in: Orienteering; Gear & Toys;
| # Posted 2007-06-04 19:29:32 | |
| Velox: | I am new to O and have only participated in a few local events. Where I live it is getting warmer and it will be hot when running. When training for normal running I would just wear shorts. During O events I have to worry about the brush and thorns and other things that will tear into your legs and more importantly Ticks. Lyme ticks are a big problem where I live and the disease you can get from them concerns me so I need to cover up while running through the brush. What is recommended for these kind of conditions so I won't get too hot and something that wont get torn to shreads by the bushes?
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| # Posted 2007-06-04 21:38:04 | |
| danf: | I'd check out old threads here and here if you haven't already. A lot of people at meets wear o-pants, but I personally wear quick-dry nylon hiking pants that you can buy at REI or any similar retailer. They don't tear despite many attempts by roses/cacti/etc to eat them and are quite comfortable for backpacking or day hikes as well (with lots of useful pockets - oh, no, excess weight!) especially the convertible kind (where you can zip off the legs). I've also never really had a problem with them catching on branches or anything.
Tick prevention groups recommend wearing light-colored clothing to better see ticks so you can remove them before they attach, but its always a good idea to check yourself over in the shower after your race. You might also want to consider gaiters, which although they're warmer, will help prevent ticks from crawling up the bottoms of your pants. |
| # Posted 2007-06-04 22:35:07 | |
| ebuckley: | You might try shaving your legs. I do this for cycling anyway, but I've found that when my legs are clean shaven it's much easier to spot and remove tics (whether they've attached or not). |
| # Posted 2007-06-05 00:56:27 | |
| Acampbell: | I wear a pair of light black nike pants in the summer. They are nice and light so are a nice temperature to run in. Also I hardly get any cuts on my legs (goes to knock on some wood) and the pants don't have any rips in them so far. so i love them! but yes o-ing pants work as well.
check for ticks though that is a big one!!! i have had lymes twice and it is not fun! |
| # Posted 2007-06-05 01:05:06 | |
| jima: | I wouldn't rely on on O-pants and/or gaiters to protect me from ticks. That's what bug spray is for, as well as a good all over bug check once you're out of the woods. Regardless of how many layers - overlapped, tucked in, taped shut - you're a wonderful source of dinner, and they'll find a way through. In many cases, I've found that the little critters will work their way up until they are stopped - I've pulled numerous ticks off just below my waist line, under the elastic on my O-pants
On the other hand, depending on the vegetation, sometimes a pair of gaiters is all you really need - if the nasty stuff is mainly low level, such as blueberry bushes. If the woods are thicker and the nasty stuff higher, something to cover your knees and thighs is called for. If there aren't any thorns, I have done OK wearing running tights as protection against slapping brush and branches. If thorns are involved, you want something tougher. I have taken a pair of the older style O'pants and lined the fronts with duct tape as a thorn barrier with pretty good success. It's been a while since I've sprung for an O-suit, but I have seen many with mesh gussets, or the entire back of the leg, that would help with air movement and keep you cooler. |
| # Posted 2007-06-05 01:23:58 | |
| zerfas: | I wear very lightweight O pants with a singlet spraying cupious amounts of bug spray to keep the ticks, flies, etc. off. |
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