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I am curious what everyone likes for their outdoor clothing, and why. Not what the conventional wisdom is, but why YOU like what you like. Wool is warm when wet, and durable. But its is heavy. Down is light, but useless when wet. Synthetic fleece is light dries fast, and is durable- as long as you keep it away from sparks and flame. A Marmot rainsuit is light, packable, and effective. But a Filson tin coat and pants stand up to thorns and rocks and keep you dry, too. So, what do you like, and why?
Merino wool, no question, especially next to the skin.
Yeah it's heavier, but the added value of retaining heat when wet and that it won't burst into flames the second a spark touches it are real benefits.
Wool can be itchy if you get rag wool, so anything touching your skin should be merino, but for hands down warm in the semi-arctic conditions I live in, wool is the only way to go.
I really like the lightweight synthetics if all conditions are optimal, but conditions are never optimal where I live.
I had a nice synthetic sleeping bag I lugged into the Absarokee-Beartooth Wilderness for an early season hunt. Bluebird conditions, about 50 during the day with lots of sunshine. That lasted for one day after we got there and we spent the next week in a blizzard. Wet, heavy snow, everything we had was soaked through. The temps dropped to around 20 at night and 35 during the day.
My hunting partner and I had to keep a Coleman lantern burning all night in our little 3 man tent to keep from freezing. We couldn't dry our sleeping bags, so they were useless.
Last time I did that.
I have a synthetic -20 sleeping bag I keep in the truck because I can squash it down to a small bundle, and in the truck it's dry with no fires, so it works well.
In the mountains I wear a wool capote that doubles as a sleeping bag, and carry a wool blanket.
Between the 2 of them, if I have shelter and a small fire, I can be warm in some pretty nasty conditions.
My capote also works pretty well in shedding thorns and rocks, doesn't tear easily, and is really quiet.
It does pick up cockleburs like a magnet, but I can live with that.
For heavy rain, I use my Navy issue poncho. it sheds water well. It's heavier than light plastic, resists tears and works as a shelter too.
Most of my clothing is gifts from our 2 daughters, so for a long time I had little say in the matter. They have good taste, but like the younger crowd, they figured that synthetics was trendy and sporty-looking. That was when we lived in RI.
Now that I live in Maine, all of that has changed. I bestowed a lot of the synthetic stuff on my brother, who's more into looks. For myself, I like Carhartt. Their insulated bibs and chore coats fit the bill for winter. I believe it is mostly cotton duck, which is a natural fabric.
I also love wool shirts. Woolrich puts out a nice heavy line of washable wool shirts that are mostly wool, with some nylon (10%?) To hold the shape and limit shrinkage. I prefer vests when I am out working in cold weather, rather than coats, which restrict my arm movement. So I wear thick down vests - another natural material. Carhartt also has some nice vests, I like the ones with that thick white fleece lining. They are easier to wash than the down ones.
My long underwear is where I like the polypro stuff. It sure wicks away sweat and keeps me from getting damp. I wear heavy wool socks but wear poly sock liners with them. So I haven't entirely given up on synthetics. But I don't care for the sporty hiking and skiing outerwear. It just doesn't hold up, for me.
You don't have to choose one or the other. My favorite work coat is a heavy, tight weave canvas with a synthetic liner. With a liberal application of Camp Dry it sheds water well and keeps me warm.
Location: MA/ME (the way life should not be / the way it should be)
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I tend to wear whatever is of good durability, although that usually translated into natural material. Like Nor' i have a Carhartt Chore Coat (its duck cotton outside for durability, but has a polyester interior i believe, not sure exactly but i know its sysnthetic), that i wear around in winter as a shell garmet if i need durability. On the other hand though, i do have a few synthetic sherpa lines flannel type shirts (fully polyester), that i wear for warmth, and to a degree are durable. So while some synthetics are durable, there are cheap weight ones out there made for style that ive gotten as gifts in the past that are very weak, they are like a thin sheet of plastic, you know it when you see it.
Be aware cotton duck is still cotton and will take up water like normal cotton although it will resist it alittle more at first (unlike a sweater which soaks it all instantly), so i dont recomend it when far from a real shelter due to hypothermia risk, but i know ultra no-cotton people who are against it even when working outside in winter, when you may be right outside your nice toasty house.
I personally have everything from the marmot thin shell rainsuit to filson wool and tin cloth, but have to admit I am usually in my Carharrt chore coat and jeans, unless it gets down to zero or so, which finds me adding a pair of carharrt insulated overalls. For most cold weather that ensemble is good for an active day of wood cutting or similar. I would switch to the wool and tin cloth for an extended outdoor stay in inclement weather, though. I love fleece pullovers, but open fires make holes magically appear in them, so I only wear them for occasions not requiring flame resistance.
I personally have everything from the marmot thin shell rainsuit to filson wool and tin cloth, but have to admit I am usually in my Carharrt chore coat and jeans, unless it gets down to zero or so, which finds me adding a pair of carharrt insulated overalls. For most cold weather that ensemble is good for an active day of wood cutting or similar. I would switch to the wool and tin cloth for an extended outdoor stay in inclement weather, though. I love fleece pullovers, but open fires make holes magically appear in them, so I only wear them for occasions not requiring flame resistance.
Yep, layers are the way to go, and synthetics have their place. Waterproof insulated socks are a great goodness if your feet might get wet. It doesn't matter if your boots leak. I have a Filson oilcloth duck hunting cap with a bill and ear flaps that is OK in mild winter weather, but not warm enough if it really gets cold. I add a Thinsulate stocking cap over it, and then put the hood up on my sweatshirt and coat, so that's four warm layers. If it's bitter, a ski mask over my beard will give my face enough protection that frostbite is not a problem.
Thermal long johns are good just because they keep cold and wet pants from slapping against your legs, but if the wind is whipping up below zero I will add a pair of women's nylon panty hose over the long johns. That provides a double honeycomb layer and cuts the wind. Coveralls are nice because they keep your back from being exposed when you bend over.
I go through about six cans of Camp Dry in the winter. Good old cotton duck canvas will shed water just fine if you silicone it, but I have a real rain coat that is a very tight weave microfiber nylon. It breathes, so you don't end up drowning in your own sweat.
Every winter, as soon as temps drop I shift to wool. Heavy grade wool shirts and pants from mil-surp outlets [Dutch, East German, Swiss, US Army 'M1951'].
All winter long I wear wool shirt, wool pants, wool socks, wool cap and silk underwear. That is my normal daily clothing in winter.
In early spring, I tend my maple taps on snowshoe. By the end of the maple flow, I generally finish in kayak. [as the river thaws] A few times I have punched through the snow/ice into rushing river underneath, due the carrying the extra weight of sap in my backpack. The hardest part of climbing back up onto to ice, is to not lose the snowshoes. But every time I very thankful for wearing my wool. Without the wool it would be seriously cold.
I am in Central Maine. I have a lot of wool shirts and pants.
Here one rarely needs more then two layers. If you went up North you might need a third layer, so long as you stay out of the Arctic Circle, most of the time you really do not need a third layer so long as your wearing wool. If you refuse to wear wool, then of course you will pay for it and need to put on additional layers.
I did a lot of snow-shoeing / winter camping as a teen in Yosemite. I have been at sea in the Northern reaches of both the North Atlantic and the North Pacific, I have been on Arctic ice-pack. During all of this I have tried most of the 'new' technologies as each of them came out onto the market. I have not experienced any of which that were as versatile or as long lasting as silk and wool.
Wearing silk underwear, wool socks, wool shirt, wool pants, wool cap, wool mittens, and brazing goggles; I am fine working outside nearly all winter long [feeding livestock, plowing driveways, tapping maple trees, shoeshowing, etc]
When it dips into minus numbers, I add light jacket.
At -5 to -10, if I have to sit in a parking lot for 6 hours tending a Farmer's Market stand then it helps to add a 'layer': long johns underneath and maybe a sweater and scarf. But most of the winter it is just not cold enough to justify layering in this area. [note no heavy coat is needed]
Most of our winter the temps run from 10F to -10F. If I am wearing wool, I just do not need an outer shell layer so long as I am doing stuff. But to sit in a parking lot, or as we tend to call it 'to baby-sit a parking lot' all day, that is when I need to add the sweater and scarf.
Around here it only goes down to -20F for about 1 or 2 weeks a year. At -20 with long johns, sweater, scarf and then I put on a jacket.
Fortunately we are not too far North, so it just does not get cold enough to justify that kind of layering very often. I do understand if you are going to be in the severe cold you may need to layer. We only get at the most like two weeks of that usually each winter.
I have collected some great heavy coats, but I don't wear them anymore.
As a side-issue which I feel is closely related: silk and wool are sustainable.
Silk and wool require no petroleum to produce. Silk and wool are both fabrics that you or I can make without a chem lab.
In my experience silk and wool both last longer than hollow-core synthetics last. They are more durable. They keep you warmer. And you can make them yourself.
Living in Maine we are seeing a growing trend of small land-owners who have sheep, 5 head to 100 head, producing fiber for a small but growing movement. Home-based businesses making clothing using sustainable methods.
If you find a wool that is not comfortable against your skin it is a cheap, coarse, grade of wool, and should have never been used for clothing. Someone was cutting corners when manufacturing. Good quality wool is soft.
I have nothing against Carhartt, I have quite a bit of it, and for working around the ranch it's just fine. It turns the wind well. (Last week the winds were clocked at 85 MPH at the weather station just down the road from the ranch ).
For most of what I do, until it gets below 0, usually a wool shirt, sweater and wool pants are enough, sometimes a Carhartt jacket over the top to break the wind, but if I go into the back country, I have to know that my equipment will help me to survive.
I also like the sustainability of wool as a natural fiber. Lots of small homesteaders around here raise a dozen sheep or goats and mostly do fiber art, but you can get good yarns they make if you knit. The best blankets are woven, then felted which is hard to do if you don't have the tools and skills.
A good 5 point Hudson's bay blanket can set you back several hundred dollars, but for my capotes I use old military wool blankets. Too thin for single layer, but if you use 2 of them and add the shawl and hood, with wool pants, shirt, sweater and long johns, you can take a blizzard at -20 with a 30 MPH wind in stride.
I hunt and trap the back country on snowshoes, so I can completely agree with Sub when he's sugaring. When you're miles from a warm house or bed, if you get wet in the cold, you're dead unless your clothing can keep you warm in any condition, wet or dry.
This year the mercury dropped below zero in late November, and got stuck there. It wasn't until last week that we got up to +30.
For the most part it was between -30 for the lows and +5 for the highs. A couple months of that and you really start appreciating warm clothing.
This year has had a lot of wind too in the 50 - 70 MPH range. add blowing and drifting snow, it's a hazard to life and limb.
I love Carhartt, but if my life is on the line, only wool fits that bill.
Last edited by MTSilvertip; 02-15-2017 at 08:14 AM..
A good 5 point Hudson's bay blanket can set you back several hundred dollars, but for my capotes I use old military wool blankets. Too thin for single layer, but if you use 2 of them and add the shawl and hood, with wool pants, shirt, sweater and long johns, you can take a blizzard at -20 with a 30 MPH wind in stride.
Agree, and I think bedding is important to mention here, esp for those of us who heat with wood.
We bought the Filson wool blankets in 3 colors back awhile, and they were not "several hundred dollars", but they are the heaviest wool blankets made. Filson is top-notch, in my book. Their stuff is pricey, but it can save your life. Their blankets are less costly than Pendleton or Woolrich ("point" blankets).
My wife inherited a few sets of down comforters and featherbeds from her mother. Oboy! With a featherbed underneath, and a down comforter above, you sleep in heavenly peace all winter!
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