What is the best outdoor cloth

Synthetics or wool. Smartwool is great if you can wear wool-- I can't. Many hikers love their products.

Most of my pants and botton-down shirts are Supplex nylon or similar. Insulation and base layers are all polyester of some type.

Cotton kills. Try a cotton tee shirt on a really hot day and see how it collects sweat. They try a polyester model-- the sweat will evaporate and cool you and it will be much lighter than the sticky wet cotton shirt. In cold conditions, it means hypothermia.

For non-perfomance times in the woods, I like a loose polyester or nylon shirt with lots of ventilation and long sleeves that I can roll up or down for bug or sun protection.

Ultralight hikers use really thin windshirts like the ones made by Montane. I have a hooded one that uses two kinds of nylon and weighs six ounces. There are models that weigh two or three ounces.

Putting together a clothing system was one of the toughest things to learn about ultra lighthiking. My three season hiking wardrobe looks like this:


Patagonia Capeline tee shirt, briefs, and socks
REI Sahara zip off pants
Montane Lightspeed windshirt
Moonstone polyfill vest
Mountain Hardwear Powerstretch long sleeve 1/2 zip shirt
Marmot Precip rain pants and jacket
Fleece beanie
Moutain Hardwear Tempest gloves
Tilley T5 hat
Capilene long johns and long sleeve tee for sleep and cooler weather. A fleece sweater can be added for cool weather insulation too.

For cold weather camp use I have an REI down sweater and some LL Bean Thinsulate pants. I couldn't hike with the down -- too hot and I sweat like a fire sprinkler.

BTW, wearing just long johns under rain pants is a great way to go. The cold fabric is off your skin, they wick moisture, and the layers aren't all bunched under your waist belt.

The trick is to have wicking breathable stuff when you are working hard and lightweight compressible insulation layers for when you stop and/or sleeping. Going up switchbacks in 40F weather with just a base layer and a windshirt works well, but some insulation needs to go on when I rest or camp. Hats and gloves can really warm things up too.
 
DaleW said:
Synthetics or wool. Smartwool is great if you can wear wool-- I can't. Many hikers love their products.

Most of my pants and botton-down shirts are Supplex nylon or similar. Insulation and base layers are all polyester of some type.

Cotton kills. Try a cotton tee shirt on a really hot day and see how it collects sweat. They try a polyester model-- the sweat will evaporate and cool you and it will be much lighter than the sticky wet cotton shirt. In cold conditions, it means hypothermia.

For non-perfomance times in the woods, I like a loose polyester or nylon shirt with lots of ventilation and long sleeves that I can roll up or down for bug or sun protection.

Ultralight hikers use really thin windshirts like the ones made by Montane. I have a hooded one that uses two kinds of nylon and weighs six ounces. There are models that weigh two or three ounces.

Putting together a clothing system was one of the toughest things to learn about ultra lighthiking. My three season hiking wardrobe looks like this:


Patagonia Capeline tee shirt, briefs, and socks
REI Sahara zip off pants
Montane Lightspeed windshirt
Moonstone polyfill vest
Mountain Hardwear Powerstretch long sleeve 1/2 zip shirt
Marmot Precip rain pants and jacket
Fleece beanie
Moutain Hardwear Tempest gloves
Tilley T5 hat
Capilene long johns and long sleeve tee for sleep and cooler weather. A fleece sweater can be added for cool weather insulation too.

For cold weather camp use I have an REI down sweater and some LL Bean Thinsulate pants. I couldn't hike with the down -- too hot and I sweat like a fire sprinkler.

BTW, wearing just long johns under rain pants is a great way to go. The cold fabric is off your skin, they wick moisture, and the layers aren't all bunched under your waist belt.

The trick is to have wicking breathable stuff when you are working hard and lightweight compressible insulation layers for when you stop and/or sleeping. Going up switchbacks in 40F weather with just a base layer and a windshirt works well, but some insulation needs to go on when I rest or camp. Hats and gloves can really warm things up too.
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Nice post Dale. I've got one of those little Lightspeed jackets too, stuffs to the size of a baseball, pretty sweet. How do you like that Moonstone vest? I've got their UL Cirrus jacket (12oz) that I like a lot.
 
Jutt said:
Nice post Dale. I've got one of those little Lightspeed jackets too, stuffs to the size of a baseball, pretty sweet. How do you like that Moonstone vest? I've got their UL Cirrus jacket (12oz) that I like a lot.
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The Moonstone vest works well. Moonstone is out of business now and I got a deal on it. I was looking at Patagonia Micro Puff vests and went with the Moonstone because it was a full zip and a lot less money. Patagonia came out with a full zip Micro Puff vest this year and I think it is a great way to go. Mont Bell is another maker that offers some good light and compressible insulation layers. Outdoor Research has some good clothing too. Primaloft and Polarguard Delta seem to be the leaders in synthetic fill.

BTW, watch the sizing on Mont Bell and Montane. On the Montane, I would go up one size for US sizing.
 
In most cases, I avoid cotton completely. There are certain occassions, though, where I opt for cotton. One such instance is summer hiking. I live in New Mexico, where the summer temps are in the 90'sF-105F. We have very low humidity and rain is not constant. In these conditions, I've no problems wearing a pair of cotton or poly/cotton blend cargo shorts and a cotton t-shirt.

That being said, I also make it a point to carry some non-cotton items, in the very likely event that a cold mountain storm should blow along. These items include:
-thin, long-sleeved synthetic or wool shirt (for a base layer)
-thin synthetic or wool long john bottoms (for a base layer)
-an extra pair of non-cotton socks
-a thin beanie
-some light type of gloves
-a Pendleton wool button-up shirt. It's thin, light, yet oh-so-warm. I snagged it at Dillard's end-of-winter sale a year ago for about $15 :thumbup:

In addition to these items, I carry a rain jacket and a pair of rain pants. The pants are nylon, waterproof, and cost $30 from the Walmart camping section. The jacket is currently a North Face Gore-tex parka. It's great for winter, but overkill for my usual conditions. I plan on getting something lighter for summer use.

As a cheap alternative to polyester athletic-use shirts, check out Wal-mart; they've got a couple different lines of decent fitting, short-sleeved polyester shirts. They'll give one an idea of what they like in a poly shirt for the modest investment of $8.
 
For serious outdoor activities synthetics are definitely the way to go, in particular for underwear and as a base layer. However, when i'm done with activities in the evenings I always change into some nice dry, comfy cotton shirts or tshirts and pants.
 
Cotton socks will blister you and feel like youve wrapped your toes in bacon when wet.

Go to a good old fashioned Army Navy surplus store and pick up some foriegn lightweight wool trousers, Germany used to make some good ones.

Another route to go for light weight wool pants is the goodwill stores, and look for wool dress pants, like for a suit.
 
and look for wool dress pants, like for a suit.
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Yeah, people think itchy, scratchy and hot when they think of wool. I blame that on very effective cotton advertising. Some summerweight wool fabric is as cool as any cotton and doesn't itch.
 
kgd said:
Personally, in the summer I go with synthetics a lot more. I simply find cotton bulky, very heavy when it gets wet and really slow to dry. That said, in the winter - cotton can be a great fabric for warmth and generally speaking it is a llittle more pleasant to wear for its softness to the skin.

I absolutely love the columbia UPF50 long-sleeve shirt:
http://www.columbia.com/Product.aspx?top=1&p=4365&cat=15050&viewAll=False
I own six of them. They are extremely light weight, can be rolled and packed to a really small size and keep the UV-rays of my skin (I'm pretty sensitive to the sun). They dry really quick. They have pockets in the front perfect for your Cigar and SAK. Finally they look pretty good, even when you bomb into town.

Second most important item is a really good waterproof hat. My best technical hat is a Tilly hat, one of the high-tech nylon ones. It has this great strapping system (around the back of your head and your chin) where it cannot blow off your head no matter what. It keeps you cool in the sun and dry in the rain. Like the shirts it folds down to nothing when not in use. It has a piece of foam incorporated in the top that makes it float when dropped in the water. It also has a little tiny pocket on the inside of the hat which is great for storing a $20 bill, matches and a bit of firestarter. Finally it is has a lifetime guarantee which includes insurance against lost. Worth the $60 US in my books! Its only problem is that it makes me look like a bit of a geek when I'm in town (okay - maybe its not just the hat). My walk'n around town hat is of waxed cotton made by Outback - looks great, is waterproof but is heavy, gets hot in the sun and can't be folded or crushed out of shape.

For pants, I personally think blue-jeans are the worst thing on earth. When they get wet, they get heavy as hell and they stay wet until you get home and put them in the dryer. Oh sure, you can try to dry them by the fire along with those running shoes. We all know how well that works! I far prefer the synthetic nylons for hiking which have come a long way in terms of softness, fit and styling. I like to pack at least one pair of heavier pants, synthetic or cotton, and a few pairs of the light nylon ones with at least one having the zip-off legs. I prefer cargo-type pants with different pocket options. One thing that is often a problem with synthetic pants is for some reason they often make the belt loops pretty small. Make sure you look at the belt loops before you buy to ensure it will fit your belt and sheath. Also, you should try on any synthetic pants/shorts before buying. As far as I can tell, the size on the tag means almost nothing and nylon won't stretch or change shape like cotton.

Raingear - I've made the switch to goretex jacket and pants to serve both as raingear and for warmth. I've even now invested in two sets of goretex. A smaller packable, non-gortex knockoff, for the summer and a heavier gortex jacket/pants for spring/fall/winter.

I agree with the posting above that good socks are really worth while. I like Marino wool, sometimes referred to as smart-wool (or maybe the later is a brand). Don't both bringing the white tube socks on a camping trip.
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Very good advice! People say cotton breaths, and it does ... until it gets wet!

Synthetics are the way to go for most outdoor clothes in the summer. Try DuoFold shirts and synthetic zip-off pants. Columbia and Woolrich also have nice lines of synthetic shirts that dry quickly, breath well, and won't break the bank.

For socks, I would recommend Merino wool year-round. In the summer, I simply wear thinner Merino wool socks. I do have a pair or two of syntetic socks - I don't remember who makes them, but they're pretty good (and cheaper than wool).

For winter, I would still advise synthetics for pants, unless it's cold enough that you need something heavy like Carharts or Arbor Wear. Wool shirts or synthetic chamois shirts are great for winter.
 
I wear cotton shirts with thick loose weaver when I fishing since hooks gets caught in the weave and doesn't catch on to your skin. I also wear quick drying synthetics if I'm doing a lot of walking in the heat. Or a cotton poly blend/ UV. To tell you the truth, I don't think it matters too much in the summer since you can just take your clothes off to dry or what not.

Sub zero weather you don't have to the same luxury.
 
Hemp... It was used for thousands of years and worked great... Well until Ashlinger (I think thats spelled right) teamed up with Dupont and got it banned in the US...
 
Think, if it'll keep out the cold, it'll keep out the heat. Go w/ wool long johns (Stanfield blacks), then get Filson tinpants if you can afford it. For a shirt, get a Key logging shirt (hickory).
 
I have a synthetic storm coat, which has a wool lining and wool coats that have a synthetic liner, so synthetics do have their place, but my experience says that wool and silk is the way to go, for anything from freezing lows, to oppressive heat.
 
Hot humid weather thin synthetics win no question. Anyone who thinks otherwise is not versed in the new thin wicking fabrics.

Cotton sucks pretty much in any mix less than 50/50. Even at that go with synthetics.

Skam
 
On trail crews, I'll live in a pair of cotton-duck carhartts for up to 30-days straight. I pair this with light cotton button-down shirts. My raingear is heavy PVC. This combo has weathered thunderstorms in Northern Minnesota, 100% humidity in the Smokies, blackflies in New Hampshire, and alot in between. The things I like about cotton are its durability, next to skin comfort, ease of care and washing, and lack of stink. The PVC is heavy as sin, but never wets out. I keep a set of synthetic warm clothes in the tent in case things get wet and cold at the same time, but cotton is the goto clothing for daily wear.

That said, for backpacking my stuff is all wool or synthetic.
 
:thumbup: Wool....hands down. I like alot of the newer "high-tech" BS, "micro-blah-blah", but when it comes down to keeping your ass alive, it's wool. Granted, not as comfortable, but sometimes, like in a survival-type situation, you just have to "Cowboy the (you-know-what) Up".
 
skammer said:
Hot humid weather thin synthetics win no question. Anyone who thinks otherwise is not versed in the new thin wicking fabrics.

Cotton sucks pretty much in any mix less than 50/50. Even at that go with synthetics.

Skam
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double tin=water proof, hickory soaked in alum=waterproof both breath & neither stink, wool hot/cold wet/dry no difference the only place water soaks in is at the suspender straps but mine are 1.5" leather so that may be why.
 
jpvjr said:
double tin=water proof, hickory soaked in alum=waterproof both breath & neither stink, wool hot/cold wet/dry no difference the only place water soaks in is at the suspender straps but mine are 1.5" leather so that may be why.
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Wool is my grandfathers material. I have evolved and so has he.

Cotton dipped in oiled wax does not breath, I own tin cloth.

Wool is heavy when wet, hard to dry and stinks.

I do like wool I wear it every day but its not for hot humid conditions. Winter its more usefull and Merino wool is great material in the right temps.

There are better options than one stop Filson shopping. Problem is many people get the wrong synthetic material for their needs. Nothing beats my paper thin airy synthetics when I am sweating buckets. ITs like I have no shirt on and stay much cooler than any other option I have tried. Dozens on my SAR team agree.

Skam
 
skammer said:
Wool is heavy when wet, hard to dry and stinks.

I do like wool I wear it every day but its not for hot humid conditions. Winter its more usefull and Merino wool is great material in the right temps.

Skam
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I use a thin, summer-weight Icebreaker Merino wool top (evolved wool clothing:) year-round. They're just as thin as my polyester based North Face, Patagucci, etc. sythetics (which are great too) but doesn't get stinky. Seems to breathe better too.

http://www.backcountry.com/store/ICE0015/c11/s100000036/Icebreaker-Skin-Oasis-Crew-Mens.html
 
I wear this:

2pc-tutu-and-top-with-heart.JPG
 
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