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Troop 230 |
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Clothing: Except for underwear, NEVER wear cotton in Alaska! Cotton kills! More than 85% of cold weather fatalities in Alaska are dressed in cotton clothing. Read your tags! Cotton absorbs water, loses insulating ability by the hour, and is impossible to dry in the field. Wool, Polyester, Thinsulate, Capilene, Polypropylene, Duofold, or Polarfleece are all fabrics that work well in various temperatures and will keep you warm, dry, and comfortable. You need enough clothing to stay warm. Clothes should be worn in layers, to maintain warmth as required. For example, on an arctic day, you might dress with a polyester set of long john's as the bottom layer, a thicker 100% polyester long john shirt for a second layer, a uniform shirt for a third layer, a wool sweater or Polarfleece layer next, and an insulating jacket appropriate for the time of year last. For pants, most of the time a heavy weight long underwear pair of pants worn under winter scout pants, or wool troop pants, will do the job. If the rain/snow/sleet kicks in, you can always add another layer of windshell and snowpants. Remember, no cotton blue jeans-----EVER! Raingear is required on every outdoor outing we go on. If you get wet, you will ruin the trip for everyone, as you can't stay in the woods in that condition. In snow season, especially in early and late winter, it can turn wet and rainy in a heartbeat. You don't have to have top of the line Gortex gear, but you do need something that will cover your head, your torso, and your pants. Some scouts use a two-piece rubber rainsuit and some have high priced Gortex outfits. Just have something, and make sure it works! Most of all, WEAR IT! |