Layering

[Abinadi]

I am layering my clothing for whatever I face. My clothes must be able to withstand harsh conditions and weather. I am putting in clothes that I can walk in sage brush or in brush and it won't matter, no rips or tears.
I have looked at alot of different ways of doing my clothing and I am back to the layer. Being cold I am solving now by changing what I wear in my layering.
I want to make a sheep hide vest with the fleece on the outside with polar fleece inside. Has anyone done this before?
What are you going to wear that will hold up in any condition we may be faced with?

Abinadi

[thermocouple]

Abinadi, I am in your camp on this one. Having looked at the alternatives, I am personally convinced that layering is the best choice for me and my family. Quality layers of well insulating material at each level of layer is what is important, from your base layer to your mid layers and finally your weather and wind proof outer shells. Also it seems as though the concept of animal skins is lost in the swirl of modern materials and manufacture.

This is not to suggest that those who believe that foam clothing is the choice for them are necessarily wrong. If you feel that foam is the direction for you and your family, I am not qualified to challenge that in general. But I have been layering clothing in icy conditions for many years with great success, clothing that sheds rain and wind, endures abrasive environments well, and tolerates close proximity to fire. Layering systems allow me to easily customize the level of warmth needed for a given activity, from no activity to rigorous labor. It really is what makes the mose sense to me. I've just never been sold on the whole foam clothing thing. But I do know that many people are, and there's nothing wrong with that thinking, there's no doubting that foam clothing is ridiculously well insulating.

If you are going to go the foam clothing route I hear CrazyKnitter is THE person to talk to.

[mirkwood]

I'm in the layering crowd as well. I use it at work all the time and it has been very effective.

[Abinadi]

The heater went down last night and so the gas was shut off to avoid a fire. I am layed in long handles, flannel and bibs. The wind is howling out there and its down right chilly. A heavy flannel shirt covers the whole works and works just right indoors...
I am a believer in trying it all out before hand so you know what works and what doesn't for you.
I have boots that are headed in for repair so they will be in tip top shape as well.
I was out at -30 putting in a horse that decided to tour the area back into his pasture. In crawling through the barb wire fence looking for him, I cut my leg... at those cold temps I could hardly feel it. I was glad to have jeans on as they did not rip. I was also glad to get back in front of the barrel stove as as he was back in where he belonged...watered with warm water and feed ... oh for the love of wood heat and a good pair of jeans.

Abinadi

[waif69]

I agree with the others, layering is the way to go for the most part for my family too. The only problem is that as I have put on some additional lbs (read: extra internal insulation), I can't layer as much as I used to without buying more & larger clothes.

[prevent_damage]

Layering is great. It is always good to have as much clothes as possible. It is easier to wear clothes then making space to pack them somewhere.

[jackmormon]

The flip side of this is to know how to get wet clothes dry under extreme conditions. For any who haven't read it, consider reading Jack London's "To build a fire".
http://www.jacklondons.net/buildafire.html

[Gingersnap]

Think wool, light weight. Merino doesn't itch and it feels warm when wet and doesn't develop odor like synthetics do.