Long term clothes

[GunnerMax]

Ok guys/gals,

We all know that if/when SHTF, we have to wear clothes, and those fancy designer jeans that fit tight, will not last 1-5 years. That T-shirt will get ripped to shreds, and those made in china cheap tennis shoes, will not last more than 1 year. I am assuming that you will be farming, patrolling, standing guard, walking everywhere, etc.

So, I am opening you guys up to my thoughts about clothes and boots. This is long term, of course, I would say, 3 years.

Ok, I have 3 sets of good AOR 2 woodland Camo, with Goretex top, with fleece and long john top and bottom. Boonie hat, 2 8 point covers, and helmet cover.
I have 3 sets of woodland camo sets, with Goretex top and bottom, with fleece, boonie hat, 2 8 point covers, and helmet covers.
I have 3 MARPAT tops, and 1 set of bottoms (so far). More items to come.
For last resort, I have 4 blue camo sets of uniforms, 1 fleece, 1 Goretex top, 2 8 Point covers.
I own 2 sets of desert boots, 2 sets of black steel toed leather boots, and 1 set of Converse tactical boots.

2 Rigger belts by Blackhawk, and lots of socks (30+) sets, 8 belts with buckles, and 9 brown T-shirts, 15 blue T-shirts, and 10 white T-shirts.

This is not my normal civilian clothes, and I plan on having all of the aforementioned items in the car if we have to Bugout, because I know how hard it is to make functional clothes.



So here is the discussion topic: What do YOU (and your family) have for long term clothes? do you own more than 1 of what you need? what about cold weather stuff (like gloves that wear out)?

I hope to see some good responses.

[Fatty]

Heres my take on long term shtf clothing while residing in wisconsin. For me long term is 1 year. I just dont have the space and funding for anything longer so my clothes will only need to last that long. The easiest way for me to have a surplus of backup clothing is to buy new, quality items every season. This allows me to have backup pairs of hats, gloves boots, etc. I try to make most of my preps a scheduled yearly purchase. Allows easier financial planning to maintain the lifestyle without upsetting the wife:)

[Gunfixr]

I had a nice long post typed up.
Site logged me out, couldn't post it.
Logged back in, still wouldn't post it, due to "loss of a security tag", whatever that means.
Internet is running so slow this morning I'm already about to throw the computer.

Check out Duluth Trading website.

[mitunnelrat]

I've been wanting a pair of the firehose pants. Good call Gunfixr.

[Optimist]

Ok guys/gals,

We all know that if/when SHTF, we have to wear clothes, and those fancy designer jeans that fit tight, will not last 1-5 years. That T-shirt will get ripped to shreds, and those made in china cheap tennis shoes, will not last more than 1 year. I am assuming that you will be farming, patrolling, standing guard, walking everywhere, etc.

So, I am opening you guys up to my thoughts about clothes and boots. This is long term, of course, I would say, 3 years.

Ok, I have 3 sets of good AOR 2 woodland Camo, with Goretex top, with fleece and long john top and bottom. Boonie hat, 2 8 point covers, and helmet cover.
I have 3 sets of woodland camo sets, with Goretex top and bottom, with fleece, boonie hat, 2 8 point covers, and helmet covers.
I have 3 MARPAT tops, and 1 set of bottoms (so far). More items to come.
For last resort, I have 4 blue camo sets of uniforms, 1 fleece, 1 Goretex top, 2 8 Point covers.
I own 2 sets of desert boots, 2 sets of black steel toed leather boots, and 1 set of Converse tactical boots.

2 Rigger belts by Blackhawk, and lots of socks (30+) sets, 8 belts with buckles, and 9 brown T-shirts, 15 blue T-shirts, and 10 white T-shirts.

This is not my normal civilian clothes, and I plan on having all of the aforementioned items in the car if we have to Bugout, because I know how hard it is to make functional clothes.



So here is the discussion topic: What do YOU (and your family) have for long term clothes? do you own more than 1 of what you need? what about cold weather stuff (like gloves that wear out)?

I hope to see some good responses.

I use wool in the wintertime, hemp denim in the summer. I keep socks and underclothes in bulk, and three pair of boots. I use Mason's for boots. They are about as reasonable as any, and they sell quality gear.

As to gloves, I have a set of leather ones with the liner that Uncle Sam issued years ago, and they have served me well for a long time, though they have been patched many times. I have a new set put by....

[Gunfixr]

I've been wanting a pair of the firehose pants. Good call Gunfixr.

I have two pair of the firehose work pants, and two pair of the firehose/coolmax work pants. Very nice, extremely well made.
I also have two of the coolmax long sleeve shirts, also very nice.

[apssbc]

I buy high quality jeans and have plenty of shirts. Im rough on my clothing however my clothes have held up well. Im not a designer clothes buyer per say, but my jeans are from hollister and aeropostale. I like the way they fit and they have lasted a long time for me. Obviously I dont buy the pre holy ones because that is just stupid. I also shop on sale and have never spent more than 30 on a pair of jeans.

I have junk work clothes and good clothes. I rotate my stock if you would when things start getting ratty. For out side work I have carharts that I wear religiously. I buy quality and that seems to have worked for me. My carharts are 5 years old at least. My jeans are 2-3 years old.

My other plan is to take all my work clothes for the ems. IT is all high quality rip stop type pants and heavy t shirts and firefighter work shirts. All of this clothing should tie me over for quite a long time.

[Gunfixr]

Just remember that while military clothing is pretty tough, it'snot nearly the toughest. They have a planned logistical chain which will replace damaged clothing quickly, something we don't have.

[bacpacker]

Over the years i have worn BDU's at work, ( industrial maintenance) so they have taken a beating. I am hard on my clothes. When they get to ratty to wear in public I use them around the house. I think average would about 4-5 years lifespan. I have also used Carhartt jeans and their standard cloth pants and got 3-4 years out of the jeans and maybe 4-6 from the standard Carhartt's.

Shirts last me maybe 2 years max to wear in public, they do get moved to work around the house in a lot of cases. Shoes like pants and shirts get moved from public/work to home/work till there just not worth much of nothing, Pants get cut off into shorts, t shirts go into rags, whatever we can get out of them.

I try and pick up socks and gloves at every chance to just stock up on them.

[GunnerMax]

thanks for the responses guys/gals. @gunfixr, I do know that the military Ripstop are not magical awesomeness, but I have comfort in the number of pairs that I own, with more on the way. I have not found a set to be made below standards, and I get the used MARPAT ones for less than $20 a set, the rest were issued to me. I get comfort knowing I can mesh the things that I have been issued (Armor, helmets, camelbaks, CBR kits, and pouches) with things that I buy.

[slowz1k]

This topic got me thinking... I currently have very few LT clothes. I keep a new pair of boots in the closet at all times, but most of my clothes are in current circulation in my closet.

Something else to consider...Size.
Due to too much fast food, desk job, lack of exercise, age, and any other excuse, or reason I can think of.... I'm carrying more weight than I should be. What I wore two or three years ago, doesn't fit. (I am working on this issue and plan to be back down to an acceptable BMI within a few months.) Point is... In a "post event" life, even if your in good physical shape, many of us will soon be running much leaner than we've been accustomed to. I'm not sure what the answer would be... Learn to take in pants?... stock smaller sizes?.... Wear a belt and deal with it?...Thoughts?

[realist]

I had a short gig going a couple of years ago and I ended up with about fifty t-shirts that are black, gray and white. These are all new so they are being stored in nice sealed plastic containers. I always have four extra sets of new jeans set aside. I treat them like my food, when I wear out a pair I get one from the new ones and replace them asap. I also have a couple of flannel lined jeans for colder days. If I want some really warm pants then I have several sets of wools. I do have a bunch of OD BDUs that I used to wear for work that I have set aside, but they are not all that durable. These have been used but I figure that they have about two years of life left in them so I use them for hunting and working around the yard during the summer. The same goes with socks, I have new ones set aside and replace them when I take out a new pair. I have been looking at the Duluth catalog and was thinking about buying a couple of pairs in browns, but they are expensive.

Hay just a note on wear do you store all this stuff. My daughter is into kick boxing and has a five foot bag. Well it needed to be filled with padding, ie clothing so that is where a bunch of stored clothes go. It now weighs about 100 pounds of various clothes. I would say they might need a little touch up with and iron though........

[GunnerMax]

slowz1k, Well think of this: your waist/body might get smaller, but you dont get shorter or taller. I would buy the size that fits, and wear a belt to deal with it. You dont have to worry about getting longer/shorter pants/shirts. However, its easy to take in some pants. Just fold in the waist, and tack it there with a safety pin, then sew it. my mother did it for our clothes for 18 years. she would buy a bigger size, take them in, then let them out when we grew into them. BTW, check out Ebay for ACU/MARPAT/woodland cammies. if you wait for a good deal, and hover during biddings end, you can get them for a good price.

for winter clothes, I have fleece overalls, 2 sets of trigger finger mittens with wool inserts, 1 balclava, 1 set of outdoor research gloves, with a heavy weather outershell. I plan on getting Mickey Mouse boots in the future. I also have been buying wool socks. I also have 2 watch caps.

my size is Medium Regular. If I lose bodyfat to get down to say, 6-7%, I will still fit in Med Reg clothes, so I am covered.

for reference for: Navy NWU, MARPAT, ACU and I believe woodland/desert 3 color uniforms, check out this link. Official USMC Issue Digital Woodland MARPAT Trousers & Blouses - Military Gear HQ (http://www.militarygearhq.com/c1060.shtml)

[LUNCHBOX]

I keep extra military clothing on the shelf for the family and myself. I don't plan on using jeans in a bad scenario, they just don't move right to me and not comfortable. T-shirts and long sleeve shirts are on hand pretty good. I do need to look in to some long johns/cold weather. I own Firehose pants and I would recommend them.

[Kodiak]

Being 6'5 & 370lbs clothing is definately a concern for me, I always look for sales and try to keep a good stock. Ive got everything from carhart to 5.11 and keep several pairs of boots and shoes at hand. One thing that does concern me is the kids, I do not have extra clothes for them to grow into beyond age 5. That is something I'm going to look into stocking up on, perhaps several outfits of various sizes to get them through pre-teen to adult.

So much to prep and so little time.

[ladyhk13]

I guess I'll be the lone girl here....I have what you could say is some LT clothes. I have clothes that I wore in high school going on 31 years ago (OMG!) so I seem to not wear some things out too badly! I have regular jeans, my "fat people" jeans which are one size bigger for those days that I want to just romp around the house, I have cammo's and then I have shorts but since I moved out of Fl I actually never really wear them much but I do keep them. I have lots of t shirts, tons of sweat shirts and sweaters and every kind of coat imaginable since I'm a coat and boot whore (yes I said it and I apologize for nothing - stole the saying from Red Eye). I have a carhart jacket and coverall set and also a jumpsuit and about every country's winter weight coat made. I hate to be cold and we have this awesome store in town that sells European military surplus (Russian, Swedish, German....) at really cheap prices so we get lots of great stuff to keep me warm.
My next line is I buy lots of material, patterns and thread so I can make clothes when needed. It might get hard to buy clothes later on but if I have the raw materials I can make them. I also have a Singer Treadle sewing machine so no electric needed...just have to practice using it.
For storage I bought those storage bags ya use your vacuum cleaner and suck the air out of. They are great for large items like blankets and other things that you need to pack away if you put summer/winter clothes away. I think socks is where I am lacking and do need to get more especially wool ones for winter.
Shoes aren't too much a problem. Sneakers and lots of boots. I have collected boots over the years and never wear them out so I think I'm good there since I'll probably keep buying more....can't help myself.

[Taz Baby]

I get cold at 70 degrees and I live in the boonies where it got down to wind chill 0 , so I have a lot of winter clothes. I love Bass pro long johns and wally worlds to. Most of my winter wear comes from Carthart and Bass Pro. Lots of summer clothes from living in Fla. I also sew my own clothes as Lady does so I am good on that. I love to go to the military stores and yard sale, thrift stores and such for the camo stuff. Bass pro snake proof, waterproof boots, Coleman steel toed hiking boots, Indian leather Moccasin boots and BOOTS and BOOTS and more BOOTS:;)

[Stormfeather]

Im planning on going naked once SHTF, who needs clothes? If anything, I have this elephant head banana hammock that I can wear when company visits. . . .


. . . . which Im assuming wont be often.

[mollypup]

I, like Ladyhk13, still have clothes from high school and that was back in the 70's! I have enough clothes to last me for the next 50 years easy. Might have to buy more undies but that's it. I've got too many wool sweaters in various sizes so I don't think I'll need anymore unless moths get to them. I keep them stored in a tight plastic box but I guess I should vacuum seal them like Ladyhk13. No air means no life for insects.

I have a problem with Thrift stores in that I go to them too often. I've got enough clothes for my girls to last until they're in their 20's. And I bought boy clothes for them too in case I need to disguise their gender for safety reasons. Hubby has enough clothes too, I don't leave him out while Thrift storing. I can't afford new stuff but have found some great brands for little over a dollar at my favorite thrift stores. I bought 12 pairs of wool socks the other day to go with what I already have. Gobs of coats and thick jackets, some even down-filled. I have boots, shoes, sandals and house shoes to last everyone for a long, long time. I even scored several big bags of wool blend yarn for next to nothing if I have to knit socks or mittens later on. All bought at the thrift store (except the socks). I'm not a hoarder and I keep things neatly in boxes and out of the way. I hate having a cluttered home.

This is a great topic because clothes are very, VERY important.

[madpiper]

I have a nice collection of BDU's and 511, but when it happens I plan on spending most of my time in jeans. I have a lot of Levi's and Wranglers. They may not be the most comfortable, but they last forever. As I recall, a lot of SEALs wore civilian jeans in Vietnam on missions because they were rugged (let me rephrase that - I recall READING that they did). As far as upper body I have wool sweaters and heavy weight short sleeve shirts along with the normal collection of t-shirts. For the feet - military issue wool socks with cotton athletic socks to wear under them (write that down - keeps feet warm, dry, and keeps blisters away!). The best foot gear I have found is the all leather boots I was issued at Parris Island in 1992. Nothing fancy - in fact they don't even have a brand name on them - but they are RUGGED! I've had them resoled a few times and I'm back to the original hard rubber clod-hopper soles. Those things will last years! I've had Danner and Rocky tactical boots and about every brand of hiking boot, but none of them last more than 6 months but my 20 year old pair of boots are still going with no cracks in the leather or signs of wearing out. I wish I knew where to get another pair - not that I need them now but it would be nice to know I have another pair ready for a 20 year run!

[izzyscout21]

I have a closet full of 5.1 britches that I've had for 4+ years now. I wear them almost everyday and still havent worn any holes in them yet. I've got a few pairs of the Woolrich Elite pants and they are doing equally as well. Like Gunnermax, I have a ton of BDU/ACU/DCU/ MARPAT (you get the idea) uniforms put away.

For footwear, I'm a big Merrill boots fan. I have a pair of their MOABs and a pair of thier Sawtooths. Love them oth. I seem to have the one freak set of Oakley boots on the planet that have lasted more thn a year. Had them for 5 years now and they are still going strong.

I'm also a BIG fan of Matterhorn boots. I've got a pair of the Matterhorn Ft. Lewis boots. Holy crap, they are tanks.

[digdug18]

Duluth clothing is all I buy anymore, I wear the same couple pairs of their pants for months on end and they just last. Not the firehose models either. Their button down shirts are of less high quality, their T-shirts last awhile as well and have a good cut.

I figure buy quality, get quality.

[tc556guy]

Just remember that while military clothing is pretty tough, it'snot nearly the toughest. They have a planned logistical chain which will replace damaged clothing quickly, something we don't have.

No kidding. Especially true of the current generation of ACUs. The older winter BDUs held up to abuse much longer.

if you have ACUs, pack a couple of sewing kits to make repairs

[The Stig]

I've been on a big kick of picking up old woodland style BDUs and the 3-color desert BDU's. They're great for casual wear, yard work, and general putzing around. While woodland might be "old fashioned" for a cammo pattern it seems to blend well in my part of Mississippi.

I've yet to blow a pair out doing yard work. That said, I can attest that the 3 color desert's are not chainsaw proof :/

[Sniper-T]

... I can attest that the 3 color desert's are not chainsaw proof :/

Even after you add another colour? Wonder how many colours are needed to be chainsaw proof...

http://i605.photobucket.com/albums/tt140/Sniper-T/nest.gif

lol

[tompnoid]

i lack in this department i run through jeans like 2 pair a year or so but i do have car hart over alls for winter and 3 good winter coats kids have like 5 of everything but they grow so you know what it is as they grow they get more but botyh have hats and gloves for winter. and long johns and lots of pjs wife has so much clothes i got kicked out of the closet and dresser now all clothes in crates

[bacpacker]

I used to have a lot of BDU's, mostly Woodland or tiger stripe, some Blue, Some Black. I wore these to work everyday for several years. I was doing industrial maintenance and was crawling and climbing thru equipment all the time. They took the abuse, never had a blow out at all. The place where mine wore out at was on the thigh fronts. I think mainly from rubbing against equipment for so long. I'm down to about 3 decent pair and need to start stocking more of them. They are the most comfortable and useful pants I've ever work.