During Summer I normally wear Lightweight Nylon outdoor clothing or Summer weight Army/Tactical Clothing. I find this type of clothing the best for what I do, Some people can't wear nylon as it will cause various skin issues, I have mine kind of loose fitting to help the air circulate. At the end of the day you have to get what you feel comfortable wearing. But just remember the saying " Cotton Kills" as when It's wet, it stays went for ages. And If you get stranded wet and cold and you can't light a fire its a sure way to get hypothermia. I always carry a light fleece long sleeve top also.
For the Nylon Clothing:
It's lightweight, dries really quickly and packs up small.
It is also surprising warm during winter when wearing the layered clothing system. (Thermal underwear, Midlayer, insulating layer, outer wind/rain jacket) something more substantial would be required for colder climates i.e down in the South Island.
I normally wear a long sleeve lightweight nylon shirt as this offers sun protection ( the good brands have a SPF rating), protection for the arms when navigating through the bush also protection from insects.
The trousers I have are zip off so I can unzip the lower part of the trousers when I get hot. I have heard sometimes the zips can bust but I haven't had any trouble so far. Trousers are good as they offer sun, insect and leg protection when navigating through the bush.
For underwear I wear compression shorts. I find these best as they draw sweat away from the body, this helps stop chaffing and sweat rash. They also don't bunch up as they are skin tight so they don't get uncomfortable when walking for a long time and climbing etc. I wear these all year round.
There are many brands out there and I don't really recommend any. I have a mixture of Columbia, Snowgum for the shirts and trousers and random brands for the compression shorts. I just go for the cheapest and best specs. I normally buy things on sale.
As for Socks I use Merino Wool socks all year round. Thicker ones for winter, thinner for summer
For the Army/ Tactical Clothing:
I try to get a Nyco ( Nylon/cotton mix) the more nylon the better. The cotton adds breathability to the clothing and adds slight fireproofing as nylon will melt easily. Once again there are many different brands out there, I like Tru-spec and 5.11. The summer weight British army gear is cheap,lightweight and surprising cool but due to the high cotton content, I find it can take a while to try, same with the U.S army gear and NZ Army Gear. You can add waterproofing to the clothing to help combat this problem. You can get cheap army gear off Trademe and from kiwidisposals.
Below are some pictures of the type of nylon gear I use:
Add a Comment
Hi Ian, yeah they can get a bit sweaty at times I tend to wear the trousers as shorts when on the trail and as pants or put gaiters on when traveling through the dense bush, nothing worse than not noticing a patch of bush lawyer or stinging nettle and getting it in the legs haha, but i suppose that's half the fun. Last winter I got a pair of 5.11 Taclite Pro Pants they are a 65% poly 35% cotton, and are a great pair of trousers, they dry reasonable quick and are very wind proof. I'm going to try them out more this winter With the 100% nylon pants I find they can dry in a matter of minutes depending on how wet they are and time of year etc. When I am out for more than a day trip, I always carry a dry set of clothes and change into them when I stop for camp. Some people make comments about how much gear I carry but I don't care, it's better to be safe than sorry. I try to base the gear I carry on what a solider would carry as i figure since they are out there doing it all the time they would have the best knowledge
I read in one of Ray Mears books he recommends poly/cotton blend, Might be a UK thing also it seems rather popular in the USA in some circles. Nylon might be more popular over here due to the heavy and unexpected rainfall that's very common in NZ. One thing I have noticed living in NZ all my life and working for clothing importers is that sometimes the shops go after what is 'Cool', latest specs and in fashion at the time. It doesn't always mean what they have is the best or most suitable for the conditions. but that's just my opinion.
I have also worn Swedish Army Wool Cargo Pants during winter down in the national park at -1 deg cel, they were great, nice and warm and kept rather clean considering I got a bit muddy at one point. The mud just seemed to dry and brush off easily without any intervention. They probably would be to hot and heavy for tramping in though as they are about as thick as a wool blanket, I was down there exploring in my 4x4.
Here are some articles explaining how Cotton Kills
http://sectionhiker.com/why-does-cotton-kill/
This site quotes:
the survival book I just finished by Cody Lundin. He says on page 103 of When All Hell Breaks Loose:
Cotton is hydrophilic, meaning it transfers sweat from your skin to the material itself, thus it’s horrible at “wicking” wetness away from skin. In fact, cotton loves moisture and will become damp simply when exposed to humid air. Once wet, it feels cold, looses 90 percent of its insulating properties, is a drag to dry out, and wicks heat from your body twenty-five times faster than when it’s dry. Because of this, wearing cotton clothing in the wintertime is a death wish. Yet, in scorching deserts, it’s my fabric of choice for precisely the same reasons. Cotton also has decent abrasion resistance and blocks out a reasonable amount of UV radiation from the sun.
RSS
You need to be a member of BushcraftNZ to add comments!
Join BushcraftNZ