for cool late spring and early fall outings and I LOVE all the big pockets! Great here too for dog walking.

Sierra Trading post is a great place to find some awesome gear at rock-bottom prices, especially if you’re familiar with the brand and how it’s sized and don’t mind buying gear in the off season. I have a friend with small feet and she regularly gets great buys there on name brand high end hiking boots and shoes. The best footwear deals always seem to be mostly in the small or large sizes.

The best deal I ever made on good gear was on a men’s Marmot jacket in yellow at one of REI’s sales, it was marked down way- over half, I’m sure due to the color. It stays in my SUV kit and has saved the day many times when caught out in rain, wind or snow. When a storm rolls in those off colors are really the last thing on your mind!

Here is something that I thought I'd never own, until a friend convinced me otherwise. I use it mostly around my neck when the wind comes up. Or pull it up under a baseball cap on cold days. Very small to always keep in a pocket along with the regular bandanna. They also work great under a bike helmet on cold days to keep your neck and ears warm.

http://www.buff.es/en/catalog_entry.php

Food and Water in the car kit

The recent string of devastating earthquakes have prompted me to upgrade the stock in my car kit in the way of food and water.

Carrying adequate water in the suv is my biggest challenge. Right now I have a case of 24 (16.9 oz) bottles of bottled water and several stainless water bottles that I keep rotated and filled. I’m going to upgrade the coglan’s water purification tabs to the Katadyn tablets.

The Mountain House freeze dried meals weigh next to nothing and take up very little room in my car kit. Most that I’ve tried taste pretty darn good too. I’ve tossed in some hard candy, packages of the crackers and cheese and several Luna Bars. I also keep 3 days worth of dog food in a vacuumed sealed container in the rig and rotate it monthly. And, a tube of the Nunn electrolyte tabs.

A snow peak 700 pot with lid and spork are also in the kit. I would love to keep my stow peak stove and a couple of fuel canisters there but I’m uneasy about keeping fuel canisters in the SUV. So for now I have an Eco fuel stove with 4 canisters of Eco-fuel. As a back-up I have a Esbit stove and extra fuel tabs stored as well.

Love to hear what others carry in the way of food and water.

I typically carry canned foods rather than dehydrated foods in a vehicle since I would only have to used my water stash to prepare the dried stuff. With canned fruits and stews, I am augmenting my water supply, rather than using it up. The empty tins also become potentially useful objects in an emergency(tin can lid signal mirror, anyone?).

The trick is finding food items which can survive any length of time in the rather severe environment of a car. It is generally necessary to recycle fairly often - at least once a year.

In theory, the perfect stove would be one which would run off the car's fuel supply. Then you would not have to keep any kind of fuel canister within the passenger space. Depending upon the specific vehicle, it might be tricky to obtain fuel from the tank. I go with a Trangia cook kit, and a small bottle of alcohol in a sturdy bottle.

Good suggestions on the canned food, Hikemor! Thank you

While I really like SUV’s especially for my dogs, they do present their own set of challenges like safely storing fuel and making sure things are secured in the event of an accident. I will do some research on the Trangia cook kit. Do you use regular alcohol in it? And what specific type of container do you recommend? I doubt that I’d be able to drain fuel from my SUV. I probably would rotate everything outside of the Mtn. House food a couple times per year. My rig is parked in the garage except while in use so that does cut down on temp extremes somewhat. Thanks again for the input!

I do have one of the MSR fuel bottles that I picked up but then never used.