I am having all sorts of difficulties trying to figure out what I want my pants to be made of!! (you think it would be simple wouldnt you).
Anyway, heres the assumptions:
-They could get wet (likely in winter)
-They likely will be close to fire (both camp and scrub/bushfire)
-They will have to deal with abrasion (particularly on the knees)
-It could be cold (though if its very cold there will be polypropylene thermals underneath)
-It could be quite hot
So anyway, here are the materials they could be made from:
**Wool** Pros
-Does not catch on fire/melt
-Retains insulating properties when wet Cons
-Expensive What I dont know but need to know:
Does it dry quickly?
-Will I overheat rapidly if I wear them in hot weather?
-How abrasion resistant are they?
**Cotton** Pros
-Cheap
-Cool in summer
-Can be very abrasion resistant (heavyweight pants etc)
-Doesn't readily catch on fire Cons
-Does not retain insulation when wet
-Slow drying What I dont know but need to know:
-nothing
**Nylon** Pros
-Can be hard wearing with right weave
-Lightweight
-Drys quickly when wet Cons
-Does readily catch fire/melt What I dont know but need to know:
-Does nylon retain insulation when wet?
**Polyester** Pros
-Cheap
-Retains insulation when wet
-Drys quickly Cons
-Readily catches fire What I dont know but need to know:
-Does it wear out quickly?
**Blends** (mainly cotton/polyester) Pros
-Cheap
-Does not wear out too quickly Cons
? What I dont know but need to know:
-Does it readily catch fire?
-Does it retain insulation when wet?
-Does it dry quickly?
So, as you can see, I am stuck. Currently I have pretty much ruled out:
Nylon - Catches on fire too easily
Polyester - Catches on fire too easily
Pure Cotton - Cold when wet, slow drying
So, is there a fabric that does it all? or will I need "summer"(cotton) and "winter" (probably Nylon) pants?
Same rule is probably going to apply to shirts shortly, but at the moment I have 10,000 t-shirts to wear out before I bother buying any. I may buy 1 shirt specifically for "bug out" or "fire fighting" or "search and rescue" purposes.
I would say check out the military gear, winter and summer use.
Afghanistan is hot in the day and cold at night plus its soon gonna be winter so find out what they are issued with, then let me know...
Wool blankets in the truck. Now you can sleep around a fire w/o worry.
Fleece is great stuff. Work in layers.
Nylon coated or core-tex rain gear. When it rains it's cold, so get a fleece lined one.
Wool is an expensive option.
fleece is a cheap one. (polyester).
Now, what about summer? I'm sure you know the advantages of long sleeves. Cottom is good there.
I shop second hand stores for wool products! Paid 5$ for a new pendleton blanket & am always on the lookout for wool trousers. Unfotunately you find more women's trousers than mens. If you get them a couple sizes big you can wear cotton under them for comfort.
Wool socks are a must almost year round, forget cotton socks they hold water and become a biological experiment in the summer. I have worn wool even in the hottest summer here in the desert.
I would not hesitate to use surplus military clothing. There are poly/wool blends for summer and heavier wool for the winter.
Also american military cold weather gear is the best in the world it can be layered and adjusted.
Wool is the king.
Another material that is expensive and has good thermal properties is silk. I know that sounds gay.
Silk long underwear is great though. Warm in winter, lightweight. you can find it at sporting good stores for skiers
Many synthetic fibers are absolutely irritating especially when wet, I would steer away from them.
Wool wool wool
buy the highest quality you can afford but buy half the clothes. Dries quick wears like steel warm in cold weather breathes in hot weather. 1 pair of marino pants is worth 4 pairs of cotton just nohot water and no drier for washing them.
I bought marino socks and want to wear them everyday they are worth every penny!!!!
Go to your local camping/outdoor/surplus store and ask. We have REI here in the PNW, and they are very knowledgeable, and I bet other outdoor-related people would give you the straight scoop.
A material which I've often heard mentioned favourably in this context is Cordura, which is a moniker for some particular type of nylon.
There are also polyurethane and other coatings for these materials that are offered, I've wondered a lot about this topic as well, good luck and report back here with answers:thumb:
Having lived in Florida almost all of my life I can tell you in hot dry weather cotton is fine except for socks. Sweaty socks give you blisters. I like the Thor-Lo's summer type blends down here for hiking, or the military issue boot socks.
For wet hot weather there's nothing worse than cotton. It just won't dry, your perspiration will mix with rain and you'll feel like a used mop.
I've found the Mil. BDU Ripstop Tropical material to be the best for hot wet weather. If it gets wet it dries. In civilian attire a material like those used in swimming trunks works best. Look for REI "fishing shirts" and "fishing pants" for this.
The only really cold weather I've been in was in the military and I found all the issue stuff very comfortable.
Go with the military surplus, it is just straight up better. Wear wool socks.
Nylon is good for breaking the wind, but that is all.
Most of these fabrics are made so as to save cost in manufacturing not for wearability, or duribility.
Stick to known good tech don't buy into new tech unless you have a known tech backup, when your life is on the line.
Synthetics when hiking.
Silk when in camp. Silk is fire resistant, retains insulation properties when wet, dries fairly fast, naturally wicking, is the strongest natural fabric, and is very comfortable. It's everything synthetics try to be, but dries a little slower. Tommy Bahama makes 100% silk slacks that make great hiking pants if you get them in the right cut. I usually wear synthetics while I'm actually hiking because they dry faster, but I wont go near a fire with them. If I had to choose one pair of pants they would be silk. It's an amazing material if you look into it a little.
Nothing is worse than sweaty synthetic fiber.
This is like any type of activity that is long in duration, and high in activity. What is minorly irritating after an hour becomes a bloody sore after a day.
You cannot think of this kind of clothing for comfort in the same light as clothes you wear for 10 hours a day. You might be in these clothes for more than 24 hours at a time. We are talking survival gear not camping gear.
Your typical sporting goods camping wear seems comfortable at first but it will either not last, or it will begin to do odd things after about 12 hours. If you have to be on the move for a long period of time a binding seam will be a bloody mess.
I recommend the military surplus not just because I was in the military but because it can be worn for long periods of time. It's tough, durable, good quality, and if properly fitted it will be comfortable for long periods.
It is made for this. Also if you notice the military uses lots and lots of wool.
I have been wearing Military BDUs in the summer and fall, I believe they are 60/40 polly cotton blend. Working during winter I prefer Carhart Bibs and during very cold weather I prefer insulated coveralls.
I wear polly pro sock until winter then switch to wool/nylon blend or even to pure wool.
Year round, I wear Polly Pro or Thermax as a wicking layer next to the skin.
You are right that the US military has moved away from wool uniforms following WW2. After using wool pants for a while, I changed to poly/cotton my self.
Even when hunting in the late fall and hunting at 9000 ft altitude I found that wool pants were too hot. Most years I am hunting at low temps of +20F to daytime highs of +60F.
For these temps I really like the carhart brand canvas work pants (camo of course).
During warmer conditions I wear Military BDUs.
I still have the last pair of wool bibs but I don't use them unless the temps go below zero F.
I grew up working on a farm and for durability I found that you cant beat Military BDUs or Work pants or coveralls.
Sooo, if I got some lightweight pure wool pants, with a tight weave, and sewed canvas/cordura patches on the knees, then I would/should have a good set of (as close as you can get) all weather/all purpose pants yes?
Sadly my sewing skills are not the best, but I know just the person I think I could con into sewing on some knee patches for me
So have I come up with a good conclusion? (assuming #1 priority = not catch on fire, #2 priority dont freeze me to death if they get wet and dry quickly, #3 priority dont cook me if its hot, #4 priority dont wear out too quickly..)
BDU's are cotton poly blend.
I still find many uniform pieces both US and non US that are wool blend for summer and heavy wool for winter at MI surplus.
Most department store clothes are single needle stitched. If you look at the construction of military clothing it is still double needle stitched.
check the symetry of the bias. Bias direction is important as when the clothing stretches and strinks if it is not in a good direction the clothing will pucker. All fibers grow and shrink, natural ones do so readily that is one thing that makes them comfortable. the other important item is the type of yarn the clothing was woven or knitted from.
The longest fibers go into making the best quality yarn.
I have seen the crap clothes that is sold at the department sporting good stores it will not last. It seems nice to the touch but that 'hand' also means the yarn is either tail end fibers or broken fibers, that is what makes it so fluffy feeling.
A good test to see the duribility of the yarn is the lint trap in your dryer. the lint is broken fibers from the yarn.
cheaply printed camoflage patterns are literally painted on with pigment paste. In order to make the clothing wearable they wash the fabric under high temp and pressure ( ablate it), then maybe even sand or knap the material, this breaks the fibers. quality prints are don't with reactive dyes on organic fibers, this only requires that the exhausted dye stuff be rinsed out.
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