Wearing Shorts

[treemandan]

I had a buddy give me a hand taking this dead oak down, it was hot and humid, hard to walk uphill. After that dat the next time I saw him he had made a pair of jeens into a vented crotch and pocket dream. He just cut out the crotch and pockets and sewed in mesh. Last I heard he was going for a patent.
For me? Good clothing and boots and I will jump into just about anything. When I say good clothing I mean jeans and long sleeves with NO holes.

 

[Bermie]

Oooooh, I really like the chaps and shorts idea! Maybe longer chaps.

Lets face it, nobody makes an affordable, ventilated pant. Why not vent the crotch or back of the thigh? QUOTE]

In Europe Husqvarna sell front protection chainsaw trousers with vents at the top of the bum, below harness and belt height and at the back of the thighs, zip up to stay warm, zip down to cool off! They were a snazzy grey colour and made of stretchy material...
I tried to get a pair a couple of years ago but they were over $200 and no size XS! Got to wear out my Stihls first.

 

[Brushwacker]

Steelmill electrician - 31 years. Long pants and long sleeve shirts year around. Cut and split wood since 1978 - long pants and long shirts. Shorts are for my bicycle rides.

+1. Truth is in high heat and work, your sweat is a coolant to keep your body temperature from getting dangerously high. Leaving skin exposed allows more evaporation and you could dehydrate your system much easiar and have a heat stroke which is very serious. An old timer told me in the old days many wore long underwear through the summer to hold the sweat while doing physical work. I have worked through some pretty high heat in a tree nursery and many would keep a wet wash rag over their neck to help keep from getting to hot. On hot days I like light khaki pants and light colored, lightweight long sleeve . When done working it feels good to go to a clean shortsleave shirt which I generally bring along for the ride home . About the only time I wear shorts often is riding in a car long distance . I live in the outdoors most of the time and feel more protected from the enviroment in pants. Used to wear shorts a lot to my early 20's, now they sit in my drawers most the time.

 

[ClimbinArbor]

thats funny.... my drawers sit inside my shorts.......

 

[Brushwacker]

I have drawers in my dresser, I think, but ... that does sound funny.

 

[memetic]

Nice one ClimbinArbor.

"An old timer told me in the old days many wore long underwear through the summer to hold the sweat while doing physical work"

That's not true exactly. They are holding the sweat, just not in their bodies. What is actually happening is you are just holding the sweat in your clothes. Here's how I know: Many of my buddies are ex-high-school and college wrestlers and now go to the same MMA gym that I have been going to for three years. Whenever anyone needs to drop serious weight (like all these wrestler kids do all the time apparently), they throw on a plastic suit and jump rope and seriously work out to sweat out all that extra weight in the form of yes, sweat/water. I'm not a physician, but I am guessing the reason more sweat is coming out fully clothed - especially in a plastic suit - is because it is not eveporating and the body is getting hotter and hotter and trying to cool by dumping more and more sweat.

I can't believe the grief those old timers caused themselves, if only they had known a wrestler.

I like the vented pants idea, I would definitely buy something like that. BUT,
"He just cut out the crotch and pockets and sewed in mesh." doesn't that mean your undies are hanging out? I don't think I'd care to much, but clients and my guys might. Guess I'd have to see the venting.

Anyway, I wore pants on a long job yesterday (with a long sleeve shirt too) because every tree had tons of poison ivy growing up it. Never seen anything quite like it. It was almost like a kudzu invasion.

 

[Brushwacker]

Nice one ClimbinArbor.

"An old timer told me in the old days many wore long underwear through the summer to hold the sweat while doing physical work"

That's not true exactly. They are holding the sweat, just not in their bodies. What is actually happening is you are just holding the sweat in your clothes. Here's how I know: Many of my buddies are ex-high-school and college wrestlers and now go to the same MMA gym that I have been going to for three years. Whenever anyone needs to drop serious weight (like all these wrestler kids do all the time apparently), they throw on a plastic suit and jump rope and seriously work out to sweat out all that extra weight in the form of yes, sweat/water. I'm not a physician, but I am guessing the reason more sweat is coming out fully clothed - especially in a plastic suit - is because it is not eveporating and the body is getting hotter and hotter and trying to cool by dumping more and more sweat.

I can't believe the grief those old timers caused themselves, if only they had known a wrestler.

I like the vented pants idea, I would definitely buy something like that. BUT,
"He just cut out the crotch and pockets and sewed in mesh." doesn't that mean your undies are hanging out? I don't think I'd care to much, but clients and my guys might. Guess I'd have to see the venting.

Anyway, I wore pants on a long job yesterday (with a long sleeve shirt too) because every tree had tons of poison ivy growing up it. Never seen anything quite like it. It was almost like a kudzu invasion.

I do know a wet wash rag over your neck helps relieve heat from experiance, like thousands of hours working in heat. In the long run I feel I sweat less with 1 or 2 light layer of cloths, and the wet cloths from my sweat slow down the evaporation and run off of my sweat so in the long run my body does not have to produce as much sweat which lessens the chance of a heat stroke ( your body runs out of sweat, overheats, and is often fatal )
The old timers knew a lot more then most wrestlers about working in heat.
Wearing a plastic suit and trying to sweat more adding activity in a limited amount of time is altogether differant differant then working several hours a
day in high heat temperatures which in the old days was very often necessary. The plastic suit traps everything and the heat cant dissapate so ya you sweat more and can you imagine the grief those wrestlers cause themselves trapping all the heat and water inside their clothing verses on their clothing. The wet clothing such as wool or cotton or silk which was what I believe they wore does breath and acts like a radiator in a car sort of I would guess. Moderate heat and lighter activities a layer of cloths I would think warm you up or get you hot to a point, after that sweat works to keep your body temperature from getting too high. If its hot already or you anticipate you will work up a sweat IMO light breathable clothing is an advantage. But in realality not every body works in those conditions especially these days.

 

[joecool85]

"he wore shorts under his chaps"

Now that's an idea.

That's what I did last week, works well but the bugs love it.

 

[memetic]

"The wet clothing such as wool or cotton or silk which was what I believe they wore does breath and acts like a radiator in a car sort of I would guess."

That's probably it kind of - that the layers help regulate body temperature somehow. Keeping it from going very hot to very cool (but probably not just cooling). I know that if I stop working on a hot day and my clothes are soaked I get really cold really fast and it is extremely uncomfortable. But, overall, I will be a lot hotter and a lot sweatier with long clothes or layers. Now, I bring a long a change or two so I don't get the freeze effect when I stop working.

On the other hand, I (almost) always wear wool hiking socks. I do it because they wick away the sweat (and they're really soft). But, socks are tight to the feet so they can do this. It's the same with Under Armour it is tight to the skin so it can wick away the sweat. And I just realized that I should probably be wearing Under Armour when I work, instead of just to the gym. Oops.

 

[arbor pro]

But, socks are tight to the feet so they can do this. It's the same with Under Armour it is tight to the skin so it can wick away the sweat. And I just realized that I should probably be wearing Under Armour when I work, instead of just to the gym. Oops.

Obviously, you haven't seen the Sherrill bumper stickers called "Your Yard is My Gym". What the heck do you need to pay to go to the gym for? You get paid to work out when you do tree work! :lifter:

The only business that profits from my daily workout is my chiropractor...

 

[memetic]

You're absolutely right. I stay fit working, but my gym is an MMA gym we train Jiu Jitsu, Muay Thai that sort of thing. Skills my friend.

You can be the biggest, baddest dude around, but if you ain't got no real skill a 16 year old purple belt in Jiu Jitsu will kick ur arse.

I don't know how many times a HUGE new guy came in to the gym expecting to whoop some butt on his first day only to get completely leveled by a 145 lb dude. It usely goes, "AHHHHH...STOP...TAP!, TAP!, TAP!!!!"

ha ha.

It's funny as shiiite to watch. It's even funnier to do it yourself.

 

[treemandan]

You're absolutely right. I stay fit working, but my gym is an MMA gym we train Jiu Jitsu, Muay Thai that sort of thing. Skills my friend.

You can be the biggest, baddest dude around, but if you ain't got no real skill a 16 year old purple belt in Jiu Jitsu will kick ur arse.

I don't know how many times a HUGE new guy came in to the gym expecting to whoop some butt on his first day only to get completely leveled by a 145 lb dude. It usely goes, "AHHHHH...STOP...TAP!, TAP!, TAP!!!!"

ha ha.

It's funny as shiiite to watch. It's even funnier to do it yourself.

The ONLY self- defense anyone would need around me is to STAND BACK 50 FEET! And put you hard hat on. Whatever comes from this direction no fleshy body is going to stop.

 

[memetic]

The ONLY self- defense anyone would need around me is to STAND BACK 50 FEET! And put you hard hat on. Whatever comes from this direction no fleshy body is going to stop.

ha ha great, I love it. Makes me wish I didn't live in an "urban" environment, if you know what I mean.

 

[xxl]

i do but i have chainsaw protective pants on over them so on breaks i can cool off

 

[Slvrmple72]

Real men buck naked!:jawdrop:












Seriously though I wear pants, chaps on the ground, and dont forget the steeltoe boots.

 

[MARCELL8733]

SOME OF MY GUYS WEAR SHORTS WHILE THEY CLIMB,I USE TO CLIMB IN SHORTS AND TENNIS SHOES AND I HAD MY SHIRT OFF TOO,I ONLY HAD A HAND SAW CLEANING OUT RED OAKS THEY LOOKED LIKE A PICTURE WHEN I WAS DONE.

 

[fireman]

shorts all the way, on ground wear shorts with chaps when cutting keep coll and safe.

 

[(WLL)]

only an fool would wear shorts working on our crew.

 

[beowulf343]

It's got to be alot of fun when your leg hairs get all clumped up with pine sap.

Pants year around for us.

 

[tree md]

I've always worn long pants while climbing and working on the ground. I did work with a very good climber in Atlanta several years ago who climbed in shorts all the time.

I am the owner of my tree service and call me old fashioned but I think it looks a little unprofessional for the boss to wear shorts.