BOB/GHB clothing for Britain.

[sethorly]

Britain. Full of rain, mostly above freezing but sometimes below. Has anyone got guidance on the best set of clothing for bugging out or getting home?

My understanding so far is that for the really cold conditions you need to allow moisture to travel away from your body, through your clothes, to avoid a layer of water from building up which then freezes and renders your clothes useless for keeping you warm. So any synthetic clothing, including "breathable" membranes and Goretex etc (or cotton), is just not going to be good enough. Instead, it's best to wear wool, fur, leather, etc - natural fully porrous materials. The downside is if these layers become sodden wet, when they lose their effectiveness and take ages to dry. In wet conditions, then, the synthetic layers become useful to keep water from penetrating your clothing. That's where my knowledge ends. Goodness knows what's best when it's extremely cold and raining - I presume there's a variety of points where the different factors necessitate a swop between fabric types to maximise benefit.

At the moment I use a merino wool base layer for wicking moisture away from my body, a thermal mid layer (fleece, fully zippable to give more control over heat), and a waterproof coat if the weather is bad. Plus hat/gloves/shemagh of course.

Has anyone got any knowledge or thoughts to share on this, particularly for British weather? Is there a "best" solution?

[pseudonym]

Four Seasons defines our climate in the UK, so I mix and match for each of them.

[womble]

Be an Ogre: have layers.

It's not true that all synthetic textiles are bad for wicking/vapour escape. And getting moisture away from your skin is only any use if you stop the stereotypical British weather (rain) from getting to your skin from the outside; synthetics are good at that bit. Just eschewing the use of synthetic materials is a simplistic approach and won't get you the best results.

[shocker]

I spent enough time in muddy holes in cotton clothing to have a healthy dislike for the clammy, slow drying stuff. Goretex, fleece/fibrepile and synthetic under layers for me, whilst on the move. Plus it dries quicker and packs down smaller. Cotton is good for dry kit for the night, I reckon. Avoid mixed fibres as they give the worst of both worlds. My 10 pence.

[sethorly]

I've grown to dislike cotton for physical activity so much I'm going to ditch my shemagh and replace it with a merino wool scarf or one of those neck tube thingiemabobs (in merino). I like your idea for cotton for dry kit though - it's so soooooft after wearing merino for a hike.

[sniper 55]

I spent enough time in muddy holes in cotton clothing to have a healthy dislike for the clammy, slow drying stuff. Goretex, fleece/fibrepile and synthetic under layers for me, whilst on the move. Plus it dries quicker and packs down smaller. Cotton is good for dry kit for the night, I reckon. Avoid mixed fibres as they give the worst of both worlds. My 10 pence.

Yes, always worked for me too.

[Plymtom]

I spent enough time in muddy holes in cotton clothing to have a healthy dislike for the clammy, slow drying stuff. Goretex, fleece/fibrepile and synthetic under layers for me, whilst on the move. Plus it dries quicker and packs down smaller. Cotton is good for dry kit for the night, I reckon. Avoid mixed fibres as they give the worst of both worlds. My 10 pence.

I like that especially the mixed fiibres bit, a little gem just tossed in, in passing

[featherstick]

Me too, Shocker, me too.

Wool underlayer (Endicotts do a dirt-cheap Italian undershirt, I have several and they are very good, no connection etc.) then fleece layers to take off/put on. I've gone off wool jumpers, I have a couple but rarely wear them anymore as even cheap fleece is so good now. All finished off with a light anorak and w'proof trousers if necessary, and sealed with scarves, hats, neck-tubes if necessary.

[Deeps]

Me too, Shocker, me too.

Wool underlayer (Endicotts do a dirt-cheap Italian undershirt, I have several and they are very good, no connection etc.) then fleece layers to take off/put on. I've gone off wool jumpers, I have a couple but rarely wear them anymore as even cheap fleece is so good now. All finished off with a light anorak and w'proof trousers if necessary, and sealed with scarves, hats, neck-tubes if necessary.

I've found that I prefer to go 'light', while on the move its the one base layer, if its cold/wet I'll have a fouly on over it but as a sweat monster I prefer to keep it to a minimum. As soon as I stop I put a fleece on, other midlayer options are available of course.

[shocker]

Sound theory. I have a breathable shell waterproof that has zips under the arms to vent the ooze