When you go to hiking/climbing/survival store you will see a huge variety of clothing. You will see BDUs in every possible pattern, gore tex parkas, polartec fleeces, dry flow t-shirts, heated jackets and so on. High performance gear really does work and you would be a fool if you say it wouldn't. But due to limited space on the market such gear costs a lot (example WIndStopper is about $170 or gortex parka is about $400). I learned to value my gear since it gives me 110% of what I paid for it. But I remember that wearing my good old BDUs shirt and pants plus M-65 jacket over it also did a trick in the Army. Any suggestions as far as survival clothing goes? I know that when things happen usually we have no time to change but if you had to evacuate or prepare what sort of clothing would you choose?

wool, wool, and wool and leather.<br><br>If something happens while I am out and about then I will probably be in casual or business casual which means either wool slacks and a cotton shirt or blue jeans and a cotton tee shirt. Oh well that is how things find me. <br><br>For hiking I take much lighter materials. I have taslan nylon convertable hiking pants, polypro union suit, cool-max tee shirts, silk long-johns, polypro glove-liners, nylon shirts, gortex outer wear tops and bottoms and I pack only what I think I will need for the hike. A planned hike is no more like a survival evacuation than a day at the office is. <br><br>In my BOB which is packed for intermediate to long-range evacuation I have wool Military Surplus slacks (dress and BDU) I can't find anything even closely as durable for the price. Wool shirts, wool union suit, wool socks, wool mittens, wool watch cap, leather boots, leather gloves, leather jacket. I want durable warm clothing if I might be away from home for an extended period of time. I am evacuating not thru-hiking. If my evacuation should turn into a hike due to collapse of roads or vehicle then I would move slower than I might more lightly packed but I would be much more likely to get through hazardous disaster conditions. Likewise my BOB first aid supplies are substantially larger and different from my hiking FAK.<br><br>Wool is warm wet or dry. Wool is long wearing. A fine merino wool is quite as comfortable against the skin as cotton and wicks moisture better. Only in an extremely warm / humid environment would cotton be better. In any kind or harsh environments the synthetics break down much faster than either wool or cotton. Dirty Goretex leaks, nylon melts, wet nylon is cold, polypro melts and tears much more easily. Leather boots will outlast goretex boots every time. Leather boots can be re-waterproofed if they start to leak, Leaky Goretex is Leaky.<br><br>I would never want to hike in my BOB clothing since it is about 5 times heavier than my hiking clothing. Likewise I would never want to mount a family evacuation with only my hiking gear.<br><br>

You'll get a lot of different opinions, depending on where people go outdoors, what they do there, and for how long. The differences of opinion are valid.<br><br>Me, I've been wet a lot, one way or another, and I really value synthetics. IMHO, anyone who's backpacked through 5 straight days of rain is going to learn to value synthetics, especially fleece- nothing natural EVER gets dry. Some people like wool, but it's less comfortable (for me, at least) and MUCH heavier. It retains insulation value when wet, but is even heavier when wet, and much slower to dry. <br><br>Cotton kills. Not worth discussing outside of the tropics. I won't even pack cotton t-shirts or underwear. I wouldn't be a bit surprised if blue jeans kill more people in the wild than bears do.<br><br>I probably wouldn't have replied, but you mentioned Windstopper (synthetic fleece bonded to a layer of expanded PTFE or similar). It works as advertised, it's sort of nice in the high country where the wind never stops, and it's quite the fad right now... but I don't think it's worth the money. A combination of a simple fleece jacket and a light shell works as well or better in the wind, insulates better in cold (the fleece used in Windstopper tends to be very thin), is MUCH more versatile (you can wear either one alone), and costs a great deal less. I've also seen Windstopper retain moisture on the inside in cold weather, which simple fleece does not do. Not good.<br><br>I'd save the money and put it into rain gear, where even the best is mediocre.

I work in the woods every day I can. Wool is the only thing I've found durable enough to last. In the winter I layer a wool shirt over a Duofold inner layer (the label says 50% cotton, 40% wool and 10% nylon). I use a heavier wool shirt as an outer layer. I purchased a Woolrich shirt made out of their "wooldura" material. <br><br>I wear pretty serious rain gear much of the time since I work in Western Washington. If I get too wet I just wring out the bulk of the water (mainly from the sleeves - they act like a wick) and I'm a happy camper. I'm a big guy (6'3" and 200 ++ pounds) so I don't really notice the extra weight. A wool stocking cap is absolutely essential for me also (since my hairline is creeping down now as well as up).<br><br>I am experimenting with a set of that really lighweight synthetic longjohns and shirt (the stuff I bought is 100% polyester). It rolls up small enough to throw into a corner of my day pack to put on while my other clothes are drying by the fire after I fall off that log into the creek. I think they might find a home in a larger PSK.

Well, my BOB has Cahartt work pants, two sets of heavy boot socks, two sets cotton blend briefs and t-shirts, a fleece sweater, a pair of uninsulated Danner Fort Lewis boots, a Goretex parka, a wool watch cap, a solid blue boonie hat, and work gloves. <br><br>I live in nothern California. Should I buy hiking pants?

Clothing is much like choosing a knife. There are parameters of what works. Everything else is personal preference and that ephemeral quality called public reaction. That said, I avoid the head to toe camoflage look. In some countries it is decidedly illegal anyway. The bright colors of most sport gear is a boon to searchers, but paradoxically to the above sometimes to much for my activities. Utilizing certain traditional items can either endear, or alienate the locals, ie wearing a traditional man's headpiece as a stylish scarf. Natural or manmade fibers have both their advocates and strong and weak atributes. My gear is a hopeless assembly of everything. I do keep it clean, properly sized (looking warm and dry is looking good in the outdoors) and carry a sewing kit. The Inuit say a good knife and sewing kit are the two essentials to survival.

Hiking clothing is well designed for ... hiking. If you are hiking and you get lost then a hike turns into a survival situation and you hiking clothing is the best you could have because it is what you have. If you are in a high rise and it collapses then the business suit you are wearing is the best because it is what you have. <br><br>Make sure that most of your clothing is durable and that will cover you in most unexpected emergencies. Don't wear something that will rip when you force your way through a blackberry patch. Anything that can't handle that is decoration not clothing. <br><br>Clothing specially specially chosen and packed conveniently where you will use it during emergency situations that can be forseen by a few hours - floods, hurricanes, storms, fire and to some extent earthquake - can be more specifically chosen. I call this BOB clothes or evacuation clothes though it certainly covers those things stuffed in the back of the car that I will use if I need to make expedient repairs rather than get my business suit dirty. This category of clothing doesn't need to decorate but it may need to last under very harsh treatment. If you become involved in any rescue work after an earthquake your clothing will see worse treatment than the blackberry patch by far. BOB clothes also don't want to look military IMHO since there will likely be true military folks around and they don't appreciate the confusion. Some surplus works fine but I would suspect that Camo would cause some problem and un-earned insignia will definately offend. If you are evacuating from flood / fire / storm / wrekage from Quake then you will likely be housed in a substandard manner for a while. This means that staying warm and dry is paramount. Warm is more important than dry in the short to medium time frames but dry will be important also. Cotton will not keep you dry and if it gets wet it will very effectively cool you. In the summer in the southwest of the US or other similar climates this might be OK but even there the nights can become dangerously cool. Elsewhere cotton is an invitation to hypothermia. I prefer wool for the BOB, synthetics for hiking, wool/poly for dress suits and cotton for casual lounging where I have reasonable expectation that I will be able to change if I get wet. I will say that almost nothing feels more comfortable to me than a worn pair of jeans and a sweatshirt ( as long as they are dry).

Many thanks for the insights, sounds like I need to augment what I have.

I find it difficult to spend that kind of money for clothing that, no matter what the manufacturer says, may or may not be designed for the rigors of outdoor survival. I order out of cabella's, who have an excellent selection of well made clothing designed for outdoor use, or go to the local surplus store for tough gear that's also designed to hide you, or the local S.P.C.A. to find the latest in wool shirts for $5.00. My preference is to combine rugged and quiet camo pants and a politically correct (live in central California) plaid shirt with a wool crusher, sturdy but lightweight gortex hiking boots, merino wool hiking socks I carry lightweight wool blend longjohns and a thermal/gortex windstopping jacket that I got at a garage sale in my pack along with my other emergency gear. <br><br>

There has been a quiet revolution in the use of wool. In my part of the world, [NZ and Aust.] we have several companies producing excellent lines of extreme weather clothing made from superfine Merino wool.<br>The technology to produce this clothing is new, and these wool products are superior to what most of us remember. They have superb warmth retention, wicking, hard-wearing and weight qualities.<br>I have NO commerical or other ties with these companies but can recommend Merino clothing. For those without a farming background, Merino sheep produce the finest quality wool, and are bred in NZ and Aust. <br>Here is one website:<br>http://www.outdoorsports.co.nz/Brands/icebreaker.asp<br><br><br><br>

I agree Peter, merino wool is great stuff.

Eeeee! We argue, er, discuss this frequently... I use what I know works and it's pretty unfashionable - assuming a downstate NY winter as one of your worst cases, I'd go with loose and layers. I mean, REALLY loose - US Army properly fitted arctic clothing type loose (which happens to work just as well in hot weather - tight clothes are miserable). Outer layer should be pretty windproof and fairly water repellant. It also should be tough as all get out. My #1 choice for this (excluding raingear) is NyCo sateen windproof cloth (either 50-50 or 40-60) with Quarpel treatment, but there are other choices. Tight weave wool-nylon stuff is good and it is quieter in the thick stuff than sateen if you're interested in other natural alternatives. There are good synthetics, but I don't suggest them as outer wear around fires - just my opinion.<br><br>As a very good general rule, eliminate all 100% cotton stuff. However... I feel - and it is my experience - that cotton underwear is OK most of the time. It does mean that you should keep a spare undershirt and drawers in your kit, though. Undergarments serve an often overlooked purpose in extended wear situations - they reduce the soiling and contamination of inner layers from body oils and grime. Silk is better than cotton, especially if you're thinking of EDC wear. Most of the synthetics can get pretty stinky... although there is no question in my mind about the performance advantage.<br><br>Rain gear is miserable stuff no matter what. I'm pretty sure there are no miracles out there... I have a gore-tex 3/4 parka I like, but it is not the trick for extended / heavy rain. I have some real rain gear for that - of course, it's a swamp inside. Rain gear is just too big a topic all by itself... sometimes I just allow the wet and dry off when I get a chance - but not in cool weather.<br><br>I think everyone else covered other things I would say. I agree with P_L about the separate wind layer and pile jacket, having used my wife as a tester on all manner of both. I use a pile liner more and more often now - but it's just one of my available layers and I'm careful about if and when I use it as an outer layer.<br><br>Regards,<br><br>Tom

I could not have said it better myself. That's after 25 years living with the Inuit.<br><br>You sir, is good.<br><br>Mariner.

I should add to my post about Merino wool. One of the great advantages of the undergarments made of this superfine wool is that they do not itch, and they can be worn for many days without getting too stinky. A definite plus, for anyone who has shared tents, kayaks, cabins etc with polypro that has been sweated into for a few days!<br>Here is another link for those of you who want to research the superfine wool articles:<br><br>http://www.everwarm.co.nz/Merino_html/Merino_html_products.htm<br><br>Again, I add a rider; I have no commercial or other ties with the manufacturer.

Carhart coverall's!!!!!!!!!! <br>After working outdoors for 18 years, I'm a true believer. Walls just doesnt stand up as well. <br>I like the ones with the pants that zip and snap all the way up. I dont have to take my boots off to put them on or take them off. <br>I have never seen anything at a sporting good store that is even in the ballpark for toughness. <br><br>In the boot department.....Red Wing. You get what you pay for. <br><br>These two items have kept me warm in the winter from New Hampshire to Michigan to Arkansas to Florida.

In the deep south, it isn't the cold, it's the bugs, as I'm sure many of you know. I got a light weight, camo mosquitonet shirt for hunters, at a guerilla store near Orlando, FL. Also got several yards of nylon net from the local fabric store. These are right up there next to T-paper on my list of importance. It's not just comfort, it's that you get no rest if you have to worry with bugs all day and night, and rest is very important in a survival situation.