The Worst Clothes to be Wearing in a Survival Situation

Waiting for rescue in a survival situation can be made unimaginably harder if you’re not wearing appropriate clothing. Though the stars of Naked & Afraid may be able to get by without wearing any clothes at all and with only a single piece of survival gear each, for most, it would be nigh impossible to survive without adequate apparel.

Of course, it’s not likely that you’ll be able to predict when an emergency will take place and you’ll find yourself stranded, but if you feel that there’s even a remote, insignificant chance that you may end up in a survival situation, you’ll want to stay clear of wearing these types of clothing for the day. After all, if you find yourself stranded in the middle of the wilderness, you’re going to wish your clothing helped more than hurt.

Without further ado, the absolute worst kinds of clothing you could possibly be wearing in a survival situation…

The Worst Clothes You Could Be Wearing in a Survival Situation

1. Uncomfortable Clothes

If you really have no idea when rescue will come and you’ll be able to leave the wilderness, the last thing you want to be wearing is a set of heels and a really uncomfortable dress. Or even a shirt that’s incredibly itchy. Sure it’s not quite the time to be picky about what you’re wearing, but you sure as hell don’t need one more thing to get on your nerves. You’ll likely find yourself wishing you wore those other shoes in no time.

2. Clothes Not Appropriate for the Weather

If you’re in a hot environment, you can typically peel off a few layers and be okay, but if you’re in a cold environment and just aren’t properly dressed for the weather, things become a little more difficult. Absolutely always dress appropriately for your environment, and if at all possible, make sure you have a backup plan on you. For instance, keep a spare coat in the car, or even go so far as to pack a space blanket in a purse or an EDC bag. You never know when a freak weather condition may take place leaving you desperately in need of a way to keep warm.

3. Clothes That Are Not Durable

Really and truly, you don’t need your flip flops snapping on you in the middle of the wilderness. Yes, technically you can take your shoes off and walk barefoot if they become more of a burden than a blessing, but it’s not going to be easy if you’re not used to walking around without shoes. You don’t just become Cody Lundin overnight.

4. Natural/Muted Coloured Clothes

Although that green shirt and those camouflage pants certainly look good, when you’re trying to stand out so that you can be seen and rescued, blending in with the natural environment is the last thing you’re going to want. You can do yourself a favour by packing something neon orange: an easy-to-spot thermal blanket should do the trick, and it of course has the added use of being able to keep you warm.

5. Clothes That Don’t Offer Protection in Adverse Situations

Sandals may be alright in some natural environments, but being stranded in the jungle, you’re going to wish you had more protective footwear. Same is true about running shoes in swamp or wetland environments. A sprained or twisted ankle in a survival situation is something you’ll always want to avoid.

In an ideal world, we’d always happen to have a bug out bag, filled with useful survival gear we’re experienced at using, on us in every emergency. Unfortunately, however, since we never know when these situations may occur, the best we can ultimately do is to try to predict and prepare for when they might happen.

Though it’s unlikely you’ll want to avoid these types of clothing every day of your life, it would prove useful to be at least a little conscientious on mornings where you know you’ll be doing activities away from places where it’s difficult to get help if you need it.