Clothing for Preppers:
COLD WEATHER
Winterizing Toes and Fingers:Despite covering hands and feet during frigid weather, suffering from icy toes and fingers can still happen . . . What's a person to do?
- Make sure gloves and socks are thoroughly dry before wearing.
- Dry near a fire or use an electric boot/glove dryer.
- Place inside your sleeping bag. They'll be warm and dry from your body heat by morning.
- Wear Thick Soled Shoes and replace the inner sole with wool or acrylic felt/fleece for the most warmth.
- Wear Sock Liners (thin socks made of wicking material) underneath your insulating socks.
- Cover your shoes with a windproof material, such as neoprene. Plastic bags are an inexpensive and simple short-term option.
- Use Foot-Warming Inserts (chemical or battery-operated) insoles or socks.
- Avoid Tight-fitting shoes that will constrict blood flow; commonly caused by wearing extra thick socks or overtightening shoelaces.
- Wear mittens (instead of gloves) to trap body heat by keeping your fingers together and reducing evaporative heat loss.
- Use gloves with adjustable cuffs to keep out snow and cover and insulate the wrist. Adjust for a snug fit.
- A good compromise between Gloves and Mittens are 3-finger cycling (lobster-claw style) gloves.
- Use Hand-Warming Inserts in gloves or mittens.
- Keeping the Radial (wrist) pulse point covered and warm will help keep fingers warm.
WARM WEATHER
Clothing to Protect from Sun and InsectsInsect Protection: [Link 1] [Link 2]
SPECIAL TOPICS
Choosing the Correct BugOut ClothesClothing for Survival and BugOut Situations
Clothing Repair Kit (and What to Do if You Don't Sew)
The Survival Clothing Must-Haves: You Need These For Any Situation
SURVIVAL SANDALS/SHOES
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We live and die by our feet and, unless the bottoms of your feet are made of shoeleather, you'll need to know how to make foot protection in case something happens to your footwear. Check out these related links to learn how to make them in the wild:
[Article 1] [Article 2] [Article 3] [Video 1] [Video 2] |
SNOW SHOES
The concept of "snow shoes" is to make your footprint larger to disperse your body weight over a larger area so you don't sink into the snow. If you find yourself stranded in the wild and battling deep snow, an improvised set of snowshoes might be the thing that helps get you out alive using tree limbs, branches, vines and evergreen branches with needles. If available, household items (like PVC pipe, string, rope, cloth strips, electrical tape and Duct Tape) can be used to help make them.Essentially, there are 4 parts to snowshoes:
- Frame: Supple, springy branches about an inch in diameter and approximately seven feet long. Willow branches and young tree branches work best. Bend them into a rough snowshoe frame shape and bind the ends together to hold the frame in place. You can also use two branches, each about three feet long, to form your snowshoe frame by binding both ends.
- Cross-Supports: Use sturdy branches to act as cross pieces that will support your weight and help the snowshoe maintain its shape. Notch the ends so that they fit snugly against the shape of the frame.
- Webbing: Use string, rope, duct tape, electrical tape, or fabric torn into strips to weave a tight webbing between your frame. You may also be able to use small pieces of evergreen branches as the needles will help distribute your weight across the snow.
- Binding: Attach your foot to the snowshoe with any binding material available. Make an X-pattern over the toe of your boot and then wrap the binding around the back of the boot so that your heel can still raise up while walking while the snowshoe remains on the snow otherwise the front of the snowshoe will dig into the snow. The cut-end of the bough should be at the heel of your foot, not on the toe end.
Fresh fir (evergreen) boughs [with needles] can act as a quick showshoe base as-is and binding them directly to your boots. Boughs should be about three (3) feet long and placed upside down so the side that normally faces up on the tree is pressed into the snow.
Check out these related links to learn how to make them in the wild or at home: [Link 1] [Link 2]
Walking with snowshoes is known as striding. The basic technique is to keep your stride natural. It should be compatible with the snowshoer's step. However, keeping your legs a little wide apart will avoid kicking your shins or ankles. Other techniques should be learned for getting up if you fall and ascending or descending hills. [Video]
[Blog Link]
BOOT/SHOE STRETCHING WITH ICE
Tight boots or shoes can injure your feet (blisters, pain). Stretching them may make them more comfortable. This can be done by placing a plastic freezer bag of water (1/4 - 1/2 full) in each shoe/boot and placing them in the freezer. The water will expand as it freezes (4-8 hours) and stretch the boots/shoes. Before freezing, make sure the bags are completely sealed and as much air is removed as possible to prevent popping open. Repeat the process if additional space is needed.MAKE CLOTHING FROM COTTON, WOOL & ANIMAL SKINS
There are many detailed resources available in bookstores and on the web to learn these skills as well as the preliminary skills needed before making the clothes. Growing and preparing the cotton, raising and sheering sheep and preparing their wool and [hunting and] killing animals and preparing their hides are prerequisites. Additionally, making clothes from pre-made materials is an art unto itself but can be assisted with prepared patterns. These skills take lots of time and patience to achieve the final product but also produce a grand sense of accomplishment.Essential Clothing Making Skills, Techniques, and Tactics
Clothing for Preppers: Fibers, Sources, and Essential Skills
DYING CLOTHES
Many fruits and plants produce natural dyes. For examples, raspberry will make red, goldenrod will make deep brown, pokeberries (poisonous) make purple and bloodroot makes orange to reddish. Dyes made from berries can be soaked in a hot fixative (to make the color permanent) of salt water while most plants will require vinegar as a fixative. Learn how to make your own natural fabric dyes.Other Resources: [Article 2] [Colors List]
NEEDLE & THREAD
When clothing needs to be made or is torn or a serious open wound injury happens, both should be repaired (sewn or sutured [not recommended]) to prevent further damage. If a basic sewing kit is not available, alternatives may need to be made or acquired as listed below:Yucca Plant Needle & Thread
Sew with Sinew
Plant Needles from Acacia Trees, Honey Locust Trees, Hawthorn/May Tree and Other plants and bushes
[Video-Agave Needle/Thread] [Video-Dogbane Needle/Thread] [Video-Bone Needle & Sinew]
REPAIRS
Creative Hole MendingResources:
Laundry-Day Off-The-Grid
Clothes When You Are Living Off Grid
The Five R's of Fashion: Reduce, Rewear, Recycle, Repair, Resell
Advantages of Buying Your Clothes Secondhand