OFI 555: Farming Gear You Need Everyday | Matt Brechwald | Solo Episode

SHOW NOTES

KEY IDEAS: 

I have had this growing feeling that I have got so caught up in talking about what my guests have been doing that I have completely stopped updating you all on what we are doing on our farm.  We are still farming, and have essentially the same operation as the last time I updated you.  Only now we are leasing more ground, and making a few changes.  I will update you on the changes at some point in the future, but rest assured that things are going great.

As part of my effort to talk to you a little more about my farming side of the Off-Farm Income Podcast, I decided to do an episode with you about gear.  In the episode today I break down the gear that I use on a daily basis on our farm and why.

All of the gear that I talked about on the show is listed below with affiliate links.  If you are going purchase any of it, I would be thrilled if you would click on our affiliate link first and then make your purchase!  Thanks in advance.

Socks

I have tried four or five different brands of wool socks. Smartwool Men’s Work Heavy Crew Black XL are the only ones I buy any longer.  I don’t just buy the heavy crew, I also try and buy thinner wool socks for the summer.  I like wool socks so much that I try to wear them, year round, and I exclusively purchase Smartwool.

Boots

I am constantly in mud during the winter feeding season. Muck Chore Classic Men’s Rubber Work Boots,Black,Men’s 11 M US / Women’s 12 M US are a technological revolution when it comes to rubber boots.  With the neoprene lining they are way more comfortable, easier to walk in and warmer than the rubber boots I remember from my childhood.

When I am not in rubber boots I like to be in a good pair of Western boots that are water proof.  When I wear a pair out I pick between Ariat Work Men’s GROUNDBREAKER H2O Boot, dark brown, 11.5 D US or Justin Original Work Men’s Rustic Barnwood Hybred Waterproof-M Workboot, Brown, 11.5 D US.  The waterproofing on these boots has never let me down.  I actually believe they would hold up as good in wet and muddy conditions as the Muck boots, but I like to wear them around town so I try not get them covered in mud.  I have worn both Ariat’s and Justin’s and think they perform equally well.

Base Layer

Occasionally it gets cold enough in the Treasure Valley of Idaho either with or without the wind that I will wear a base layer to stay warm.  When I was a kid I used cotton “long johns” but never really got the impact I was looking for.  As an adult I have discovered Minus33 100% Merino Wool Base Layer 705 MidWeight Crew Neck Top Black Medium and Minus33 100% Merino Wool Base Layer 706 MidWeight Bottoms Black Medium.

When it gets cold enough for a base layer, these are awesome.  They are quite a bit more expensive than cotton “long johns” but they are totally worth it.  They are thinner, warmer and way more comfortable.  They allow freedom of movement and truly keep you warm, even if you sweat.  Plus they are wool, so they last.  I wash mine with no problem at all.

Bibs

While we are talking about it being very cold outside, I will mention my bibs.  I own two pairs: Carhartt Men’s Zip To Thigh Bib Overall Unlined,Carhartt Brown,40 x 30 and Carhartt Men’s Arctic Quilt Lined Duck Bib Overalls,Brown,34 x 34.  If it is extremely cold I might put on my insulated bibs.  But honestly, my uninsulated bibs are wearing out a lot faster these days.  That is because of my merino wool base layer.

I can put on my base layer pants and my uninsulated bibs over the top and be very warm out doing chores.  This combination allows the bibs to move around and flex with freedom, which makes my work day much more comfortable.  So, this is my default.

No matter which pair of Carhartt bibs I choose, I love them.  They are old world and modern functional.  They stand up to whatever abuse I give to them, wear well and protect whatever clothing I have on under them.  When I am going to be working in wet conditions or just getting down on the ground a lot to build a pen or work under the tractor, these are what I will wear.  I love them!

Shirts

It might seem silly to recommend a shirt here, but I am going to do just that.  Several years back I got convinced that wool was the way to go.  There are so many good reasons to choose wool: they are good looking, they last forever, they keep you warm, they shed water, they are not flammable and they retain insulating ability even when wet.

However, wool is expensive.  It was not like I could go out and change my wardrobe to all wool overnight.  So, I started purchasing Pendleton Men’s Long Sleeve Button Front Classic-fit Canyon Shirt, red/tan Ombre, MD.  I made a point of purchasing one per year until I had a set of about five.  The great thing about this plan is that they just do not wear out.  They look great, their style never fades and they serve me very well.

I take care to get them dry cleaned when I think they need a cleaning.  However, there is something special about wool that they just don’t really collect odor.  So, I really do not get them cleaned very often at all.  As an example, I have a particular Pendleton shirt that I like to wear when I go camping.  So, I am always wearing it while sitting around the campfire.

When we get home from our trip I’ll hang it in the closet, and within a few days the campfire smoke smell is gone, with no cleaning.  I love these shirts, and since they don’t wear out, I do not have to buy any more if I do not want to.  These are great, warm shirts to work in, especially if you are wearing a jacket and a hooded sweatshirt is just too bulky to wear underneath.

Sweatshirts

About two years ago I discovered Carhartt Men’s Rain Defender Paxton Heavyweight Hooded Sweatshirt,Black,X-Large.  I like to work in a hooded sweatshirt if I can.  The freedom of movement is great, I can wear one under my bibs and they are warm and comfortable.  However, they are cotton, and that is a problem in a wet environment.

The rain defender solved the one and only problem they had.  It really works!  Rain beads up on my sweatshirts now, so unless I am in a deluge, I come back in the house warm and dry when I finish with my chores.  I really like wearing these with my bibs on, rather than wearing a coat over my bibs.  I don’t ever use the hood (which I will get to in a moment) but I like having the hood there for a little added protection from the wind on the back of my neck.

Outerwear

When it gets even colder I will throw on a Carhartt Men’s Duck Vest,Brown,Large over my shirt or sweatshirt to keep my core warm.  I really like these vests because they a very warm, easy to work in and have big pockets that I can stick my gloves or tools in.

If it gets even colder or is snowing and blowing I will throw on Carhartt Men’s Arctic Quilt Lined Yukon Coat,Black,Large.  I have had this jacket since I was the herdsman at the Split Butte Ranch in Minidoka, Idaho in 1999.  It still fits great, keeps me very warm and is not even close to being worn out.  This is the perfect ranch coat for those very cold, windy or snowy days.

If it is raining hard I turn to one of my favorite jackets ever, the Filson Men’s Tin Cruiser Dark Tan Medium. This is an old world jacket like my grandfather would have worn.  It is super tough and coated with wax to waterproof it.  You need to re-apply wax every now and then to keep it waterproof, but that is one of my favorite things about the jacket.

When I find some spare time during the summer I will apply a good coat of wax to the jacket, hang it in the sun and let the solar rays bake the wax into the fibers to make it impenetrable by water.  These jackets are pricey, like all Filson products, but they will last you a lifetime.  When you have really got it broke in you will know because you can set it on the floor and it will stand up on its own.

Even though it is that rigid once it is broken in, it will still flex and shed rain while taking a beating during your work day.  I think this jacket is well worth the money because you are going to spread that cost over decades.  And, Filson is excellent with customer service.  If you happen to have anything go wrong with this jacket, they will take care of you.  I know because my first one just would not hold the wax like it was supposed to….they gave me a brand new one at no cost to remedy the issue.

I will admit if I was a better cowboy I would wear a silk scarf to cover my neck on those really windy days.  However, I have never done that  For working around the farm I choose to wear a Minus33 Merino Wool 730 Midweight Neck Gaiter Black One Size on those days.  I like these for a couple of reasons.  First, it keeps my neck area very protected from the wind.  Second, if I am throwing flakes of hay into the wind it keeps particles from going into my shirt when they blow back on me.  And last, if it is really cold I can pull it up, over my face to protect it.  I still have not upgraded to the wool one I have listed here.  I am currently just using cotton.  However, I will be fixing that soon.

Hats

I choose to wear hats for warmth as well as rain and snow protection rather than a rain hood.  There are a couple of reasons for this.  First, I think the world was a better place before everyone’s definition of a hat was just a baseball cap.  A real hat is stylish and very functional.  Second, when I wear a rain hood I lose a little of my peripheral vision as well as a little of my ability to hear.  Just a slight change in my senses can really throw me off.  Last, my vest does not have an option for a hood, my Carhartt jacket needs its own hood (purchased separately) and my Filson jacket needs its own hood (also purchased separately).

If I chose to use a hood for protection from the rain and snow I would have to purchase two separate hoods, depending on the jacket I am wearing and put it on the jacket each time I chose to wear it.  Plus, I would have no option when I was wearing my vest, and hoods don’t really keep my bald head that warm.

So, I choose to wear hats.  When it comes to stylish, functional and long lasting hats Filson has the market cornered.  With that said, Filson hats are really reasonably priced, which is a relief compared to their other products.

My favorite hat, that I wear everyday in the winter, is the Filson Insulated Tin Cloth Packer Hat.  This hat is rugged and tough and has great character.  It is tough cotton that you wax to keep it repelling water and snow.  It is quilt lined inside to keep your head very warm.  And it has wool ear flaps that come down to protect your ears when the wind is really howling.

There is one problem with this hat.  It insulates so well and is so waterproof that after a morning of chores and plowing in the snow I have to leave it in the garage or on the floorboard of my pickup.  It does so well that when I come inside or get in the truck it is completely covered in snow.  So, as the snow starts to melt there will be water everywhere.  I usually have to let the snow and ice melt off of it in the garage or on the floorboard because it works so good!  I truly love this hat and think that this should be the go to piece of headwear for all farmers.

I also have a Filson Unisex Tin Packer Hat Tan Hat.  This is the non-insulated version of the hat I love so much.  I thought I would use this hat much more than the insulated version, but it turned out to be the opposite.  It seems like in almost every rain storm in Idaho it is cool enough for me to wear the insulated hat.  And since I am bald, I like the added insulation to keep my head warm during those storms.

However, when the temperature is warmer and it is raining, I will wear my uninsulated packer hat.  It looks different on my head because of the lack of insulation, so it is a totally different look.  It works great, and you would be amazed how that thin layer of cotton with a wax coating on it can keep the rain away from your head.

It does not rain too much in Idaho, but I had the chance to put this hat to the test.  My family and I went to Germany and Austria last summer, and I took two hats.  I took my Filson Unisex Summer Packer Hat Otter Green LG for when it was not raining, and I also took my uninsulated tin packer hat for when it was.  There was one day in Austria that it never stopped raining, and it rained hard.  I had my Filson jacket and tin packer hat, and I stayed completely dry and comfortable.  My wife and daughter were soaked.

When I say that they kept me dry and comfortable let me tell you that we were out seeing the sites all day long, and then into the night.  The entire time it was coming down.  But we had never been to Europe, and we were not about to waste a day of our limited trip waiting out a storm.  We walked around town, I did a hike in the alps and we toured the grounds of a castle during this day.  I loved seeing the water dripping off the brim of my hat all day, knowing that I made a great purchase!

When it gets extremely windy, and there is a strong likelihood that I will not be able to keep one of my Filson hats on my head I will wear a Carhartt Men’s Acrylic Watch Hat A18, Black, One Size.  These have never failed to keep my head warm, and they will also keep it dry for a good amount of time.  I love my Filson hats, but when one of these is needed I am very happy that I have it!

Gloves

Out of all the gear I am mentioning in this post, the piece that I really had to experiment with the most is gloves.  I have tried all sorts, never with great results.  For what I do on our farm in the winter I am looking for a pair of gloves that will keep my hands warm, allow me to grip and grab things without fighting the rigidity of the glove and that will keep my hands dry in wet conditions.

Here’s the news – I cannot find them.  I have been able to find warm gloves that will allow me to work and flex without rigidity, but they are not waterproof.  I tried the neoprene work gloves that claim to be waterproof, and I have been disappointed more than once with water coming through, even on the first day.

Finally, I came up with a system to get the best of all worlds, but it is a “workaround”.  Every year, if needed I will purchase at least two pairs of Kinco 1927KW-XL-1 Premium grain pigskin palm, OttoTM striped fabric back, Snug 100% polyester knit wrist to retain warmth, Heatkeep lining, Size: XL.  I purchase two pairs because I frequently get my gloves wet and need a day for them to dry.  So, I will rotate each pair as the other pair is drying by the fire.

This system has worked very well for me.  If it is not raining outside I am frequently breaking ice in troughs and grabbing the chunks of ice to throw them out.  Even with reaching into the trough these gloves do a really good job repelling the water until I am done or almost done with chores.  Then I will put them in front of the fire and switch pairs for that evening and the next day.

Eventually the pig skin will stiffen up to the point that I just throw them out because they are almost unusably stiff.  However, this seems to take a whole winter season to happen.  So, I just know to buy two pairs of these each year for the season.

Until they stiffen the pig skin is extremely soft, comfortable and durable.  I can almost work in these gloves as well as if I was bare handed.  These are my go to gloves, and this system works very well for me.  I have never tried waterproofing them, but that is something that I should do going forward.

These gloves have an elastic wrist, which I prefer because it keeps debris from getting into the glove.  I like this style and the pig skin so well that for the summer time I purchase Kinco 035117191730 Grain Pigskin Leather Palm Work Glove with Knit Wrist, Small.  I get all the same benefits of the insulated pair, but I can wear them in warm weather.  I think is really the way to go.

Completely Waterproof Gear

I irrigate my alfalfa field during the spring, summer and fall.  Once it is about 1 foot tall and the sprinkler has gone over it or there is dew in the morning I am soaked just two or three steps into the field.  I needed a solution to this, and I ended up purchasing a pair of Carhartt Men’s Mayne Lightweight PVC Bib Overalls,Green,XX-Large.

I have been very pleasantly surprised with these.  I didn’t know how they would hold up when I was using them to irrigate in so frequently.  They have suffered a couple of rips, but really held up well.  This summer will be my third summer using them, and I really only thought I would be using them for one summer at a time.  So, I am very happy with the result.  And, they keep me completely dry.

Knife

The last thing I take out with me every day is a good knife to cut the strings on hay bales with.  I am frequently wearing gloves because it is cold outside, so being able to operate the knife with gloves on is very helpful.

I use the Gerber AR 3.00 Knife, Serrated Edge, Black [05849].  I originally used this knife when I was a police officer, but I found it to be smaller than I wanted for that type of use.  However, it has turned out to be the perfect knife for around the farm.  The blade holds a sharp edge, and the knife operates with just one hand, both opening and closing.  Putting an edge back on it is easy to do with just a sharpening stone.

It also has a serrated edge, so if I do dull the blade in a hay bale or one too many bale strings the serrated edge will get me by until I can tune it back up.  I have been using this knife for years, and it is in great shape.

To keep a good edge on my knives all I use is a honing kit with two stones made by Buck.  The one I have is similar to Sharpening Stone, 2 Side Grit Whetstone 1000/6000, Chef Knife Sharpener Stone Holder Set Kit, Waterstone with Nonslip Base, Angle Guide, Fixer Stone for Pocket Knife Kitchen Razor Clippers Axe Blades.  With the great blades on the Gerber Knives that I have I can enjoy an evening with my family and re-touch my blades at the same time.

So, that is all the gear I use on a daily basis, with a little variance depending on weather conditions.  I hope some of these tips can be useful to you on your own farm either tomorrow or at some point in the near future!

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