Posted: 11/28/2009 1:28:15 PM EDT
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I just read a comment about the movie "The Road" and it made me think about the shoes and clothes for long term.
We seem to have comms, food, guns & ammo, spare parts; How about clothes ? Shoes/boots ? Gloves ? Hats ? Pants ? Shirts ? Anyone prepping for that too ? |
I have 6 or 7 set's of top-shelf pant's, jackets, shirts, underwear, and socks(10 pair). Four pair of gloves, and five pair of hiking boots. All brand-new, sealed up, and packed away. I actually added the fourth pair of gloves yesterday. I bought them from the REI store that was next door to the theatre after watching "The Road" 
Brands such as: Mountian Hardwear Kavu Cloudveil Marmot Smartwool Vasque Montrail Scarpa Lowa ExOfficio Royal Robbins Mountian Khakis The local OutDoor store has a "50% - 60% off everything in the store" sale twice a year. 
It took me 5 or 6 sales to accomplish this. |
| I have posted about this in the past, but no one seems to think clothes prep is "sexy" like more guns, knives, etc. I went with WWII wool shirts online for 10 bucks each. also, wool underwear and socks. I got rid of all my "polarfleece" crap as it is prone to catching me on fire. |
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Clothes prep is all part of the same package. I have four pairs of good boots. Bought them, oiled them, and then wore them for a couple of weeks to break them in a little. After the short break in period, repacked them and put them away. I have problem feet when it comes to proper shoe fit, so I tend to go a little overboard in this area.
For knock around shoes, I keep all my old work shoes. I work on my feet, and wear New Balance Cross Trainers, a good shoe. But even with their quality, about six months is all they are good for when it comes to twelve hour shifts on my feet. After six months I clean them and toss them in my old sneaker box. They still have plenty of life left in them (hell, they look almost new!), just not 12 hours on concrete kind of life. I will wear a pair to knock around the house or work in the yard. Can continue this after the SHTF, and reduce the need to wear out my good boots. I tend to pick up the New Balance Cross Trainers on sale. I can often find them for half price or less on sale, and then I pick up several pairs. The nice thing is that I do not have to wait for the SHTF, I use them now as well, as I am always generating "new" stock. Socks and underwear, no such thing as having too many. I tend to stick with natural fibers in this area. Load up on what I wear any time they are on sale at Wally World, K-Mart, Sears, or where ever. If the SHTF, will be doing a lot more walking and a lot less driving. Can count on going through these basics a lot quicker than I do now. You're right when you say it is not as sexy as guns and ammo, but serious preppers don't spend a lot of time worrying about "sexy". Nothing too sexy about canned food, water, or generators either, but they are all part of the serious preppers plans.
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I've been stocking up on extra socks, underwear, and footwear for myself and the hubby. I've also gotten clothes for my four year old daughter in her current size and the next two sizes off of Freecycle.
My MIL is insisting on buying everyone Christmas presents though the rest of the adults in the family have agreed on no presents except for the kids. So, I'm asking her for dual-use clothes, like wool sweaters, that I could wear for both work and SHTF. |
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I have pretty much all of my clothing preps taken care of as stated earlier in the thread.
One area I haven't completed, or even started, is base layer insulation. I've seen good sales on the under-armour brand base layers. Are these good quality and whatnot? What would you guys recommend? |
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I'm in fairly good shape.
I have a few extra pairs of boots. Duty, hunting (warm& cold weather), and work boots. I would like another pair or two of work boots though. I have 15 years of BDUs put away, and have been picking up more lately. I can buy tops for 7$ (British MOD). Buy a pair of jeans every other month. I have lots of jackets, and wool stuff. I should be set, but keep my eyes open for more. Good topic. M |
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Quoted:
I have pretty much all of my clothing preps taken care of as stated earlier in the thread. One area I haven't completed, or even started, is base layer insulation. I've seen good sales on the under-armour brand base layers. Are these good quality and whatnot? What would you guys recommend? UA is GTG, but expensive. I only buy it when it's on sale. IMO, Cabelas brand of underwear, in any weight, is a great value. Many of my friends prefer UA for the way it feels, and brand appeal. |
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Actually my latest is I just ordered a Cabellas 550 down Parka their top of the line. I wanted something a little better for extreme cold and use to have an old MIL down parka which I really liked. The new MILs are poly filled. They never run sales on these Parkas. I know now why, to get comparable they're 2 to 3 times more expensive, even then the Cabellas is $229 but I guess that beats $600. They do have their next model down on sale for $139 but its not as water proof.
In general, I'm older and have lived in seven states from one extreme climate to the other with more pairs of boots than SOME women have shoes. I'm not a clothes freak but do understand the importance of having the right clothes for the task so have acquired a lot of stuff over a life time. Where I use to lean very heavy to Military type systems, the last few years I have leaned more to modern technology in field gear trying my best do double field use with everyday or business use. My current cold weather system for example is a Cabellas EGV Gortex shell with I use with a variety of synthetic fleece inner shells. I''ve used that at -20 below (hooded fleece inner liner) with excellent results. The shell is light enough to use just as a light rain coat. Being a forest green, it's suitable for a business trip even. Anyway, that's the concept I'm going after now, suitable for field but nice enough for business. In fact, I now wear Merrels (have three pairs) even on business. Damn I just love this new laxed approach to business attire. Tj Story Time I travel the far northern states a lot for business, as if Mr. Murphy is my guide almost always in winter. One of my favorite pieces of winter business attire is a scarf which my traveling companions often make fun of. That came to an end one trip. It was a cold wintery sub-zero night, snowing like hell, and a wind that would cut through you like a knife. We were celebrating a birthday so parked and had made our way about 12 city blocks going from one night spot to another. Came time to go to our hotel, we had to walk the entire distance back without stopping. I wrapped my head in my scarf like an Arab in a sand storm. The guys laughed and made fun of me. It wasn't a block they were trying to take my scarf away.
Tj |
| Carhartt pants...they last a long long time. As far as foorwear goes, I have a pair of Nick's boots that I wear quite often (almost daily for the past couple of years) and will last for quite a while longer. Outerwear should be wool IMHO, it wears well, is warm, and insulates even when wet. Socks should also be wool or wool blend. The hat depends on the conditions outside. Another versatile piece of clothing is a neck scarf. Like a silk cowboy style scarf. You can wear it to keep your neck warm, soak it and put it on your head to help cool you off, use it as an impromptu tourniquet, to bundle things together, wrap hands or feet if need be. |
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I know my wife and I are set, my daughter is starting to max out her growing, so that helps (plus she can where some of my wife's clothes now). My son concerns me. Hell, he goes through shoes every few months (he's 10) and is starting his growing spurts. We always buy him clothes just a little larger so he'll grow into them, but we would be hard pressed to keep him in quality clothes after SHTF. I figure the Goodwill will be booming business after SHTF...we don't most of our old or out-grown clothes, so hopefully it would pay off. If not, another big recommendation is to get plugged into a local church. A congregation would be more apt to organize a "clothes exchange/swap" would be a very effective technique, especially for families with growing kids.
My wife does sew, so that's a good skill for patching and even making clothes. Wool is good, just don't forget about storage and avoiding the wool-eating bugs! I know people say "cotton kills" but good waxed and heavy duty cotton duct/canvas clothing will be some of the most long lasting. Boots and shoes are the most critical...you lose your feet, you lose your mobility. Getting well built boots that can be re-soled (find a local shoe-repair place) is important. I have plenty of old military boots (plus a ton of the new kind); most likely size 9.5 military boots will be some of my barter material  I'm hoping my son's feet measure out the same when he stops growing!
ROCK6 |
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Quoted: I know my wife and I are set, my daughter is starting to max out her growing, so that helps (plus she can where some of my wife's clothes now). My son concerns me. Hell, he goes through shoes every few months (he's 10) and is starting his growing spurts. We always buy him clothes just a little larger so he'll grow into them, but we would be hard pressed to keep him in quality clothes after SHTF. I figure the Goodwill will be booming business after SHTF...we don't most of our old or out-grown clothes, so hopefully it would pay off. If not, another big recommendation is to get plugged into a local church. A congregation would be more apt to organize a "clothes exchange/swap" would be a very effective technique, especially for families with growing kids. My wife does sew, so that's a good skill for patching and even making clothes. Wool is good, just don't forget about storage and avoiding the wool-eating bugs! I know people say "cotton kills" but good waxed and heavy duty cotton duct/canvas clothing will be some of the most long lasting. Boots and shoes are the most critical...you lose your feet, you lose your mobility. Getting well built boots that can be re-soled (find a local shoe-repair place) is important. I have plenty of old military boots (plus a ton of the new kind); most likely size 9.5 military boots will be some of my barter material I'm hoping my son's feet measure out the same when he stops growing!ROCK6 Wait, what? I've never heard this and I'm not sure what you mean by it. Could you or someone else please explain please? |
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I know my wife and I are set, my daughter is starting to max out her growing, so that helps (plus she can where some of my wife's clothes now). My son concerns me. Hell, he goes through shoes every few months (he's 10) and is starting his growing spurts. We always buy him clothes just a little larger so he'll grow into them, but we would be hard pressed to keep him in quality clothes after SHTF. I figure the Goodwill will be booming business after SHTF...we don't most of our old or out-grown clothes, so hopefully it would pay off. If not, another big recommendation is to get plugged into a local church. A congregation would be more apt to organize a "clothes exchange/swap" would be a very effective technique, especially for families with growing kids. My wife does sew, so that's a good skill for patching and even making clothes. Wool is good, just don't forget about storage and avoiding the wool-eating bugs! I know people say "cotton kills" but good waxed and heavy duty cotton duct/canvas clothing will be some of the most long lasting. Boots and shoes are the most critical...you lose your feet, you lose your mobility. Getting well built boots that can be re-soled (find a local shoe-repair place) is important. I have plenty of old military boots (plus a ton of the new kind); most likely size 9.5 military boots will be some of my barter material I'm hoping my son's feet measure out the same when he stops growing!
ROCK6 Wait, what? I've never heard this and I'm not sure what you mean by it. Could you or someone else please explain please? Cotton does dry quickly and when wet doesn't retain any heating properties. So if it is cold out when you are wearing cotton and get wet you will be unable to maintain your core temps and die. That is the gist of the phrase "Cotton Kills" Get yourself a good set of wool or synthetic clothes for being outdoors. RLTW |
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I have what I consider to be a lot of clothes and footwear but I am still upgrading some of it as it wears out.
Instead of buying cheap jeans that get wear spots quickly I have been looking for and trying out heavier cloth pants that will last a longer period of time. My next purchase will be some of the filson stuff and as long as it is similar to what they used to offer I am sure I will be happy with it. Being able to repair your clothes is important but I am working on extending the times between repairs. |
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I have a couple of pairs of boots. One thing I notice about my older boots are that I tend to wear down the outsides of the soles first, I'm guessing its because of the way I walk. I imagine that if I kept wearing the same pair of boots long enough the uneven sole wouldnt be good for my feet. Anyone else notice the same thing with their older boots, how do you fix that? Do you have to get your boots re-soled or do you just get a grinder and grind them down relatively even again. |
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I have a couple of pairs of boots. One thing I notice about my older boots are that I tend to wear down the outsides of the soles first, I'm guessing its because of the way I walk. I imagine that if I kept wearing the same pair of boots long enough the uneven sole wouldnt be good for my feet. Anyone else notice the same thing with their older boots, how do you fix that? Do you have to get your boots re-soled or do you just get a grinder and grind them down relatively even again. what kind of boots are they? |
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Quoted: Quoted: I have a couple of pairs of boots. One thing I notice about my older boots are that I tend to wear down the outsides of the soles first, I'm guessing its because of the way I walk. I imagine that if I kept wearing the same pair of boots long enough the uneven sole wouldnt be good for my feet. Anyone else notice the same thing with their older boots, how do you fix that? Do you have to get your boots re-soled or do you just get a grinder and grind them down relatively even again. what kind of boots are they? I dont know the name of the name of the brand of my oldest pair of boots which has it the worst I had about 10 years, however I have a 4 year old pair of Matterhorns that are just barely staring to show similar wear pattern on the outside part of the heel. Although I suppose I probably shouldnt be complaining much about boots that have lasted me a decade, but hey after TEOTWAWKI we might want our items to last longer than that. |
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I have lots of clothes, bibs, parkas,jacksets,boots,waders,etc. buy them on clearance,yard sales, good will etc. Never have too many clothes or boots. Yup. I try to throw very little away. I do use old t-shirts, socks and underwear as rags. But only the stuff with holes in it. Otherwise I save things in Rubbermaid tubs. There will come a day when I'll need those tubs (or someone will). I've even got the wife more into that. She used to give all her old clothes away to Goodwill. But she's saving more and more now. I've got plenty of pairs of boots and shoes around too. And lots of winter wear. |
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For the person wearing out the boots you might want to spend a little money and get your self looked at, someone who can look at your boots and also watch how you walk and figure out a preper insole to fix your issue.
Foot doc would be my recomendation. When I was young I had issues with my feet and had to wear some heavy duty shoes with special inserts and as I grew the shoes and inserts took care of things to where I can wear about any boot I want to wear now and it wears evenly if I am walking evenly. If you are always stepping sideways your shoe wear could just be from your foot not coming down evenly. Anyway, getting this fixed now will let your shoes and boots last longer and it could prevent issues in the future. Part of why I buy quality boots and shoes these days is because I want to take care of my body but also want the stuff to last. I don't want to wind up having problems later on because I bought cheap junk. |
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I agree 100% Taft. Even for a 72 hour bag, clothes are important. The number 1 item being extra socks. Wet feet is just asking for trouble.
In cold weather climates having extra gloves and hats to switch out on long treks makes a big difference in comfort. If you stay wet too long you are risking hypothermia and possible cold bugs. |
| I have a "store" of clothes for future use. We have two EXCELLENT thrift stores in town, one Goodwill and the other is Disabled American Veterans. For years I have bought clothes there. Some stuff I buy for current use and some to store. The stuff that is stored is put in hard plastic totes stacked on shelves in the basement, carefully labeled. I have several years worth of hard use clothing stored there....boots, jeans, military cargo pants.....all bought for a few dollars here and there. Occasionally I will buy something from the Sportsmans Guide- wool sweaters etc......if the price is right and I like the piece.... |
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Wool why wool when there are so many better products on the market these days. Back in the late 80's when I started my career as a Forester I spent a lot of time in wool. Back then it was the best. Gortex and other materials were coming out but were largely untested and very expensive so I wore wool. Well let me tell you wool gets heavy when wet, takes time to dry, rips easy, is hotter then you know what if the day happens to turn out warm, weighs a ton, doesn't block the wind and takes up a ton of space. Gortex might not be all its cracked up to be but let me tell ya a good coat and pants made with modern day materials is way better then the old wool.
Ever been in soaked wool clothes then had to ride a snowmobile 20 miles back to the rig? ya thats fun. How about soaking a pair of wool gloves while working in them. Your hands are all fine a dandy until you take the gloves off and try to put them back on your hands. There is no way you are going to warm them back up. You guys want some of the best cold weather gear, you need to look at what Waterfowlers are using, yep that's right duck and goose hunters know what it takes to stay warm, dry and alive. Just don't kid yourself when its 0 degrees, the wind is blowing, its snowing and there is no warmth in site you want the best there is and wool isn't it. |
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About a year ago we started taking clothes that normally we would have given to charity and leaving them in place at our BOL....old T-shirts...old pairs of shoes.....sweatshirts...jackets and adding on a drawer full of hats/gloves etc that are easily found at yard sales etc. Having to leave out quickly may not leave time to pack alot of clothes........
This way we can prioritize time and space to spare fuel containers....weapons/ammo and food stuff and not worry so much with clothes |
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here's what I've been doing...when I see clothing on sale I pick it up for future needs
for example, off season Cabelas had a great sale on Smartwool socks so I picked some up, some went in the drawer, some got stashed away when L.L. Bean has off season sales my wife and I buy the kids coats, pants and shirts, we have what they need for their next 3 sizes and keep working on it I have plenty of serviceable clothes...I actually prefer Carrharts to 5.11 pants and I also have a ton of .mil clothing, the newst issue plus tons on BDUs, polypro, goretex, field jackets, etc I rotate my boots to minimize wear and tear and have 5 pairs broken in at any time and usually 1 new pair in the box we're working on the wife's wardrobe, focusing on practical items that will last You may pay more initially by buying brands like Patagonia, mountain Hardwear, etc but from my experience it pays in the long run, I have jackets that are 10-12 years old that are still serviceable House brands like REI and L.L. Bean are good too I also have a stockpile of washcloths, towels, linen, blankets etc...look for sales and buy before you need we have two primary sets of towels and linen that we rotate plus 1 extra set per person and bed packed away plus extras for guests, cleaning, whatever clothes and household items may not be as sexy as guns and knives but you're going to wear them out faster than firearms I'm going to try and start working on tools next, I want a more complete set for the house and one suitable set for each vehicle plus I've seen sales on common tools (hammers, screw drivers) that would make good barter or lending items water, food, fuel, firearms, ammo, clothing, first aid...you have to diversify because you're going to need it all |
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Cotton does dry quickly and when wet doesn't retain any heating properties. So if it is cold out when you are wearing cotton and get wet you will be unable to maintain your core temps and die. That is the gist of the phrase "Cotton Kills" Get yourself a good set of wool or synthetic clothes for being outdoors. RLTW Thanks for chiming in schwind. Yeah, in cold, wet weather, cotton isn't the best insulator. However, there are some very dense and/or oil/wax coated (usually the more dense duct material) cotton clothing that actually does pretty well at repelling water, sleet and wind...still not the best insulators but are good outer protective clothing. The biggest advantage is that cotton is very good for abrasion resistance. ROCK6 |
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Wool why wool when there are so many better products on the market these days. Back in the late 80's when I started my career as a Forester I spent a lot of time in wool. Back then it was the best. Gortex and other materials were coming out but were largely untested and very expensive so I wore wool. Well let me tell you wool gets heavy when wet, takes time to dry, rips easy, is hotter then you know what if the day happens to turn out warm, weighs a ton, doesn't block the wind and takes up a ton of space. Gortex might not be all its cracked up to be but let me tell ya a good coat and pants made with modern day materials is way better then the old wool. Ever been in soaked wool clothes then had to ride a snowmobile 20 miles back to the rig? ya thats fun. How about soaking a pair of wool gloves while working in them. Your hands are all fine a dandy until you take the gloves off and try to put them back on your hands. There is no way you are going to warm them back up. You guys want some of the best cold weather gear, you need to look at what Waterfowlers are using, yep that's right duck and goose hunters know what it takes to stay warm, dry and alive. Just don't kid yourself when its 0 degrees, the wind is blowing, its snowing and there is no warmth in site you want the best there is and wool isn't it. Old school wool sweaters, socks, etc..do kinda suck, but new wool blends (typically merino wool and polyester) are pretty damn impressive to say the least. My base layer is a merino/polyester blend and usually my socks are as well. Modern merino blends are NOTHING like regular wool...no itch, dries faster, softer, etc...Check out an EMS or REI sometime; everything is polyester or merino/polyester blend nowadays. Oh and as far as the topic, I'm a big proponent of "clothing prep" I posted on Thanksgiving about smartwool socks on sale and picked up a few more pairs myself.
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