Stars & Stripes | Can Nylon Stockings Prevent Blisters on Marches? - Military Use for Pantyhose

Soldier being treated by medic for blisters

In the past, we've reported here at The Nylon Gene on the not-so-well-kept military secret that our soldiers overseas have made use of pantyhose for more than just filters to keep desert sand out of engine intakes. Now we read it directly from Stars & Stripes--the primary news outlet of the Defense Department. Jeff Schogol takes a look at this in his Feb. 24th column, exploring the question of whether nylon stockings or pantyhose are effective at preventing blisters on those long marches.

The article's author readily admits his days of long marches are well past, so he can't speak with firsthand authority on this. So he consulted Army Lt. Colonel Christopher Garver, among others, to see how widespread wearing of nylon hosiery is in the military, and whether it works.

Col. Garver, a 10-year infantry veteran, reported “There were guys I know who wore nylons because it worked for their feet.” Currently serving as a spokesman for the Army, he notes that some wear pantyhose and others wear specialized socks that also wick away sweat. The choice depends primarily on individual preference.

Dr. Stephen Pribut, a podiatrist in Washington DC, recommends the socks over pantyhose because the Coolmax socks can keep the moisture away from the feet--which can also contribute to blisters. Of course, in hot climates, pantyhose are going to be cooler than socks.

Pribut stressed that servicemembers should use whatever solution works best for them. “If someone has successfully used pantyhose, it's OK with me. The main thing is it's really important to go with what’s worked well in the past.”

The takeaway from the article is that if wearing pantyhose under socks keeps soldier's blister free, the author says to 'go for it.' He suggests we call them "Freedom Stockings."

Of course, they may not be aware there are options available that are more specifically designed for men than off-the-shelf pantyhose. ActivSkin has long been a supporter of the military, and tries to offer discounts to servicemen and their families sending care packages to them. If you have a male member of the military stationed overseas, consider sending them a pair of ActivSkin to try out. When a father living in my neighborhood shipped out to Iraq last year, I donated two pair of A677s and they seemed to be well received.

An additional item of note: the value of nylon legwear to soldiers on long marches is directly transferable to outdoorsmen as well. A hunter or camper hiking over rough terrain into a distant campsite or deer stand can benefit in the same way. Not only will pantyhose protect from blisters while hiking, they are also effective at keeping ticks off the lower body, and horseback riders report beneficial effects at avoiding or minimizing saddle sores, as well.

So, the rumors are true. Some of our military men have been wearing pantyhose, and they're seeing benefits from it. If you are one who thinks pantyhose equals feminine, I wouldn't recommend saying it out loud to the next Marine you meet... at least until you make sure his M16 is unloaded.

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Supplies Shipped to Troops Include Pantyhose

I noted in a recent article in the Gadsden (AL) Times (Movers and Shakers Ship Supplies to Battalion Stationed in Kuwait) that among the items being shipped to troops stationed in the Mideast are pantyhose. Anyone familiar with The Nylon Gene, or ACTIVSKIN, may not be surprised at this news, but the average person on the street is not likely to be familiar with the benefits provided by nylon/lycra pantyhose for the soldier.

Back in 2003/04, there was a flurry of media coverage of the use of pantyhose by U.S. troops stationed in Iraq as a defense against sand fleas, as well as chafing and blisters caused by boots and rough uniforms in that sandy climate. As a result, ACTIVSKIN received many orders from Stateside loved ones sending them to their men in uniform.

Discussion of military life has seemed to fade a bit to the background in the past couple of years. Yet, they are still there carrying out their mission. It was good to read this story about people assembling packages of goods to send over to them. I'd like to take this opportunity to also remind readers that if you have a loved one serving in the Mideast who has had to deal with sand fleas and such, you can order a few pairs of our ACTIVSKIN A677s to send over in your next CARE package--or, we can send them directly if so directed.

When ordering, be sure to take advantage of the 20% discount we offer for all active duty military. Just go to the "Great Deals" tab on the ActivSkin website. BTW, there are many styles that would do, but I suggested the A677s because they are sheer, and therefore cooler; they have a fly opening; and they glide well under pants and would be very good for avoiding blisters and chafing.

In closing, I'd also like to reprint a very good letter I received several months ago from a retired military person in support of our ACTIVSKIN legwear:

April 23, 2009
Mr. Newman:

Just want to congratulate you on your endeavor to get men's hosiery into the mainstream.

I have purchased some of ActivSkins products. They were just what I needed for several endeavors. We here in the military (I am both a former Marine and Army paratrooper) have worn pantyhose for several years... simply as a means to an end, i.e. keeping leeches off our genitals during swamp training... and also as the first layer of clothing during cold weather training. Myself and others do not wear them outwardly (you are a brave man Mr. Newman!) but pantyhose are a lifesaver for us fellas in the military. BTW. Navy SEALS started to wear pantyhose for protection against leeches as early as Vietnam! Not to mention... many Marines wear them to protect aginst ticks at Camp Lejeune, N.C.

I myself have worn pantyhose during long force marches. We generally 'ruck up' with a ruck sack that weighs nearly 50 lbs or more... to include our helmets, rifles, web gear, etc. Comfilons [former brand name] hose have quite literally saved my feet and legs from all kinds of complications that come with long force/road marches. My legs feel invigorated, warm, and I love the support! Not to mention... the nylon on our feet prevents blisters, as they are a guard against socks slipping and sliding in our boots.

As for your detractor's... I see that women wear everything that we men have in our wardrobe (to include our underwear, i.e. 'boy shorts') and society is just fine with that, no friction whatsoever. Yet, let a man wear ActivSkin openly, and the hoots of derision begin. Again, I applaud you for your efforts.

Just thought I'd drop you a line to encourage you and thank you!
Don't Quit!

Mike

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Radio Interview w/British Forces Broadcasting Service

Your fearless Nylon Gene blogger just completed taping a radio interview with Ms. Lynne Duffus of BFBS Radio (British Forces Broadcasting Services) about the whole men's tights/pantyhose trend. [See below for the audio download, which I've enhanced with a photo slideshow] We talked about the various reasons that men are wearing them, and even included the military connection. This issue was discussed back in April here on The Nylon Gene, and there was a flurry of media activity back in 2004 on how pantyhose (specifically, ActivSkin) helped keep sand fleas at bay, minimized chafing and blisters on the feet and legs during long marches, etc. The interview seemed to go very well and we had a little fun with it, too...

BFBS Radio Interview: Powered by Podbean.com

We taped about 7 or 8 minutes or so of conversation, virtually all of which made it into the final broadcast cut. The interview aired during the second hour of her show on Friday, August 28th, which began at 5:30pm in the UK (five hours ahead of Eastern Daylight Time). For those who missed the live broadcast, you can listen to it by clicking on the embedded audio player above. There were plenty of lead-in comments during the first hour of the show also. For those interested, you can hear that prior on-air discussion by clicking the embedded audio player below.

BFBS Radio Dialogue: Powered by Podbean.com

This broadcast went out to all of the BFBS member stations, and some of our U.S. military may have also heard it. BFBS Radio is heard in more than 20 countries around the world. The DAB HQ in the UK links with stations in Belize, Brunei, Canada, Cyprus, the Falkland Islands, Germany, Gibraltar, Nepal, Northern Ireland and operational areas. Their Middle East programmes are covered from Kuwait and a studio in Afghanistan will be opening soon.

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How Can Pantyhose Be Cool & Also Keep You Warm?

I've been asked on several occasions how sheer pantyhose can both keep you warm, yet still be cool enough to keep you from overheating, too. A good question, and one that seems to point out a contradiction in some of the claims made about the benefits of men's pantyhose and tights.

Basically, sheer pantyhose work best when worn under other clothing, such as for hunting or camping in below-freezing temperatures. Opaque tights are a little warmer, and so can more easily keep you warm when worn with shorts. The knitted nylon fabric will trap a thin layer of dead air within the matrix of the material. Because of it's body-hugging characteristic, this insulating layer of air is held securely against the skin, providing an insulating layer. The pink fiberglass insulation in the walls of your house work on the same principal, except on a larger and thicker scale. The outer layer(s) of clothing keep wind from blowing through the nylon and replacing the dead air--which would lower the insulating value considerably and chill the skin.

For runners or cyclists on chillly mornings, when temperatures are above 40 to 45 degrees (F)and not very windy, the pantyhose fabric still provides that same layer of dead air and slightly insulates the skin. In this situation, not much insulation is necessary--just enough to keep the sharp chill off the legs long enough for exercise to elevate body heat. Avoiding that chill on leg muscles can reduce the incidence of cramps.

Shortly after exercise begins, body heat quickly builds up. At that point, the athlete can begin to feel overheated under thicker Under Armor tights or sweatpants. This is why sheer legwear is well-suited to wear with running or cycling shorts on chilly mornings. You know you'll soon be perspiring and the sun will be rising higher in the sky. At that point, perspiration can easily wick away from the skin and evaporate. If you took physics in high school, you'll recall that evaporation of liquids causes a cooling effect.

I've heard anecdotal tales of soldiers in Iraq taking advantage of this scientific fact by wetting their Army socks and tying them to truck mirrors while driving. Even the 130+ degree air moving past the socks causes evaporation, which then cools the socks. Afterwards, they pull on a pair of cool socks and say, "ahhhh..."

To summarize: If you're engaged in athletic activity on Spring or Fall mornings, sheer legwear with shorts is a good bet. As the temperatures drop later in the season (or if you're more sensitive to the cold) you're well advised to switch to opaque tights with shorts, or maybe even under sweatpants.

If you're hunting, it's likely during a cold time of year. You should be wearing either sheer pantyhose or opaque tights under your hunting clothes--not with shorts. Sometimes readers have misunderstood, and failed to realize we are not recommending going hunting out in the dense brush and brambles with short pants and tights/hosiery. They wouldn't last two minutes before being shredded by thorns and branches. For hiking, you can go with shorts if the weather's not too cold, but only if you're not hiking in dense brush. For camping, tights or sheer pantyhose are great as a base layer, and can be worn alone when you get into your sleeping bag at night, depending on the expected low temperature. An added benefit here--and any time you're hunting, hiking or camping--is that ticks can't get beneath the tight-fitting legwear.

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Pantyhose: First Layer of Clothing for Sub-Zero Hunting/Camping

I found this very interesting video (see below) on eHow.com regarding the use of women's pantyhose as a first layer of clothing while hunting/camping in sub-zero temperatures. Rich McNutt (appearing in video) is the author of “Hunter’s Choices: Choices You Can Make to Improve Your Big Game Hunting Success.” He's also a past president of the Red Rock Bowmen Club and has extensive public speaking experience on hunting and outdoors issues.

Of course, I'm working on getting Rich information on ACTIVSKIN Legwear and it's applications for hunting, fishing and camping in cold weather. You can view Rich's profile and other videos here (click link)


Sub Zero Hunting: First Layer of Clothing -- powered by eHow.com

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Pantyhose for the Military?

Some who may have followed the topic of men's legwear for more than a couple of years might recall seeing a flurry of newspaper articles back in 2003-04 regarding pantyhose being sent in CARE packages to our soldiers in Iraq. With the continued presence of our troops over there, it seems there should be no less a need for the various items from home that they've always asked for--and that would include the legwear...

This came to mind for me recently because of a conjunction of two things. First, I received an incredibly supportive e-mail letter from a former military man who encouraged us to keep up the good work in promoting men's legwear and described how ActivSkin products had helped him and his compatriots so much while he was still serving in active duty.

The other thing came to my attention as I was sharing the letter with my wife (Mrs. Nylon Gene), who was also very taken with its content. She reminded me that we are in the process of sending in goods to the elementary school one of our sons attends, to put in one of those CARE packages for a soldier who lives in our neighborhood, who is preparing to redeploy to Iraq for a second National Guard tour of duty. She said, "Wouldn't it be great to send some ActivSkin along for him to try out? If he finds them helpful he can share the news with his buddies." I agreed of course, and will be including a package of A677s along with a copy of one of those old articles, by way of explanation in case he hasn't been aware of the benefits they can provide.

Of course, I'm realistic. I don't picture a squad out on patrol and one of them saying something along the lines of, "Hey, Spilcowitz, you won't believe the way these pantyhose energize my legs!

Most guys just aren't that open about sharing their underwear details with their buddies. But, I can see Spilcowitz saying, "Man, these forced road marches are killin' me! I've got blisters upon blisters on my feet, and the sand flies are gettin' what's left over." Then, his buddy says, "Not me. Somebody sent some hose called 'ActivSkin' in my CARE package. I said 'I dunno about this', but I tried 'em on anyways. Guess what? I don't have any blisters, and not one sand fly's gotten to me yet."

Does anybody out there have any anecdotes about using pantyhose--even if they were of the women's variety--to help avoid pitfalls of active duty military life? I'd like to hear about them, as would the other readers of The Nylon Gene. And, if you have a loved one serving overseas and would like to purchase something to send him, you can use the military promo offer code '42ML22' and receive a 20% discount [please be advised, the former code that was shown in the original posting was incorrect and should not be used]. As I hinted to above, I would probably recommend Style A677 for this application. This style is sheer, so it's lightweight and thus shouldn't be too hot. The material glides well under clothing, which makes it good for avoiding blisters and chafing. And, it's got a fly as well. If the fly isn't a big deal, you can save a few bucks and go for A577, which is basically the same as A677 minus the fly opening.

Also, I'm thinking of posting a thread to share some of the mail I've received from our many supporters. If you should write to me, please indicate if you don't object to me using your name and city. I won't include more specific details like address, e-mail address, etc. We get a lot of nice letters and I'd like to share them with the rest of you.

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