As my recent hay-burning and wood-firing experiences have reminded me, I don’t quite have the duds for this stuff. Jeans with wool long undies underneath do okay, and I have steeltoes from architecture. But tops? It’s all for site visits: my flame-resistant wool stuff is all knit, and of course my waterproof stuff isn’t ember-resistant. I don’t fear embers, but I don’t like putting holes in my clothes. Enter the loan of a Carhartt garment over the weekend. (Thank you.) My journey took me within shouting distance of a Gander Mountain store, so I went in and found… women’s Carhartts!

Bibs: Cotton duck, and lined. Pants have that nasty habit of scooting down and exposing the lower back to drafts. Womens shirts don’t tend to run long. My pickStyle #: WR027 Women’s Sandstone Bib Overall/Quilt Lined

Vest: The blog “things white people like” (amusing at times) makes a joke about vests, but my orange down vest (ten years old, American Eagle) is a favorite garment and my windproof/water resistant REI vest is on the list too. Sometimes a vest is all that’s needed; the body’s plenty warm but the exposed arms can shed the extra heat. My pick: Style #: WV001 Women’s Sandstone Mock-Neck Vest/Quilt Lined Unlike the mens vests, it’s cut for somebody with a waist and hips. And the mock-neck is much nicer looking than the mens vests with the knit kinda collar.

Jacket: Because sometimes it’s too cold for a vest. My pick: Style #: WJ130 Women’s Sandstone Active Jac/Quilted Flannel

They’re bomb-proof, fine for some water, and warm. And, oh, stuff doesn’t get stuck in them. Like bits of hay. It can brush off. Except the fleecey lining on the vest. But I could deal with that. Better than picking burr-bits out of my wool hoodie (a fortunate and functional thrift-store find) for a half hour.

Yes, this is ceramics related. I like being comfortable and I like wearing the right stuff for what I’m doing. And, well, it also caters to my gear-headedness.