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Do It in Jeans First

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Re: Do It in Jeans First

#91

Post by hilbert42 »

em-bee wrote: post #87
hilbert42 wrote: post #62

I wonder what reasons the guide gave for not wearing jeans. I don't wear them when hiking for several reasons because they are usually tighter than many other pants and this can lead to chaffing on long walks, especially so if they get damp or wet. Then, as others have mentioned, if they get waterlogged they take seemingly forever to dry out. My usual remedy is to wear army BD cargo pants, they're roomy and comfortab…

second hand army gear was always my goto for hikes and traveling in general. no need to verify whether the clothing was suitable, because, while there may be even better gear out there i can trust that army gear is most certainly not unsuitable. it's cheap and also already worn in so you avoid issues that you sometimes get with brand new clothing

Even if not optimal for every condition, army clothes are designed to be a pretty good all-round compromise, they have to be for obvious reasons so considerable thought goes into their design.

Incidentally, some years ago I bought between 40 and 50 pairs of army pants at a military/disposals auction, some were brand new the others in very good condition (they're of Vietnam vintage). At the time it wasn't my intention to buy them but they were bundled together on a pallet with what I actually wanted, namely 50V telephone exchange type power supplies—and I had to take the lot. Seems, as is so often the Army's wont, pants and power supplies begin with 'P' so 'logic?' dictated they should be auctioned together!

At the time I was a bit pissed off at being landed with dozens of pants that I didn't want to be seen dead in (having been drafted some years earlier and being forced to wear them). Anyway, my reticence eventually faded and I wore them for everything, fixing the car, hiking, etc., etc.

In the end it turned out to be a bargain purchase, a really good deal. I've now just about worn the lot out, perhaps there's a half dozen good pairs left. Now I wish I had more.

Re: Do It in Jeans First

#92

Post by paulcole »

florbo wrote: post #50
paulcole wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> But safety should always come first. No it shouldn’t. Safety is almost always a trade off of real (or perceived) risk and reward. If safety came first, you’d never swim, hike, or drive a car.

Safety first doesn't mean "don't do anything unsafe," it has a broad meaning. With your interpretation I suppose it could mean if you're going to do something, be sure to consider your safety tradeoffs first.

I think “safety first” generally means that you should put safety first when you’re doing something but that I should consider the safety trade offs first when I’m doing something.

Re: Do It in Jeans First

#93

Post by NikkiA »

benatkin wrote: post #29
NikkiA wrote: post #4

But jeans are terrible in the extreme situations that could happen while hiking, and can worsen the risk of hypothermia if you end up in such a situation, potentially causing death when you might otherwise have endured. Thats why people tell you not to hike in jeans, you don't need 'special' pants, just 'not jeans (or any other pants made from similar wet-trapping materials)'.

There are pants that look like jeans and feel a little bit like them - athleisure - that probably don't have this limitation. I had a pair. I wish I knew how to identify them because searching for athleisure jeans is turning up traditional jeans as well, including slim fit which would be worse. Maybe non-denim jeans . Edit: I think the brand was Prana. Maybe they were denim, but "performance denim". Is all denim unwi…

It's not that it's unwieldy, it's that cotton absorbs and holds onto water, so if you fall in water on a hike, or get soaked from a downpour, you're going to be stuck in cold, wet, pants.

It is, however, possible to coat the fibres with something to make them not do this, perhaps that's what the 'performance denim' did.

Basically, if you have a chance to be stuck far from indoors with soaked clothes, you want them to be made of a material that doesn't hold water as cotton and wool do, it's fairly easy to find nylon, acrylic or polyester pants.

Re: Do It in Jeans First

#94

Post by gk1 »

deanputney wrote: post #83
Aeolun wrote: post #75

Earlier quoted context omitted.

For hiking? I can imagine this applying if you are climbing Everest. Not to taking a walk in the forest.

The hike around the base of Mount Rainier is a multi-day endeavor. Since the author mentions a guide, I’d guess this is what they mean. It requires preparations like shipping supplies in advance- jeans would be a poor choice. https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/washington/the-wonderland...

Author here... I edited "around the base" to "at the base." It was indeed a day hike. I originally said "around" as in "putzing around," not "circling around."

Re: Do It in Jeans First

#95

Post by embeng4096 »

benatkin wrote: post #29
NikkiA wrote: post #4

But jeans are terrible in the extreme situations that could happen while hiking, and can worsen the risk of hypothermia if you end up in such a situation, potentially causing death when you might otherwise have endured. Thats why people tell you not to hike in jeans, you don't need 'special' pants, just 'not jeans (or any other pants made from similar wet-trapping materials)'.

There are pants that look like jeans and feel a little bit like them - athleisure - that probably don't have this limitation. I had a pair. I wish I knew how to identify them because searching for athleisure jeans is turning up traditional jeans as well, including slim fit which would be worse. Maybe non-denim jeans . Edit: I think the brand was Prana. Maybe they were denim, but "performance denim". Is all denim unwi…

Maybe the Prana Brion pants? They look and feel like athleisure to me, and I wear them for hiking or under my ski gear.

Re: Do It in Jeans First

#96

Post by deanputney »

gk1 wrote: post #94
deanputney wrote: post #83

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The hike around the base of Mount Rainier is a multi-day endeavor. Since the author mentions a guide, I’d guess this is what they mean. It requires preparations like shipping supplies in advance- jeans would be a poor choice. https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/washington/the-wonderland...

Author here... I edited "around the base" to "at the base." It was indeed a day hike. I originally said "around" as in "putzing around," not "circling around."

Understood! Then yeah, jeans are probably fine.

Re: Do It in Jeans First

#97

Post by benatkin »

embeng4096 wrote: post #95
benatkin wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There are pants that look like jeans and feel a little bit like them - athleisure - that probably don't have this limitation. I had a pair. I wish I knew how to identify them because searching for athleisure jeans is turning up traditional jeans as well, including slim fit which would be worse. Maybe non-denim jeans . Edit: I think the brand was Prana. Maybe they were denim, but "performance denim". Is all denim unwi…

Maybe the Prana Brion pants? They look and feel like athleisure to me, and I wear them for hiking or under my ski gear.

They were in a blue jean style, with gold stitches. This was a few years ago. Maybe they were cotton jeans.

Re: Do It in Jeans First

#98

Post by benatkin »

NikkiA wrote: post #93
benatkin wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There are pants that look like jeans and feel a little bit like them - athleisure - that probably don't have this limitation. I had a pair. I wish I knew how to identify them because searching for athleisure jeans is turning up traditional jeans as well, including slim fit which would be worse. Maybe non-denim jeans . Edit: I think the brand was Prana. Maybe they were denim, but "performance denim". Is all denim unwi…

It's not that it's unwieldy, it's that cotton absorbs and holds onto water, so if you fall in water on a hike, or get soaked from a downpour, you're going to be stuck in cold, wet, pants. It is, however, possible to coat the fibres with something to make them not do this, perhaps that's what the 'performance denim' did. Basically, if you have a chance to be stuck far from indoors with soaked clothes, you want them to…

I think they were thinner and lighter so they would probably absorb less water even if fully soaked. I think they prevented absorbing water with some kind of a coating too, though.

Re: Do It in Jeans First

#99

Post by sowbug »

mcv wrote: post #84
sowbug wrote: post #11

Similarly, Kevin Kelly says "Buying tools? Start with buying the absolute cheapest tools you can find. Upgrade the ones that you use a lot. If you wind up using something as a tool for a job, buy the very best you can afford." https://www.neil.blog/full-speech-transcript/68-bits-of-unso...

I'm currently in the process of deciding how cheap I want to buy a new tool. I'm seriously considering buying an airbrush. I still have hundreds on unpainted miniatures lying around (mostly from a Reaper Bones kickstarter many years ago), and although I've had a few painting sessions and got some colour on some of them, there's too many of them to put a serious dent in them. But I keep reading how airbrushing can spe…

A good compromise might be renting or reselling the more expensive version when you're done. I often forget about the ongoing costs of keeping a tool that I don't use all that frequently once the initial batch of work is done.

Re: Do It in Jeans First

#100

Post by kstrauser »

m463 wrote: post #61

> Do It in Jeans First ... then learn from your experience. By the way, I have been wearing darn tough socks for years and they are SO MUCH better than socks with cotton. Even soaking wet feet feel warm and dry. They are merino wool, and they are better than even other "merino wool" socks.

I bought a pair 2 years ago. This morning I poked a hole through one when I was putting it on. I've already printed their lifetime warranty claim form and plan to see what their service is actually like. I have high expectations.
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