Dressed for success

Originally published at Notes from the bunker…. You can comment here or there.

So whats the dress code going to be for TEOTWAWKI? Obviously, camo will become a bit more popular. But after that, what’s the best thing to wear? Glad you asked…….

For everyday wear whether its manning roadblocks, winching fallen trees off the road, dragging corpses out of houses, or sifting through rubble looking for edibles probably the article of clothing that will take the most abuse is your pants. Kneeling on broken concrete, crawling in the dirt, sliding on your ass down rooftops, sitting crates of supplies on your lap as you drive, etc, etc, nothing is going to take as much abuse as your pants (with the possible exception of your shoes. More on that later.)

Thus far, for sheer end-of-the-world durability I’ve been pleased with the Carhart work pants. Like every other preparation you make theres a tradeoff: money vs. utility. Im the first guy to stand up and say “Yes, I am a cheap bastard” but sometimes you gotta pay a little to get a lot. Jeans are excellent everyday pants but they don’t always have the pockets we need, the crotchroom we want for climbing over obstacles, or the durability of the rough-n-tumble ‘active lifestyle’ that will surely be the hallmark of whatever disaster you’re preparing for. Milsurp absolutely has its place, and the pants are usually everything we’re looking for but they have a distinctive military look to them and while theres a time and place for making a statement theres also a lot to be said for looking as unremarkable as possible.

I like the Carhart brand double-front work pants. They’re heavy, have an extra layer of material that runs from the waist to just below the knees, good sized pockets, and are cut generously for freedom of movement. The bad news is that, like a lot of other cool gear, they aren’t cheap. Around $45~ a pair. However, I wore mine 5 days a week for over a year working in a freight terminal and they performed exceptionally well. Hey, I wouldn’t recommend them if I didn’t believe in them. There are other, cheaper, brands of ‘work clothes’ out there…Dickeys, etc, etc. and they may be just as good in terms of quality but my only experience thus far has been with the Carhart product. In addition to their pants I can also recommend their heavy jackets/coats made of the same heavy fabric. Carhart is the standard wear for most of the loggers, timber cruisers and other woodticks here in western Montana so it isn’t just me thinking they’re good products.

For underwear, well it’s a personal pref. The tidy whities are a no-go..too restrictive which is going to lead to chafing and other issues in an active, possibly wet, physically exhausting environment. When youre wet and doing a bit of running, walking or even sitting for any period of time those things are gonna chafe. Boxerbriefs are something of an improvement and I think boxers are the first choice. Preferably in a dark color since who knows when we’re going to get to a real laundry facility. Boxers have the additional utility of being able to be worn as a somewhat socially acceptable outer garment if its 110 in the shade and the air conditioning is out.

T-shirts are a must for layering and for hot weather wear. I prefer dark neutral colors and a loose fit. I like the 100% cotton. Come the apocalypse wrinkles are one of the least of my worries.

Socks are a tough personal choice. Different footwear, in different environs, on different terrain, all call for a different sock. For general everyday wear a cotton/poly blend seems to work best. Winter calls for wool or wool blend. (or a combo of cotton sock and wool sock.)

A good long sleeved heavy workshirt is going to be handy. In cold weather you’ll probably strip down to it when you’re exerting yourself digging out your driveway or hauling supplies through the snow. I like button down shirts that have a few extra buttons sewn to the shirt bottom.

In the movie ‘Transporter 2’ Jason Stathams impeccably dressed character gets into a brawl in a garage and ruins his shirt and tie. After the fight he returns to his car, opens the trunk, and pulls out a small plastic bag containing an extra change of clothes identical to what he’s wearing. Horrible movie, good idea. If you’ve got a vacuum sealer you can put together a pair of pants, socks, t-shirt and top shirt into a package about the size of a football. If you add a belt roll it up inside the pants so the buckles edges wont puncture the plastic bag. During hunting season I usually carry a vacuumsealed extra shirt and socks in case I get wet and when you need them nothing feels as good as putting on clean dry clothes.

Clothing is most important in winter. Reasons are obvious. This is a situation where the military stuff is going to be as good or superior to most civilian clothing. The most important pieces of gear will be outerwear. Several surplus outfits sell insulated winter pants from various Nordic militaries. Price is usually between twenty and forty bucks and they’re designed for spending a lot of time in a lot of cold. Add a good heavy parka and liner, gloves, hat, maybe a face mask depending on the situation and you can spend all day out in the subzero and come through none the worse for wear. Lately Sportsmans Guide HQ catalog has had some excellent cold weather surplus gear and I’d suggest starting there.

Footwear is an immensely personal choice and no two people will make the same choices. Just think about your location, weather, terrain and budget. A year-round set of boots may be the best way to go but if you can swing it a summer pair and a winter pair may be best. Whatever you get, make sure they’re reasonably watertight, are well made, and take care of them. Throw away the laces that come with them and invest in a well made pair of boot laces. Paracord can work but there are better choices out there. Almost any hardcore backpacking store will have a selection. No leather laces – they stretch, break, and are a pain in the ass to unknot when wet (or dry, actually.)

At a minimum you should have one complete change of clothes packaged in a manner that keeps them clean and dry. By complete, I mean complete – as in “I just ran out of my burning house and Im naked and its twenty degrees out here”. Your package of clothing should be such that it would be suitable for cold weather, you can always wear just the undershirt or top shirt by itself if it’s a warm summer day. Don’t skimp. Its tempting to go through your closet and pull out the old work pants that have ‘only a few small holes’ in them, some mismatched gym socks and your “Im with stupid” t-shirt your brother in law gave you. Don’t do it. If things have gotten serious enough that your going into your emergency stash of clothes then its serious enough that you want the best items for the situation.

 

 

5 thoughts on “Dressed for success

  1. for boots i cant recommend redwing boots highly enough. they are expensive as hell (180$ 2 years ago)

    however redwing can make them fit any foot. they measure both feet for lenth and width and they can build up the sole however you need it for your foot. add to that the fact that the pair i bought i got 2 years ago and they are still going strong and they are the boots that i wear every single day. my foot has never gotten wet in them…. ever.

    i really want to get another pair or two but that is simply for back up the ones i’ve got now are still in perfect condition (except for some scratches) the soles still have perfect tread. and the laces are showing no signs of wear after 2 years and they are the laces that came with the boots.

    Redwing boots. Accept no substitutes

  2. one question, one observation

    question for mercom-
    Have you tried danners, and if so, would they be – since it seems Redwings are number one for you- a close second? reason I ask is because I have a few pair of Danners, but might give the Redwings a try.

    As far as the underwear issue is concerned, standard boxers seem to twist around my thigh whenever serious movement happens. Climbing, jumping, they just seem to become a tournequit at the worst possible time.

    Best I’ve found so far is the WalMart non-cotton boxer briefs (I forget the manufacturer); they are similar to the underarmor briefs, except they fit better and are way, way cheaper.

    Oh, oh, yeah, and smartwool socks. whatever the rip-off price is, it is worth it (and costco had a “merino” version of them on sale and I only bought one pair…never saw them again 🙁

    Seems there was an article awhile back about one of the first things the Katrina survivors asked for was clean underwear and socks. Seems reasonable to me.

  3. I like the ‘Footrest’ brand of boot and wear them everyday doing Electric Utility troubleshooting and maintenence, I have gotten so used to them I now wear them nearly 90% of the time, hunting, shooting, hiking, motorcycle riding, etc. They switched to made in China which pissed me off but I stick with these until I find something better. Danner does make good boots and I will probably switch to those when my current ones wear out. I wear Westco when I have to climb poles, $400 a pair but factory seconds can be had for half that.

    Carhartt jeans are too hot for Arizona summers but I have their jacket and insulated bibs for winter wear. Their ‘gold toe’ socks are the best ones made for about $7 a pair and worth every penny. Wrangler makes a good double front pant that is about $38/pr and cooler than the Carhartts, not as rugged, but cooler. My work truck has a full set of everything so I’m set but now the good Commander has me thinking about doing the same for my other vehicles. Good post, thanks.

  4. Re: one question, one observation

    ALot of the Danners are now made in China. Some of their models are made in the US but unfortunately not the particular ones I want.

  5. Re: one question, one observation

    Yep, like about everything.
    I auppose in a year or two there will be a two-tier offering of just about every type of consumer goods, affordable Chines made stuff of dubious quality (and in the case of foods, potentially harmful), and an expensive level of quality gear.

    But, yeah, I get the Danners made in USA and go out to eat a little less.

    BTW what model Danners are you liking that are not made in the States?

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