08-22-2003, 06:46 PM
Dryrod,
Drawing from my skiing and other outdoor activities, my suggestion is "synthetic, synthetic and synthetic."
In order for your breathable or Gore-Tex waders to work correctly, you must wear a wicking layer under your wader, even in warm weather. Bare skin against the plastic-like interior of the wader would make the wader clammy.
Synthetic draws moisture from your skin and transport it to the outside of the fabric where it then goes out of the wader. Another big plus is that synthetic does not retain moisture so if the fabric gets wet it will dry quickly. Furthermore, they still insulate even when wet...unlike cotton which stays wet and makes you cold.
You can find synthetic in many brands and types. They are basically all made of variations of polyester. You can get Polar Fleece types fairly cheap. Other well known fabrics are Coolmax, Thermastat, MTS, or the expensive Capilene by Patagonia. You can find many of these synthetic underwear on clearance in places that sell camping clothing. Try Sierra Trading Post, REI, etc. Get a lightweight for summer and heavy weight, expedition weight or Polar Fleece 300 weight for winter.
As for socks, same thing...go synthetic. Thorlo, Smartwool, etc, etc..
Ahimanic
Drawing from my skiing and other outdoor activities, my suggestion is "synthetic, synthetic and synthetic."
In order for your breathable or Gore-Tex waders to work correctly, you must wear a wicking layer under your wader, even in warm weather. Bare skin against the plastic-like interior of the wader would make the wader clammy.
Synthetic draws moisture from your skin and transport it to the outside of the fabric where it then goes out of the wader. Another big plus is that synthetic does not retain moisture so if the fabric gets wet it will dry quickly. Furthermore, they still insulate even when wet...unlike cotton which stays wet and makes you cold.
You can find synthetic in many brands and types. They are basically all made of variations of polyester. You can get Polar Fleece types fairly cheap. Other well known fabrics are Coolmax, Thermastat, MTS, or the expensive Capilene by Patagonia. You can find many of these synthetic underwear on clearance in places that sell camping clothing. Try Sierra Trading Post, REI, etc. Get a lightweight for summer and heavy weight, expedition weight or Polar Fleece 300 weight for winter.
As for socks, same thing...go synthetic. Thorlo, Smartwool, etc, etc..
Ahimanic