Survival Clothing
One of the most overlooked aspects of survival has to be clothing. Most preppers already know they shouldn’t be wearing survival clothing such as camo or all-black outfits unless they want to become a target for both the unscrupulous angry mobs as well as the law enforcement… but there are a few more things to be said on the subject. But don’t worry, survival clothing is really easy.
#1. Prep and Dress For the Season
You probably remember how movies about the Apocalypse always assume it’s going to happen on a warm summer day. The reality is, of course, that things can go downhill during any season, day or night, which is why you need to pack appropriately.
Keep some t-shirts, shorts, a bandanna and sunglasses for the summer and wool or polyester clothes for the winter. It isn’t more complicated than that. If you don’t want to spend money on new clothes, you can just recondition some of your old stuff that you were about to throw away anyway.
#2. Don’t Forget Footwear
Ideally you’ll want to have a pair of hiking boots for bug out situations but don’t forget that, post-collapse, getting new shoes will be hard. You’re also going to need a good pair of rubber boots that to use for much more than just fishing. If you have to cut wet grass using a scythe, for instance, you’re much better off using these than any other footwear.
Besides these, you’re also going to need day-to-day footwear so, just like in the case of clothes, I recommend you hoard anything you’d otherwise throw away: sneakers, shoes, even slippers!
Fortunately, clothes and shoes can be safely stored inside an attic where there’s plenty of room. Food won’t last up there but clothes will, provided you store them properly to avoid moths and other unwanted visitors.
#3. Dress for the Occasion
Bugging out is one event you need to pay extra attention to when it comes to how you dress. The last thing you want is to become a target when you’re out there, alone and vulnerable. This is why bold colors as well as camo are out of the question. Whatever it is that you’re buying, cargo pants, jackets, backpacks or EDC bags and pouches, make sure they all look as average as possible. Always go for dark colors and avoid any kind of print.
Naturally, when on the run, the kind of shoes you wear can influence how fast you’re moving and whether or not you sprain your ankles. You’ll either need hiking boots or running shoes depending on the conditions but definitely avoid dress shoes, crocs, sandals or slippers.
#4. Dressing to Stand Out
Sometimes you want to keep a low profile and other times you desperately want to be found. In this latter case, doing the opposite is the right thing to do. But is it worth packing twice as many clothes in your BOB to cover both these scenarios?
Not really because the bag would become too heavy. Still, you can pack a bandanna in a bold color which you can conveniently use when needed. Another thing you can do is to get a few brightly colored survival items such as a tarp or duct tape that you can safely conceal inside your survival bag until you need them.
#5. What about Accessories?
All accessories that are for ornamentation purposes exclusively need to go. This is critical if you’re trapped in a riot because you don’t want to look like you have money. Ties, tie clips, fancy scarves, watches, rings and earrings, all of these need to go in your purse or pockets.
#6. Dress to Blend In
One of the misconceptions about blending in is that we all need to dress as poorly as possible. Some preppers even consider not showering so they smell like everyone else. This could work in certain situations but not in others.
For example, during Europe’s migrant crisis, hundreds of thousands of people took the continent by storm. One of the things that surprised me was that they were actually well dressed, had smartphones and even Internet access. Now, if you wanted to blend in with these people, wouldn’t you want to dress in a similar fashion?
I’m not saying you need to wear a suit, what I’m saying is: look around you and see what everyone else is wearing.
Also, keep in mind you don’t always want to blend in 100%. If you’re in a riot and people wearing bandanas over their mouths are throwing stones at the police, you don’t really want to wear one too (unless you’re about to get infected with tear gas). If you do, law enforcement might throw some your way as well.
Final Word
The big takeaway from this article is that dressing for survival is really, really easy. All you have to do is put a little thought into it and take care of your clothes so you don’t have to spend any extra money on “survival fashion”.
What do you think about these survival clothing necessities? Did we miss anything? Leave your comments below…
About the author
Dan is the rising star among survival bloggers through his unique, fluff-free content. Although he’s aware things are going from bad to worse, he doesn’t shy from encouraging preppers to also live their lives in addition to prepping for the worst.
