Bad Weather or Wrong Garment?
by
Nazım Ofluoğlu
15 May 2024
"There is no such thing as bad weather, only inappropriate clothing." Imagine a day when the cold bites and the rain pours intensely, making going outside seem almost impossible. On the other hand, gather yourself and remember that you are within the weather. On such days, you truly appreciate the right clothing, and you realize how correct you were in choosing these products with technical details you know.
Right and Wrong Clothes:
Many people fish with inappropriate clothes for this purpose simply because they never tried other clothes or were not told. In contrast, most people who try fishing with the right clothes continue to do so in the future. For instance, having a garment layer that carries sweat under a breathable jacket is crucial. If a functional middle layer is not purchased, spending a lot of money on a good jacket makes little sense. You might encounter fishermen wearing breathable jackets with denim pants or cotton shirts.
Individuals Have Special Needs:
So, with so many clothes already available, why should I think about fishing-specific clothes? It's quite simple, actually. Because when fishing, clothing is exposed to much more than what ordinary clothes and traditional outdoor clothes are designed for. It's more common for a fisherman to blaze his own trail than to follow in the footsteps of others. And when you venture onto an untouched fishing route, the path often goes through reeds, forests, and craters, causing clothes to wear out more than a hike on a used forest road.
3-Layer Principle:
It is a simple and effective system that combines different clothing layers for ideal comfort. For example, if there is no garment layer under a breathable jacket that does not trap sweat, the jacket has little effect. At the same time, there is no reason to buy a good jacket if a functional middle layer is not purchased. The 3-Layer principle aims to create a "clothing-eco system" that keeps you warm and dry in challenging weather conditions. Keeping the body dry is essential to prevent cooling. Therefore, layering and selection are crucial.
These can be categorized as follows: the first layer (1st Layer) is close to the body and non-sweating, serving as the first level of protection. The middle layer (2nd Layer) is designed for different activity levels, insulation, and stain resistance. The outer layer (3rd Layer) protects against rain, wind, waves, stains, and mechanical friction.
1st Layer:
Going out in cold weather with the wrong clothes means feeling cold. And when you sweat, you get cold. This means the body cools with wet clothes. Therefore, you need a first layer that removes wet clothes from the body. The first layer is usually made of polypropylene materials that do not absorb water and dry quickly. Wool is also a good alternative because it retains heat even when damp.
However, wool is heavier and takes longer to dry. A fisherman should prefer synthetic materials for temperate conditions and wool for cold weather. But always choose a model that fits snugly to the body so that it can remove sweat from the body.
Technically speaking, moisture or water vapor moves from your skin to the inner layer and then is expelled outward.
2nd Layer:
Polar fabric is most commonly used for the middle layer because it has a soft, fluffy structure that can hold a lot of air between fibers, acting as an insulating layer. It can also absorb and transfer excess sweat and vapor to the outside. It dries quickly.
It's possible to find a middle layer with wool, which is excellent insulation. However, it is heavier and dries more slowly when compared to polar.
Polar is usually made of polyester and is a transformed material. Today, there are many types and qualities of polar. The difference between good and less good polar primarily depends on how much air the material can hold and how warm it is when used. Also, cheaper polar often pills more than the more expensive one, and cheap polar appears to be used more quickly.
Stafu Pro supplies Polar materials from leading polar manufacturers on the market and almost all well-known brands. These Polar materials are known for their high heat-to-weight ratio, high moisture wicking capacity, breathability, and very high quality.
3rd Layer:
Water resistance is the most important task of the outer layer, protecting against elements such as rain, snow, and wind. It's crucial to understand that breathable garments transfer sweat when moist, but this doesn't apply when the moisture is in liquid form. Therefore, it's essential to know how to use the lower layers; if condensation occurs on the inside of the shell, it can be felt that the outer material is not tight.
The outer layer is sometimes called the shell. It can be different in terms of use and appearance but is produced based on the same basic structure. A hard shell consists of at least two and mostly three elements: an outer material, a waterproof layer, and optionally a third layer.
The outer material is not waterproof on its own. Its function is to resist external abrasion. Additionally, the outer material is often impregnated to prevent water absorption. Impregnation is essential, not for waterproofing but for breathability and comfort. When the outer material is wet, the garment becomes heavier, and it breathes less because the wet layer does not allow the body's heat and moisture to pass through, regardless of the membrane. That's why it's important to impregnate shell garments to maintain breathability and comfort when the garment quickly absorbs water.
The waterproof layer, membrane, or coating is placed on the back of
the outer material, making the garment waterproof.
The third layer protects the membrane from the inside. Very cheap waterproof garments do not have a third layer, so their abrasion resistance is very low. The third layer can be made in many different ways. The inner material can be glued to the membrane, resulting in a relatively lightweight product. These are called 3-layer products or shell jackets and shell pants. Alternatively, there may be a loose lining that protects the membrane. This produces a slightly heavier but also more durable product.
Right and Wrong Clothes:
Many people fish with inappropriate clothes for this purpose simply because they never tried other clothes or were not told. In contrast, most people who try fishing with the right clothes continue to do so in the future. For instance, having a garment layer that carries sweat under a breathable jacket is crucial. If a functional middle layer is not purchased, spending a lot of money on a good jacket makes little sense. You might encounter fishermen wearing breathable jackets with denim pants or cotton shirts.
Individuals Have Special Needs:
So, with so many clothes already available, why should I think about fishing-specific clothes? It's quite simple, actually. Because when fishing, clothing is exposed to much more than what ordinary clothes and traditional outdoor clothes are designed for. It's more common for a fisherman to blaze his own trail than to follow in the footsteps of others. And when you venture onto an untouched fishing route, the path often goes through reeds, forests, and craters, causing clothes to wear out more than a hike on a used forest road.
3-Layer Principle:
It is a simple and effective system that combines different clothing layers for ideal comfort. For example, if there is no garment layer under a breathable jacket that does not trap sweat, the jacket has little effect. At the same time, there is no reason to buy a good jacket if a functional middle layer is not purchased. The 3-Layer principle aims to create a "clothing-eco system" that keeps you warm and dry in challenging weather conditions. Keeping the body dry is essential to prevent cooling. Therefore, layering and selection are crucial.
These can be categorized as follows: the first layer (1st Layer) is close to the body and non-sweating, serving as the first level of protection. The middle layer (2nd Layer) is designed for different activity levels, insulation, and stain resistance. The outer layer (3rd Layer) protects against rain, wind, waves, stains, and mechanical friction.
1st Layer:
Going out in cold weather with the wrong clothes means feeling cold. And when you sweat, you get cold. This means the body cools with wet clothes. Therefore, you need a first layer that removes wet clothes from the body. The first layer is usually made of polypropylene materials that do not absorb water and dry quickly. Wool is also a good alternative because it retains heat even when damp.
However, wool is heavier and takes longer to dry. A fisherman should prefer synthetic materials for temperate conditions and wool for cold weather. But always choose a model that fits snugly to the body so that it can remove sweat from the body.
Technically speaking, moisture or water vapor moves from your skin to the inner layer and then is expelled outward.
2nd Layer:
Polar fabric is most commonly used for the middle layer because it has a soft, fluffy structure that can hold a lot of air between fibers, acting as an insulating layer. It can also absorb and transfer excess sweat and vapor to the outside. It dries quickly.
It's possible to find a middle layer with wool, which is excellent insulation. However, it is heavier and dries more slowly when compared to polar.
Polar is usually made of polyester and is a transformed material. Today, there are many types and qualities of polar. The difference between good and less good polar primarily depends on how much air the material can hold and how warm it is when used. Also, cheaper polar often pills more than the more expensive one, and cheap polar appears to be used more quickly.
Stafu Pro supplies Polar materials from leading polar manufacturers on the market and almost all well-known brands. These Polar materials are known for their high heat-to-weight ratio, high moisture wicking capacity, breathability, and very high quality.
3rd Layer:
Water resistance is the most important task of the outer layer, protecting against elements such as rain, snow, and wind. It's crucial to understand that breathable garments transfer sweat when moist, but this doesn't apply when the moisture is in liquid form. Therefore, it's essential to know how to use the lower layers; if condensation occurs on the inside of the shell, it can be felt that the outer material is not tight.
The outer layer is sometimes called the shell. It can be different in terms of use and appearance but is produced based on the same basic structure. A hard shell consists of at least two and mostly three elements: an outer material, a waterproof layer, and optionally a third layer.
The outer material is not waterproof on its own. Its function is to resist external abrasion. Additionally, the outer material is often impregnated to prevent water absorption. Impregnation is essential, not for waterproofing but for breathability and comfort. When the outer material is wet, the garment becomes heavier, and it breathes less because the wet layer does not allow the body's heat and moisture to pass through, regardless of the membrane. That's why it's important to impregnate shell garments to maintain breathability and comfort when the garment quickly absorbs water.
The waterproof layer, membrane, or coating is placed on the back of
the outer material, making the garment waterproof.
The third layer protects the membrane from the inside. Very cheap waterproof garments do not have a third layer, so their abrasion resistance is very low. The third layer can be made in many different ways. The inner material can be glued to the membrane, resulting in a relatively lightweight product. These are called 3-layer products or shell jackets and shell pants. Alternatively, there may be a loose lining that protects the membrane. This produces a slightly heavier but also more durable product.
