Bushcraft clothing.

[Zammo]

Do you wear any special clothing when practicing bushcraft? I have heard alot about ventile smocks and when I priced one up nearly died. Personally when I have been camping I normally wear something like green combat trousers a fleece and any old jacket. But as i'm thinking of going soon I wanted to buy a decent jacket so I don't freeze to death, but theres no way I'm going to pay the price of a ventile one. Plus I wouldn't mind a smock of some description but again I don't want to pay the earth.

Lastly what footwear do you use, currently i'm thinking of wearing an old pair of Hi-Tech magnums for my next trip, but I may have to upgrade these depending on the condition there in (currently at my fathers house, so havn't been able to check them).

 

[leon-b]

i wear army combat trousers and a fleece, if its cold i wear my m65 coat copy
leon

 

[dwardo]

i wear army combat trousers and a fleece, if its cold i wear my m65 coat copy
leon

Aye me too,

Only difference is i use a snugpack softie jacket. You can pick one up for about 40 quid and will keep you warm. The snug packs are usualy enough but a water proof layer is always a winner (cheapo one ex MOD is fine) I think like everything you can keep spending and spending. Main thing is warm, dry and preferably fire resistant or at least something that aint gonna go WOOOOSh and leave you in nothing but sewn seams

 

[michiel]

Fjallraven trousers becoause it's made of good fabric and has a lot of pockets. I also wear a fleece or a wool shirt. As for boots, I wear my Lowa boots wich are awesome.

Michiel

 

[Snufkin]

Hilltrek do a reasonable ventile smock (it's gone up £20 since I got mine). I've had mine going strong for well over year, possibly two, with no complaints.

 

[Thorfinn]

Now i like to wear a pair of insulated boots made by Straus Direct, I wear a pair of combat bottums from matalan, there cgeap and lightweight making them easy to dry. I wear a flannel shirt. If it comes to the time when the rain is battering of the ground i'll pull on a lumberjack style jacket. I't nice and comfy and i like the style. It's been waterproofed.
The reason i don't bring a waterproof is that i sweat buckets with them on. If it's really bad i'll were a poncho.

 

[Rebel]

I like to spend as little as possible on kit, BUT there has to be compromises made.

You have to look at the conditions you are likely to be out in. If you are going to be in any kind of extreme weather then the quality of your clothing is very important.

If you are just out in the normal bad English weather then its quite cheap and easy to stay warm and dry.

I'm not too fussed about what trousers I wear so long as they are comfortable and protect me. Jeans tend to stay wet if they get wet but they are great for protecting you against thorns, nettles and sparks from fires. Combat style pants are more comfortable, have better pockets and dry more quickly - most people prefer these. They can be bought at all prices but are cheapest from surplus stores and discount stores.

In good weather I wear any old jacket that I think is up to the job but I really like my waterproof jackets when its raining. In "normal" weather I'm not to fussed about wearing the "right" shirts or underwear either. If it's blowing a cold wind like to day you need a fabric that the wind can't blow through easily if you want to stay warm, a cold wind can chill you right through.

I wear any socks that are on special offer and look good to me. They do need to be comfortable and fit well so don't go too cheap or your feet will regret it.

When it comes to boots and shoes I get more fussy. You aren't going to get very far for very long if your feet hurt. Boots can be expensive but they don't have to be. There are lots of Army surplus stores selling them cheap and Sports World have been selling discounted Karrimor boots for a while now. Look out for bargains in sales and make sure they feel good on your feet.

I prefer boots that are designed for walking in mud because here in the UK that's what we get a lot of. Other kinds of boots might be for more specialist use like desert boots for example. Wearing good boots can make a lot of difference to your enjoyment.

 

[Klenchblaize]

I know exactly when my apparel is given of true bushcrafty status as SW(sometimes)MBO gives me that steely glare otherwise reserved for my favourite wind-up that is telling her an hour-long “Ray Mears programme is just starting”!!

I suppose garments in plain green are the preferred colour but notwithstanding the “keep it not too military and survival” argument, I’m a camo and then more camo man I’m afraid.

Cheers

 

[Dougster]

There's a new thread on deals of the Swanndri Ranger shirt. Look back in the kit chatter.

 

[dommyracer]

I was lucky last year, and got bought various bits of clothing for birthday and xmas - Had a Swanndri bought for me for birthday by my folks - it was a nice surprise, I was in 6 minds whether to get one as it seemed a little bit like copying Our Ray. I soon learnt the reason he uses them though, quality bit of kit.

I also got given an ulfrotte 200 top for xmas which is also the DB's, very glad I got that, may get the longjohns to go with it.

As for boots, I bought a pair of Karrimor KSB 300s with 40% off, happy with these as well, but am considering getting a pair of leather karrimors as well, the KSB Orkney seem to be around for cheap as well.

As for socks, I bought a pair of 1000 mile tactel socks but don't like them, the seams are in all the wrong places. Instead I now use a pair of thin bridgedale coolmax liner socks and some green wool ribbed socks that are very similar to british army issue.

 

[Squidders]

From the ground up during the winter:

Boots: Meindl Borneo Pro boots Love them! they have memory foam type stuff and took no breaking in at all.

Socks: Brasher 4x4 season - comfy and toasty.

undies: cotton boxers and t-shirt... i'm still alive so cotton can't kill and it's cheap too.

mid layer: cheapest of the cheap fleece... can't remember where it was from but I think it was about £10 - it now has some burn marks in it - ho hum, it was a tenner

jacket: Issue M65 jacket... I love this jacket so much, it's comfy, it's warm, it's hard wearing and it stinks of camp fire.

hat & gloves: lowe alpine beanie in grey and some rather fetching woolen gloves with deerskin palms.

For serious winter use (Like Finland in 3 weeks) I have completely changed my clothes for merino base layer, good fleece, sorel boots, mountain hardwear shell jacket, the north face salopettes, mountain hardwear gaitors and extremities overmitts... cost a fortune but it ain't like old blighty over there.

 

[SunDog]

I know it means digging deep but the BCUK Ventile jacket is a seriously good piece of clothing. Sort of thing you only have to buy once in a good few years. With a norwegian army shirt and lambswool jumper underneath it takes some beating this time of year. Leg / feet wise I normally go for olive 5.11 or bark Craghopper trousers, with a pair of Meindl Island Pro boots and maybe a pair of MOD gaiters. Goretex jacket and trousers as back-up.
Alternatively, as the saying goes, "skin is waterproof", which is a nice idea but you may get hypothermia, and / or arrested.

 

[dommyracer]

A yes, the good old norgie top, forgot about that. The old man donated one to me that he no longer needed, perfect for getting messy in the woods.

One thing I need to invest in is some lycra undies, I can never find cotton ones that fit well enough and if expending energy they can soak the sweat up a fair bit.

 

[floris]

Look at jathi jakt .com it s hunting clothing from Finland not expensive

 

[Thrym]

jacket: Issue M65 jacket... I love this jacket so much, it's comfy, it's warm, it's hard wearing and it stinks of camp fire.

Ive been looking for one of these or a similar jacket for ages. my local surplus has all these really nice jackets but they only ever seem to have them in Extra super large gigantic im 6ft and they still go down to like my lower thigh :/

 

[pibbleb]

I like my craghopper trousers, got a couple of pairs now. I also wear a Swanndri and variuos mid and base layers. I've got an old gortex coat I got given which does me proud! Someone on hear is selling a Norrona Recon Jacket which I'd love, but just can't afford

P

 

[Nathan Sturgess]

I just ordered a swannie ranger shirt, I havewanted one for ages and got the cash for it for my birthday. Can't wait for it to comes as it has had good reviews.

 

[JDilling]

It all depends what I decide to wear on a given day. It can include:

-Carhartt Arctic Jackets in the Winter
-US DOD Spec Piltrol (hypoalergenic) watch caps. Their supposed to be on par with the wool ones, but I generally don't wear wool.
-Wrangler Jeans, BDU pants, 5.11 pants,
-Brit Surplus DPM Vest in the Summer
-White Cotton Socks (I add neopremes when it's wet and cold)
-Often a Henly, or a sweatshirt.
-1.75 inch leather belt
-Brit surp DPM smock or M-65 in the fall or spring (chillier)
-BDU or Canadian Garrison type jacket in warm Spring/Autumn, or cool summer days
-One of my various pairs of hikers or boots

 

[addyb]

I'm almost fanatical about what I wear in the bush and as with all the above posts, my choice of clothing is dictated by the weather conditions and the season.

Basically....

In the summer, I go ahead and wear cotton. Medium weight cotton oxford in a drab colour and a pair of CF issue combat trousers. On my feet I tend to go for US Army Improved Jungle Boots and merino wool socks. I usually don't wear underwear in the bush. Crotch rot is definately not cool.

In the fall, I wear all synthetics. True, cotton may not kill you but I've seen what it does to people in bad conditions, and truthfully, I'd just rather not take that chance. My clothes for the fall will include any of the following:
- a synthetic baselayer of either HH Lifa Active polypropylene, or a slightly heavier Malden Mills polartec outfit.
-DuPont Coolmax liner socks
-Merino wool socks over top
-a pair of heavy duty nylon trekking pants
-a nylon trekking shirt. Both the pants and the shirt are from the Mountain Equipment Co-Op and are definately nothing to scoff at.
-On my feet are either a stout pair of leather boots, or if the conditions dictate, heavy duty Salomon mountaineering boots.

For wintertime, nothing much changes from the previous paragraph, except that if it's really very dry I prefer to wear my gabardine windproof trousers and my Ventile anorak which is slowly biodegrading into nothing.

The rest of my clothing's pretty self explanatory, I have a fleece jacket or a wooly pully sweather and the usual gore-tex jacket and trouser setup.

I think that's about it, really.

Adam

 

[Squidders]

Ive been looking for one of these or a similar jacket for ages. my local surplus has all these really nice jackets but they only ever seem to have them in Extra super large gigantic im 6ft and they still go down to like my lower thigh :/

They are a nightmare to get hold of (real ones) I went back to the surplus store where I got mine before to ask if he had a second I could buy (for when I wear mine to death) and he just smiled.

keep looking though, it's well worth spending the extra for a real one as they are much nicer.