A while ago I sat down to write a blog about fabrics and choices you could make in the outdoor world in relation to garments etc. This was down to the fact that I was pretty sure I knew my way around the different fabrics in the sector, and it was surprising to me that others were going out and purchasing gear without really knowing exactly what they were buying.
Information on hang tags is all very well, but what are the other options? How do they compare etc.
So I sat down and wrote a list of the different types of Goretex, primaloft, eVent, pertex, thinsulate and all the other proprietary fabrics that are floating around and how they differ from each other.
Just that bit of the task made me realise just how big a task this was going to be, especially as they keep bringing out new types of fabric every year and aren't necessarily all that clear about exactly how they differ physically... though of course each one is "better" than the previous iteration.
Better for what exactly?
So the project, well, it didn't exactly get binned, more, forgotten, occasionally resurrected and looked and and then hastily put on a back burner as I realised I just don't have the experience in fabrics and clothing to do the whole project justice. Yes, I could google the whole lot and regurgitate what each manufacturer says about it, but that's not really what its about, is it?
So imagine my excitement (I know, I don't get out a whole lot these days) when I got an email from Mike Parsons- the designer of previous generations of OMM clothing- asking me if I'd like to have a read of his book "Keeping Dry and Staying Warm" (part 1).
To be totally honest, I was a little skeptical at the beginning thinking "yeah yeah, just how useful can a book like this be to me?" It's nice to think you know everything. Through the introduction and the first chapter, I was still kind of ambivalent, with it all telling me stuff, or at least confirming stuff I thought I knew about how fabrics and layering works.
However, as I dive deeper into the book it does everything I wanted to do in the blog and far far more.
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| Funnily enough I have always wondered about running vests and layering. On a long, cold winter race, I'm wearing a load of layers- the one I know least about is the running vest... I wonder if wearing that actually compromises the ability for the rest of the kit to actually do its job? |
So....
Want to know why the hood on your jacket is crap? Want to know how to get a better one and why it'll be more expensive? Look no futher.
Want to know the differences between fabrics? Ditto.Want to know why you're still getting wet through despite spending £400 on a waterproof? The answer is right here, in glorious detail.
Mike and his co-authors do a grand job of trying to explain how and why understanding key terms like "breathability" is so flipping complex (clue: competing standards), and why every layer in your outdoor clothing system is so important. Get a layer "wrong"- that is, so it doesn't quite work in conjunction with the other layers that you are wearing, and all of a sudden, the highly expensive waterproof jacket you're wearing on the outside doesn't actually do what you thought it is meant to do.
One of the best quotes in the whole book is from an outdoor retailer who says that people buying clothes in his shop "just buy garments, not layers". In other words, they are not considering each thing in conjunction with the rest of their kit. How will a mid-layer fit in with your directional wicking base layer? Will it work alongside other insulation layers you have?
In a broad sense, yes, they'll work, but not to the best and most optimal level.
Now I'm not going to pretend that this is a page turning novel. This is not something that is going to be nominated for a Booker prize, however, it is a fascinating text that is well worth a dive into when thinking about clothing systems.
I tried to get through it all in one sitting, but my brain just didn't want to take in all the wide ranging information. There is simply too much to get in! Since trying to do that I have found that it is a much better idea to choose a chapter and really understand it in depth. At this point, I'm re-going over the one about insulation (quite appropriate consider it is snowing outside).
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| Got some layers?! |
If you're interested in fabrics, clothing construction, why things work and don't work, stitching, breathability, how to make your outdoor kit work better for you, and want to understand how better to layer to be more comfortable outdoors, this book, seriously, is a must read.
One final thing to note- there are a number of charts and figures etc. in this book. It would not load onto my Kindle paperwhite, so I downloaded the Kindle app onto my phone where it worked perfectly.
Yes- Mike did get in touch with me and sent me a link to this book for free. In keeping with my "non sponsored" thinking, I'm going to send him some money as this is an excellent product that I shouldn't be reading for free.
Looking forward to Part 2.
The book itself can be found HERE-->HERE IT IS!
It's called Keeping Dry and Staying Warm by Mike Parsons, and the ISBN is 978-1-9162380-0-8
Also- Mike has a website with a load of interesting blogs on it, including how clothing sizes are different nowadays from previously, waterproofing garments and a whole host of other stuff. To be fair, he has a vast amount of interest in the system of designing this stuff, where as I merely wear it. For an interesting take on all things Outdoor clothing design, you could do worse than have a butchers at his site. Outdoorgearcoach.co.uk
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