Winter Work Pants: 3 Materials Arborists Need to Look For

Arborists—that’s “tree surgeons” for the rest of us—have a really important job. Trees are deceptively heavy, and when they fall they can cause massive damage or injury. They need to be kept in good health or otherwise removed, and that’s where arborists come to the rescue.

Like most tradespeople, arborists have specialized workwear needs. If you’re an arborist, you have to work outdoors in harsh weather, and you are often putting yourself into extreme postures and physical positions while working with trees. The work requires a lot of reaching, stretching, and bending. Solid, effective arborist workwear needs to preserve your natural flexibility, as well as provide strong protection against cutting and tearing from the tree’s natural bits.

In winter, the flexibility aspect can be especially challenging, since the thickest winter clothes often impede movement. So here are 3 materials that you should be on the lookout for when it comes to winter workwear.

1. Modern Synthetic Technical Fabric Work Pants

Industrial workwear has come a long way from the days of canvas and denim. Today’s best synthetic fabric blends are more durable and more comfortable. They also enable a higher degree of performance compared to traditional fabrics when it comes to:

• Mobility and reach

• Moisture management

• Protection against tears, abrasion, and the elements

The most sophisticated winter outdoor clothes often consist of laminated fabrics such as nylon, polyester, or other materials, which are bonded together to function as a single garment. A lot of this apparel also features fleece-lining and DWR anti-moisture coatings for additional protection in bad weather.

If you’ve never tried them before, do yourself a favor and invest in a pair of good synthetic blend work pants. You won’t regret it.

2. Merino Wool Thermals

Also known as “long johns” or “long underwear,” thermals are insulating underclothes that rest comfortably against your skin. They come in both uppers and bottoms, and you can wear the bottoms in addition to or in place of your regular underwear. Thermals provide plenty of softness and flexibility while also wicking away moisture in order to keep you dry. They are a great friend in cold weather.

Thermals are available in a variety of materials, including polyester and elastane, i.e. “spandex,” but a consistently popular choice is merino wool. “Merino” refers to a breed of sheep originally from North Africa. Merino is a great winter fabric choice, and here are some of its chief benefits:

• Merino wool has a thinner fiber than most other wools, making it supple and flexible. This means it is less scratchy than some other types of wools and less prone to static electricity buildups.

• Merino fibers are hydrophilic, meaning they can absorb a great deal of moisture, which makes the material feel dry for longer, even when you’re sweating.

• The natural scent of merino wool is less noticeable than many other wools—and can even help cut down on your own body odor.

Try some merino wool thermals underneath your main work pants whenever the weather is cold or on those rough days when your body is struggling and you need some extra heat. You can also find merino wool in outerwear, as it resists the wind and can stand up to snow or light rain.

3. Ballistic Nylon Chainsaw Chaps

Any arborist knows that their tools of the trade can be extremely dangerous, especially when it comes to chainsaws. Chainsaw chaps are a good safety choice year-round whenever you are working with chainsaws up in the trees.

The US Forest Service has official specifications on chainsaw chaps so that arborists everywhere can have the best chance of minimizing injury in the event that your leg comes into contact with a moving chainsaw. These specifications call for thick, cut-resistant materials, specifically including ballistic nylon, which has a proven track record of minimizing injury in these circumstances.

Chaps provide some additional warmth against the winter cold and bad weather and will help reduce the snow that melts onto you, but that’s not the point. The point is that your other winter workwear is not a replacement for the cut-stopping power of a proper set of chaps. You need to wear chaps if you want to maximize your safety.