Clothing:
Clothing is, in my opinion, THE most important kit item for consideration. For the time being forget all about fancy knives, forget fire making, forget water treatment and forget the latest cook kits and titanium pots. Your body's core temperature needs to stay pretty much within 98.6 degrees F (or 37 degrees C) in order to operate effectively. Go even just a few degrees either side of this and the effects of either Hyperthermia (excessive heating) or Hypothermia (excessive chilling) can severely affect your ability to live!...not to mention how enjoyable your day will be with your husband, wife, 2.4 children and Bert the dog. Get your clothing right and you will cope with just about anything from howling winds and torrential downpours to hot sunny days. Get your clothing wrong and best case scenario is you could end up wet through and miserable, with shivering kids who just want to get home to their playstations and pyjama's. Worst case scenario is you and your family will end up dead. It happens to hundreds of people in the British countryside every year!
Now I will give you my opinion on something. Its my opinion and it will cause some arguments from other people for sure! You may have heard the saying that goes something like "cotton kills when you walk in the hills" or something like that anyway. Well I think that's a crock of bull! Cotton in all layers has been worn for decades, and its still worn by many military across the world, in all climates. Cotton only kills people who are not adequately prepared for their adventures with other suitable forms of clothing. A synthetic wicking base layer will still get you killed at -5 degrees C without a couple of warm layers and a windproof/waterproof layer on top!! Get soaked in high winds miles from anywhere, without any waterproof (or water resistant) clothing or any means of keeping/getting yourself warm and you are in trouble, whether you are in jeans and a t-shirt or the latest high tech man made fibres. Dress for the environment, dress for eventualities and then prepare for things to get worse. If the weather reports do not forecast for rain that day, stick a rainproof top in anyway!
I am not going to tell you everything there is to know about materials, brands, combinations of layers etc, there are so many resources for that information. Instead, I am just going to show you what works for me through different seasons.
Three things to remember:
1) I am English, I check the weather daily. Precipitation is frequent. The seasons can get pretty messed up in the UK and there is no definitive 'switch' between them like you get elsewhere. A sunny day can very quickly become overcast and wet, and a wet day can often become hot and sunny! Jeez! how do we cope!
2) You don't have to buy expensive. You don't have to sacrifice quality, durability and suitability just because you don't spend a fortune. My particular favourite brand of outdoors clothing is Ridgeline. Its built tough, it does what its supposed to do, and so far I have found with all of the items that I have from the range, that the garments perform over and above what I expect from them, and they will cost you a lot fewer of your beer tokens that some of the endorsed, 'Bushcraft' brands out there!
There is a separate section within Clothing for Ridgeline, where I will on what I own, use and wear regularly, but the official product catalogue from Ridgeline UK can be found here... http://www.ridgelineclothing.co.uk/
Now I will give you my opinion on something. Its my opinion and it will cause some arguments from other people for sure! You may have heard the saying that goes something like "cotton kills when you walk in the hills" or something like that anyway. Well I think that's a crock of bull! Cotton in all layers has been worn for decades, and its still worn by many military across the world, in all climates. Cotton only kills people who are not adequately prepared for their adventures with other suitable forms of clothing. A synthetic wicking base layer will still get you killed at -5 degrees C without a couple of warm layers and a windproof/waterproof layer on top!! Get soaked in high winds miles from anywhere, without any waterproof (or water resistant) clothing or any means of keeping/getting yourself warm and you are in trouble, whether you are in jeans and a t-shirt or the latest high tech man made fibres. Dress for the environment, dress for eventualities and then prepare for things to get worse. If the weather reports do not forecast for rain that day, stick a rainproof top in anyway!
I am not going to tell you everything there is to know about materials, brands, combinations of layers etc, there are so many resources for that information. Instead, I am just going to show you what works for me through different seasons.
Three things to remember:
1) I am English, I check the weather daily. Precipitation is frequent. The seasons can get pretty messed up in the UK and there is no definitive 'switch' between them like you get elsewhere. A sunny day can very quickly become overcast and wet, and a wet day can often become hot and sunny! Jeez! how do we cope!
2) You don't have to buy expensive. You don't have to sacrifice quality, durability and suitability just because you don't spend a fortune. My particular favourite brand of outdoors clothing is Ridgeline. Its built tough, it does what its supposed to do, and so far I have found with all of the items that I have from the range, that the garments perform over and above what I expect from them, and they will cost you a lot fewer of your beer tokens that some of the endorsed, 'Bushcraft' brands out there!
There is a separate section within Clothing for Ridgeline, where I will on what I own, use and wear regularly, but the official product catalogue from Ridgeline UK can be found here... http://www.ridgelineclothing.co.uk/
Boots & Shoes:
I have a number of different types of footwear, each appropriate to different conditions ranging from blisteringly hot to freezing cold, each pair of boots or shoes has been picked on factors of value and price, performance, fit and comfort and suitability to the my environment. I don't own any mukluks or specialist moccasins (although I would like a pair of high leg moccasins!).
Lightweight Spring/Summer boots - Scarpa brand with Vibram sole, found for a bargain price in a Sale. Not waterproof but very cool and comfortable to walk in during Spring and Summer months.
Leather Hiking Boots - Johnscliffe 'Bruno' boots, cost me £30 from a little shop in Wales. Very good fit, very comfortable, need very little 'walking in' Love em! Second pair I have had!
Wellington Boots - New pair of Wyre Valley boots bought after going through yet another pair of cheapo ones! cost me £40 from The British Shooting Show, neoprene inners and outer calf construction.
Snow Boots - Trespass brand. Bought online for £25. really warm and comfortable in minus degree temps, only needed one pair of military arctic socks in these babies and tootsies have been toastie!!
Lightweight Spring/Summer boots - Scarpa brand with Vibram sole, found for a bargain price in a Sale. Not waterproof but very cool and comfortable to walk in during Spring and Summer months.
Leather Hiking Boots - Johnscliffe 'Bruno' boots, cost me £30 from a little shop in Wales. Very good fit, very comfortable, need very little 'walking in' Love em! Second pair I have had!
Wellington Boots - New pair of Wyre Valley boots bought after going through yet another pair of cheapo ones! cost me £40 from The British Shooting Show, neoprene inners and outer calf construction.
Snow Boots - Trespass brand. Bought online for £25. really warm and comfortable in minus degree temps, only needed one pair of military arctic socks in these babies and tootsies have been toastie!!
Trousers:
Even in the summer I wear trousers (or pants for our US brothers and sisters) as I tend to get bitten my the midges, and I dont want to find ticks attached to me after a walk through long grass or bracken...so I am leaving out my shorts (not underwear for our US brothers and sisters)
I only really have three main pairs of trousers that I wear, not including my waterproof trousers. One is a cheap pair of 100% cotton combats that I bought from a UK based retail outlet, cos they had a cool camp pattern and they fit me. The other two are branded trousers. from left to right...
Regular 'wear most of the time' trousers - these are the 100% cotton bought at supermarket pair that I dyed brown at the same time as one of my jackets.
Craghoppers 'Quick dry' - as the name suggests really!
Craghoppers 'Fleece Lined Winter Trousers' - again, as the name suggests really!
I only really have three main pairs of trousers that I wear, not including my waterproof trousers. One is a cheap pair of 100% cotton combats that I bought from a UK based retail outlet, cos they had a cool camp pattern and they fit me. The other two are branded trousers. from left to right...
Regular 'wear most of the time' trousers - these are the 100% cotton bought at supermarket pair that I dyed brown at the same time as one of my jackets.
Craghoppers 'Quick dry' - as the name suggests really!
Craghoppers 'Fleece Lined Winter Trousers' - again, as the name suggests really!
Mid-layers, jumpers, pullovers etc:
I like my jumpers and pullovers baggy, with a bit of room to move. I am not necessarily into micro fleeces, and you can probably tell from this article so far that I am not taken in by all the Marketing propaganda that goes with the latest and greatest fads in technologically advanced clothing. As lonmg as it fits me well, and provides a certain degree of warmth under my outer shells its good with me.
Coats, Jackets and Outer Layers:
I have a number of options here, some windproof & waterproof, some just windproof. Some camo patterns, some block colours. Some man made materials and some natural materials. I like to have options where my jackets are concerned. They must generally be hooded to offer protection if it starts to rain or the wind picks up. They must be at least 'water resistant' if they are not fully waterproof, they must be hard wearing, and I do like to have a couple of big deep pockets at the front to stash 'stuff' in! I will provide separate photos for the jackets as for me they are my favourite items of clothing...everyone like a cool jacket dont they?!...and why so many jackets? well, I like to mix and match things with the seasons and with the weather. In the lush months of green, then I go with block green or woodland DPM. In the autumn, when the leaves start to change colour, I find that the desert camo has a good fit with its sandy shades of brown.
Clothing Peripherals - Hat, Scarf, Snood & Gloves:
Hats & Caps...
Brazilian Tarp hat. This is a cracking bit of kit, inexpensive (but do NOT take that as meaning cheap!) comfortable and very very cool!
From the TarpHats website - These Walking hats are worn day in day out, they are made from recycled truck tarpaulins from open cargo trucks that run from Amazonas in the North west to the south of Brazil along thousands of miles of unmade red dust laden tracks with rain, sun & dust ageing the material in a way that no factory could ever replicate. After which the material is washed and prepared ready to be made into "probably" the best original Brazilian tarp walking hats around. So all of the hats have seen more weather than most of us might see in a lifetime and do not need any looking after and are ready for their next job of keeping the elements off of you whilst looking rather cool at the same time.
I have been wearing mine for a couple of weeks now and I can honestly say I don't think I have ever had a more comfortable baseball style cap. Comfortable right from the box, it sits there without need for adjustment, you don't notice its there, where other hats have always needed a bit of wearing in. The material its made from screams durability and longevity
From the TarpHats website - These Walking hats are worn day in day out, they are made from recycled truck tarpaulins from open cargo trucks that run from Amazonas in the North west to the south of Brazil along thousands of miles of unmade red dust laden tracks with rain, sun & dust ageing the material in a way that no factory could ever replicate. After which the material is washed and prepared ready to be made into "probably" the best original Brazilian tarp walking hats around. So all of the hats have seen more weather than most of us might see in a lifetime and do not need any looking after and are ready for their next job of keeping the elements off of you whilst looking rather cool at the same time.
I have been wearing mine for a couple of weeks now and I can honestly say I don't think I have ever had a more comfortable baseball style cap. Comfortable right from the box, it sits there without need for adjustment, you don't notice its there, where other hats have always needed a bit of wearing in. The material its made from screams durability and longevity
Scarf & Snood...
Gloves & Mitts...
All gloves are not the same! They can range from very thin fingerless varieties made from artificial materials like polyester or fleece, to thick mitts made from natural materials like wool or leather, with everything inbetween! Some people are searching for the holy grail of absolutely waterproof gloves, which is a bit of a false economy in my opinion. The problem comes from the fact that due to the design concept of a glove, just as with a boot, if water can be kept out, water can also be kept in, its basically a bag with fingers and a big hole at the top where your hand enters and leaves the glove. More of a concern is not to search for a glove that keeps the water out entirely, but one that when it does get wet inside, will still allow your hands and fingers to keep reasonably warm. I am not going to enter into different materials used in manufacture, or the benefits of one type of glove or mitt over another, as they all have their appropriate uses, plus points and benefits. I will just talk about what I use. Personally I have a few different types of glove and mitt for different occasions. I value my gloves almost as highly as I value my footwear! I don't necessarily spend a fortune on them, as I think this is any area where you can certainly get some great value kit for reasonable cost.
From Left to Right...
- Green fingerless gloves are single layer, made from polyester and are simply a spring/summer option if I am out and there happens to be a slight drop in temperature that necessitates a glove to be worn
- Green fingerless gloves are single layer, made from polyester and are simply a spring/summer option if I am out and there happens to be a slight drop in temperature that necessitates a glove to be worn