Tree planting and Preparing for the Unknown Part 2: What to wear

Planters after work

Most tree planters are very unconcerned with their appearance. People go days without showering. Brushing hair is a hysterical waste of time. Wearing the same clothes is a practical delight. They wear odd compilations of chewed, borrowed clothes and rare new articles replacing last year's long dead and weather ravaged ones. Finding styles that accentuate their hips and bust, or that slim out their legs, or that are the right colours, is NOT a priority. Clothes should serve their primordial purpose, which is to protect you. Because if everything else is soaking wet or moldy with sweat, and all you have is an over-sized purple and blue dress shirt that makes you look like an inflated rubber ball, you may as well wear it with pride; any other way and your entire chest will be blistering with sunburn. It’s function over form out there folks. And remember: it’s not what you’re wearing, it’s how you wear it.

What works out? What doesn’t? These questions can only be answered by a series of rigorous trial and error tests. My first season I knew nothing about protecting myself from the three main threats that hide among the trees: pouring precipitation, scalding heat and insanity-provoking bugs. Which one is worse and when exactly it’s going to hit is unpredictable; often all three will come knocking at the door over the course of the same day. If you are going to be a rookie tree-planter, or first-time explorer, I can only recommend that you try and be prepared for everything.

waking up to snow

What to do if it rains….or snows….

My rookie year planting I brought a brilliant yellow rain suit. The first day it rained, I proudly adorned this rubber coated get-up over my cotton tank top and spiffy lightweight hiking pants, and marched out onto the piece of land I was working on. I was soaked within 10 minutes and not from rain. Because it wasn’t exactly cold outside, I was sweating so much inside the bulky plastic suit that my rain gear did nothing. I got so hot that I threw down my shovel, took off my tree bags, ripped off the yellow suit and just got wet. That’s been my approach ever since. Now, in my wiser older age, if she’s really coming down, I wear a rain jacket (yes still that lovely yellow thing!) to avoid heavy dripping clothes. But if it’s just a light rain, I usually wear a fleece with a tuque over top of my merino wool long-sleeve shirt (especially if it’s really cold, or snowing). But if I were to return, I’d buy a water-proof breathable jacket, like The North Face’s Venture jacket and pants. They breathe (some), are lightweight and not bulky, aren’t horrendously expensive and might last two seasons.

The North Face Women's Venture Jacket

The North Face Women's Venture Side Zip Pants

What to do if it’s hotter than hell….

A hot day can be just as uncomfortable as a wet, cold one. My second year planting we suffered through an incredible heat wave. We were planting burned land; it was horribly hot and dirty. I, trying desperately to keep up with the best planter on my crew, wore myself into the ground. I wasn’t drinking enough water, I didn’t wear my hat and pushed and pushed myself every single day. Consequently, I got a very nasty case of heat stroke, complete with diarrhea and vomiting, blind staggering and affected vision. Since then I’ve gone to rather extreme measures to make sure I have enough water with me (known to bring 8 liters of water to work); I put on waterproof SPF 45 in the morning and I always wear a hat.

Hot Day

What you wear can make a huge difference as well. Lighter clothes are always better than dark ones, as is covering yourself up and wearing a material that keeps you cool. For shirts, long-sleeve and short, merino wool is my favourite, but I have a couple synthetic shirts that I would be hard pressed to trade in. However, they’re stinky compared to our friend Ms. Merino Wool who never smells, keeps me warm when it’s cold and cool when it’s hot. Bring with you two different weights: one superfine t-shirt for really hot days and a heavier one for the cold. I like this long sleeve because it has a mid-zipper and ventilation under the arms.

Icebreaker Women's GT 180 L/S Chase Zip

Icebreaker Women's S/S Dash Crewe

Whether it’s hot or cold I wear the same kind of pants. But I went THREE years wearing lightweight hiking pants with a bunched elastic waistband that dug into my hips where my hip belt was. And for THREE years I complained bitterly about the pain (my poor friends). Then I discovered loose spandex ¾ length pants, with no pesky elastic waist band. They breathe, they stretch, they don’t rip, and they’re way more comfortable. The only downside is that they don’t dry as fast, but really, buy two pairs, and you’ll always have an extra. I recommend the Arcteryx Escala Capri for Women, or if you want to stay in the pant camp and keep a bit warmer at the beginning of the season, try the OR pursuit pants for Women - a light soft-shell breathable material made for serious woodland activity.

Arcteryx Women's Escala Capri

OR Women's Pursuit Pants

What to do if the black flies are chewing every inch of exposed skin….

Now, lastly, the bugs. Whenever I talk to people about planting they go, "Oh! What about the bugs?" Sometimes I shrug and say, "bah, it’s not so bad", other times I shudder, or say I heard it’s worse in Ontario… It varies. How do you deal with it? At the end of June, beginning of July I’ve been known to scream (really loud), whack my shovel on a stump (which does nothing but dent the little bugger), scream again, start clawing at my face and stare in horror at the blood on my hands as I realize the black flies have chewed my entire forehead, ears and neck, leaving behind only little bloody scabs. They dart, flit, nip, chew and pester pester until you’re reduced to tears and an unproductive mess.

It's a long road out there

Luckily, certain things can be done. Number one: find some way to be at peace with this situation. It’s uncomfortable, but you make it worse by flipping out. (This step is the hardest, so if you fail, or it seems highly unlikely you’ll succeed, focus on number two). Number two: use something with Deet in it. Now, I have serious issues with Deet. I’m convinced it causes infertility and cancer, among other things. But because I was often on the verge of losing all control, I would use it sparingly. This is a mistake; either use it, or don’t. Some people use no bug spray at all, but I really recommend to the average person that it’s a good idea to use some sort of bug offending product. (If you are also against genetically altering chemicals, number three is for you.) Number three: use a natural bug spray. You’ll have to literally bathe in this every two hours or so, but it will work. Other options besides chemical abstinence are: eat raw garlic every day (not personally tested), don’t use scented soap (this helps), wear LIGHT COLOURED long-sleeved shirts and as many bandanas as you can wrap around your head, oh yes, and plant FAST. Don’t bother with a bug net, you’ll never see your trees, or where you’re going. If all else fails, hope for wind. And regardless of what you do, your face will sometimes look like this:

Tree planting and Preparing for the Unknown Part 2: What to wear

At the end of the day, wear whatever feels good and whatever works. This will take some time to establish, or perhaps you will find yourself not as sensitive to the elements as some of us (all the more power to you!) and you’ll be set right from the start. But in the end, it’s up to you.