No matter what you decide to wear it needs to meet certain criteria. The criteria that I use when determining apparel is as follows; it has to provide protection from the sun. The Earth, Wind, and Fire is a super rad band and also the key elements that provide Captain Planet's team their super powers, however in the great outdoors these elements are not your friend. It would suck like a Hoover to survive the zombies just to die from exposure 3 days later. The second test measure is concealment. You need something that is going to aid in your not being discovered. This is going to be different for different environments so it takes some consideration. When in an urban environment, ATAC camouflage is probably not going to help conceal you, but make you seem suspicious to all the people around. Conversely, once you are in the woods, you probably don't want to wear your black and yellow Hammer pants. You may be 2 Legit 2 Quit with them on, but people will probably notice you and that is inconsistent with longevity after the world as gone to hell. Lastly, your clothes need to be comfortable. If it rubs you raw, gives you "hot spots" and blisters, and makes you sweat like crazy, it is probably not a good idea to wear it. This requires testing by you, as the wearer, and not copying some cool-guy picture you saw on Pinterest. The number one reason people get uncomfortable gear is because they saw someone they had a man crush on wearing it and they want to be just like them. After you have Bugged Out you are either going to turn into the guy from Duck Dynasty or Uncle Fester so the ladies aren't going to care about your North Face jacket or your American Eagle jeans.
Upper Body:
Lightweight long sleeve shirt. Even in a temperate environments (warm weather for my fellow grunts) wear long sleeves. This will provide protection form the elements and brush and preserve your skin. Some companies offer long sleeves with mesh arm pits and mesh panels in the back, this is nice and if you are a heavy sweater I would recommend it, but for the average person this is not needed. Ensure the shirts you get are lightweight, but don't sacrifice quality for weight. Cotton or a cotton/nylon mix are optimal materials for outer garments.
Lower Body:
Pants! Pants! Pants! Chopping a zombies head off in a Led Zeppelin t-shirt and some denim cutoffs is every grown mans dream, but just like many of our dreams, it's a bad idea!
Pants will provide protection for your legs, and since at this point your legs are your primary means of transportation it is a good idea to keep those bad boys tip top shape. Pants are great, but not just any pants will do. Denim, sweat pants, and dress slacks need to be avoided at all costs. A quality cotton or cotton/nylon mix are ideal for pants. It is also beneficial to pay attention to the stitching. The crotchal region and knees in particular need to have re enforced stitching. The last thing you want is to take a knee to tie your shoe, just to stand up and realize you upgraded your pants with a sunroof. Buying quality pants that will survive the elements and movement will result in less need to pack more pants, resulting in less weight you have to carry. Additionally, if at all possible wear cargo pants. Cargo pants are functional from top to bottom, all other pants are only functional at the top. Whatever pants you wear make sure you have a heavy duty belt. A 2 inch nylon belt is ideal.
Underwear:
A t-shirt as an undershirt is a must. Chest hair is is super awesome, but horrible for wicking away sweat from your body. As for the downstairs under garments, wear what you normally wear. Going "commando" seams like a good idea to minimize laundry, but unless you are a current and qualified Infantryman, I wouldn't recommend it. Wear something supportive that you would normally wear to do something active outdoors. If you don't know what to wear outdoors because you have never done anything active, don't worry about your underwear because you probably aren't going to make it that far in survival mode anyway. A light weight base layer needs to be in your bag as well for night time and times when you aren't moving. Polypropylene is the best material for keeping warm and minimizing weight. Just keep in mind, don't wear long underwear while moving, you will have a heat stroke, even in the cold.
Footwear
An over the ankle boot is ideal for movement. It provides support for the entire foot and minimizes the chance of injury. An over the ankle sock needs to be worn with this. I have spent my whole life making fun of my father for wearing socks entirely too high for the shoe he is wearing, but he gave good advice in response, "I would rather be functional than look good". The socks you wear need to be moisture wicking, keeping your feet dry is keeping your feet happy. To help keep your feet dry and functioning properly ensure your boot uppers are a breathable material. Mesh is a good option, just make sure you don't get mesh that is so wide that rocks and sand can get in to your boot. Make sure your boots have a good molded sole for all types of terrain. You want a good overall boot, not something that is specific to one type of terrain. A minimum of one extra pair of socks needs to be in your bag, but I recommend as many socks as you can take. Socks are probably the most important item of clothing you can take with you.
Headgear
Numero uno is a shemagh. Not only do they look extremely cool, but they are multifunctional. A shemagh can provide cover from the sun, provide warmth in the cold, get it wet and it will cool your body, you can use it to filter water, use it as a bandage, a splint, a carrying sack, a towel, i think you get the point... You also need to pack a lightweight beanie. Even in warm weather places, it gets cool at night so you need to keep your bean warm. Sunglasses need to be warn, preferably with ballistic lenses. Using the shemagh to protect your eyes from the sun is a technique, but sunglasses are the preferred method. Ballistic lens just provide a little more protection for your looker balls, and this is good because their is no field expedient eyeball replacement that I know of (if you do, PLEASE let me know what it is).
Color of Clothing
During the initial Bug Out wear earth toned colors. This will help you blend in with vegetation and draw attention to you, but allows you to move through urban areas without drawing attention as well. Once you are out of dodge and into the woods you are going to want to change into your camouflage clothing, but we are working on a separate article on camouflage so I am not going to discuss that too much here now.Just keep it simple and don't draw attention to yourself. Your kit probably includes several weapons for self defense, but if you can get out of town without anyone knowing that is preferred.
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