53
votes
Why don't climbers use electrically heated suits?
Edit: It turns out battery-powered heating in clothing actually is used on Mt. Everest: Hotronic makes battery-powered heated insoles that are used by Everest climbers, for example. Battery powered ...
- 599
39
votes
Why don't climbers use electrically heated suits?
Firstly there's the weight issue - as Paparazzi commented, batteries are heavy!
Then there's temperature - battery performance drops considerably in the cold
And finally reliability - if your ...
- 25.1k
19
votes
Can one acclimatize to cold -- and remain healthy -- by enduring some chilliness at the beginning of the cold season?
There is some merit to acclimatisation, but you have to be careful if you're out in the cold for prolonged periods. It's also unclear to what extent you acclimatise in terms of just comfort, and in ...
- 26.7k
16
votes
Accepted
What to wear to walk to showers: clothes or towel?
I wear my swimming trunks to the shower. My wife wears a pull over sun dress (light weight, thigh length). We wear our shower shoes, we carry our towels and shower supplies. We usually just take ...
- 30.4k
16
votes
Do I need a hard shell to ski in sunny weather conditions?
As a beginning skier you will probably be falling down a lot. This means that you are likely to end up covered in snow even if the weather is nice. If you are wearing a soft shell, the snow melting ...
- 3,032
16
votes
Accepted
What are Filson hats?
Filson (C.C. Filson Co.) is a company that sells many types of outdoor hats.
The particular style of hat you pictured in your question goes by several different names.
Here in Canada it is ...
- 9,609
16
votes
Under what conditions are light coloured long sleeve shirt and long pants cooler than bare skin?
British people (perhaps among others) are known for removing as many clothes as practical or possible when it is hot. But in many hot countries, they don't do that: they wear more clothes, perhaps ...
- 4,785
15
votes
Is a full waterproof coat more important than waterproof trousers for hiking?
I can totally see your point of view as your coming from forestry or generally working outdoors, but this is fairly straight forward from a hiking point of view:
Hiking is walking, meaning work for ...
- 21.8k
14
votes
Accepted
What are the differences between alpaca wool and merino wool?
Alpaca wool is both lighter and warmer than sheep wool due to it being hollow. It also may be softer, depending on the specific herd of animals. This is a nice rundown of different types of wool.
...
- 711
12
votes
What are the differences between alpaca wool and merino wool?
The main difference between alpaca and merino (or any other) wool is the fur itself. Alpaca is not technically wool, as it has a different construction. It's fiber, which is more like hair. Because ...
11
votes
Accepted
How dangerous is swimming fully dressed in cotton/denim clothes?
Cotton kills - but only when not in water. Whilst in water, cotton will not have any thermal effect. However, the material itself can easily wear you down through drag. You might be able to swim ...
- 2,343
11
votes
Accepted
How to keep socks from wicking rain off pants into boots
GoreTex Gaiters are what I've always worn, and I've never had a problem with wet socks before. The GoreTex is nice and light, and breathes so you don't overheat or get very clammy underneath. You can ...
- 53.7k
10
votes
How do I disinfect my wool hiking socks?
(Late answer here.)
A scholarly report discusses fungus and laundry
Several years ago, a scholarly report was published. The report's "Appendix A" discusses, among other things, how you should do ...
10
votes
In cold conditions, will you freeze faster wearing wet clothes than not wearing any?
It depends a bit on the circumstances.
If you have just fallen in freezing water than stripping off will probably get you warm faster as wet clothing will usually conduct heat away from your body ...
- 6,212
10
votes
Do I need a hard shell to ski in sunny weather conditions?
tl;dr
I don't think you need spent big money on a new jacket just to go skiing if you have a serviceable soft shell.
You can wear anything you want. I know when the ski season is coming to a close ...
- 9,658
10
votes
Accepted
Is a full waterproof coat more important than waterproof trousers for hiking?
I say you should always wear the gear that you already own and you are comfortable in instead of following some fashion trend. If you like your setup go for it.
Beyond that I think there are some ...
- 9,658
10
votes
Clothing for cold weather hiking
The key for cold weather clothing is layers ...some tips (some from experience, some from reading/hearing from others):
Use layers, especially on your top body
Wear something on your head (you lose a ...
- 1,919
10
votes
Can one acclimatize to cold -- and remain healthy -- by enduring some chilliness at the beginning of the cold season?
I personally would take the safer perspective, and start wearing long underwear earlier than others, and adjust my outer layers as necessary. Long underwear is functionally little more than tight ...
- 4,822
9
votes
Is a full waterproof coat more important than waterproof trousers for hiking?
Intro:
You can get wet from sweat or wet from rain, or a combination. The waterproof breathables depend on the outside surface being not wet. So the outside layer has to shed water. This generally ...
9
votes
How should I dress for sweat inducing activities in cold weather?
Layers
There's no magic to this, it's mostly about thin layers and windproofing. When you're working hard you strip some layers, when you slow down you put them back on again.
If you're warm enough ...
- 8,097
8
votes
Accepted
How much UV protection does different color linen provides?
It's interesting but just banging amazon with "linen shirt upf" didn't do anything good.
But it turned up another subpage of your referenced page.
It has a nice graphic with a distribution of UPF ...
- 590
8
votes
Titanic survival, ice cold water?
The US Coast Guard has done a number of studies too try and predict this and it looks like survival times can are highly dependent on the person and what they are wearing when all of the other factors ...
- 69.4k
7
votes
Accepted
What are anti-sweat technologies in winter jackets called?
Based on the comments, it seems that you are looking for some sort of fabric that has moisture wicking capabilities. There are several fabrics that have this desirable trait. Many of them are ...
- 5,188
7
votes
Does cotton make you colder or hotter?
The problem with cotton for base and insulating layers is the fact that it tends to absorb moisture this can be a problem in both cold and hot conditions.
In cold conditions it greatly decreases the ...
- 6,212
7
votes
How to keep socks from wicking rain off pants into boots
If you don't need the full rain pants, then gaitors should do the trick. I would wear the gaitors over the top of all of your other layers, and just wear them when you need to, as otherwise you will ...
- 69.4k
7
votes
Can one acclimatize to cold -- and remain healthy -- by enduring some chilliness at the beginning of the cold season?
I am more sensitive to cold than the average person, in fact more sensitive than anyone I know. I have very little natural insulation.
On the specific point about acclimitization: people vary a great ...
- 24k
6
votes
What to wear to walk to showers: clothes or towel?
I've been camping in the UK for many years and the generally people either get fully dressed before heading to the shower, or walk over in pajamas/ dressing gown.
- 1,196
6
votes
What makes a fisherman's hat so popular among outdoorsmen?
Fisherman hats are good at shading the face and neck. They typically have a downward sloping 360 degree brim.
I doubt you are seeing open water strap it down type hats on the archery range. It ...
- 7,186
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