What to wear to "the end of the world"?

I know its not a fashion show, and it may seem like a ridiculous and silly idea to be worried about what clothes you have on in a crisis, but its more than a valid idea.  In fact its a rather prudent thought.  If I said I was buying a suit for work, or tennis or some party, or something to wear riding my motor cycle, it wouldn't raise a eyebrow.  So why is it so strange to think about clothes for a crisis?

The cold hard fact is humans are a rather fragile species, and to be honest, clothing plays a big part in protecting us in our environment, and has allowed us to solve problems almost no amount of evolution ever could.  Part of what makes a crisis "a crisis" is the loss of some of the larger "protections" we have come to rely on.  Roofs, walls, vehicles, electricity, heat, all enhance our natural abilities and allow us to extend our reach beyond what we can achieve and endure with just or bodies, but the first extension is the clothes we put on.


So the first question is what we want our "end of the world" clothes to do?  Keep us warm, protects from sun, wind, and rain, dry fast, be tough and durable, comfortable, carry stuff, hide us, and enhance our abilities to cope with the situation. When I focused on form, function, appearance, and quality, I found several makers of outdoor gear that had clothing lines that fit my criteria.

Now I know I seem to over emphasize the camping and outdoor solution, but what is designed to work outside for recreation, will also work outside if you were forced into that environment.  Even if you still remain indoors or with some type of shelter, clothes being over designed for the situation wouldn't be a bad thing.


I'm not even going to get into the whole "tactical" vs "grey man" debate.  I guess its a matter of personal preference, but i tend to come down on the grey man side.  In a crisis i don't want some LEO or militia type with an overinflated ego trying to push me around to prove he is in charge.  I want to be underestimated and overlooked, not seen as a threat.  I do have some multicam and military gear, and more "tactical" looking clothing, but its stuff I have for specific purposes and for weapons training and range days, its not what I want to have on during a protracted crisis.

Ok, so I'll cut to the chase of what clothes I bought, and why, and how I keep them ready for a crisis.


My pants are 511 tactical pants in Tundra.  I specify the color because I have bunch of 511 pants but THESE are the ones I bought to go in my evac gear.   I have 2 pair I have worn and washed a half dozen times, then I treated them with water proofing and put them in my stash.  Being this color they are they don't look military or too tactical (honestly ALL 5.11s look somewhat tactical), they mainly look like brown cargo pants, the color is earth tone enough to blend and hide me, and they don't show mud and dirt.  They are tough as nails, comfortable, and flexible.  They have all the pockets I need for weapons and gear of full military BDUs but attract none of the attention.

I also managed to find some hiking boots by Columbia that are the exact same color.   Waterproof but breathable and light weight, they totally fit the bill for non tactical looking, but tactical function clothing.  I broke them in on hikes and campouts, then into the box they went.

I tossed a couple of compression fit long sleeve mock thermals and bottoms for a base layer if its cold, and a couple of tan hiking shirts from Gander Mountain and 3 pair of wool hiking socks in.

Now I packed all the clothes (minus the shoes) into a space saver bag, vacuum sealed and compressed it, then put it in one of my totes.  I also did similar packs for my wife, daughter and son.  I redo his every 6 months since he is only 12 and growing quickly.  I also put in one size taller pants in his.

Again, and as usual, this is "field tested" gear we have been on weekend campouts in so i know the fit and function is what I would want, or better yet, need in a survival situation.  And I know its ready and packed if i had to evacuate.  I simply refuse to ever be standing around in front of some FEMA run camp waiting for help.   To that end, a small investment in time and money to have the right clothes prestaged and easily accessible could easily make the difference between getting out alive before a crisis vs getting caught by whatever force of nature is approaching, or it can mean survival over death while being bugged out after one.