Modified or Designer clothing for the EDC prepped civilian
Copyright NR 2011
More and more preppers I meet are doing some interesting stuff with their EDC clothing, Poorer preppers like myself tend to modify or tailor proprietry brands of clothing to suit our own needs, I’m always adding extra pockets, re-enforcement patches, Fastex webbing and hangers, kit hanging loops, elasticated draw cords etc to my clothing. Equally many preppers choose to buy and wear clothing primarily designed for soldiers or police officers such as Combat Jackets, SAS smocks, M65s, Concealed Carry Jackets, Specialist Vests etc. And not forgetting our passion for tactical cargo pants either. Some folks spend huge amounts of first rate specialist outdoor clothing and still end up messing on with a sewing machine to get the product they want.
Also and very importantly in this ever more uncertain and violent world parents are also seeking specialist clothing for their children. GPS tagged clothing and shoes for the very young, GPS tagged phones for errant teens spring to mind but equally the enlightened urban families both prepper and ordinary types as well as the kids themselves have identified a need for even more specialist clothing.
This includes slash proof and knife resistant vests, hoodies, smocks and jackets for kids !!
(What a terrible indictment of today’s society until you realise that in London alone over 250 kids have been stabbed to death in the last year or two which makes teen prepping more important than ever it was before.)
Slash resistant clothing is now very popular in places such as Washington DC, New York, London, Birmingham, Rome, Berlin and Tokyo for teens as well as adults. It is a newish product range some city preppers may wish to consider as well.
There is also a trend among our teens and city dwellers to reduce the risk of becoming victims of muggings and street robberies by wearing clothing that allows them to conceal the inevitable collection of electronic gadgets they have these days. Firstly it helps them reduce the risk of being targeted as in many cases they can conceal their personal kit about their person instead of in bags and rucksacks.
Jackets, Hoodies and Vests that look just like ordinary outdoor civilian fashion clothing but have huge numbers of concealed pockets and hidden routes within the clothing to route phone speaker / headphone wires etc, This again is a development that can in many cases be beneficial to the urban prepper community as you can very often carry a full EDC load in the pockets rather than in a bag.
Article on Kids stab proof clothing
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk...552956.ece
Concealed 24 pocket Fleece
http://www.scottevest.com/v3_store/Fleece_Jacket.shtml
22 concealed pocket travel Vest
http://www.scottevest.com/v3_store/New_T...Vest.shtml
26 concealed pockets Jacket
http://www.scottevest.com/v3_store/Revol...cket.shtml
Specialist Scottvest range Men and Women
http://www.scottevest.com/v3_store/subin...ests.shtml
Tactical multi pocket hoodie
http://www.scottevest.com/v3_store/cotton-hoodie.shtml
Knife Slash Resistant Hoodies
http://www.bladerunner.tv/hooded-tops-c-76.html
Knife Slash Resistant Windjammer Jacket
http://www.bladerunner.tv/weatherproof-j...uffangro21
What are your favourite EDC Pants?
© 2010 Northern Raider
I’m not into murses, purses or manbags, I’m too old to wear tight jeans anymore and for many long years I have accommodated my personal possessions usually in a pair of Regatta Cargo pants, prior to that it was a pair of ex army green Lightweights that did the job. If I have to carry a fair bit of extra kit I wear a Regatta OS4 Cargo Vest.
However two years ago I stopped wearing the Regattas on a bit of a whim and at the suggestion of a chap I knew who worked in an outdoors store. I had been whinging to him for some time about the often very variable quality of the Regatta Cargo pants, some were well made and some fell apart in no time at all. And I had issues with the numerous pockets in them. The number of pockets was fine, but most of them were so closely cut and attached that you could not put much in them, and if you did it was uncomfortable.
So at the suggestion (and the fact they were on offer) I bought a couple of pairs of Craghoppers Kiwi Cargos, and two years on I must admit to being absolutely delighted.
Spacious cut, multiple stitching where necessary, plenty of belt loop (1 ¾ ) re-enforcement in places where needed, etc and a good cloth that resists rain and muck quite well. They wash very well and iron ever so easily; they come in three leg lengths and waist sizes to fit most folks. Colours range from Black, Grey, Navy Blue, Light tan, Dark tan and on occasion I have seen green ones.
The bit I like best is they are more generously cut for a looser fit and the pockets are better cut and designed to carry stuff more secure and in more comfort.
Pockets wise two either side on the front with one of each being zipped, two on the bum both zipped, and a fabulous large leg pocket set up that is sub compartmented to take a cell phone, wallet etc with a map pocket behind capable of taking a folded full size OS map.
If you think I normally carry a lock knife, multi tool, flashlight, mini FAK, Bandana, Specs case, wallet, cell phone, cash, keys, spare batteries, pieces of kitchen roll, note book and pen about me it makes sense to do so securely and comfortably.
I have now gone completely over to wearing KIWIS.
They do them in lads and lasses fit and they run around £22 a pair.
I believe Craghoppers is updating the range at the moment with extra re-enforcement patches and anti fray fabric on the hems
Review Smock
Combat, Windproof, Woodland DPM Cotton
Copyright NR 2011
After finally being happy with the modifications I made to my Mountain Warehouse 200 G fleece then not being overly chuffed to find out that about the same time loads of companies were launching tactical fleeces, I sought out a suitable top coat for foul weather tactical usage and EDC use.
I’ve tried Gore tex hiking coats but never got away with them, tried other systems of coats and always found them wanting, and still not being able to afford top notch mountaineering kit I turning my attention back to my roots, IE the British army. I need a tough, COMFORTABLE, well fitting, adjustable, easy clean, rugged, very functional and affordable jacket to carry my EDC kit and its got to be utterly reliable.
30 years ago on and off duty I only ever wore a DPM or Black SAS smock by Radar of Redcar, or a standard issue 1980s pattern DPM combat jacket, it was to this family of clothes I returned to investigate again.
So for the last 8 weeks I have been EDCing a current issue Disruptive Pattern Smock in Woodland colours (no desire to look like a modern desert warrior) and have to say I’m absolutely delighted with this jacket. It is the LEAST modified coat I have ever owned, I normally spend hours cutting, sewing trimming or altering coats I use as a Prepper.
The Smock Itself.
It’s a treated close weave cotton smock with full length double ended very tough two way nylon zip, it has a rolled up hood secured by a cord loop over a button. The zip is covered by a windproof flap secured by Velcro tabs
Design
1 x very small pocket on LH sleeve secured by Velcro tab
2 x upper chest pockets
2 x lower pockets
The pockets are of the pleated bellows type
All of the front pockets have fold over tops secured by Canadian pattern slotted buttons
The upper front has also got 2 x internal pockets accessed by zips on the outside of the jacket
A chest mounted rank slide is also fitted.
On the inside the jacket has a waist adjuster cord and an elasticated bottom hem cord
Water resistant
The jacket itself is treated with both IR reducing agents and water proofing agents that leave it VERY water resistant but NOT water proof, being natural fibres it breathes a bit so you don’t get sweaty when working hard with it on.
Don’t dry clean
If you dry clean this jacket you will ruin the IR reducing coating and remove much of the water proofing, 60 degree wash, warm steam iron dry, Can be tumble dried.
Re-waterproof after every 3rd wash with in-wash waterproofing treatment.
Shortcomings
The only bit I’m not overly pleased about is the modern smock no longer has a pen pocket on the sleeve like the early versions,
Quality
Every bit as good as Cold War era DPM smocks made from good quality cloth, thread and fittings, VASTLY superior to the bloody awful poor quality early 90s issue smocks.
Modifications
I have only fitted so far a press stud popper on the hem of the smock to help keep it closed when worn in the tucked under blouson style so beloved of old ex-squaddies like me, I may sew on an extra piece of cloth or two to fasten microphones to or to run earpiece cables through.
IF I was still a Rifleman and facing the Russian hoards in Germany I would almost certainly cut off all the noisy damn Velcro and fit buttons or press studs to the jacket, The noise Velcro makes when being opened is hellishly noisy at night when trying to hide in a battlefield.
OVERALL OPINION
I Love this jacket, and wish I could find one in a plain colour.
I love Craghoppers cargo pants for just about every occasions with the occasional pair of regatta cargos for very warm days. I wear cotton polos or Norwegian army shirts, but have a passion of Hanes Beefy T T shirts.. I use thin micro fleeces for mid layer and heavy black fleeces for cold weather and driving, I tend to sew in extra pockets to them though. I also like Dare2B and North Face parkas.. Footwear is usually Merrill, Karrimore or Saloman approach shoes for EDC and Hi Tec Magnum Midnight Spyders for tactical stuff.
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