Women in Wildland Fire Series: Women Specific Clothing and Gear Recommendations
What do I wear on the fireline?
I get questions from lots of women asking what kind of socks, underwear and sports bras to wear. I’ll give you what to look for and a list my favorite brands along with other women specific gear you may want.
A few of my favorite work out clothes and skin care products
SOCKS
I have five pairs of these merino wool Danner socks. They are really tall for hiking socks (I like my socks to be taller than my boots and not slip down), good in hot and cold temperatures, dry quickly and don’t get too smelly. I will love them forever and keep buying them whenever I find them on sale. Other good sock brands that my coworkers like are Darn Tough, Smartwool, and REI brand. There’s tons of great brands that last and plenty of cheaper options on Amazon too if you’re just starting your sock collection. Sierra.com also has great deals on weird colors and factory seconds. I got lots of socks from them starting out.
FIRELINE SPORTS BRAS AND UNDERWEAR
It’s important to wear cotton or wool underwear with as little synthetic fibers as possible on the fireline. In the worst case scenario, fire will melt synthetic fabrics into a molten plastic that will stick to your skin and give you really bad second and third degree burns. Cotton and wool won’t do this. I have a random assortment of cotton cami bralettes like this and a wool sports bra that I love and plan to buy a few more of once more of my cotton bras wear out.
So many of my fellow ladies wear Hanes cotton underwear it’s kind of a running joke. But they are comfy, super cheap, have multiple styles and you can buy them anywhere. I recently bought these black cotton underwear on a whim since some of my old pairs had holes and really like them. They are a little more cheeky so I can wear them under my workout leggings and they look better than the Hanes pairs. Some of my girlfriends with more muscular thighs like to wear cotton boy shorts because they say it helps with chaffing. I like when I can buy underwear in an all black pack because no matter how well you wash things, fire destroys them and makes anything but black look super gnarly after awhile.
ACTIVEWEAR
I love Vuori’s Clementine shorts (they are a great length, have a wide waistband and are so comfortable to run in), Rib Studio Legging (they are 7/8 length which fit me at 5 feet tall perfectly) and their sports bras. I have the Daily bra and Mindset bra and love that they are good for working out and they look good under normal clothes so they can pull double duty when I’m out on a fire assignment. The material they use is soft and cottony feeling and not shiny which is important to me, because I hate when work out gear (especially leggings) are too athletic looking and not easy to wear out in normal life. I also really like Prana sports bras, leggings and work out tanks, specifically their Everyday bra and Becksa leggings.
On the more affordable side I also love these leggings with side pockets on Amazon. I’ve also found really great sports bras like this and this. I also like Abercrombie’s activewear. I have some of their sports bras and work out tank tops and they hold up really well and are super soft.
For underwear I love these Under Armour seamless hipsters are so great I replaced all my daily underwear with them. They don’t show under leggings or jeans and dry quickly and are so comfortable. I’ve had some pairs for years and all the black pairs still look brand new. Can’t recommend them enough.
I love Salomon trail running shoes. I think the quick lace system fits everyone really well and they are great on trail and pavement. I’ve had a few pairs, but recently I have a pair of Sense Ride shoes (I have the 3 version, pictured above, linked to the 4s).
SKINCARE
I love Glossier’s Invisible Shield Daily Sunscreen. It is SPF 35, clear gel and super matte so I never get weird white cast or have a bunch of dirt or ash stick to it. It’s kinda expensive at $25 but you can get them on sale often, especially around the holidays, which is when I stock up. I also like their famous Balm Dotcom in Rose to use as a skin salve and to heal chapped lips overnight. I’ve had the same tube forever! Take it from someone in their 30s, WEAR SUNSCREEN! EVERYDAY! I’ve worn sunscreen on my face since I was in my early 20s and I promise it’s the best thing you can ever do for your future self.
To help protect my skin from further damage from fire and being outside all the time I love The Ordinary products. They are crazy cheap for how high quality they are, and I have noticed a huge difference in my skin quality since I found the brand a few years ago. I use The Buffet anti-aging serum, Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%, for zits and ani-congestion, and Natural Moisturizing Factors moisturizer. They have a great regime builder so you can do what works for you.
WOOL SHIRTS AND LONG UNDERWEAR
I love Duckworth Wool Vapor tees to wear underneath my yellow. They last forever, wash and dry well with no shrinking, are made in the USA, and are super comfortable. They are an investment, but worth it because they are such high quality. For cold weather and skiing, I also love their Comet Hoody and Powder High Neck.
For a more affordable option, I have bought this wool shirt on Amazon and it held up pretty well too.
Sierra also often has women’s wool base layers, from good brands like Smartwool and other lesser known ones. Here’s a link to women’s wool base layers. I’ve also bought running shoes, work out clothes and even my favorite Flylow ski jacket from here. You can get lucky on some killer deals on really quality brands if you poke around.
I also buy heaps of used clothes on platforms like Mercari, Thred Up, Poshmark, and Ebay. If there’s something I have my eye on, nine times out of ten I can find it used or NWT on one of these sites.
WOMEN TRAINERS
Not gear, but these are my favorite women trainers for yoga, pilates, strength training and mobility videos.
YOGA: Yoga With Adriene She has a million videos of all lengths and types and some that focus on specific ailments. She is funny and down to earth and accessible.
YOGA, STRENGTH TRAINING & MOBILITY: Shona Vertue She does it all. I love her intense strength training videos with a focus on maintaining great form. Her yoga/ mobility videos are a great way to recover, work on muscle imbalances and work out soreness. She is a crazy Australian and I love her wide variety of videos, especially her Vertueous Quickies series, when you just need to do something, even if it’s only 10-15 minutes.
PILATES: Move With Nicole Another Australian, she does great, wide-ranging and accessible pilates and barre videos that you don’t need equipment for. I always feel sore afterwards.
STRENGTH TRAINING: MadFit She does killer high impact work outs with or without dumbbells or equipment in a variety of lengths and focuses. I love that I can pick an abs or legs workout and really get to it and not waste time.