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There you are, out in the bush with nothing between you and the elements (either 40C or howling sleet) except for your clothing. To be sure, one can go walking in an outfit direct from Vinnies, but sometimes a little more care is required. If you are staying on tracks you can get away with most things (laws of decency permitting), but off track you will find that weaker materials tend to disappear off your body with alarming speed. One day the weather will be not what you wanted, and you will find that some materials get wetter and colder than others. Even clothing has become "high tech" in the outdoors world.
A great way to spend a lot of money is to wander through some of the outdoors shops looking at the huge range of high tech clothing available for all situations. Very dangerous to the wallet - but not a bad place for presents. Needless to say, you can buy far more than you can carry. Sadly, we have to add that most of it is really designed for the street fashion market rather than the bush, which figures. Watch out for the items with lots of frills.
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You will see reference to "shell-wear" or the "layer principle" for clothing in most vendors' catalogues. This means you make different layers of clothing serve different purposes. In hot weather you may have only one layer: it has to block the sun and allow enough air circulation that you don't sweat too much. Loose clothing seems popular for this, although some wear shorts and a T-shirt. Since there is little risk apart from sunburn, it doesn't matter too much. Hum: skin cancer, thorn scrub and Wollemi holly alter things a bit.
But in the cold it does matter, and here the layers count. The base layer is for warmth and sweat removal. You could wear a layer of neoprene or bubble-wrap for warmth, but you wouldn't enjoy it. Be warned: there is a lot of marketing spin about how brand X wicks the moisture away from your skin; but such gear is never perfect. The next layer is for warmth. It is assumed it will breathe, or let water vapour through. You would rarely wear this middle layer bushwalking, although there have been times while ski-touring when it has been essential. This layer can be assessed by its thickness (and its weight). The outer layer is to block wind and external water. Generally, more than three layers is counter-productive. This is all explained much better in the coloured catalogues from some of our vendors. Read the catalogues, but hang on to your wallets.
A recent introduction is the concept of 'Soft Shell'. This is an outer layer which is not waterproof, just highly windproof and fairly water-repellent. The idea is that under mildly wet conditions the fabric might (or might not) get damp, but your internal warmth will keep the fabric warm and drive out any moisture. Obviously this is not going to work in a tropical rainstorm, but it does work under many other conditions. 'Epic' is a range of fairly new silicone-impregnated fabrics made by Nextec, and while very water-repellent they are not waterproof. A soft shell made of Epic breathes far better than GoreTex (say), but keeps you dry and warm even under quite poor conditions. Well, that's what Nextec claims. I made a very light jacket from some light synthetic Epic fabric which I now use in the snow, even in bad weather. Provided I have enough of a warmth layer under it, the idea works fine. Very light and soft stuff too. (They also make a cotton version of EPIC which I found to be completely useless.)
You will find several schools of thought as to what Softshell means. Nextec with their Epic fabric have one version: effectively a fabric with a super-DWR. But many vendors these days believe a 'softshell' has to be a stretch fabric such as those made by Schoeller. The problem here is that the Schoeller fabrics, while good, are extremely expensive. And no-one has explained just why the fabric has to stretch to be a 'softshell' fabric - I sure don't know. Finally, once the term 'softshell' started to catch the public attention, all the manufacturers (or their marketing departments) jumped on the bandwagon and started shipping what they called 'softshell' jackets instead of the 'fully-waterproof while barely-marginally-breathable' jackets we would call conventional waterproof parkas. Today the term seems to have lost most of its meaning. Despite that, the original softshell concept has much going for it.
Cotton jeans may be very tough, but experienced walkers usually avoid them, especially in cold wet weather, because they absorb huge amounts of water, never dry out, can shrink badly around your legs, and can lead to hypothermia. Wool used to be "the thing", but wet wool takes ages to dry, smells badly, and wet knitted wool jumpers sag so far down your legs it isn't funny. As for the smell of wet wool socks... In fact, for extreme conditions most natural fibres are a poor choice today, and are seldom used. That doesn't mean a cotton T-shirt wouldn't be just fine for an easy day-walk along a track of course. You don't have to be equipped for the South pole all the time.
If you doubt this criticism of natural fibres, have a look at the materials used today for extreme sports. Attempts have been made to put Australian Merino Wool into athletic outfits, but it doesn't work. (The author knows people who have been in some of these trials. Forget it.) Even the leather in footwear is being replaced. The reason is modern synthetics have been engineered to provide far better performance for each application. By way of example, each of the large synthetics manufacturers spends more on R&D in a year than the entire Australian wool industry. The only real exception to this is premium goose/duck down, and even it only holds out in dry cold. Once water comes into the picture the really good synthetics close up much of the gap - almost.
However, late 2004 saw some new versions of wool clothing made by Iceberg and Ibex and others. They claim that many of the previous problems have been solved. This is interesting for two reasons. The first is that the Australian wool industry has spent millions of dollars trying to find a modern market for their wool and failed. The best they could come up with was the idea of 'wool jeans' and getting every Chinese person to buy one pair of Australian wool socks. Iceberg is a New Zealand firm, while Ibex is (I think) American. The second is that the author does not know how they have overcome some fairly fundamental and intrinsic limitations to wool. (Note: the author spent 27 years associated with CSIRO Wool Research.) Frankly, I don't think they have solved any of the expected problems except perhaps for the proverbial 'prickle factor' when wool is worn next to the skin. On the other hand, you have to admire the marketing spin, and the gullibility oif some of the American public for the 'next big thing'. Reports are that the clothing feels nice, does not collect as much smell as some of the cheaper synthetics, but is quite weak, especially when wet. One person accidentally poked his finger through a wool thermal top.
We will go from the ground upwards with clothing - footwear will come later. Again, these comments are for when you want to play fairly hard: casual day walks in easy country are another matter.
You wouldn't think one could get all that excited about socks, but some people do. A few die-hard fanatics have been known to wear Dunlop Volleys with bare feet, but most people like a thick sock. Some even wear a very thin synthetic liner sock under a thick sock: the layer principle applies even here.
There are a variety of thick socks available for walking. We will mention the following as being good to excellent, based on the author's personal experience.
There are other brands of socks on the market which I haven't tried, and doubtless many people have their own favourite brand. However, it is worth inspecting the inside of the sock before you buy. A good fine loop-pile construction is strongly recommended for best cushioning. Equally, once this loop-pile starts to look feeble (or dirty and matted), don't expect the sock to be nearly as comfortable.
There is also a small range of thin liner socks available. Some are thinner than others. The Gobi Wigwam liners socks work very well and last a long time. However, any tough thin nylon sock would probably do. The intention here is to transfer any movement or rubbing away from your skin to between the the liner sock and the thick outer sock. This can help stop you from getting raw spots or blisters - maybe, assuming the shoes fit. However, many people find the pile layer on the inside of thick socks to be adequate, and don't use a liner sock (my wife doesn't).
Note that wool socks, while very fashionable in Australia, do seem to smell rather badly when wet, and most socks get pretty sweaty by the end of the day. That's not to say anyone else's socks remain non-smelly of course. Curiously, sometimes synthetic socks smell worse while on your feet. In addition, we find that wool socks can felt up, especially if washed regularly. Provided the shape still matches your feet, that may not matter too much, but it does reduce the cushioning. On the other hand, there is some reason to believe that socks containing a wool blend retain their thickness longer. There are some very thick Thorlo trekking socks containg wool which seem pretty good for skiing. Some people like them, some don't. Ymmv.
One word of warning should be made about old socks. Most modern thick socks have a core filament of strong synthetic in the construction. It is possible to wear through most of a sock such that all that is left in one place is this light mesh, while around the "hole" the sock is still thick. It is tempting to say that most of the sock is "still OK". Well, don't! A sock worn out like this can give you blisters quite quickly as the thick edge around the "hole" digs into your skin. You probably won't believe this until it has happened to you, but at least you were warned.
Washing socks is usually considered very desirable, but there are some tricks of the trade here. Socks with an internal loop-pile wash best washed both right way out and inside out: the latter helps get the dirt out of the pile layer. Dry them inside out: having the pile on the outside lets them fluff back up best. And for really soft fluffy socks, add a little fabric conditioner to the washing or rinsing water. It really does seem to work well with these socks. However, even a scrub and a rinse each day in the creek (no soap) while walking will help a lot with comfort. That's why some walkers have all this wet clothing hung across the back of their packs.
Most walkers wear gaiters in our bush for two reasons: for protection against sticks and stones and gravel and mud getting into one's socks, and for protection against snakes. It is fair to say the latter reason is vastly over-exaggerated, but the former is a good idea. Such gaiters are usually knee-high and made of tough canvas and Cordura: they get a fair old bashing. A hook at the front of the gaiter to attach to the shoe laces is useful but not essential. With lighter footwear it seldom works very well anyhow. A strap under the gaiters is usually provided, but is unnecessary and wears out pretty quickly in the NSW sandstone areas anyhow. Incidentally, neither gaiters nor socks will keep your feet clean if you are wearing very light footwear: the dust seems to get in somehow, through the fabric. A quick wash in a creek fixes that each evening - and feels pretty good too.
In snow country gaiters are essential to keep snow out of your boots. Here you find that the strap under the boot is absolutely essential: without it the snow pushes the gaiters up and wedges under the gaiter and gets into the boot. This is a horrible experience. You can wear conventional canvas gaiters in the snow, but they get wet and freeze solid overnight. The Gore-Tex gaiters are generally regarded as much superior for the snow, even if quite dear. But the Gore-Tex material is much weaker than canvas, so don't ever wear your very expensive Gore-Tex gaiters in the bush.
If you go river walking you will find that a tight pair of short gaiters can be very useful in keeping the sand and gravel out of your footwear. You would be surprised just how much sand can get in beside your feet - and how heavy they will get. Worse still, with all that sand inside, there is not enough room for your feet and blisters and bruising start happening. Full gaiters are not needed here, and can be a problem as well. The sand gets into the large press-studs most gaiter have and jams them. You may rip the press-stud out before it lets go. Short gaiters, no more than 150mm high, made of medium-weight nylon and having elastic around the top and bottom (and some bungee cord under the foot) work very well: they are called 'stop-touts' (stop everything) in France. I have seen cotton or canvas ones being worn on building sites, but not synthetic ones. You may have to make synthetic ones yourself as they don't seem to be sold here.
Gaiters have one other use, once you reach camp. They are excellent for sitting on: the inner surface is usually cleaner and drier than the outer surface. One to sit on, and one to put your food bags on while preparing dinner.
Some wear shorts; some wear long trousers. It doesn't seem to matter whether it is the Northern Territory or South West Tasmania: arguments can be made for either. However, people rarely get very excited about this subject. Just make sure the material is tough, or you might find yourself setting off with longs and returning with shorts - it happens. There is an old story of one walker who had to wear his flannelette pyjamas on his return from a trip in SW Tassie. And there was the girl we saw go into alpine scrub near Cascade Hut in the Snowies in cotton longs: when we saw her the next day all she had left were frayed short shorts. She joined us in laughing about it. We had warned her about that scrub, but she had ignored our warnings.
One place where heavy longs are useful is in rough or prickly scrub. You will soon work that one out for yourself. You get into the lawyer and raspberry vine stuff (or Wollemi holly scrub) in shorts at your peril.
A warning should be made here about jeans. They look very tough, and may be suitable in dry weather - although they can be rather hot. But once they get wet they can be deadly. Some shrink on you so you can't bend your knees very easily; others just give you hypothermia. Wet ones can chafe the inside of your thighs something awful. One lad died on the Eastern Arthurs from hypothermia a long time ago.
Some of the best material for long trousers is the textured nylon or micro-fibre nylon fabric found in the track pants available in Sports stores. The material is tough, windblocking, somewhat water-repellent (but it breathes in hot weather), dries very quickly, and long lasting. Don't buy the versions which have a cotton lining: that stays wet too long, gets too hot, and is too heavy. Or, if that is all you can find, neatly remove the lining. Macpac used to make some Rockovers which we found excellent, but the design has changed and the result is more of a fashion item now. Sad.
For colder weather, and especially wet weather, something a little heavier may be needed. Some people wear thermals, although this can be very warm. Other wear trousers made of various specialised stretch fabrics. They are very tough and fairly warm, but they also seem to be rather expensive. The author hasn't tried these, so can't comment much. Contributions?
If there is little debate about trousers, there is even less about shirts - at least when it is warm. If it gets very hot you might want to think about sunburn on the arms and neck though, especially at altitude. A T-shirt might not be the best idea if skin cancer concerns you, but that's your worry. It has to be admitted that when it is very hot a light cotton shirt does take the perspiration off your body. On the other hand, a tough synthetic shirt can be ideal for the more scrubby country, keeping the sticks and vines off you. Nothing keeps some of the real prickle scrub out, unfortunately.
In cooler weather and when it is windy you need something which sheds the wind. It helps if it is a bit loose and doesn't hold the water as well. In really cold weather one can move into the area of fleece shirts: Polartech 100 and all the other sorts. A quick tour through an outdoors shop will show you a vast and scrumptious range of such clothing.
A combination which works very well for us is a loose nylon windshirt like a peasant smock (Macpac used to make 'Windshirts' too, but no longer) with a thermal top under it if it gets really cold. The windshirt material, like the material described for trousers above, blocks the wind but lets you breath and get rid of sweat. The thermal top makes for an insulating layer: this is called "layering" in the catalogues. In practice, it has to be pretty cold or very windy before we need the thermal top.
An interesting development for cold climates is the introduction of certain silicone-impregnated fabrics by Nextec. A top made of this material would function like a 'Windshirt' but with better features: it breathes almost as well, it sheds quite heavy rain and it does not absorb any water. Caution: you must wear a layer under this fabric as sweat cancels the water-repelling features very quickly. You will hear more about these materials in the future.
These seem to be an American idea, although they are also available from UK companies. The basic idea is for a light jacket of light but tightly-woven fabric which will break the wind and maybe repel a bit of water. They are not meant to be waterproof, and they are meant to let some air through. The good ones of course weigh very little. They are a good idea for any alpine regions, but have less value in the harsh Australian bush, and no value in our summer! But the reasons are not so obvious.
I have a very nice Montane Lite-Speed, made from Pertex Microlight fabric, possibly with some DWR. It has a full-length front zip and a hood which folds up into the collar. Stuffing the hood into the collar makes the collar a bit thick - although on a cold day that might not be so bad. I also have some GoLite Wisps which are even lighter - an incredible 70 grams each! They are made of a 22 denier polyester taffeta with a DWR coating, and don't have a hood. The front zip is only 7 cm long: it's a 'pullover' design. It is a feature of all windshirts that you can do them up at the cuffs and the hem to keep the wind out of course.
If shirts and trousers are so variable and diverse, the range of good performance underwear for cold weather has shrunk mainly to the idea of "thermals". These make a (not too) close layer of insulation which is surprisingly warm. They are made with a knitted material using a couple of different synthetics, all with great claims as to warmth, and some with claims to be less "odour-retaining" than others. Polypropylene is common. There is some variation in material weight and quality: you get what you pay for. The ones from the bushwalking shops are significantly better than the department store ones. A couple of sets of thermals should be in every walker's wardrobe for cold weather. They really do work well.
Some people like to wear thermals and shorts when walking in the cooler months of the year - a bit like a Superman outfit. This is fine, but remember that it isn't going to work too well in bad scrub: the knit material can snag and large holes appear. On the other hand, we have been surprised how rugged some brands seem to be.
Many people put on some thermals when getting into their sleeping bag. This adds quite a few degrees of warmth at night, and is especially good at keeping those drafts off your shoulders. This is certainly a good idea at the end of a rainy day when you are all wet and cold and miserable. A change into some dry thermals seems to feel wonderful - as long as you have kept them dry during the day. If not - well, they do dry moderately quickly. Many's the time my wife has dumped her wet clothing in the tent vestibule, got into dry thermals and then into her sleeping bag, and then commanded "Dinner". One might add that if you are going to carry the weight of the thermals, you might as well wear them in bed and reduce the weight of your sleeping bag.
The idea of a "warmth layer" is part of the layering concept. Read some catalogues for the pretty pictures about this. For much of the year the warmth layer is not that critical, but when it gets cold it matters more than somewhat. For most situations the warmth layer is really only needed for the top half of the body. Apart from snow trips, your warmth layer should not need to be worn during the day: save it for camp when you really need it. Often your thermals will be enough of course, but when it's really cold the technical warmth layer enters.
There are two main forms of warmth layer: conventional wool jumpers and modern synthetic fleece jackets. Both work well when they are dry, but you can't guarantee you'll stay that way. There are few things which look more miserable than a wet wool jumper stretched down to your knees. And contrary to some claims, a wet wool jumper is not warm. Wool fibres do (theoretically) get a little warm as they absorb water, but that amount of energy is small and the effect does not last long. Then they are cold, wet and miserable - and stay that way for a long time. Most experienced walkers leave their wool jumpers at home.
Modern fleece jackets are made from synthetic fibres, often PET. They can get wet of course, but they do not hold water and dry quickly. If you have a soaking wet fleece jacket, give it a good squeeze and a shake and put it back on. It will dry on you quickly, and keep you a bit warm while doing so. It is all in the design of the fibres and the knit: they have been engineered for this purpose. The reference fleece material is probably Polartech 300 (or whatever it is called today), made by Malden Mills, and this is excellent. However, you will find many good variations of this material used by well-known companies (recycled PET bottles some claim), and other variations in cheaper fleece jackets in discount shops everywhere. The modern fashion trend to use outdoor wear for street fashion clothing has made these very popular. The cheaper materials used not to be quite as good - they used to pill and degrade more easily, but with time and volume production even the Asian versions have improved a lot, and they are cheaper. Along the way Malden Mills seems to have lost some control of the term "Polarfleece": it gets used by lots the manufacturers these days. You can even buy Polarfleece material in the fabric shops by the metre now.
Another form of warmth layer is a duvet or down jacket: a jacket which looks like a sleeping bag. These are extremely warm, just right for snow trips, but they are also expensive and fragile. If your down jacket gets wet, you have a big problem. Some designs have a shower-proof outer surface such as DriLoft. This helps, but the seams are not proofed, so don't rely on it. A cheaper substitute is a duvet using a synthetic fill material - a "padded jacket", Chinese-style. They are not cheap either, but can be very versatile. The synthetic filling comes under several brand names like Thinsulate and Polarguard. From experience we can say that this class of insulation material holds very little water and dries very quickly. Padded ski trousers using a synthetic core survive all sorts of horrible weather. We've had them soaking wet on the outside fabric, but the insulation has kept our legs warm and the padding layer has stayed dry as a result, and the outer surface has dried very quickly once the rain stopped.
If wearing the thermals you have carried around when in your sleeping bag is a good idea, what about wearing the warmth layer as well? Indeed, and on some very cold nights we have done just that, but it is less of a good idea. The warmth layer is more bulky and can be a bit restrictive, and this may make sleeping a bit less comfortable. However, given a choice between being cold and less than completely comfortable at night, I know which one I would choose!
This is an area where great individuality remains. There are three main functions for a hat, but after that we get creative. In hot weather, a hat is an essential sun (UV) shade and a sweat rag. This is one place where cotton, at least in the summer, can be a good thing. In thick scrub hats have been known to serve as battering rams (reinforced by the head inside of course). But in cold areas hats are essential to keep your head warm. Your body will pump hot blood to your head to keep it warm no matter how cold the rest of your body gets - even when your head doesn't feel cold. For more on this see the Sleeping Bag section.
Now, what you wear is up to you. Some go for army "giggle" hats, but these have very little brim and sun protection today. We added an extra bit to the brim of such a hat and got a fine shady tough hat. Some very fine ancient greasy felt hats (and even leather hats) have been seen along the track, while beanies also get a mention in the cold. On which subject, remember the snow country saying: if your feet are cold, put a hat on. Your body will keep your head warm while the rest of you freezes.
A thought worth remembering when choosing a hat is what other uses it might have apart from being a sun shade. I use mine as a cover or cosy for the cooking pot sometimes, when I want to keep the pot hot to allow a stew to simmer for a while. And when going through thick scrub, which we seem to do a lot of sometimes, my tough hat makes a fine protection for my head: the two together do seem to be used as a bulldozer. Well - the hat protects my head when going through scrub, anyhow.
Gloves fall into two applications: scrub and cold. A pair of good yellow "riggers" gloves are excellent value in thick scrub where there are lots of prickles and spikes. Treating the leather with SnoSeal regularly makes them last a long time, otherwise they gets hard and crack at the finger tips. Gloves for really cold weather are covered under Snow camping.
However, it may be worth while mentioning that our Alpine regions can have snow, and sleet, at any time of the year. If you are going walking in the Alps you should seriously consider taking some light synthetic 'liner' gloves and very light (almost) waterproof over-gloves. I made my own over-mitts using readily available "waterproof" nylon and a very rough mitt pattern, and they weigh only a few grams. I may not have dry hands with these, but the combination keeps the wind off, and it's the wind chill which really hurts. There is little misery quite like frozen wet hands on the Main Range.
These are featured in quite a few catalogues from mountaineering companies. They seem like a good idea, but the author pleads male ignorance here. Contributions (text, not bras) would be welcome.
© Roger Caffin 1/May/2002