Hi, I'm hoping to go away on a volunteer trip early next year and I was wondering does price/ brands make any difference when it comes to clothing as I've been reading up and all the books I've read say cotton clothing for tropical areas but I've seen cotton trousers and shirts from 20 quid all the way up to 100 plus. So does it really make much difference in terms of quality?
Does price matter?
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Mate M&S are generally better quality than Primark but I wouldn't pay £100 for any shirt or trousers.
Some cottons are far better than others imo. Depends on purpose and life expectancy etc.
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Price does not equal quality - as quality is defined by use. For example Craghoppers purport to be a quality brand - but are in reality a brand for leisure walkers that do not stand up to hard use by people actually working outdoors. I would look at clothes designed for working people - 5.11 for example. Its not about price, its about purpose. Some are fine for leisure use - but if they were so great, every farmer and fencer would wear them - but they don't (for a reason). Pick the gear that people who work outdoors 12 hours a day, 5 days a week in all weathers use. They have a rather more robust understanding of "value" - and the basic cotton overalls rule the roost!
The best person to talk to here is Stuart, he's spent a lot of time in the tropics and at a guess has more first hand experience of clothing/wear/tear in those conditions. Perhaps the moderator Toddy can put you in touch with him. He's a very nice fella, certainly was when I sat talking with him and his good lady.
A good brand for hard wearing clothing are people like http://www.dickiesstore.co.uk/workwear-trousers
5:11 is good, so is the high price (and label) and in the tropics the durability of your clothing may not be reflected in the price you pay; also it may be worth you waiting until you arrive there before stocking up for the whole trip.
A good brand for hard wearing clothing are people like http://www.dickiesstore.co.uk/workwear-trousers
5:11 is good, so is the high price (and label) and in the tropics the durability of your clothing may not be reflected in the price you pay; also it may be worth you waiting until you arrive there before stocking up for the whole trip.
I have to say (unusually) I disagree with Richard there. I have bought two pairs of Dickies "workwear" trousers and one pair of overalls. The cotton is thin and the zips are made from old coke cans. All failed in less than three months. I pay twice as much for clothes that last four times as long. Some really foul use clothes I buy cheap overalls for a tenner and simply chuck them on failure.
I guess I have worked out what works for me...generally 5.11 strides, cheap t shirts and Grubb Stalkers
I guess I have worked out what works for me...generally 5.11 strides, cheap t shirts and Grubb Stalkers
The all cotton 5.11 trousers are made from a very heavy cotton, they are very tough, well stitched together and have a good arrangement of pockets, if I had a complaint it would be that the cargo pockets are not as large as I'd like.
You can pick them up for £40 - £45 which doesn't seem to pricey for the quality of trouser you get.
Where will your 'volunteer trip' take you? How long will you be there for? Perhaps you can pick up some trousers over there instead?
You can pick them up for £40 - £45 which doesn't seem to pricey for the quality of trouser you get.
Where will your 'volunteer trip' take you? How long will you be there for? Perhaps you can pick up some trousers over there instead?
Bah, I completely disagree. Cotton overalls rule because nobody cares about them, because they are cheap as dirt. It's not about them being awesome, they're worn because when the farmers junker tractor breaks again, the farmer can work on it and destroy the overalls without thinking about it. It's the same as carrying a plastic mora, you don't burst into tears if it falls into a deep river.
I can't say much about Dickies' cotton "work pants" as I've never worn them. I'm pretty addicted to their jeans though; good heavy cotton denim. And their work shirts are superb, though the poly/cotton blend is better than all cotton. For that matter the poly/cotton blend work pants are usually excellent as well.
If you want a farmers' overall, I'd still stick with Dickies [url]www.Dickies.com/Overalls[/URL] But I don't think I'd want to wear overalls in a tropical environment.
Hence "value"
If you are going to trash clothes, trash cheap clothes!
If you need tough clothes, buy tough clothes.
Both are "value" - one is the cheapest disposable, one is the hardest wearing.
Hence "value"
If you are going to trash clothes, trash cheap clothes!
If you need tough clothes, buy tough clothes.
Both are "value" - one is the cheapest disposable, one is the hardest wearing.
Well said. Ideally for the OP his clothing would last for the duration of his tour and he could leave it there to make room to bring home locally purchased items.
That's what I was driving at. I suspect (but do not know) that value in a remote jungle location will equate to "will not let me down", as replacements are likely to be very hard to come by. Value here means "I don't care when I rip the **** out of it". Different location, different rules.
The reason I suggest 5.11s is I work strides hard. I buy two pairs at a time and have one on, one in the wash. They are double (and in places triple) stitched, reinforced knees and backside with multiple cloth layers. I kneel down weeding, run machinery, paint, roof, tile, cut wood and allsorts in them. They last around three years (alternating two pairs worn every day between them). At which point the cloth wears through (on every pair so far). I have never had a zip or seam fail. Ever. All zips are proper YKK (as an example). Dickies have cheap zips, the pull tags break, the zip fails (had both happen inside three months). Not value if a new zip is a few hundred miles away. Nor though would cheap overalls be (there). Now I wear poly cotton ripstop TDUs - they wont work in a hot climate - but they do make lighter weights. Either way I would buy them now and wear them in to be sure they last - most things fail in the first few months of continual use.
The reason I suggest 5.11s is I work strides hard. I buy two pairs at a time and have one on, one in the wash. They are double (and in places triple) stitched, reinforced knees and backside with multiple cloth layers. I kneel down weeding, run machinery, paint, roof, tile, cut wood and allsorts in them. They last around three years (alternating two pairs worn every day between them). At which point the cloth wears through (on every pair so far). I have never had a zip or seam fail. Ever. All zips are proper YKK (as an example). Dickies have cheap zips, the pull tags break, the zip fails (had both happen inside three months). Not value if a new zip is a few hundred miles away. Nor though would cheap overalls be (there). Now I wear poly cotton ripstop TDUs - they wont work in a hot climate - but they do make lighter weights. Either way I would buy them now and wear them in to be sure they last - most things fail in the first few months of continual use.
nononono....
"Pick the gear that people who work outdoors 12 hours a day, 5 days a week in all weathers use." means the OP should pick farmer clothes which are typically cheap and plentiful and would be rather unsuited to expedition type use. Workwear gets treated badly because it's cheap, if you give someone great workwear it will last longer not just because it is constructed well, people will take more care of it and it will last longer because of that too. It's very basic psychology but doesn't truly indicate the quality of the item. I think it's important to be clear on that.
Also, maybe people have got a bad batch of craghoppers or maybe they changed recently but I have had two motorcycle accidents that have left my legs grazed and cut through craghoppers and the trousers integrity was maintained, in fact, they still looked as good as before the accident. It really annoyed me for war wound / insurance reasons. I do not deny others' experience but have my own experience to the contrary.
"Pick the gear that people who work outdoors 12 hours a day, 5 days a week in all weathers use." means the OP should pick farmer clothes which are typically cheap and plentiful and would be rather unsuited to expedition type use. Workwear gets treated badly because it's cheap, if you give someone great workwear it will last longer not just because it is constructed well, people will take more care of it and it will last longer because of that too. It's very basic psychology but doesn't truly indicate the quality of the item. I think it's important to be clear on that.
Also, maybe people have got a bad batch of craghoppers or maybe they changed recently but I have had two motorcycle accidents that have left my legs grazed and cut through craghoppers and the trousers integrity was maintained, in fact, they still looked as good as before the accident. It really annoyed me for war wound / insurance reasons. I do not deny others' experience but have my own experience to the contrary.
No that isn't what I meant squidders - what I meant was - wear the clothes others who work there wear, not tourists or those on two week "expeditions". You may find craghoppers okay - that's cool - I have tried them several times (over ten years or more) - they have been flimsy carp without exception - fabric weight, zip quality, reinforcements, multiple stitching are all way beneath other brands - indeed I am happy to publish pictures to prove it
Bear in mind the OP is not going on a couple of weeks "expedition" (holiday), he is going to live and work for two years. Different job, different requirement.
We can disagree, that's okay though.
Bear in mind the OP is not going on a couple of weeks "expedition" (holiday), he is going to live and work for two years. Different job, different requirement.
We can disagree, that's okay though.
BR my Dickies jeans are likewise double (and in places triple) stitched and their work pants some models) likewise double the fabric at the knees; particularly the cargo pocketed versions. I've never had a seam or zip fail on them or the work pants (Dammit! I shouldn't have said that though; now every pair I own will fail this week) and they usually last me a couple of years before wearing out. As to how long the shirts last, well I don't know yet. Three years so far.
My only complaint with the zip has been that the handle (the part you grab to operate it) is a bit small and can be difficult in the cold which shouldn't be a problem in a tropical climate.
I can't comment objectively on the 5.11s or compare them as I've never had a pair. They're just to expensive for me.
My only complaint with the zip has been that the handle (the part you grab to operate it) is a bit small and can be difficult in the cold which shouldn't be a problem in a tropical climate.
I can't comment objectively on the 5.11s or compare them as I've never had a pair. They're just to expensive for me.
Each to their own mate - maybe the Dickies are different here?
Best advice I think we can agree on is "get 'em now and wear 'em hard" - anything that doesn't take it, chuck 'em here whilst you can replace them!
Best advice I think we can agree on is "get 'em now and wear 'em hard" - anything that doesn't take it, chuck 'em here whilst you can replace them!
TBH I was wondering about that myself. Doesn't seem logical they'd have two different production lines, but maybe the models they market might be different?
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