The Outdoor Gearification of the American Wardrobe

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Oct 22, 2025

Avery Trufelman, creator and host of the podcast Articles of Interest, dives into the fascinating evolution of outdoor gear in American wardrobes. She explores how military design influences performance clothing and everyday fashion. Avery discusses the cultural significance of GORPcore and why certain brands like Carhartt become symbols of status. The conversation also touches on sizing inequalities in outdoor gear and the unexpected rise of the Patagonia vest in Silicon Valley. It's a captivating journey through style, function, and identity!

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INSIGHT

Military Shaped Modern Performance Wear

Outdoor performance clothing and military apparel are tightly interwoven in design, function, and innovation.
That crossover shaped how civilians dress and created a large market for technical garments.

INSIGHT

The Zipper Was Clothing's Tech Turning Point

The zipper marked the first time technology materially changed clothing and led to a cascade of hardware and fabric innovations.
Today fabrics themselves perform feats like hydrophobicity and breathability that used to be impossible.

ADVICE

Buy Quality For Durability

Invest in well-engineered outdoor pieces if you want long-lasting, functional clothing.
Expect higher prices because advanced chemistry and construction raise costs.

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I can’t tell you how excited I am about this one: Avery Trufelman, host of the beloved podcast Articles of Interest, is here to talk all things OUTDOOR GEAR. More specifically: how so much of our everyday clothing became gear adjacent, what the military has to do with all of this (everything), why outdoor clothes still don’t come in plus sizes, gear as Tech Bro status symbol, and SO MUCH MORE. This one’s a multi-faceted delight — the sort of episode you’ll be bringing up in conversation for weeks to come.

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Show Notes:

LISTEN TO ARTICLES OF INTEREST !!!!
Follow the newsletter for Articles of Interest here

The specific Articles of Interest about the zippers
Jason Chen on GORPCORE
Loved this piece on visiting the Carhartt company archive
I Wore A Fleece Vest To Work To See If I Felt Like A Tech Bro

We’re currently looking for your questions for future episodes about:

BIG KOREAN ENERGY with Mash-Up Americans (Their framework for questions: What is this Korean vibe everywhere in culture, in food, in beauty, in politics? Definitely not complaining, but maybe confused? Well. Do we have the explainer for all of you Korean Americans, Korean Koreans, and everyone who is adjacent to Korean culture -- which is everyone. What are YOUR questions?)
Contemporary Dating Culture!!! Why does it suck, how can it suck less! (with Jonquilyn Hill)
All things Love is Blind with Audie Cornish
Eldest daughter discourse
An ADULT HOBBIES crossover episode with Forever35!
The sociology of NAMES (naming trends, naming assumptions)
WEIRD ENGLISH WORDS (where do they come from!) with Colin Gorrie, who writes explainers like this one on the word DOG
Anything you need advice or want musings on for the AAA segment. You can ask about anything, it’s literally the name of the segment!
As always, you can submit them (and ideas for future eps) here

For this week’s discussion: How do you see gearification in your own wardrobe? What piece of clothing are you going to look at differently from now on?