Dressing to survive in the outdoors starts with knowing what fabrics to wear. Different fabrics have radically different properties. Choosing the wrong type, or mixing clothing of different materials, can be disastrous!

You may not be able to tell what a garment is made of by looking. A nice, fuzzy, thick 100-percent cotton flannel shirt will be warm and cozy until it gets wet. Then that wet shirt may suck the heat out of your torso and cause hypothermia!

On the other side of the equation is wool. My hands-down favorite in the winter, wool, is generally a bad choice for a desert hike in August. Wool traps heat, and while it provides some UV protection, the material will prevent your body from cooling.
So, the buyer needs to beware.

Before buying any clothing item, read the labels and find out what the material is. Ignore fashion or what’s trendy (I know that’s hard – I have a 14-year-old daughter!), and make your purchase based on the activity and the clothing protection that will be needed. » Read more: Know the Fabrics to Make Smart Outdoor Clothing Choices

Camping is an excellent way to explore and experience the outdoors. The weather needn’t be an obstacle to what sorts of climates and places you might trek to. Outdoor clothing has become incredibly innovative in its designs and features, allowing the adventurous at heart to know no limits. Following is information all outdoor enthusiasts should read before investing in outerwear.

Given so many choices it is necessary to do a little research before making your clothing purchase, this way you are only buying the pieces you will need, therefore essentially getting your money’s worth. The following suggestions should be helpful for any outdoor enthusiast. A popular term you will hear mentioned in today’s clothing features is waterproof-breathable technologies. This technology strives to keep liquid water (precipitation) out of the garment interiors, while allowing the moisture vapor (perspiration) to escape out of the wearer’s clothing.

There are three major waterproof-breathable technologies which are microporous laminates, microporous coatings and monolithic membranes. The microporous laminates contain millions of pores which allow for molecules of water vapor to pass out, but not allowing for water to enter. The microporous coatings act in the same way by letting water vapors pass out but not allowing vapor to enter. The monolithic membranes absorb moisture vapor directly into its structure, in turn heat from your body drives the moisture through the membrane towards the outer surface. The amazing thing about the monolithic membrane is that as you work harder the membrane absorbs and exhales more vapor.

One of the popular face fabrics for outdoor clothing of the past has been nylon; it has been a preferred fabric because of both its waterproof and breathable features and its abrasion resistance for rugged use. But today’s newly designed polyesters are closing the gap. Polyester is popular because it only absorbs about a tenth as much water as does nylon. This is wonderful as it keeps the inside surface of the garment warmer, while reducing the interior condensation. The great thing about the new polyesters is they are naturally repellent without having to use spray on repellents that eventually wash off. » Read more: New Technologies in Camping and Outdoor Clothing Enhance the Outdoor Experience