Clothing, in one word, layers…

These suggestions below are my go-to clothing, for a comfortable all-day hunting out in the fields, in the winter it’s understandable you should be warm, and dry, but remember to still have enough room for movement, on cooler days you can wear dedicated clothes or anything you want, depending on your budget there are lots of companies that supply dedicated clothing for hunting or military style of wear without the camouflage pattern, which i prefer, i tend to dress in black underneath the blue of the R.A.F. Waterproof Clothing, the only thing i would advocate is to wear long sleeve T-Shirts, these can be had from many places, not least Amazon because our English summers are getting hotter and exposed skin tends to get attacked by the harmful rays of the sun, i still wear dedicated long trousers in the summer months with the knee pads, the rest i believe is up to the wearer…(-click here for clothing that has good quality & price-)

Think of it this way, if you are hot, you can take a layer off, if you are cold, then your cold, suffer as long as you can then go home early, base layers needn’t be costly, you can start with a t-shirt underneath a shirt, but if the weather is cold, i go back to the good old fashioned long johns and matching top, guaranteed warmth, with Norwegian hooded surplus top made from wool, or any heavyweight hoody will do with a thin overshirt underneath, and a good quality pair of work trousers with “pillow pockets” for the kneeling pads…

Wolly beanies or bobbly hats keep most rain off and allow protection to the lower part of your head with the very base of the neck protected by a hoodie, snood or scrim, these scrims you can get relatively cheap from an army surplus store, it looks nothing like a scarf but it’s so versatile and warm (as shown on the below ) for spring, summer and autumn i don’t think anything else is needed unless the sun gets carried away and is really hot, then a Boonie hat with a neck protector is the best thing…

Many people ask “why” Metal Detectorists wear ex-military or camouflage clothing, the answer is simple, the clothing is tough, very rugged, and most are showerproof as standard, whilst the older waterproof clothing is exactly that, waterproof…

Depending on your colour choice, then use anything that provides military warmth and dryness when you are out in the field, but, be aware of the sales blurb military spec, trust me it’s not, it might be good looking for the high street but out in the field, it’s a big disappointment… i use a ripstop camouflaged coat, which is long enough to cover your bum & most importantly covers your lower back, against any wind or drafts, the coat itself is shower-proof, although it takes an absolute age to get saturated, and is an absolute must out in the field, and if the temperate drops then i add a quilted jacket underneath, again army surplus, i have detected all day in minus 5, with no problems, although i did give up as the ground was getting harder and harder to dig…

Gloves, i doubt many people will do this but it works, again use the layer system, even with gloves i advocate you layer up, first put on latex gloves, they are tight and waterproof, you might get through a pair or two on a dig but as a base layer they are excellent, i have used these on their own in milder weather, but if it’s raining, wet ground or cooler weather they stop the wetness getting through to your skin, i also use a very cheap pair of PU palmed gloves, they give you 99% dexterity, even with a pair of latex gloves underneath these two pairs of gloves work brilliantly, as they are thin, you can handle most finds without removing your gloves, and when they get wet or even saturated the latex gloves protect your hands from the cold, with you being able to continue without hardly any noticeably discomfort…

As can be seen on the left, these waterproof R.A.F. Trousers have seen better days, but i do not maintain them as i should… I would advocate that you wear a pair of knee pads [- more on that later & i will show how and why i wear the knee pads -]

If the weather permits, you should wear whatever you want, but, in my opinion, wear long trousers and be wary of shorts, stubble, arable fields and long grass plays havoc with the exposed skin, and so does ticks ?…

With the right trousers, you don’t need to wear bulky aftermarket kneepads which cut into the back of the lower half of your legs, with the right trousers for spring or summer, you can purchase “slip in knee pads” or like mine i just use there heavyweight trousers… that’s why i suggest Tuff Stuff by Castle Clothing, they have some pretty tough hard wearing trousers, these particular ones are industrial, obviously there are many manufacturers who produce these sort of trousers, but i supply these for the people that work for us, great for fit, hardwearing & comfort, i don’t think you can go too far wrong, as these fits the criteria of what we as a metal detectorist get up to whilst out in a field, but for a pair of dedicated wash and wear trousers with “pillow” pockets to hold the slip in knee pads, it cannot be beaten, hence why, when i wear the RAF Gortex waterproof trousers i can still kneel down in comfort, without having to worry where i put my knees, wet or hard ground, long grass and sharp stones are just uncomfortable and not damaging to your knees…

My daughter bought me for my birthday a new pair of detecting trousers, now I’m not a brand person, let’s get that out there straight away, but, what a good choice, expensive at around £ 55.00p, but what a good choice, these are the Searcher logo trousers, these can be purchased without the logo, but unfortunately they still retail about £ 55.00p, have a look by clicking on this link, but they are so comfortable, flexible, and has enough pockets for everything you might want, car keys, wallet and phone all can be locked away for safe keeping on your body, with further pockets to spare, the best description is to click on the searcher link and open the video to see what they can do, my size ordered was XL, and my actual waist size is 38-40, the good thing is they can be adjusted to become a nice tight fit, with the waist adjusters, this does not affect you bending down and moving whatsoever, because of the elastic panels in the waistband of the trousers, which really work, making them comfortable to metal detect in all day…

Raincoats & Waterproof Trousers…

This chart shown below is the key to unlocking the sizes you will require to match your size to the Nato size, remember my jacket came up short in the sleeve department, and i have now purchased the next size up which is to long, but i prefer that as it can be worked with…

I recently purchased a pair of British military camo waterproof trousers as my RAF Gortex trousers had seen better days and started to leak, being a bit impatient, i bought the British Army-own-brand of military waterproof trousers-mmm they’re not as waterproof, very disappointing, they did not last as long as true Gortex…

So, i hunted down a pair of RAF Gortex trousers on eBay, these appeared to be a bit thinner than my originals but still do the job, whilst on there i treated myself to the right sized Gortex jacket as well, now this is where the colour comes in they are light blue, as they are in RAF colours, but, they are so waterproof, the coat by about 6 hours started to leak at the elbow, but what a good investment…

A cautionary note, i either got stitched up on the size or they are the true size, as mentioned before the Jacket came up smaller than i would have liked in the sleeve, these flyboys must be built weirdly, but i now have my new one which has the longer sleeves but is also generally a bigger jacket, but i can work with that, as it allows more base layers…

My old jacket came with a padded quilt inside which is a worthwhile investment on cooler days, but take it out on cold days and use the long sleeve quilted army surplus one, that really stops the cold, if you’re not too fussed about the mismatch of colour, then spray the Gortex with waterproofer where they leak, it stops the water, but it does discolour the lighter fabric, this new jacket did not come with that choice, so i will use the padded quilted jacket instead…

Also, if you can find them get a pair of Gortex trousers with a bib & braces attached, get them as they are more flexible when you’re bending down and stretching, whilst protecting your back from the drafts, but i haven’t found a pair yet…

Boots…

Again, use what you feel comfortable in, i use anything that i am wearing, except if it’s raining then i will wear water boots, apart from water boots, footwear needs to be stout, completely watertight, and wearable for a day out in the field, i try to wear leather work boots as they don’t suffer as quick as the soft-shell walking boots, which amongst stubble soon get abraded and notably thin around the toe protectors, my softshell walking boots are really cheap and i spray them all the time and after a year they are starting to break down, i reckon i need to start looking around for a replacement pair, my advice is going for what you can afford, let’s also debunk the myth of steel toe cap boots, i wear steel toe cap boots for work and they tend to get used a lot when i am detecting, with no problem of false signalling, those days are long gone, and then it rarely happened with the older VLF metal detectors, a cheap pair of work boots with steel toe caps from Shoe Savers cost about thirty five pounds, and work well with no problems, they are a tall boot, with a side zip and if your wearing them just for metal detecting, then they will last forever…

These ankle boots are not that great out in the field although they are waterproof when you bend down or stretch over your exposing a part of your leg which can get wet, and it soon becomes uncomfortable when water trickles down your calf and onto the top of your socks, they then stay wet, so go for something that’s warm, as well, don’t forget fishing boots are not made to be used in the same way as normal water boots, with these you will mostly be sitting down, and they will break down quite quickly, …

Rockfish however, offer a rubber water boot based on hiking technology, aptly named “the walkabout” they guarantee them as well, these are not only waterproof but guaranteed to be warm down to minus 25, that’s some statement, but they do seem to work, i got mine with a free gift, which i like, as the cost of the boot is a ridiculous amount of money £ 115.00p – maybe not to some but when I’m used to spending £ 10.00p for a pair of water boots, investing in these is like twenty years’ worth of water boots… I have also looked at it philosophically… when you purchase the boots, you have a choice of a free gift, either socks or a boot bag, which is the one i chose as the free gift, bringing the price down to £ 80.00p, i think boot bags are an ideal way to keep car interiors clean as well as the home…

Also, i am now looking at it through “stained” rose-tinted glasses, i have just been diagnosed with diabetes, and i have to look after my feet, so along with the other bits that seem to take a holiday as i get older, this is an investment for me, allowing me to continue my chosen hobby, for a few more years…

Military Scrim…

My favourite go-to head/neck protector, nothing gets through when you are wearing this, believe it or not, this is a really thin material but works no matter what you use it for, as it allows your head to breathe with an added bonus of it washing up as new every time, it goes into the washing machine…

Sizes and how to read the Military Size Charts…

How NATO / British Army sizing works

All, NATO sizes are made up of 6-digit numbers which represent metric cm sizing, for different parts of the body… This is how the army products are sized in Europe, and shown below are the conversion charts…

NATO / British Army Jackets & Shirt Sizes

Shirts and jackets, are shown in NATO sizes, these will be displayed as ‘xyz/ab’ where ‘xyz’ is your full height in cms (not the length of the garment) and ‘ab’ is your chest size in cms.

NATO / British Army Trouser Sizes

Trousers are sized as ‘ab/cd/ef’ where ‘ab’ is your waist size in cms, ‘cd’ is inner leg size in cms and ‘ef’ is seat size in cms.

British Army Uniform – An overview

The British Army uniform is made up of sixteen categories. The most common of these categories is the Number 8 Combat Uniform made up of a multi-terrain pattern smock, jacket and trousers. Before 2011, there were additional designs suited for desert and more tropical uses; however, these have since been replaced with just the Combat Uniform – a camouflage designed to blend in with most environments.

NATO / British Army Clothing, Footwear & Accessory Size Chart

NATO SizeUK Chest SizesHeight
170/8835″- 37″5’5″ – 5’9″
170/9638″- 40″5’5″ – 5’9″
170/10440″- 42″5’5″ – 5’9″
170/11244″5’5″ – 5’9″
180/8835″- 37″5’10” – 6′
180/9638″- 40″5’10” – 6′
180/10440″- 42″5’10” – 6′
180/11244″5’10” – 6′
190/9638″- 40″6′ – 6’8″
190/10440″- 42″6′ – 6’8″
190/11244″6′ – 6’8″
190/12046″- 48″6′ – 6’8″
NATO SizeWaist SizeInner LegSeat Size
80/80/9632″31 – 33″38″
80/84/10033.6″31 – 33″40″
84/88/10435.2″31 – 33″42″
80/92/10836″31 – 33″44″
80/96/11238″31 – 33″46″
85/80/9632″33 – 36″38″
85/84/10033.6″33 – 36″40″
85/84/10435.2″33 – 36″42″
85/92/10836″33 – 36″44″
85/96/11238″33 – 36″45″
85/100/11640″33 – 36″46.5″
85/104/12041.5″33 – 36″48″
Size22″22 3/8″22 3/4″23 1/8″23 1/2″24″24 3/8″
Inches77 1/87 1/47 3/87 1/27 5/87 3/4
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