Keeping your hands warm on the slope, whether you are snowboarding or skiing, is the priority. No matter how great the snow is, having cold or wet hands will definitely ruin your day. To keep your hands protected in the cold there are two main types of handware – gloves and mittens. But is any of those two actually better? Let’s find out.

A glove is a garment covering hand and has separate sheaths for each finger. A mitten is the type of glove that has only two separate sections – one for the thumb and one for other four fingers. Gloves offer better dexterity than mittens, but they might not be the ideal choice for extremely cold weather. Mittens aren’t as dexterous as gloves, but they are warmer.

Convertible mittens are a hybrid of glove and mitten, basically the finger gloves with a cover that turns them into mittens for added warmth. They contain open-ended sheaths for the four fingers (as in a fingerless glove, but not the thumb) and an additional compartment encapsulating the four fingers. This compartment can be lifted off the fingers and folded back to allow the individual fingers ease of movement and access while the hand remains covered.

Trigger mittens aim to offer the best of both worlds – more warmth than traditional gloves, but with the index finger free, they add a level of dexterity that will allow you to more easily crank binding buckles, or tap your phone screen. These are also called 3-finger mittens, or lobster mitts.

One of the major arguments in favor of mittens is the fact that they are warmer than gloves, and the reason lies in their design. With a separate pocket for each finger, gloves have more surface area in direct contact with the elements, which translates to more opportunity for heat to escape. Mittens keep your fingers together which means that can share heat and literally keep each other warm. Having a single pocket means that warm air can circulate more easily.

On the other hand, if you wear mittens that are too warm, they can cause your hands to sweat more quickly than gloves, making them clammy and, ultimately, very cold.

Mittens limit mobility in certain circumstances and you may have to remove them to access your pockets or adjust your goggle strap. With all fingers separated, gloves provide a lot more dexterity and are ideal for activities where frequent handling of gear. Some gloves are even offering touch screen capabilities, so they don’t even need to be removed when using a phone.

Synthetic insulates when wet, it’s efficient relative to its weight, reasonably durable, and cheaper than down.

Fleece is another popular insulator, especially among casual and lightweight designs. Fleece gloves don’t provide much wind and weather protection, but  they are a cheap and comfortable option.

Merino Wool is our favorite material for next-to-skin baselayers and socks, but it isn’t as popular among winter gloves. This is mostly because it’s heavier, bulkier, and significantly less durable than synthetic.

As a glove insulator, down has a number of downsides. It must be lofty in order to provide insulation, which makes mittens bulky. Also, and natural goose or duck plumage loses its ability to insulate when wet.

Gloves and mittens vary in the amount of warmth they provide. Make sure to check what temperature are gloves designed for. If it gets extra cold, you can wear a pair of liners underneath your gloves or mittens.

The wide variety of gloves available makes it easy to find a glove with the right amount of insulation for any temperature. This will help keep your hands warm, without sweating. There are lightweight gloves for chilly weather, warm technical gloves for the coldest weather adventures, and everything in between. Mittens are usually designed just for cold temperatures. If you need maximum warmth, it is hard to beat a good pair of mittens. However, if you need something more lightweight, gloves are the way to go.

There are many different types of materials that keep the gloves waterproof. One of the most common is leather, which is usually at the higher price range. Leather has amazing insulation and waterproofing, but it requires a lot of care to last and keep its properties. Mittens with synthetic rubber on the bottom, which is the part that comes in contact with snow, will do a pretty good job keeping your hands warm and dry and they’re a little more cost effective than leather.

Many skiers prefer gloves when they are grasping ski poles. They are grippy and agile and make buckling and unbuckling your boots much easier. Additionally, cross-country skiers often prefer lightweight gloves, as they work up a sweat and want to wick moisture away as much as they can.

If your main concern is warmth, you should consider getting yourself a pair of snow mittens. Even without the ability to move your fingers separately, you will have no problem gripping a pair of ski poles, so mittens will do just fine.

Whether you’ll go for gloves or mittens when snowboarding comes down to personal preference. Some snowboarders prefer having the ability to use their fingers when adjusting bindings or using tools, while others give priority to staying warm.

There are features that you need to look for, regardless of the type of style you choose. First, snowboarding gloves need to have reinforced palms, to withstand dragging your hands on the snow. It is also a good idea to have wrist loops to prevent losing your gloves on the chairlift or keep you and your gloves together should you take a fall. Snowboarding mitts and gloves are often re-enforced around the tips of the fingers with wrap around cuffs.

The Carhartt C-Touch Knit Glove is a touchscreen-compatible glove made of wind-resistant fleece. Featuring a seamless knit glove and contoured rubber palm, Carhartt C-Grip gloves offer superior durability, dexterity and grip in wet and dry conditions. The touchscreen-compatible palm and thumb allow you to use electronics without taking off your gloves.

Created for hard-core days skiing, snowboarding, snowmobiling, or for just plain snowshoeing out in a snowy winter-scape, these gloves will keep your hands comfortable in the harshest of elements. Utilizing Columbia signature waterproof and breathable outer shell these mittens are infused with insulation made from 85% recycled polyester for dry comfort you can count on.

The Montana Etip™ Glove is a long-gauntlet alpine ski glove that provides warmth, touchscreen conductivity and the revolutionary waterproof, breathable performance of FUTURELIGHT™. Water-resistant synthetic leather provides a soft yet extremely durable palm If you need a 5 finger glove that is warm, waterproof, and allow you to use your phone, this is is the pair.

Setting out time to nail down your ideal size and get a glove or a mitten that fits is for sure something you should do. Proper fit will maximize everything a glove has to offer, from warmth to mobility. Properly-fitted gloves provide better dexterity. But, poorly-fitted gloves might just have worse dexterity than properly-fitted mittens.

You can choose between short-cuff and long-cuff gloves. Short-cuff gloves slide under your jacket sleeve, while long-cuff, gauntlet-style, models will easily go over the sleeve of your jacket. Short cuff lengths generally end at the base of your wrist, offering greater mobility in the wrist area and the ability for your jacket cuffs to overlap your gloves. This style generally works best with a jacket sleeve with Velcro adjustment tabs. Longer cuffs extend over and past the sleeve of your jacket and will offer more protection against snow creeping in.

Gloves vs mittens face-off is a battle of dexterity vs warmth, the winner depends on what is more important to you. Choose gloves when you need to be tying knots, using buckles or zippers, If dexterity is not that important, mittens offer more temperature versatility on the cold end. In the end, the best bet would be to use both: mittens when it’s very cold, and gloves when it’s warmer.

Nothing, not rain, not cold, not heat, can derail a perfectly good hike as much as a pestering little blister, making every step miserable. Many hikers and backpackers assume that they come with the experience, but that is not the case. Getting blisters on your feet is common, but not inevitable.

If you feel like you have tried anything to prevent blisters, tried out countless boots, talked to boot reps, questioned your hiking buddies and still hobble your way through hikes, you might have forgot the key ingredient: hiking socks.

Even the best hiking shoe cannot save you from blisters if you are wearing shoddy socks. Hiking socks are highly engineered to offer cushion, support, and comfort while reducing blisters and being durable. Primary contact points, like the ball of foot, heel, provide good cushioning. Other areas of the sock, like arch and instep, are designed to give good fit and support. A well-fitting sock helps reduce the chance of blisters while offering comfort on the trail.

Experienced hikers swear by the two-pair sock system that includes a thin synthetic inner socks, or a sock liner, and a thicker outer wool sock. The inner sock helps reduce friction with your foot, and wicks away moisture. The outer layer absorbs the moisture and provide insulation and cushioning.

The disadvantage of wearing two pairs of socks is that it can make your feet hotter.  Heat is one of the elements which makes your feet vulnerable to blisters. Another annoyance is that liner socks can make your boots fit too tightly.  A tight fit means that you will be even more prone to blisters.

If you have ever gotten blisters between your toes and know the torture, you might have considered getting a pair of toes socks. Based on the experiences, these might prove to be more than a Band-Aid solution.

Toe-socks separate and cushion the interdigital space, or the space between your toes, preventing rubbing that causes toe blisters. However, they aren’t any better than a normal sock for all other areas of the foot. In fact, the double layer between the toes can significantly increase bulk in the toebox and make it too tight.

If you are experiencing blisters despite the perfect hiking shoes, and your feet aren’t quite comfortable, you probably haven’t found the right kind of sock for you. These are the six key ingredients of a perfect pair of socks, no matter whether you’re skiing, hiking, trail running, mountain bike riding or doing any other outdoor activity.

Breathability and moisture management – these are the two important features for base layers and undergarments that depend on the fabric. Material which the sock is made of should enable wicking – drawing moisture away from the foot. It should also enable cooling, so your feet don’t get overheated.

The most comfortable and most recommended hiking socks are those made of Merino wool. They stay warm when it’s wet, which is great for cold and wet weather. Rather than draining heat from your body, the wool will keep you warm even when it’s wet. In summer though, merino wool will wick sweat away from the foot, regulating temperature within the shoe and keeping your feet cool.

Wool is also naturally anti-microbial, which means it’s inhibiting the growth of microorganisms, especially pathogenic ones. This is especially important for a long distance hiker who is moving very fast and can’t afford time to sit down and wash the socks and then wait for them to dry.

Merino wool is quite a dense fiber, making it a good structural base for creating padding and support within the sock.

Polyester and nylon are fabrics you will also see in socks designed for the outdoors. These are synthetic materials, but they help with wicking and are also able to dry quickly. Performance socks usually contain some percentage of spandex, which helps them keep their shape and fit well to your foot. There are lots of socks made with the wool/synthetic blend, which offer the best of both worlds in terms of comfort, durability and odor prevention.

You should absolutely stay away from cotton. Cotton is not a good material for a hiking sock because it absorbs moisture, it doesn’t dry quickly, it is heavy and has poor insulation properties, especially when wet.

The sock height marks how high the sock comes up your leg. It mostly comes down to the personal preference, but it is important to think about sock height with reference to the weather, the terrain and the type of footwear you are going to wear. Sock heights are relatively universal, and these are the most common in hiking socks, form the shortest to the longest cut:

Size chart by Darn Tough

• No-show. This is the shortest option that come just up to the ankle, leaving the ankle exposed. They work best with trail runners, sneaker and other soft-type footwear.
• Ankle. The ankle socks just cover your ankle bones and give a little bit more protection. This is the shortest option you should go for when hiking in a more rigid footwear.
• ¼ sock. Quarter socks sit just above the ankle, and they are great for low-cut hiking boots, running shoes, and sneakers.
• Crew. Crew length is the standard for a hiking sock. They work well with almost any kind of hiking footwear, from trail runners to boots. They will come up anywhere from 8.5 to 10.5 inches up your calf, measuring from the heel, depending on the model.
• Boot Socks / Mid-Calf. These are usually a bit higher than crew socks, sitting mid-calf for added protection and warmth. Men’s-sized socks tend to reach a bit higher on the leg compared to the women’s sock heights, so women’s boot height is practically men’s crew height.
• Over the Calf / Knee High. The tallest socks, also the warmest and the most protective, are great for mountaineering or winter backpacking. They come over your calf, and up to your knee, anywhere form 16.25” to 17” from the heel up.

Cushion is a padding within the sock created by knit terry loops. You want to have some extra padding, especially around the heel and around the forefoot where the sock needs to have a little bit more cushion where there’s a lot of pressure. This is great for high-impact activities, such as trail running and backpacking.

There are four levels of cushioning in hiking socks: ultra-light, lightweight, mid-weight and heavy weight. As the socks get thicker the cushioning increases. Ideally the ultra-light and lightweight cushion works really well with shoes, while the mid-weight and the heavy weight are great for trekking and hiking boots.

Always look for a nicely tight-fitting sock with as little wiggle room within the sock as possible. Having the snug fit to your foot will minimize any slipping or bunching that could potentially happen. This makes a big difference when you are traversing sloped terrain where you are potentially off trail and notice that your socks tend to slip and move and bunch around. Some hiking socks feature compression bands in the arch area, which adds support and improves the fit.

With a tight fit you are far less likely to end up with hot spots, blisters and general discomfort when you are on a challenging terrain. However, you do not want a sock that is too tight either, as your feet are going to swell a bit while you are hiking. So think snug, rather than too tight. Also, you want to make sure that the heel cup of the sock lines up well and fits well to your heel.

In recent year we have seen more and more athletes and outdoorsmen wearing compression socks. These are extremely tight socks that go almost to your knees, and supposedly aid blood flow for people that are prone to blood clothes. There are some reasons though why you would want to wear this type of socks for hiking. If you are susceptible to getting sore calves, or you have an injury, compression socks can help reduce the discomfort. They also add to the feeling of comfort and warmth for some people, which may not be measurable, but it’s still important.

This might seem pretty obvious, especially if you have been hiking for a while. You don’t want to have an exposed seam within the sock, because it is going to create a space for your toes to rub up against. This is going to create hot spots, or even blisters. The so-called seamless construction means that toes are sewn in a way that leaves no seam lines on the inside.

Anatomically shaped socks are specifically shaped for left and right feet, and are contoured to fit perfectly. Your left and right foot are different, in fact, they are the mirror image of one another. If you are wearing a hiking sock that is not specifically designed for the left and the right foot, you are simply not getting the optimum fit. This can be a significant factor for people whose big toes are longer than the rest of their toes.

Men’s and women’s feet have anatomical differences. Our shoes feature distinct fits, so why wouldn’t our socks? Some manufacturer, like Smartwool, developed a specific fit for each, with women’s socks featuring a slimmer heel pocket, narrower profile, and women-specific mesh ventilation zones. Men’s socks feature a wider profile, that works for wide feet.

Many socks on the market are unisex and typically work for both sexes, and that is alright. The one big difference that we have notice though, is that women’s hiking socks come in a all colors of the rainbow and fun patterns, while men’s socks feature more muted colors like blue, green, gray, shades of red and, of course, black.

There are plenty of great companies that make awesome socks, but for hiking enthusiasts here at NorthWest Outlet, there two great American sock companies that we always go back to: Smartwool from Colorado and Darn Tough from Vermont. Both these brands focus on Merino wool as the key component to their garments.

For over 20 years Smartwool has been pushing the boundaries of Merino to create smarter, more capable products from head to toe. Each pair of Smartwool socks is carefully crafted using the finest Merino wool to keep your feet dry and regulate body temperature so you can wear Smartwool in various conditions.

Not only are Smartwool socks extremely comfortable, they also come in really fun styles and colors, making them a stand out in the performance socks market. Smartwool offers anywhere from ultralight to heavy cushioning, as well as different sock technologies tailored for a slew of different activities to keep your feet happy. If for any reason you’re not satisfied with your Smartwool socks, you can return them within two years of purchase and Smartwool will make it right.

Darn Tough is a family owned business that has been knitting socks in Vermont for close to 40 years. Their mission is simple: to create the world’s best socks and stand behind them unconditionally. Darn Tough sock makers love and breathe in stitches per inch, seamless toes and cross stretch. After so many decades Darn Tough still craft every pair of their socks in Vermont.

When you purchase a pair of Darn Tough socks, you’re also getting a lifetime warranty that covers all the damage caused by wear and tear. So, if you wear them out, Darn Tough will replace them—no questions asked. Plus, designers use sustainable materials, like Merino wool, to create socks with less waste from start to finish.

There are also many other sock brands worth mentioning, like Icebreaker, Thorlo, Wigwam, the new-comer Injinji , but we’ll leave them for another time.

Most people are quick to blame getting blisters on poorly fitting footwear, but the truth is there is more to it than bad shoes, heat and moisture. So what actually causes blisters?

Despite the popular belief, these painful fluid-filled pockets are not caused by friction, at least not in the sense that most people consider friction, which is rubbing. The blisters are actually caused by shear and the skin stretching too much. Let’s explain.

For the most part there are three layers of the skins: the epidermis, dermis and subcutaneous. The outermost layer, the epidermis, has 4-5 layers. Most areas have four, but in regions such as palms of your hands and the soles of your feet, where the skin is exposed to greater friction forces, there are five.

Repeated rubbing over one area of your skin creates forces that causes a split in the epidermis, allowing a plasma-like blister fluid to form in the space between the layers. So it is actually the internal part of the skin stretching that causes blister, not the rubbing over the external part of the skin.

If all of this does not make sense for you, here is a great video that explains the cause of foot blisters:

Here are some tips from an avid hiker and a New York Times bestselling travel book author Karen Berger:

Double-check the boot fit. If you’re a beginning backpacker and you’re not used to the feel of hiking boots, wear them at home for a couple of days for several hours to be sure they are comfortable. Seek out a reputable store and an experienced salesperson to find the best fit. If you wear them at home and they don’t feel right, you can take them back to the store for exchange.

Toe tap test: lace your shoes as you would normally do, then tap your toes on the ground. If you feel you toes hitting the front of the shoe, it is not a good fit.

Break in your boots. This is usually as much of an issue of toughening your feet as softening your boots. Any way you look at it, your feet and boots are going to have to reach a compromise, and better they work out their differences near home than on the trail. I like to walk about 50 miles in new boots before I hit the trail (which is great exercise, too). But even trustworthy comfy boots need to be reintroduced to your feet if you’ve been sitting around all winter. Before a big trip, I’ll go out for a couple of four- or five-mile shorties near home, just so my feet and my boots can renew their acquaintance.

Wear wicking socks. Polypropylene or nylon are fine—under a pair of wool or wool-and-nylon blend outer socks. The wicking socks are less abrasive, plus they move moisture away from your feet. Never wear cotton socks—cotton absorbs moisture and practically guarantees blisters.

Go easy on the mileage and keep your pack weight as low as possible.

The absolutely number one most important rule of blister prevention: The second you feel the slightest hint of something rubbing in your shoe, STOP! Ignore your hiking partner’s pleas to just keep going. Find the pebble, grass-seed, clump of dirt, grain of sand, or wrinkle in the sock. If it’s a tight boot that’s causing trouble, rub the inside of your boot with the blunt, rounded end of a Swiss army knife to try to stretch the leather or fabric.

Treat a hot spot with moleskin on the trail. If you know you’ve got a vulnerable trouble spot, like the back of your heel, put a piece of moleskin on it before you start walking. If a blister has already started forming (it can happen in mere seconds), use a dressing called Second Skin. This dressing was developed to treat burns—and after all, blisters are nothing more than friction burns. Whether you’re putting moleskin over a hot spot or adhesive tape over a Second Skin dressing, remember that tape adheres better to dry skin than wet skin—so use a bandanna to dry your sweaty feet first.

Happy feet = happy hiking! Explore our wide range of special walking, hiking and climbing socks curated for active people who want to get the most out of every outdoor experience. Northwest Outlet is proudly carrying the best performance sock brands in the outdoor industry.

Fire resistant clothing is a mandatory piece of gear that many workplaces require. Primarily, oil & gas and electrical industries should closely follow the rules and make sure their employees are properly wearing their safety gear. OSHA keeps a close eye on these industries and often fines and legally punishes those that don’t follow the rules, laws and regulations. FR clothing satisfies the NFPA 2112 and/or the NFPA 70E safety standards. NFPA 2112 is for general flame resistant gear, and NFPA 70E is for arc rated FR equipment that electricians use.

While providing and replacing damaged gear is the responsibility of the employers, most of the time, the employees are the ones that are responsible for ensuring proper care, cleaning and maintenance of PPE. That is why we’ve researched the topic and tried to write a people-first, companies-second post that should answer all your questions related to cleaning your flame-resistant uniform. These answers might save your life one day, as flame resistant gear requires dedicated care to stay efficient.

In order to properly wash FR gear follow these steps:

1. Wash in a normal or cotton cycle. Generally, most FR clothes are washed at 140 degrees, using regular laundry detergent.
2. Turn your clothes inside out. This will help preserve their fire-resistant qualities.
3. Wash your FR clothing separately from any other garments. Not doing so might damage the fire retardant treating of the clothes, or damage the hi-vis components of the clothing.
4. Do not use any bleach, vinegar or any other additives.
5. Do not use fabric softeners, starch or any other additives.
6. If possible, let them air dry. Do not over dry the clothes.
7. Hard water is very bad for FR clothing, as it can deposit into small packets of magnesium and calcium. These are flammable.

We’ve provided the general rules, but please double-check with the tag located on the inside of your clothes. Always consult the clothes tag, the manufacturer knows best.

The best thing you can do if you get your FR garment dirty, is to take them right away to spot clean them. First, brush off any dry debris. Using mild soap and water, sponge off dirt. Dry the spot with a clean dry cloth and rub gently to avoid damaging the fabric.

If your suit is stained, it should be washed right away, as the stains are flammable and might put you in danger. Use regular non-bleach laundry detergent and hot water and scrub at the stain until it is removed. Do not use bleach, vinegar or any other product. Do not use regular soap.

In the rare case of stains that can’t be scrubbed away, dry cleaning may remove them. If nothing helps, you should replace your uniform, as it has become unsafe and can no longer offer adequate fire protection.

In order to patch a hole in a fire-resistant garment, you need to use the same material the suit’s made out of. While it’s tempting to just patch it yourself, manufacturers use special fire-resistant thread that won’t catch on fire.

It’s best that you send the garment back to the manufacturer for repairs. Some manufacturers sell FR repair kits that you can use to fix your clothes. If the fire resistant clothing is seriously worn out and can’t be easily patched, it’s best to throw it away and buy new protective clothing.

Do not spay DEET on FR clothing. DEET is flammable and it will make the protective clothing unsafe. Spray DEET on the skin. Most bug sprays have a petrochemical spray carrier that is flammable, even if the bug repellent isn’t flammable.

It’s best to not take any risks and use permethrin, which is not flammable. Permethrin stays active for quite a while, can be machine washed up to 30 times, and is just as effective.

There are no dumb questions when safety is involved. We’ll list a quick how-to guide to properly wearing fire-resistant gear, and answer some frequently asked questions there.

Remember, always button your FR clothes up and cover yourself as much as you can.
Never roll your sleeves up no matter how hot it is. You’re risking having your forearms severely burned. Keep your FR clothing tucked in so that the fire can’t enter a gap in between your upper layer and your pants.

Layering FR clothes gives you a lot more protection against flash and arc fires, because not only are you protected by multiple layers of flame-resisting material, but you have small layers of air in between them. As long as it’s not too hot or bulky, you can wear as many layers as you want.

Does that mean you can just simply add the required arc flash protection level? No, it won’t be that easy or precise, and you should use the proper clothes for the job and not rely on guesswork.

The FR clothing will protect your regular cotton or silk undergarments from catching on fire. You have to tuck them in and not leave any non-FR clothing uncovered, or else it might catch on fire and seriously harm you.

Even if it is allowed, it’s much better to have FR underwear and base layers. There’s a very low chance of the fire penetrating your protective outwear, and then igniting your underwear. This can be exceptionally dangerous and even fatal in some rare cases.

If you are wondering whether you can mix and match the protective gear with regular clothes, the answer is no. In the case of a flash or arc fire, your non-flame-resistant garment will catch fire and you might be grievously harmed. Unless all your outer layer clothes are FR, you’re not protected from fire. You can wear a layer of regular clothes under the FR clothes (though it is not advised to), but you can’t wear FR pants with a regular jacket.

In the rare event of a fire penetrating your Nomex clothing, your flammable clothes you’re wearing underneath might catch on fire.

This is not good idea, as flame-resistant gear usually lasts from a year to 5 years, with some rare gear that lasts up to 20 years. Most FR garments loses its effectiveness after 25-50 wash cycles. When you buy used gear, you don’t know how well the person washed them, used them, and how many more wash cycles it can take.

Used flame-resistant gear is less effective and safety should be your #1 priority. Buying and using used FR gear is not against the law, but it might be against OSHA regulations.

In conclusion, buying used fire-resistant clothes is just not as safe as buying new ones.

In short, FR fabric doesn’t allow flame to easily burn it and consume it. FR fabric does this by using naturally flame-resistant materials (like Kevlar or Nomex) or treating some other material via a chemical process (making fire resistant 100% cotton clothes). Some FR fabrics have a chemical reaction that “chokes” the fire out of oxygen, while others expand and don’t allow the flames or the heat to pass and harm the wearer. Most FR fabric is often effective only once, and after the suit saves the wearer, it is then discarded.

Similar to how bullet-proof vests work, you shouldn’t wear a used, burned or charred FR garment that’s not as effective and might not save you.

Predominantly, the Oil & Gas industry workers, electricians, utility workers like linemen, firemen, and combustible dust industries. The workers are often at risk of fires, arc fires or flash fires.

Arc fires are what happens when an electrical circuit short-circuits and releases a lot of heat, sparks, molten metal and energy. Arc flashes can reach temperatures of around 35,000 degrees, which is hotter than the surface of the Sun, but they only reach these heats for an incredibly short time. That’s enough to singe and penetrate most clothing, and make it burn, often grievously injuring the individual.

Flash fires are fires that happen when the air is rich with combustible material, like wheat dust or natural gas; these fires are explosive and quick, but thankfully they only last a short time. FR suits save people caught in these fires by being able to chemically react to such quick flames, where regular clothes would’ve caught fire and seriously harmed the wearer.

In short, Fire-Resistant material is inherently fire resistant at a molecular level (like Kevlar and Nomex), while Fire-Retardant material is treated to become fire resistant via a chemical process. There’s a lot of discussion to which is better, and this discussion is moot.

Most modern FR clothing is made from a blend of both, utilizing the best material in the best place to maximize the comfort and breathability of the wearer. Long gone are the days of dedicated, cumbersome and uncomfortable Arc suits as these new FR clothing is far more comfortable to wear and work in.

If the clothes are comfortable, there’s a higher chance the workers will use them; thus, there’s a higher chance of these garments saving lives at work

Fire-resistant suits will burn after being exposed long enough to a flame, and are meant to protect the wearer from arc and flash fires. The time needed to make them combust is about a minute or two, which is very good compared to regular clothing that’ll start to burn in seconds.

Fireproof suits are those fire proximity suits designed to protect a firefighter or a volcanologist from the extreme heat of a volcano or a raging inferno. Those silver bunker suits are truly fireproof, not fire resistant.

Arc Rated clothing is capable of withstanding the horrific arc fire, which can get really hot and spew molten metal at the operator. All Arc-rated clothing is flame resistant and can withstand flash fires, while not all flame-resistant clothes can withstand the immense power and hear of an electric arc.

Some FR clothing that isn’t AR (Arc Rated) might catastrophically fail if there’s an Arc Fire and harm the wearer. It’s important to wear the proper protective clothing for the task at hand.

Arc Rated clothing is capable of withstanding the horrific arc fire, which can get really hot and spew molten metal at the operator. All Arc-rated clothing is flame resistant and can withstand flash fires, while not all flame-resistant clothes can withstand the immense power and hear of an electric arc.

Some FR clothing that isn’t AR (Arc Rated) might catastrophically fail if there’s an Arc Fire and harm the wearer.

It’s important to wear the proper protective clothing for the task at hand.

There are 12 Arc flashes happening daily in the USA, and around 2000 brave workers end up in the ER every year. FR clothing is the last line of defense against a sudden, searing hot flame. Without these clothes, there would be many more men sent to the burn center, and sadly, there would be a lot more fatalities too.

Flame resistant clothing turns third and fourth degree burns that can kill into second degree burns that aren’t life threatening and easily treatable. If FR gear is improperly maintained and washed, it could lose its FR properties, and instead of saving people it would aid in burning them. Stay vigilant and be prepared to fix FR gear, and when it’s too worn out, damaged, stained or old, be ready to replace it.

It is very important to take good care of your gear so that it could take great care of you.