{"version": "1.0", "type": "rich", "title": "One thing this 1977 field manual drives home is how much real improvement there\u2019s been in clothing and basic goods in the last...", "author_name": "kontextmaschine", "author_url": "https://kontextmaschine.com", "provider_name": "kontextmaschine", "provider_url": "https://kontextmaschine.com", "url": "https://kontextmaschine.com/post/167141520598/", "html": "<p><a href=\"https://poipoipoi-2016.tumblr.com/post/167140634952/kontextmaschine-one-thing-this-1977-field-manual\" class=\"tumblr_blog\" target=\"_blank\">poipoipoi-2016</a>:</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><a href=\"/post/167140204718/\" class=\"tumblr_blog\" target=\"_blank\">kontextmaschine</a>:</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>One thing this 1977 field manual drives home is how much real improvement there\u2019s been in clothing and basic goods in the last few decades </p>\n\n<p>Like it\u2019s a picture of a world where clothing is a lot more precious AND less functional, more limited in range of usable conditions so that meeting even minor climate variations requires extensive layering and accessorizing</p>\n\n<p>A world where you will have to mend and thoroughly clean it regularly, by particular procedures according to fabric type and treatment, and exhibit particular skill at wearing it, and if you do these things wrong you will permanently damage or destroy an expensive object or literally <em>set yourself on fire</em></p>\n</blockquote>\n<blockquote><p>\n\nso that meeting even minor climate variations requires extensive layering and accessorizing\n\n<br/></p></blockquote>\n<p>Can you give some examples here?\u00a0</p>\n<p>Because I ended up with 4 distinct wardrobes in the Bay Area, a place with at most a 20 degree seasonal temperature variation.\u00a0 With 2-3 additional wardrobes for travel to far locales that went above 80 or below 55.\u00a0\u00a0</p>\n<ol>\n<li>T-shirt/pants.\u00a0\u00a0<br/>\n</li>\n<li>Long-sleeved T-shirt/pants</li>\n<li>Layering the 2 former things as it went below 65, or possibly using a zip-up hoodie as the top layer/pants.\u00a0\u00a0</li>\n<li>Finally, at last throwing a light jacket on top of all of that/pants with long underwear/light gloves.\u00a0\u00a0</li>\n</ol>\n<p>And then the additional wardrobes were:\u00a0</p>\n<ul>\n<li>Oh ye gods, it is literally 110 degrees. So let us wear shorts and special moisture-wicking polo shirts.<br/>\n</li>\n<li>Here\u2019s several\u00a0 boxes of winter gear that I only pull out of storage so I can go slap it into a suitcase for heading home at Christmas.\u00a0\u00a0</li>\n<li>FEAR!!!\u00a0 For moisture is falling from the sky and the gods are clearly mad at us.\u00a0\u00a0</li>\n</ul>\n</blockquote>\n<p>Well, like, a lot of the basic outer stuff is wool, which works well enough 2/3 of the year in Cleveland but the other 1/3 (2/3 in Atlanta, all year in the South Pacific) literally cannot sustain human life, but if it\u2019s particularly cold you\u2019ll need another, thicker layer.</p><p>And moisture messes with it so you need yet another layer if it rains and it degrades if it\u2019s humid or foggy, and it doesn\u2019t block the wind well so you need a shell for that</p><p>This is on top of the wool layer which might itself be over a shirt and undershirt. And it stains easy and sheds and gets threadbare with use and you have to clean it gently in lukewarm water or dry clean it or it\u2019ll totally lose shape</p><p>Compare to our modern activewear and it\u2019s no question - when you picture the 70s-80s you imagine windbreakers and those puffy ski jackets (and polyester suits) because artificial fabrics were <i>new</i> and durable, cleanable, cheap, colorful, fitting lightweight outerwear that fully blocked the elements \u2013 adjustable on the fly with drawstrings, zippers, and elastic \u2013 was <i>cutting edge</i></p>\n<img src=\"/media/tumblr_oyx8llkXwa1qeywqoo1_1280_49d846e57fb6.jpg\" />", "thumbnail_url": "https://kontextmaschine.com/media/tumblr_oyx8llkXwa1qeywqoo1_1280_49d846e57fb6.jpg", "thumbnail_width": 960, "thumbnail_height": 1280}