There are many times when someone might need to think about protective clothing. The first things that might pop into mind are those with dangerous jobs near hazardous materials, but almost everyone needs something now and again. If you have ever gone for a walk through the woods only to come home itching and scratching, you may have some idea of what I mean. There are times when shorts seem like a good idea, but quite often it might be wise to choose something else.
I grew up near the woods, so I always knew that shorts were never a good idea. I wasn’t even concerned with poison ivy or anything like that. I was more worried about wearing protective clothing just to keep my legs from being scratched up. When walking in the woods, branches of all types will snap back and they will sting the leg, and in some cases, they can even cut the skin. If you wander too close to a bush with thorns or something that is poisonous, you are going to wish you had worn more protective clothing. Unless there is a wide and clearly defined path for your entire trip though the woods, long pants are a must.
The are other times when the choice of clothing goes beyond the weather. Protective clothing might be needed in the back yard as well as anywhere else. Once the sun goes down, the mosquitoes are out in huge numbers. There might be some during the day, but they seem to seek out more skin after the sun has begun to set. This is a problem in back yards, but when camping, protective clothing is a must. Long sleeves and long pants are a good idea unless you want to be a feast for mosquitoes.
Protective clothing should also be worn in the woods in hunting season so you are not mistaken for an animal. The color of this type is more important than the coverage. If hunting is going on in the area, you have to have some hunter’s orange on or you run the risk of being shot, or at least shot at. This is probably more common than one might think. People who are wearing orange get shot on occasion because there are many in the woods that will shoot at anything that moves without seeing what it is first. It might be wise to skip the hike until hunting season is over.
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