Hey all, long time reader, first time poster.

I have read quite a few different post on this site and many others regarding things to either stockpile or cache for TEOTW scenarios. Most dealing with the basics : food, water, shelter, security, medical and in at least some aspect clothing.

This is where I had by "little light bulb" go off; most articles or post say "3 pairs of socks, and cold weather gear in your B.O.B.", or something to that effect. But, after the SHTF where do more clothes come from? I have not yet read a post promoting the stockpiling of clothing, and although I have not read everything out there (far from it), I believe it deserves a mention at the very least.

The second thing I wanted to mention was clothing repair, now, assuming that you have a stockpile of clothing both for yourself and immediate family (including children now and for their growth spurts)without stores to go to and buy new clothes what happens when they wear out? I bring this up because today I had an epiphany... I have this one pair of jeans that I love, they are insulated (a must in these cold northern winters) and plain enough to blend in. They do, however, have one gaping hole in the crotch...I didn't want to throw them away, so I asked the wife if she could sew them up for me. She agreed, with the stipulation that I get the patch needed for her to fix the jeans with. That is where my idea came from, I took two old pairs of jeans I had from high school, when i was big into "looking cool" and before my awakening, and decided that I would never again wear them. So I cut them up, and in the process I realized a couple things.

1. By cutting each leg individually, you essentially get 4 usable areas to pull patches from.

2. By cutting off the bottom hem, and the hems on the pant legs themselves I made 12 tourniquets.

3. If you are careful, you can remove the back pockets without damaging them or the fabric underneath, which results in 2 more "normal" patches, and the pockets, which are sturdy enough to be used as elbow or knee reinforcements.

4. You can save the zippers and buttons also. They can be reattached to new pants or clothes you make, or they can be saved for barter.

5. The fabric "recovered" from the jeans doesn't have to be patches for other clothing items, they could be boiled in water to make wound dressings, or used as general-purpose rags (as I found in afghanistan when my shop ordered rags, and received 2 boxes of shredded jeans and t-shirts)

I dunno, just my two cents. I hadn't seen much in the way of clothing preparation advice, so I thought I could help change that. Hope it helps offer a new way of looking at those old clothes!

I think in the first stages of an emergency, the average patriot should wear khakis, basic casual wear and a windbreaker. Exactly what you'd wear for working around the farm.

To me, far more important than clothing is footwear. Are you buying your boots secondhand? (Not recommended). Are you buying them from Walmart? Do you have shoes for your children?

As for combat clothing, there is a huge amount of it floating around on Ebay and the open market. It would be easy now to get 6-8 full BDUs sets, with 2 commando sweaters, rain gear, whites and coveralls.

CK

CK
That is good advice. Except!
One of the early State and National responses will be to declare Martial law. Once done the very possession of Military identifiable equipment (ie: Packs, uniforms,LDB, hats, not to mention milspec vision and weapons) could get you arrested.
I live in a military town and have a shop in a Flea market. I have gone the extra mile to buy civilian equipments that don't look like anything Military equipments or LEO equipments.
May be a big waste, but I feel worth the extra few bucks.
Problem with buying military surplus is you don't know where it came from. If some poor soul was killed and they let him lie in the sun a couple hours till transport was available the gear could still be washed, but the chemicals may never get cleaned out just bleached. I also watch many folks buying used Camel bak bladders just back from Iraq and Afghanistan. Not a good move.

This is a very good topic and seemly over looked. I am guilty myself. Safetalker is also right. You have to have real clothes,not just militaria style duds.

CK, you make me laugh, but in a good way.

Reply With Quote I think in the first stages of an emergency, the average patriot should wear khakis, basic casual wear and a windbreaker. Exactly what you'd wear for working around the farm.

I grew up around the farm, come from farmers and never saw khakis except to go to church on Sunday. Jeans and Carhartts seemed to be what we have always worn and seen warn.

Just poking you a little.

Leo out

I have different clothes in different bugout bags depending on season, climate, expected mode of travel ect.

Generally speaking, you go with a layered approach, clothes with no visible readable labels or slogans on the outside, I am also partial to new or like new clothes for this, so as to not be mistaken as a bum. Figure you could go a few days without the clothes being washed, so colors matching the dirt in your environment might be more functional.

A lot of times, durable vs lightweight seems to be the big issue. Some of my bugout stuff is lightweight, but not particularly durable. The plan on some socks and underwear in certain bugout kits is to simply throw them away when they get dirty. Same with some T shirts.

Carhartt cargo pants are probably the best of the best for retreat and rough travel wear, just twice as bulky as other clothes that you would want to carry in a backpack. The shrinkage issue can mess up the fit and restrict your movement in them for combat purposes, but your mileage may vary. A lot of the homeless people around here seem to consider Carhartts to be a fashion statement, as the color of their orange/tan is quasi-camoflage and the clothes are durable enough to sit on the ground a lot in, which they seem to do a lot of.

That's what I meant by khakis. Carhartt or Dickies. I have Wrangler khakis and they're basically a softer version of a utility trouser.

Of course, assuming there was martial law, we'd probably not want to be walking around in BDUs and carrying M-16 rifles. But sixty days later, things might be totally different.

Just some thoughts. Good to know I bring a degree of levity to the subject.

CK

My everyday wardrobe has become earth tones. I'm more partial to carpenter pants than cargo pants though I may regret that later. Wrangler jeans are pretty tough they hold up as well as any and cost way less. Some hunting gear is good got some pants I've had for 4-5 years can't remember name bought at wal-mart. Not a bad idea to have BDU's for down the road but to start off dockers and a windbreaker may be the best cammo to hide in plain sight.

I buy cargo Khakis or other neutral color clothes thru Sportsmans guide.
...My problem is that I went from Large to Xlarge after my last surgery....So I have numerous pairs of Large, Bdus and khakis pantsThe local thrift store has lots of Clothing that fits the bill for neutral and rugged.

I wear tru spec khaki bdu pants when I'm in the woods and around town. I gave up on camo clothes because that screams military to civilians but khaki brown green and grey are low profile and work in rural and suburban environments. Like a friend said, you should be able to drop your gear off in the woods and then walk in walmart like nothing happened.