RimWorld Apparel Layers (1.6): What You Can Wear Together
RimWorld 1.6 · Core
Fast answer: RimWorld apparel stacks in six layers you see on the gear tab, drawn in this order: skin, middle, outer, utility, headgear, and eyes. Two items cannot be worn together when they use the same layer and cover the same body part (torso, legs, upper head, and so on).
The six layers
| Layer (in-game label) | Draw order |
|---|---|
| skin | 0 |
| middle | 100 |
| outer | 200 |
| utility | 300 |
| headgear | 400 |
| eyes | 500 |
Conflict rule: if two items share a layer and a body part, you cannot wear both. Same layer with different coverage (e.g. shirt on torso, pants on legs) is fine. Same body part on different layers (e.g. vest on middle, duster on outer) also stacks.
Layer × body-part matrix (common Core apparel)
| Item | Layers | Body parts covered |
|---|---|---|
 tribalwear |
skin | Torso, Legs |
 T-shirt |
skin | Torso, Shoulders |
 button-down shirt |
skin | Torso, Neck, Shoulders, Arms |
 pants |
skin | Legs |
 flak pants |
skin, middle | Legs |
 flak vest |
middle | Torso, Neck |
 flak jacket |
outer | Torso, Neck, Shoulders, Arms |
 duster |
outer | Torso, Neck, Shoulders, Arms, Legs |
 jacket |
outer | Torso, Neck, Shoulders, Arms |
 parka |
outer | Torso, Neck, Shoulders, Arms |
 plate armor |
middle, outer | Torso, Neck, Shoulders, Arms, Legs |
 marine armor |
middle, outer | Torso, Neck, Shoulders, Arms, Legs |
 recon armor |
middle, outer | Torso, Neck, Shoulders, Arms, Legs |
 robe |
outer | Torso, Shoulders, Arms, Legs |
 shield belt / smokepop / firefoam / lances |
utility | Waist |
 flak helmet, simple helmet, tuque, cowboy hat |
headgear | UpperHead |
 war mask, veil |
headgear | FullHead |
 face mask |
headgear | Mouth |
DLC: vacsuit requires Odyssey. cape requires Royalty or Biotech.
Loadouts that exist in Core
These combinations share no layer-and-body-part conflict:
| Role | Pieces | Why it fits |
|---|---|---|
| Budget soldier |
T-shirt +
flak pants +
flak vest +
duster +
flak helmet
|
Shirt on skin (torso); pants on skin (legs). Vest on middle (torso). Duster on outer. Helmet on headgear. Flak pants use skin + middle on legs — vest does not cover legs. |
| Flak jacket variant |
T-shirt + flak pants + flak vest +
flak jacket + flak helmet
|
Same as above, jacket instead of duster (both outer). Jacket does not cover legs, so it still sits over flak pants. |
| Plate |
T-shirt + pants +
plate armor +
 simple or flak helmet
|
Plate uses middle + outer on torso and legs — no skin layer, so shirt and pants still fit. Flak vest, jacket, and pants do not (shared middle layer on torso or legs). |
| Marine / recon |
T-shirt + pants +
marine or
recon armor + matching helmet
|
Same layer pattern as plate (middle + outer). Utility belt still free. |
| Tribal start |
tribalwear + war mask or tribal headdress
|
Tribalwear is skin on torso and legs. No pants or shirt underneath. Headgear is separate. |
Assign apparel policies
Open the bottom bar tab assign F3 to set default outfits per colonist or via policies. Create a policy (e.g. “Soldier”), add allowed apparel, then assign colonists to it. The game still enforces layer conflicts — a policy cannot force a flak vest under plate armor.
FAQ
Tribalwear vs pants
Conflict. Both use the skin layer on legs.
Flak pants vs pants
Conflict. Flak pants use skin + middle on legs; pants use skin on legs.
Plate vs flak vest
Conflict. Both use the middle layer on torso (plate also covers neck, shoulders, arms, and legs).
Shield belt vs jump pack
Both use the utility layer. There is no jump pack in Core (requires Royalty). Smokepop pack, firefoam pop pack, and psychic lances also conflict with the shield belt.
Hands and feet in vanilla Core
No Core apparel covers hands or feet.
Flak jacket vs duster
Conflict. Both use the outer layer on torso.
Face mask vs flak helmet
Both are headgear, but the mask covers the mouth and the helmet covers the upper head — different parts, so they stack.
For MoveSpeed penalties and endgame tank vs budget flak stacks, see the best armor loadouts (1.6) guide.