Dress me for summer fieldwork.
March 10, 2018 12:00 PM   Subscribe

I just accepted job offer for an ecological fieldwork position in the Ozarks this summer -- yay!! I'm super excited! And now I probably need to upgrade my wardrobe in a big way, please halp!

The job is in the Missouri Ozarks, the workdays will be 10 hours long, and involve hiking 1-4 miles over rough, hilly terrain to do ecological sampling. Now, I'm an outdoorsy gal, and I normally spend several hours a week in the woods/wetlands/prairies of local preserves, and I am well familiar with Midwestern summer heat and humidity. But it has never been my job to be outside all day every day, and my casual outdoorsy wardrobe reflects that. So I kinda need my clothes to go pro.

I'm usually sized 8-10 on the bottom and M on top, and I'm a very sweaty person in the summer. I'm willing to invest in garments that are excellent at what I need them to do. Given all that, I need your best recommendations for the following:

- wide brim hats to keep the sun off (although yes I will absolutely be wearing loads of sunscreen)
- short-sleeved tops that are maybe better at keeping me cool than my collection of cotton-poly tees from Target
- long-sleeved, button-down field shirts, for days when I'll be working in the open sun
- comfortable hiking pants
- comfortable and extremely durable hiking pants that will protect my legs on days when I'll be walking through dense brambles
- rugged footwear (ideally for wide feet)

And finally, please give me your best chemical/physical strategies for avoiding ticks. Including teeny tiny evil seed ticks. (There will be so, so many ticks.)
posted by Ornate Rocksnail to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (15 answers total) 6 users marked this as a favorite
 
I spent six years doing field work down thee, and DEET was what worked for ticks for me. The chiggers are much worse, and they tend to ignore it. The best solution for chiggers is tall socks and tucking your pants legs in.

It terms of footwear, I usually used a pair of Timberland work boots for everything. I (female) usually get men's boots for the increased width.
posted by Gneisskate at 12:11 PM on March 10, 2018 [2 favorites]


Keens for wide feet.

My bug repellent of choice is Backwoods Off with DEET and sturdy big rubber bands for your sleeves and pant legs to keep things from crawling up and biting you. Ticks mostly. Also get one of those tick pullers- they are great.

Which leads me to- don't buy expensive clothes as the DEET will destroy them. I wear cheap cotton Ts doing fieldwork specifically because I will spray Backwoods OFF all over them. Your target Ts are fine. DEET melts synthetic fabrics, remember.

Any rugged nylon hiking pants are fine. Duluth Trading Co, Eddie Bauer, REI house brand or Columbia are the most cost effective and common thicker pants. For some stupid reason they are making them "fitted" now so try the guys ones too. Lots of people wear cotton duck pants too or work jeans. If you're going home at night or back to a normal building with heat/ water etc that's fine. Not so much if you're living in a tent.

Wide brim hats get caught in everything- get one of the dorky ball caps with a neck guard or get a bandana and a ball cap.

One of those neck strings to hold your sunglasses so you don't lose them every 5 minutes.
posted by fshgrl at 12:27 PM on March 10, 2018 [3 favorites]


I get most of my field clothes from Sierra Trading Post. I've been happiest with the Columbia stuff I've bought in terms of fit and durability. For a base layer, I like the Hanes Cool Dri t-shirts, which are super cheap, but any old t-shirts are likely fine. I like wide brimmed sun hats as well (there's melanoma in my family), and Sierra Trading Post has some sun hats, too.

In addition to putting DEET all over yourself, you can put Permethrin all over your clothes. It keeps ticks off your clothes and lasts for several washes before you have to reapply. Bug-off clothes come with Permethrin embedded, but it's probably cheaper to buy whatever clothes you like and spray them with Permethrin you buy at the drug store.

I am also a Keen's hiking shoe fan. If you need heavy duty hiking boots, my parents got me the 1999 model of Asolo's EVO boots when I graduated from college, and they're still my primary heavy duty boots. Smartwools Medium Hiker are my favorite hiking socks and, of course, can also be found on Sierra Trading Post if you don't mind random colors.
posted by hydropsyche at 12:53 PM on March 10, 2018 [2 favorites]


Get a baseball cap, rain pants if you're going to be hiking through tall wet grass a lot, raincoat that doubles as your windbreaker, good lightweight hiking boots, and the rest of your field clothes from a thrift store. Pull your socks over your pants to keep ticks off your legs, and do tick checks every day (don't forget your scalp!)
posted by ball00000ns at 12:55 PM on March 10, 2018 [1 favorite]


I am an ecologist and spend most of my summers doing field work. I also have spent a small fortune on field gear. Honestly, I got tired of wrecking my good (expensive!!) gear and now get my field clothes from the thrift store. Advantages are is that they are cheap to replace, and I don't feel fury at ripping another pair of expensive quick dry pants or shirts. I keep my nice stuff line my Goretex shell for when I'm doing personal hikes or canoe trips.

I also wear a quick dry or cotton long sleeve to keep the bugs and ticks off. Less skin showing the better. Definitely get a tick remover, I got mine for cheap from my dogs vet of all places. When it's really hot I also wet down a buff and put in on my head or neck. Helps cool me down without removing a layer.

Definitely invest in good hiking boots if you don't have a pair already, and don't forget to break them in! I also use bama socks (sorry for no link, on my phone) when I wear rubber boots or my hip waders. They help keep my feet dry and I'm much happier with dry feet.

If you aren't used to hiking for hours through rough terrain, also be prepared to spend a couple weeks getting your bush legs. I spend the 6 weeks before each field season doing the stair climber at the gym to do some conditioning. First couple weeks back are always hard though.

Have fun!
posted by snowysoul at 2:00 PM on March 10, 2018 [2 favorites]


Ticks, oh gosh, the ticks.

Here in the Illinois Ozarks, we've learned there's no point in bothering with anything but 100% DEET. Don't put it on your skin, unless cancer sounds fun. But a drop or two on the bottom of each pant leg & shoe, plus your hat (they'll drop out of trees) will protect you, mostly. Some years I swear I'm just going to start wearing a Seresto collar like my dog.

Do a tick check every night. Including and especially swimsuit areas. Don't forget your scalp & behind/in your ears.

If you don't mind doubling-down on the chemical repellants, Thermacell makes effective permethrin barriers you can carry with you.

Merrell makes some pretty lovely hiking shoes & boots that will last and last. Be careful with synthetic clothing if you're applying DEET as it will melt some fibers, particularly breathable fabrics. And as light and comfy as those breathable pants are, they don't really hold up to heavy brush (brambles). Honestly, thrift store denim & Duluth's firehose are less likely to rip and hide the sweat better! And if you have the budget, clothing made for red card folks is pretty darn durable.
posted by muirne81 at 2:45 PM on March 10, 2018 [1 favorite]


snowysoul walks the walk and probably has the best advice.

I love athleleisure brands and wear a lot of athletic/hiking clothes in my regular life because I like the look. I'm not battling brambles.

The most flattering hiking pants are the Halle pant by Prana. I own a black pair and khaki pair and get so many compliments. I can't personally vouch for how durable they are, however, there are rave reviews on durability. You can also buy them at other retailers like Amazon, Zappos, and REI.

I also like the Flexpedition pants from Duluth Trading. I own them in a steel gray color and love them. They may be a bit warm for summer, hard to say. Duluth has several styles of pants that might fit your needs.

Some brands that you may look for are Kuhl, Athleta, Prana, Marmot, Mountain Khakis, and Duluth Trading.
posted by loveandhappiness at 2:53 PM on March 10, 2018 [2 favorites]


Nthing using DEET (I find it works very well against chiggers), and buying cheaper shirts that can get destroyed. Pants can get a little pricey for the quality; I like Kuhl (good for narrower-hipped people) and Columbia.

HERE IS MY BIG TIP: Get a day pack that can fit a waterbag like a Platypus. This way, it's really easy to keep water close and stay hydrated as you sweat gallons, and you don't have to put your pack down to grab a bottle - this goes a huge way towards preventing chiggers getting on your backpack, and crawling down its straps to bite all around your chest/bra areas. Once I started doing that, the Alabama brambles were far friendlier.

Have a great season!!
posted by Drosera at 3:00 PM on March 10, 2018 [5 favorites]


I'm in a different part of the country, but also spend a lot of the summer in the field. One very general comment is to sign up for any pro deals you can qualify for; it can give you big savings on gear.

For clothes, almost all of the people I work with wear decent-quality all- or part-cotton (duck or ripstop) loose-fitting pants from brands like Carhartt; a few people wear synthetic hiking pants but those don't seem to do as well in rough brush. Long sleeve shirts to keep the sun off; I'd say people are evenly split between cotton and synthetics on those. Either way, think of the shirts and pants as basically disposable and replace them as they degrade. I like the thin Smartwool socks, but there are lots of wool and synthetic options that are good.

If you aren't going to have easy access to laundry during the week, bring enough socks/underwear/etc that you can have something clean to wear after your evening shower. It is depressing having to put gross stuff back on before heading to dinner.

For boots, people wear whatever hiking/work boot or shoe that works for their feet, and Mucks or Xtratuf boots for wet/muddy sites. A few people wear hiking sandals but those don't meet many health and safety guidelines (not that anyone will notice when you are out in the woods). If you are doing a lot of stream work you may want wading boots; almost everyone here uses Simms G3 guide boots with the carbide studs (not the aluminum ones). Waders are good for cold water, but in the middle of summer it is nicer to wet wade.

Get a day pack that can fit a waterbag like a Platypus.

This, or if you are using a survey vest make sure it has a back pocket that can hold the hydration bag. In your pack or vest, ALWAYS have a small ziplock bag with toilet paper; the one time you don't is the time you will badly regret it.

Lastly, I can't agree more with the people saying to do a full tick inspection every day. It helps to have a friend willing to check your back, but you can do ok craning your neck at the mirror. Definitely check everywhere, including backs of your knees, armpits, and groin/butt/etc. On sites where there are tons of ticks, we'll sometimes strip down and check each other before getting in the truck at the end of the day; you still end up with a few in the truck but at least it cuts down on the numbers.
posted by Dip Flash at 4:46 PM on March 10, 2018 [1 favorite]


Wow those Duluth pants are super expensive! Most cotton duck pants are half that.

For that kind of money you can get the Patagonia field pants which are widely regarded as the "fancy" pants around here. I have a rip off REI brand pair that are 100 years old but they don't make them anymore. I bet Cabelas has something similar though.

My other tip in very buggy areas is gloves. People look at you funny when you wear gloves in 85 degree weather but I personally prefer not to have bug spray on my hands. Bug spray is a god send but it's not benign and you have potentially 30 more years of using it in your career. You might want to reproduce one day. Try not to start eating it everyday for lunch right off the bat.
posted by fshgrl at 5:35 PM on March 10, 2018 [2 favorites]


More votes for Keens and permethrin.

Duluth Trading oants are very tough, plus the Flex ones are stretchy. I love mine.

I have goatskin work gloves that have lasted longer than any cotton or leather gloves, and I can pick up little things with them. As is too often the case: they cost more but are way worth it.
posted by wenestvedt at 6:15 AM on March 11, 2018 [1 favorite]


I have a pair of the Kuhl pants mentioned above that I love--amazing pockets, dry quickly, and very durable--but they're the men's Revolvr style. I tried and returned many many of their women's pants because they all had bullshit pockets or other typical women's clothing nonsense.
posted by gueneverey at 7:12 AM on March 11, 2018 [1 favorite]


I'm an ecologist who did fieldwork in the southeast US.

+1 to Backwoods Off DEET spray

Assuming you're going home every day, scrubbing your skin with e.g. a Salux cloth and concentrating on areas where your clothing clings (underwear lines, sock line, waistband, etc.) worked well for me to minimize chigger bites. I've gotten three different prescription steroids because chiggers give me massive welts, so I took this seriously. Someone talked me into trying powdered sulfur and it didn't work and you and all your clothes will smell like sulfur for a week, don't do it. Because ticks need to be attached to you for a pretty long time to transmit disease, I didn't worry about them as much, but did daily thorough checks. If you have a lot of hair, consider braiding it tightly and/or tucking it under a hat.

+1 to getting your field clothes at thrift stores / cheaply. Consider which neighborhood/town near you is likely to have residents who discard lightly-worn outdoors gear, selection can vary a lot.

I like somewhat oversized collared shirts with long sleeves or polyester fitness-type long sleeved shirts. Carhartt pants are popular among colleagues, I just wear my crummiest pair of jeans. I wear a baseball cap in the field - flip the collar on the shirt up if there's sun on your neck. This also helps to keep ticks out of your hair.

Also, anything you might set down (sunglasses, hat, phone, maybe backpack) needs to be brightly colored so it doesn't vanish into the field plot.
posted by momus_window at 4:14 PM on March 11, 2018 [2 favorites]


I used to do field work for the USFS in WV and completely agree with most of what I've read here. I wore mostly random garbage clothes (lots of old jeans, ratty t-shirts, and thin, well-worn flannels), but would definitely invest in lightweight raingear, good boots, and Smartwool socks (via Sierra Trading). I typically kept a bandanna tight over my head, often topped with a ball cap, and sometimes a head net when mosquitoes/black flies were worst. Yes to DEET, and lots of it... also tall socks with the pant legs tucked in and gloves, even in summer. I loved zip-off pants, which at least gave some relief from the heat once you were safe back in the (relatively bug-free) jeep. But I had one more odd strategy that worked for me. It wouldn't work well if you live with roommates, but I kept a laundry hamper right inside my front door during those years. I could come home, step inside, and strip off every bit of my field gear when I first came in the apartment. Sadly, it didn't stop critters from following me home, but at least the greasy bug-dope feel was contained and I could minimize what all was tracked in. (It was so romantic when my brand-new-boyfriend came for the weekend and found a tick crawling on him after being on my couch. But he married me later, so it clearly wasn't a dealbreaker.)
posted by hessie at 6:44 AM on March 12, 2018 [1 favorite]


For after field work, see if you can hang your field clothes that aren’t due for a wash on a line in the sun. The same sunshine that will roast you to death during work will also help bake the ticks left on your clothes to death. Ticks, for all their nastiness, are pretty fragile little dudes and dudettes, and dry out pretty quickly.
posted by Drosera at 3:44 PM on March 13, 2018


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