by Jim Derleth
Keeping warm under the many varied conditions in Montana to which outdoorsmen can be subjected could never be covered in one column. But an attitude toward “being warm” is good to develop. I’ve got it. I’ve been said to be crazy to say it is nice out, sometimes under seemingly horrible conditions to someone else. It is nice. I am warm, and subsequently, I feel cozy and safe and I say how nice it is, and they shiver all the more then. But when it comes to staying dry and warm, I am not crazy. In fact, I may be at my sanest here. I have been told many times about all the new products and I am incorporating some of them one at a time as I can afford to into my outdoor melange – my woods wardrobe. But I want to stress that my father and my grandfather stayed warm and dry before I was around and they didn’t have the gear I have. Certainly they had almost no synthetic articles at all, and no help from modern technology. They did it “naturally” and it still works to this day. And no need to spend a ton of money on gear, you’ve probably got most of it. Let’s take a look.
Do you remember the smell of wool mittens trying to dry on the school radiator? The time the neighbor kid forgot his yellow slicker and rode to school in a heavy rain? His down jacket squished flat, and didn’t dry properly all day. Luckily, he had on his heavy wool shirt under it and the wool longjohns. They took all day to dry but were still somewhat warm on his body. Wool was and is a long-wearing, tough material. Wool and down are legendary, and rightfully so, and are still worthwhile if used properly. The combination is hard to beat. Keeping dry is the ticket, they will do the rest. Wool, which does not lose its insulating dead air space when wet like down does (it collapses), still gets heavier when wet, takes a long time to dry and should obviously not be allowed to get wet either. Some kind of outer wear that is waterproof is needed to complete the picture. Don’t let anyone kid you about down. Good down is the finest insulator nature has ever produced. It is also the most expensive – anymore only the rich can afford a good down jacket or sleeping bag. The price of down is way up. That is the single most important reason for its falling out of popularity. The next reason is the fact that some of the synthetics are close to providing the same loft, dead air space weight and compressability of down. (You can squeeze a down vest into a pocket.) Some of the synthetics don’t flatten out when wet like down will do, and don’t lump up like down. But if you’ve got a good old down jacket, repair it, treasure it, wear it, revere it and keep it dry. It’ll more than do the job. Ounce for ounce, it is comfortable – so fluffy, so extremely breathable, so soft and body fitting, and so lightweight, so adaptable to temperature extremes and also a great eliminator of drafts. Don’t sell your old down coat at a garage sale; go to the garage sales and look for one. Look also for the “hard finish” old Army pants, a good buy in wool. Not to take anything away from the synthetics, because they are great choices and particularly will not absorb moisture. They also dry fast, and now have finer fibers, rivaling down’s compressibility and loft. They tend to be somewhat stiffer at times than I’d like, sometimes free movement is restrictive. Because of this inherent slight stiffness, they do not always conform or drape to a person’s body as well as some other fibers, thus leaving draft to enter. But they are not as bulky as some, are wind resistant (not so much pile) in the proper weave of outer cloth and are ideal where a thinner layer of insulation is wanted; gloves, hats and shells, vests and jackets. Pile and bunting fans love the fast drying qualities and the us of these fibers in the “layering” principle used by most outdoorsmen using different materials for several hundred years. This layering method of adjusting temperature is nothing new; outdoor books have been discussing principles since printing began and had it pretty well refined during the last generation. What is new is the material that will provide warmth and wick away body moisture better than many of the older fibers. But don’t ignore the old standbys. Wool and down are the standards by which the whole ballgame is measured. If you can’t afford Goretex, don’t let it worry you – us older folk survived without it as well. By all means try some of the newer proven materials if you can afford to but don’t pass up that old wool pair of mittens, or sweater, or those old tight weave Army pants. They are paid for, and besides that, tried, tested and true winter performers. So, something tried, something true. and you are ready for most anything, as the old saying goes. •
Keeping warm: a matter of using various fabrics
