Clothing For Caving

Clothing For Caving
By: Cave Spelunking

It isn't warm in a cave and the humidity is high. That combination makes for some very specific clothing needs — not only for comfort but for safety as well.

The clothing that you need for a particular caving trip will vary according to the conditions within the cave and the activities you will engage in. For example, if the cave that you are going into is very wet but no swimming will be involved, you'd want your first layer to be a pair of swimming pants or buffalo skids to protect your lower body. You'd want to cover them with a pair of wool pants as the second layer, and the third layer would be fleece.

If, on the other hand, your trip into this wet cave is going to involve swimming, you'll want to forget the wool/fleece combination and use a wet suit instead.

You need a warm, preferably one-piece outer layer. It needs to be both durable and waterproof. There are several on the market. You don't want this outer layer to be confining. You need to have full movement of your arms and legs.

You need good, sturdy, waterproof boots for caving. You need a good pair of wet socks, too. You loose body heat from your feet. Cold, wet feet can absolutely ruin an otherwise great caving experience.

Kneepads do restrict your walking a bit, but if your caving trip is going to require a lot of crawling through passageways, kneepads are a very good idea.

Wear gloves only if you are a weekend caver. There's a saying among cavers: "Vikings don't wear gloves." If you are an experienced caver with the good tough hands to prove it, forget the gloves.

Helmets aren't really optional. I've seen cavers go in without a helmet. They usually come out feet first with very nasty head wounds.

Rock On & Keep Spelunking...
Cave Spelunking.