One of many greatest challenges confronted by winter hikers is determining a clothes layering system that retains them heat and dry throughout all kinds of temperatures, wind chills, and exertion ranges. It takes a number of experimentation to dial in a system that works for you and it’s one thing I’ve been tweaking for years. On this submit, I clarify what I take advantage of for winter pants layering and the method that led me to the clothes I take advantage of in the present day.
This submit can be a response to a reader who’s fighting the problem of sweating in winter, and who appreciates the truth that I speak about sweat in my critiques. Yeah, I sweat. Particularly in winter, once I want to hold at the very least twice as a lot security and survival gear for mountain climbing within the mountains. Winter mountain climbing, snowshoeing, mountain climbing, and mountaineering are so totally different from the three-season mountain climbing I do, that I’ve to virtually consider them as a separate sport.
Pant Layering Parts
Listed below are the parts of the winter pant layering system I take advantage of in the present day:
I do most of my winter mountain climbing within the White Mountains in New Hampshire the place the temperatures vary from 30 levels all the way down to -15 levels Fahrenheit with wind chills all the way down to 30 beneath zero. My winter hikes usually final 6-10 hours and I steadily alter, add, or take away clothes to forestall perspiring relying on my exertion stage. Layering is the one option to alter your clothes to such a variety of temperature circumstances.
Utilization
I generate a number of warmth once I climb elevation in winter and I want to have the ability to vent it in a short time or I sweat. Sweating is regular, but when it soaks your base layer, you’ll chill extra quickly while you cease shifting. The important thing to stopping perspiration is to vent the warmth and/or transfer it away out of your base layers up into your mid-layers the place it might probably evaporate with out chilling you.
For temperatures all the way down to about 10 levels, I put on the Below Armor Boxers, REI Activator Smooth Shell Pants, and the OR Crocodile Gaiters. This successfully offers me two layers of protection because the boxers finish simply above my knee and the gaiters begin slightly below it. I nonetheless generate a number of warmth, however most of it’s vented by my pants. That is all I want for many of my winter hikes.
It’s somewhat totally different beneath the knee and underneath the gaiter, the place I are inclined to sweat rather a lot. That was an issue for me as a result of the sweat would soak my socks and decrease legs. Nevertheless, I’ve began sporting oven-roasting luggage over a sock liner and underneath a heavy sock in my winter boots. I’ll speak about that have extra in a subsequent submit, however the net-net is that I don’t get moist socks anymore as a result of the perspiration can’t move via the non-breathable oven-roasting bag. I primarily do that on in a single day winter journeys however not day hikes, so my boots don’t take up moisture and freeze in a single day. If you would like one thing somewhat bit extra upscale than oven-roasting luggage, strive Rab Vapor Barrier Socks. They’re designed for a similar factor however are simpler to scrub and reuse.
If it’s colder than 0 levels and if there’s a wind chill advisory, I put on a KUIU Extremely-Merino Zip-Off Lengthy Underwear underneath the REI softshell pants, for extra heat. It must be actually chilly for me to do that. This KUIU underwear is de facto distinctive as a result of it has facet zips alongside every leg, that allow you to take the lengthy underwear off with out eradicating your sneakers or pants, or placing it again on. This makes it actually versatile for layering. Initially developed for hunters, I believe they’re a finest purchase for winter mountain climbing.
If I’m feeling chilly through the hike, I put Outside Analysis Helium Rain Pants on over the REI Activator Smooth Shell Pants. The Helium Pants are very light-weight waterproof/breathable shell pants (6.7 oz) with ankle-high boot zips so I can put them on or take them off with out eradicating my boots. That’s an enormous benefit. I primarily use the Helium Pants as a wind barrier, though they’re completely waterproof as effectively. In case you have bigger boots, strive the Precip Full Zip Rain Pant. These rain pants have full-length zippers down every leg so you possibly can put them on or take them off with out eradicating massive boots. They’re additionally simple to vent as a result of they’ve full-length zippers alongside the skin: I used them for a few years myself.
I solely put on my Mountain Hardwear Compressor Alpine Pants within the night whereas cooking and melting snow on winter backpacking journeys or if I want to face round for an prolonged time frame outdoor. I additionally pack them on day hikes as a type of insurance coverage in case I harm myself or want to assist an injured hiker. They’re nice in case you’re not shifting a lot, however I instantly sweat in them if I begin to hike with a pack on.
Softshell Pants – My Huge Breakthrough
My greatest breakthrough by way of winter pants was once I began sporting softshell pants. These are hotter than regular three-season mountain climbing pants, they’re rather more windproof, waterproof, and extremely breathable. I began off with REI Mistral Pants (not made), REI Activator 1.0 Pants (not made), REI Activator 2.0 Pants (not made), REI Activator 3.0 Pants (not made), and now put on REI Activator Pants. I put on them at any time when temperatures drop beneath freezing. They’re simply improbable and I can’t suggest them extremely sufficient.
Earlier than this, I used to put on lengthy underwear and the Marmot Precip full-zip pants on most hikes. The great factor about that system is that you may vent the shell pants throughout a variety of temperatures and exertion ranges by opening or closing the zips. Nevertheless, I used to be all the time too sizzling and tended to sweat. On prime of that, I discovered it awkward to hike in shells that had been unzipped on a regular basis.
Classes Realized
If I had been to summarize the teachings I’ve discovered about pants layering, it’d be the next:
- Don’t spend some huge cash on one garment and count on that it’ll carry out in quite a lot of circumstances. You’re higher off spending your cash on a mix of skinny layers that every do the factor they’re designed for very effectively.
- Don’t fear about being too chilly. If you’re shifting, you’ll generate a number of warmth. As a substitute, purpose to be barely cool.
- Do not forget that your underwear (boxer shorts) and gaiters rely as a layer. Including one other base layer on prime of them could make you sweat excessively.
- Wind-proof or wind-resistant layers lure warmth as a lot as they preserve out wind and may have a extremely large affect in your heat stage even when it’s not windy.
- Attempt to use clothes which are superb at shifting sweat away out of your pores and skin to the subsequent highest layer in your layering system. This may be completed by utilizing a wicking baselayer, a porous grid-like fleece sweater like Patagonia R1, or full zip shell pants which might be unzipped to shed a number of additional warmth and quickly evaporate sweat.
Final Up to date December 2024
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