Even though I love how thru-hiking gives me a chance to leave most of societal life and expectations behind, I’ve found that I still want to feel good about the clothes I’m wearing – especially since I’ve got just one outfit to wear every day on trail. Near the end of my first thru-hike, I remember dreaming about wearing a dress back in town life again – the feeling of fabric swaying around my legs in the breeze.
When I found out Jolly Gear created a hiking dress, I became very intrigued. I was curious to discover how I would feel in it, and to see how it would perform in the elements. Yet I wondered if I’d miss my sun shirt and shorts or pants combo that I had grown accustomed to...
First Impressions
My first impression of the Triple Crown Button Down Sun Dress a.k.a. the “Jolly Dress” (as we call it at the GGG office) was a complete wow! From the adjustable hood, to the zippered pockets, to the snap at the hem to keep the skirt down in the wind – the level of thoughtfulness that went into this design was clear.
I then wore the dress backpacking in three locations: on the Southern Upland Way in Scotland in early summer, on the northernmost 100 miles of the Arizona Trail in early fall, and on a windy prairie in Minnesota in the spring. Climates ranged from cold and wet in Scotland to an arid 98 degrees in the bottom of the Grand Canyon.
To handle cooler temps with the Jolly Dress, I paired the dress with bushwhacking leggings from Alpine Fit in Scotland (great in the cold and rain), and some Heattech sleep leggings on cold mornings in Northern Arizona. I also paired it with a merino baselayer top underneath in colder temps (which doubled as my sleep shirt), to make the dress a bit warmer up top too. Plus any additional warmth layers fit just fine overtop of the dress.
Catching the Wind
The first question I had with the Jolly Dress was how would the skirt portion perform in the wind? Would I always have to use the between-the-legs snap feature to keep the skirt down if there was any wind at all? I went to the prairie first to start testing it...
While it might perform differently for people with varying body shapes, I found that with a consistent wind flowing in one direction, the skirt stays down pretty well on its own: it becomes plastered to my legs, and I keep walking just fine. It’s really the inconsistent gusts of wind that I experienced in Arizona and Scotland that would make it fly up in the air occasionally, especially scenarios where there were steep steps with visibility from multiple angles that had me snapping the skirt snap, as well as while sitting on the ground near other people. The snap makes the dress into a romper-looking style, while still allowing for plenty of movement:
Otherwise, the freedom of the skirt (without the snap) was probably what I loved the most about the Jolly Dress. A free-flowing skirt is the ultimate ultralight lower body clothing setup!
Polyester Fabric
While polyester fiber is made from petroleum (extracting fossil fuels = not good for the environment at all), its durability outperforms natural fibers, which is one of the reasons it continues to be such a prominent fiber in the outdoor industry.
I’d love to see Jolly Gear utilize recycled polyester content in the future, but it can be hard for small brands to source this in small quantities, so let’s not hold it against them for now. The particular polyester fabric (86% polyester, 14% elastane) used in the Jolly Dress dries fast, is super comfy and stretchy, and offers UPF 30 protection from the sun.
The only downside to polyester is how it performs in super hot temperatures, yet there is no perfect fiber for fabric that will take away the misery that is hiking through the hot sun with a pack on your back. Thankfully the quick dry qualities of the fabric helps, and at peak heat, staying in the shade and rolling down the top half of the dress and tying it around my waist was a helpful way around this issue.
And while the fabric is described as smell-resistant, there really is no covering up one’s backpacking scent. I don’t think any fabric can do that fully, so don’t count on that if that’s what you’re looking for.
Chest Pockets
Chest pockets are a personal preference for sure— I know women who don’t want any more bulk in this area, and so this feature is probably less desirable. (I could see the pockets sewn up and removed if you're willing to do an alteration). The Jolly Dress's two front check pockets are relatively discrete with an invisible zipper on each which helps keep your items in. I personally love this feature to stash my map and things there.
Hood & Drawstrings
The Jolly Dress’s hood worked really well for me— just the right amount of fabric, and the elastic drawstring was great in windy and raining conditions. It also has a vent in the back where you could pull a ponytail through. The waistline also has a similar elastic drawstring that’s tieable in the front and helps maintain a flattering silhouette out there on trail (much appreciated!)
Sleeves
I love the sleeves on this dress – they offer the perfect amount of fabric to flow in the breeze without being too voluminous. Unfortunately the thumb hole location was way too high up on my arm, so I couldn’t use them as originally intended. I have long arms, but they aren’t that long, so I might not be alone in not being able to get my thumbs into them. Perhaps the next Jolly Dress iteration will have improved measurements, and one could totally make an alteration to the sleeve to create a lower thumb hole within the cuff or add in some fabric to lengthen the sleeve to bring down the thumb hole. I still got sun protection from my sungloves though, so the thumb hole thing didn’t end up bothering me.
Durability & Ease of Washing
I’ve washed the dress extensively in all kinds of washing machines and hand scrubbed it a few times in sinks too - all to try to put it through the ringer and see how it would perform. I don’t use a sit pad much, so I’m usually sitting directly on the ground or on rocks and have taken it through a fair amount of cat's claw.
So far, the dress continues to hold up shockingly well. This is a benefit of the dress being made of polyester - it can handle a lot while still being lightweight. And since it dries super fast, even in a place like Scotland where clothes take forever to dry and drying machines are rare, the dress would still dry up overnight!
Price
At $120 for this dress, it’s an affordable price especially when you consider how much use you will get out of it and the fact that it’s coming from a small independent brand. Plus it's like two birds with one birthday since the dress covers your upper and lower body at the same time.
Compliments
Second to the freedom of the skirt, the compliments I received were probably the next best feature that comes with the Jolly Dress. So many people would stop to tell me how much they liked my dress. Plus Jolly Gear lovers will find you, and you get to chat about all their patterns and how cool Jolly Gear is. Worth it!
Final Thoughts
Overall, the Jolly Dress is an absolute winner in my book. While of course it’s not for everyone, if you’re thinking about this dress and are on the fence about it, I say go for it. The freedom of wearing one garment is so rewarding, it’s easy to layer with, easy to take care of, and you’ll stand out from all the rest. Plus you’ll look and feel fabulous!
Maggie is an artist, hiker, Earth advocate, auntie, and Marketing & Editorial Manager at Garage Grown Gear. Originally from the East Coast and currently residing in Minneapolis, she worked in the fashion industry and owned a zero-waste textile studio before joining the wonderful team at GGG. When she isn’t at work or on trail, you can find her making something out of rescued materials, dancing, or following her curiosity wherever it leads her.
