clothing.

Clothing in EXP environments is one of the most important parts of your kit. It is a highly adapted system of layers that can make or break an activity. Participants must customize their system for every trip, every climate and potential weather systems. For professionals, it becomes somewhat of a science of knowing how different layers perform in various environments and what your body personally needs to thrive in each environment.

Weather Protection

Your clothing choice must have the ability to protect your body from any kind of environment and its weather patterns. Standard rain protection comes in the form of rain jackets and or windbreakers. These shell layers are effective in keeping moisture and wind away from your body but are not breathable. On the opposite side of the spectrum, heat and sun can be problematic to one’s experience even if not always apparent until the issue becomes serious. Heat exhaustion and even sunburns are serious issues that can affect you physically and mentally. Long sleeve, moisture and sweat wicking layers are a good start to counteract these immediate trip ending issues.

Cuts, Scrapes and Abrasions

Depending on your environment, having adequate layers can help prevent minor skin level injuries from occurring. For example, activities such as bush whacking or rock climbing where you are required to work through potential thorn or prick based vegetation or sharp or pointed rock formations, a layer can prevent those small environmental hazards from reaching skin level. Preventing these small issues saves you time, energy and health in the long term and immediately impacts your overall trip experience.

Protective clothing

Helmets and other protective gear that is worn is also considered clothing and while its purpose is different from traditional clothing, it also has thermo properties that need to be considered when discussing clothing. Included in this are dry suits, lifejackets, helmets, padded outerwear etc.

To better understand the layering system for clothing it is important to know about the different types of heat transfer.

conduction

Conduction is the transfer of heat via direct contact. For our use, the thicker the layer the slower conduction happens which is beneficial if you plan on spending time in cold environments without working. This is commonly seen in puffy style jackets.

convection

Convection is generally thought as the fastest moving kind of heat transfer and in layering. For our task, it is generally the process of heat moving away from the body. This is particularly relevant to cold air / wind and how it carries heat away from our bodies. This transfer is further expedited by wet / damp clothing as water transfers heat 25x faster than air away from the body due to its density. In the same sense, reducing convection with Dead Air Space between layers significantly slows the rate of heat transfer.

evaporation

Evaporation has to do with liquid turning into gas and it particularly relevant to sweat for our circumstances and how layers deal with the excess moisture from expending energy in the field. Similarly, respiratory heat exchange is another internal process in which we breathe in and heat air in out lungs and exhale that hot air out of our bodies.

Base Layers

Base layers are the last line of defense against convection. These are usually form fitting layers that have minimal DAS in relation to the body. These layers are quickly warmed through conduction from the body and are usually great wicking layers helping move sweat and moisture away from the skin and to the outer layers of the clothing system. Effective wicking avoids a situation where the bottom layers get damp and increase convection because the moisture can’t escape the layer.

Mid Layers

Mid layers are usually in the form of fleece style layers with a looser weave to create that dead air space for a warm air barrier. These layers are also highly wicking and breathable to keep moisture moving away from the body. Mid layers are made from thicker layers of materials for better insulating properties and can be stacked for increased warmth. Breathability in these layers Is key for thermal regulation, letting excess body heat escape while also remaining warm.

Shell Layers

Shell layers are climate/environment facing layers designed to prevent the elements from sapping heat away from the body. Involved in this process is the prevention of rain and wind from entering the mid layers. These layers generally have a tight weave for less air permeation and increased weather resistance.

Clothing systems should be a custom-made and thought through combination of the different layers that is dependent on the weather, environment, and type of activity for the day. By doing multiple layers of shell and mid layers you can control the level of insulation by smaller intervals increasing your comfort level over the entire day. You must also consider what you are able to carry and how each layer will be used throughout the entire activity.

Hard working activities such as hiking may require increased wicking and breathability within your system while activities such as climbing might require the ability to stay warm while standing around belaying your colleagues. Mobility also needs to be considered when creating your layering system as some sports like climbing or skiing need increased dexterity / reach and bulky layering could interfere with your performance.

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