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Outdoor Clothing
The purpose of appropriate clothing is to help to regulate the temperature of the body, at the same time as providing protection for it.
Obviously, there is a huge difference between the best gear for a day climbing at your local crag, a fortnight in the jungles of Borneo, or a month long Himalayan expedition. Our staff do all these things, and are happy to answer your questions about the best kit for the job.
Temperature Regulation and Control
This enables the body to work efficiently, thereby allowing optimum performance and comfort in any given outdoor activity.
1. Too Hot - This can cause the body to dehydrate. Overheating causes the body to sweat, and if lost fluid is not replaced dehydration occurs causing a decrease in physical and mental efficiency and a heightened susceptibility to exhaustion (roughly 2% loss in body weight leads to 20% loss in efficiency, so DRINK!). The use of layers and vented clothing are important and lessen the need to carry large amounts of liquid.
2. Too Cold - A progressive fall in the body's core temperature (normally 37 degrees celcius) can lead to hypothermia. It is important to replace energy expended in order to offset effects of exhaustion. The main contributory factors to body cooling are:-
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Environmental factors, such as wind chill, dampness and low temperatures.
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Physical factors, like exhaustion and hunger.
All of these factors can be exacerbated to a greater or a lesser degree by inadequate clothing, unexpected weather conditions, dehydration, or lack of fitness.
Protection
The protective role of clothing has two very important elements.
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Clothing works as a buffer zone protecting the body against the elements. By maintaining comfort levels and the optimum body temperature, hypo/hyperthermia can be prevented.
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Some items carry out a specific safety role - e.g. an adequate shoe sole will prevent slippage.
Your reserve clothing should be appropriate for the prevailing conditions and any possible change in these conditions and from those forecast.
Main Components of Outdoor Clothing
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Base Layer
- worn next to the skin, for moisture transportation away from the body.
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Mid Layer - for insulation, for example
fleece garments.
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Extremities - to insulate and protect
head,
feet and
hands and to transport moisture away.
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Footwear - must be adequate for the job (rigidity, waterproofing, support, etc).
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In order to satisfy all the requirements set out above, when used in all climates, weather and for every possible use, we have developed an extensive clothing range. We have taken into account our many years of experience in the outdoors, as well as in outdoor retail industry. This has allowed us to follow the ebbs and flows of many manufacturers designs, in order to choose the best possible range of clothing for you the customer. It also provides us with the clothing that we want to use when we are out on the hill.
Many people on limited budgets make the mistake of prioritising their first buy as an expensive quality fleece garment. The priorities for hill gear should be footwear, shell/outer wear, base layer. Any other layers can be improvised from your wardrobe until the wallet allows further indulgence!
To complement or fine tune your existing layering system (as described above) to suit your specific requirements there are a number of options of weight and efficiency of garments available e.g. down and synthetic insulation and also some alternative clothing sections that are worth a look, e.g. Pile & Pertex, Microfibre and Pertex and Softshell clothing. These three are basically a hybrid of mid layer and outer layer. They won't be as weather resistant as a waterproof shell but they will be more protective from wind, wet and heatloss than a fleece, but they have the advantage of breathing better than a waterproof shell or being more rugged for climbing.
Anything for use on high altitude or polar expeditions (including down suits, expedition jackets and salopettes) carries an awesome price at Up and Under. Gear designed specifically for fell running and mountain marathons crosses over to lightweight walking and backpacking and so you will find OMM Kamleika waterproofs and Montane windproofs amongst other in their respective areas. Clothes for kayaking and canoeing, from full drysuits to casual bank wear, can be found on the Watersports Clothing page.