survivor fashion?

The more I learn, the more it’s clear; being a survivor is a way of life, a state of mind. I see the world around me a bit differently and I think that’s the point. I notice where the exits are, where the fire extinguishers are and I find myself figuring out different “escape” routs should “something” happen. Hurray for me, I woke up a little! So it’s not just an emergency thing, it’s a constant awareness. My daydreaming is now all about the “What if?” game. I now carry the ETS kit with me. I carry a pocketknife, a bandana, and a flashlight. I don’t think it should (or can) stop there.
Now the point…sort of.
Many years ago I heard an expert talking about a recent plane crash. He was giving advice as to what an ordinary passenger can do to up their chances of surviving a crash. As you might expect it involved keeping your seatbelt fastened and knowing where the closest exit was. Surprising to me at the time, it also involved wardrobe. Leather shoes with full rubber soles (no nylon with plastic) no heel, natural fiber cloths long sleeves and long pants, no skirts for the ladies. The expert said, if you survive the crash itself you much more likely to get out alive if you’re wearing the right cloths and know where and how to get out. I took this message to heart and always consider it before flying. Isn’t this something we should think of all the time? Even for everyday fires (if there is such a thing) the proper cloths can mean the difference between lost body hair and plastic melted to the skin causing scaring burns.
In your opinion, what should the “everyday survivor” wear everyday? I know it’s different depending on the climate and type of work, but in light of some of the new “fashion” that’s out there (some of it looks down right dangerous), there has to be clothing that is more or less safe.
Thoughts, comments…smart remarks?

Doug talks about fire resistant cloting at http://www.equipped.org/shelter.htm He points out that wool and silk have natural flame resistant capabilities but not as good as Nomex and PBI fabric and links to http://www.bulwark.com/default.asp

I have found this:

http://www.polartec.com/movies/THERMALM.MOV
http://www.polartec.com/contentmgr/showdetails.php/id/220

I don't know if they are easy to find (at surplus and in the auto racing industry according to Doug) or if they are affordable or if they have a nice look. But as far as fashion goes, the most important is the underwear anyway.

I guess a lambskin leather jacket is nice since it's also good for insulating.

François

We've had a series of hard rain and electrical storms here in Southern California with @ 4" average so far. I have my first cold of the season, which hardly seems fair. People are running from their cars in flip flops and gymn sweats only to pause at this wierdo in a flectarn poncho. But, these are people that solemnly explain this rain is from the tsunami in Asia. The wave reached our shores yesterday at a recorded hieght of 8" above normal. I always carry at minimum a wool watch cap and mittens in a jacket of some sort. There is a suprising amount of insulation in both the urban and natural world- as long as you have a system to stuff it in. I like wool and leather. Even summer wieght woolen clothing works well if the layering principle is remembered and silk or woolen light longjohns are very flexible. We can't always have the perfect wardrobe for every scenario. But we can give ourselves the vital edge to function long enough to escape immediate danger and then construct a shelter or fire.

I think flying on a comercial plane and every day wear are pretty different situations.

I tend to avoid *wearing* synthetics on planes for the reasons you mention, but have fleece and stuff in my pack with me (carry on). I also have a good light in my pocket with fresh batteries (typically a Surefire E2e). Consider the most likely situation is you are going to be stranded in some airport somewhere for a day or two with only the stuff in your carry on. My carry on reflects what I would need in that situation, including enough to keep me warm, something to nibble on, water, spare batteries, a little radio, GPS, first aid kit (razor removed!) including "comfort" meds like asprin and Tums, etc etc. While I don't have one, a heavy duty leather bomber jacket seems like it would be good on an airplane.

Normally, I would be inclined to wear fleece and other synthetics as weather dictates.

I tend to *always* wear good, sturdy boots. Everywhere. Here in the northwest, you don't even look out of place! :-) My Vasque Sundowners pretty much never leave my feet. Fairly light, decent ankle support, metal shank, semi-agressive soles and smooth leather to accept waterproofing (Snoseal or Nikiwax). Personally I tend to wear heavy cotton pants and a brushed cotton shirt. While these aren't the best when it comes to wet performance, they are fairly durable and socially acceptable. I temper that with clothes in my pack to make up the difference, including a Capeline expidition wt. top, silk wt., lt. fleece jacket, hats (Columbia Kazoo + OR Seattle Sombrero), gloves, hard shell, gloves, etc. Again, assume you are going to get stuck somewhere and all you have is what you have on you. Or assume you have to hoof it home from wherever you might be.

At least that is my approach to clothing. The upside is I can dress the same way pretty much all the time and I don't look too odd. At least until I open my backpack... :-O

-john

I don’t fly, but I hadn’t thought about fabrics other than insulation or how well they wear. I’m going to have to go back and check. Mostly I wear dockers or cargo pants and polo shirts. I do wear good boots and replace the laces with 550 cord. I carry at least two knives, one a Leatherman, Surefire, bandanas, string and wire in my pocket. Plus my PSK and a space blanket wrapped in a trash bag with more cordage in my belt. Vehicle has extra clothes plus seasonal BOB.

For flying, keep it simple: wear natural fibers that won't melt & shoes you can run in.

For a real-life survival scenario (Ma Nature + Mr. Murphy), I am firmly convinced that the SWHTF when you are wearing the most inappropriate clothing possible. <img src="/images/graemlins/crazy.gif" alt="" />

Like the hippies used to say, "It's just bad Karma, Man!"

Sue

If you go out in hot and humid weather in tee-shirt and flip-flops you should at least have a securely closed pocket to store your PSK. It could be a shirt front pocket with flaps and button closures or zippered pocket or cargo shorts.

I would even go so far as to say that you should have a secure pocket to store your PSK in your sleepwear. Yes you even have to sleep with your PSK if you want it to be justified! I mean a disaster could strike in the middle of the night. But I must be honest, I don't do that yet.

François

I'm beginning to wonder if there are Nomex sheets, pillows and pyjamas available...

I have taken to wearing boots most of the time I'm outdoors. I recently bought a pair of Cabela's "Gentleman's Upland Hunting Boots," at their store in PA (I have given up on buying boots from catalogs; I need to actually try them on before buying). The Cabela's are not just the most comfortable boots I've ever worn - they're the most comfortable shoe of any kind. Walking around work with all the other bureaucrats and minor functionaries tends to draw funny looks in a suit and hunting boots, so I keep street shoes at the office.

P.S. - This is my 1st post. Thanx to Mr. Ritter and company for maintaining this forum

When I got to bed, I fish my EDC keyring out of my pocket and plonk it on the bedside table. I don't think I could sleep with it actually in the bed.

I need it ready to hand, because it has the house keys. I need the keys in case someone rings the front doorbell at some unearthly hour (eg the postman at 8am). This happens fairly often, once a month or so. I don't want to have go hunting through my pockets when I'm half asleep and/or it's dark, and it's a bad idea to keep a spare key on a hook next to the front-door.

My EDC includes a torch, which I think is essential to have to hand during the night. Especially during the night! Also my mobile phone, again so I can find it if someone calls at an unearly hour. I am not so bothered about the rest of it; no knife. I do have a bug-out bag which hopefully I'd have time to grab.

I do the same. My EDC/PSK is on the bedside table when I'm sleeping or showering indoors (when sleeping outdoors I keep it on my person). The rest of the time it is attached to my body either in a pocket or around my neck. Technically its all waterproof so I could shower with it but my wife already thinks Im strange enough <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

I wear my favorite pair of boots in the whole world everyday. They are cheap-o wall-mart brand boots(the workload Cam-2) that cost $30 Canadian. Now before you have an anyerism, let me first say that budget is a huge concern to me (being a student with no fiscal support) and second, I have not found a way yet to kill these boots. I've always worn low profile, subtle boots since I was a kid and have a knack for seperating sole from shoe, toe from tip and lace from ring. The first time I bought this pair was as an emergancy stop gap, looking for the cheapest boot posible and they just stuck. I buy a pair a year because only because i start to wear out the treads way before anything strats to tear and I don't fancy slipping my way through a Canadian winter. Im sure there are better boots availible, but the cost to performance on these are very high.

BTW, Im not trying to sell boots for walmart or anything, in fact I would encourage people to support small and local stores than to shop at a monolithic monopoly machine. They just happen to reliably carry my fav pair of boots.

I found myself invited on a hiking trip out in the Monongahela State Park in WV without a proper pair of boots.

I got a pair of Wal-Mart hiking boots and they work just fine for most things. There are obvious drawbacks (lack of true waterproofing, thickness of sole, etc.), but for $18 and a last minute purchase they served me just fine. My father has a pair of high end boots, but he is going to keep a pair of the Wal Mart ones in his trunk as backups.


But on the general topic- the first “survival fashion” tip that really struck home for me was to stop wearing cotton. Working up a sweat and then finding yourself in a cold environment is bad news. Switching to Capilene was a smart move for me, as I am probably way more likely to face hypothermia than fire.

What knot do you use for the laces? I've tried paracord with a regular bow not but they keep trying to come loose.

It’s a basic bow knot, but tied twice. Go over and under like usual then go under with one end again. Pull this down tight. When you make your bow, instead of going around the loop once go around it twice then through to make the other loop. Kinda hard to describe but real easy and it holds.

When I undress at night I put my dirty clothes next to the bed in the same place every night. If I have to I can grab my trousers (PSK and EDC in pockets already) in the dark. If I had time I could grab the rest with my delay in leaving the room only a couple of seconds. I do not plan on leaving the house naked so am going to grab trousers no matter what. To be honest I can grab trousers with one hand and boots with the other with no time delay on exiting the room at all. When I get up in the morning without an emergency its just a case of putting on new clothes, transfering EDC to the new pockets and putting the dirty clothes in the washing basket. As long as you dont mind untidy clothes on the floor when you are in bed it solves lots of problems.

Again if I'm in the shower or bath my trousers and shoes are within grabbing range.

I do the same thing. All the dirty stuff goes into the hamper other than the pants/shorts I was wearing. They stay next to the bed. Everything gets switched the next morning to a new pair. Hard to loose your keys that way.

After tying the standard bow knot, finish with an overhand knot.

Pete

That's a pretty good system. I think I might start doing that. Heck thats where my clothes usually sit overnight anyway. <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

As a starting point for everyday attire, a good rule-of-thumb is to always wear (or keep close):

• a coat warm enough to spend the next 24 hours outside (including if it rains)
• shoes good enough to walk home from school / work / wherever

The most "dangerous" seasons in this regard are Spring and Fall, when the days are warm but the nights are cold. For rain protection I don't always have a waterproof coat but have a plastic garbage bag or, more recently, a Wal-Mart disposable poncho (less than $1 USD) in my PSK.

Steve

Thats what I had been using with only moderate success. I still find the knot in the loops coming out after several hours.

I sometimes answer the front door in pyjamas and/or dressing gown. This is not an emergency scenario (yet), but if I take the time to put on underwear and trousers the person at the door might have given up and left. So having EDC at bedside suits me.

Likewise if my mobile phone rings at 3am I don't want to have to get out of bed to find it. And anyway, I sometimes read a book on the phone last thing before sleeping. So the phone also lives on the bedside table at night.

At the risk of stating the obvious... you know there are two ways to tie a bow? One works and one keeps coming undone. They correspond to a proper square reef knot, and a "granny knot" respectively. A correct bow is a correct reef knot with the ends pushed back through.

That is probably not your problem, but I mention it anyway just to be sure.

I need to start keeping clothes next to my bed like this. However I don't like to keep stuff in my pockets after taking my clothes off. Mostly because I can wear up to 3 things a day because I might go from uniform pants, to regular pants, to shorts for around the house, and I don't want anything misplaced. I like to keep my EDC stuff in 1 place when at home. What I usually do is put all my EDC stuff in my uniform hat turned upside down on a table. Then I can just grab my hat on the way out and all my EDC stuff is right there.


Robert

Remember to tie them right over left, left over right just like a reef knot. A reef knot is more secure. Or alternatively, you could check out this website. Ian's sholeace site