Preparing For This Winter: Layering

Well, winter is approaching and so comes the time to start winterizing our gear and preparing for the cold. Yesterday, I began my conditioning for the cold as well as swapping out gear in my pack for the winter. For those who are not used to winter camping and hiking, there’s a lot of learning to do to avoid being miserable on the trip.

First of all, let’s talk about conditioning. To condition for the cold, the best thing to do is start hiking in the cold in growing intervals. Go out and maybe hike for 20 minutes. Then next time, hike for 40 minutes. This is the best way to condition if you aren’t used to being in the cold. However, you might find it a shock that, even in 10 degree weather, you will warm up quite fast when hiking.

If you are going to start going on your “conditioning hikes”, I suggest taking your pack with an extra jacket liner or sweatshirt, extra hat, extra gloves, hand warmers, and water and snack. You could also bring a thermos of coffee. As you hike, you may find that you need to shed layers. If you are cold blooded, you may find that you need to add that extra layer to start out. My hike yesterday was about 12 miles in about 21 degrees. I ended up shedding all of my layers except my base layer, shell, and one insulation layer.

When I mention to people that I hike and camp in winter they respond with an “are you crazy?” But in all reality, most of those people haven’t hiked long distances before. I’m always asked if I get cold. Well, when you are hiking, you are generating heat and will be surprisingly warm. This depends some, too, on how you layer, what materials you wear, and how often you taken breaks. Since you are generating heat when hiking, you will stay relatively warm. To be honest, if you have your camp set up right and a good sleeping bag, you will even stay warm during the night. The only part you have to worry about is when you are setting up camp and fixing dinner. This is when you begin to cool down and are out in the elements. If you have sweated at all, you may cool down pretty rapidly, but that comes back to how you layer.

While we are on the topic, let’s discuss layering. Layering is the best way to regulate your body temperature and avoid getting too hot or too cold. I know people who ask if I have a thick, warm coat and my answer is “no I don’t”. A single, thick, heavy coat will cause you to heat up and you if you take it off, you will cool down in a hurry. Instead, having a lighter coat and multiple insulation layers, you can shed layers to cool down, but not worry about being too cold. If you want to be most effective in your layering, follow these guidelines. You can alter this after you figure out what works, but this is a good start.

You want to, first, have a base layer. This is also called the wicking layer. The base layer will not only keep you warm, but will wick the sweat away from you. When we sweat, evaporation takes place and cools us down. This layer will pull the sweat away from you before it starts to cool you down. A synthetic material is your best option for this. I would go even further to say the some type of thick spandex would be best. I wear spandex for my shirt and leggings. I would also recommend a synthetic sports sock. Your feet will be the first to start sweating, so you want a good wicking material for your base layer socks. And not only does your base layer provide that protection, it also makes great sleepwear which prevents you from having to change before bed.

Next is the insulation layer. This is really what keeps you warm. This layer can be anywhere from a sweatshirt, to a jacket liner. This layer can also be anywhere from one item, to several, depending on the climate. For my insulation layer, I wear a polyester shirt with a half-zip. Then for additional layers, I have a fleece sweatshirt and wool vest. For legs, I just wear jeans. Your legs don’t need quite so many layers because they are almost always moving and staying warm. Something else to consider is thermal underwear. I will generally have a full layer of this over my base layer. If you use thermals, don’t make it your base layer. This material will soak up sweat and just sit there, becoming a wet and soppy mess. These also make great sleepwear. When you are selecting your insulation layer, find some with full zippers. When you hike and heat up, you may want to unzip your jacket and insulation layers to cool down a bit.

The last layer is the shell. This is what really protects you. You will want a waterproof, windproof jacket. I have a Columbia winter jacket that I took the liner out of. It has enough warmth to just wear that for your cool down, but also keeps the wind and snow off of you. I also have some winter pants. They are a waterproof shell with a fleece liner. They also have cargo pockets on them to store items.

I recommend wearing wool socks when hiking. Even if it gets wets, wool will still keep you warm. I wouldn’t use more than 2 layers for the socks though, just your base layer and your wool. When you get more layers or tighter socks, they squeeze the feet which slows circulation and cools your feet.

Because you are only using 2 layers on the feet, you want a good snow boot or shoe. I use a Garmont GTX boot which is well insulated. If you are skiing, you should already have a good boot. Just make sure it’s warm or else, your feet will not like you. Something to also consider when looking for a winter hiking boot is for a little ring on the front. Some people are baffled by what the purpose of this ring is, but it is so you can hook the front of your gators to your shoe. And I highly recommend gators if you are in a snowy area.

You should always have a glove liner for any type of glove you wear. Just a thin, wool liner will work. You want something warm, but will be easy to manipulate small objects such as knots. This will keep your hands from freezing when setting up camp. You should also have your shell. The shell depends on how cold it is outside. In early winter, you may just need a thin winter glove. In colder areas, you will want ski gloves or mittens. Mittens are good because they keep the fingers together which keep your hands warmer.

I will usually wear a beanie for a hat. Where I live, it doesn’t usually reach arctic temperatures so this works fine. I pair this with a neck gator (a balaclava works even better). If you suspect a lot of wind and cold, a hood is also good to have. I have a warmer hat with rabbit fur on the inside, but your head is where all the heat escapes your body and if you wear a too warm of hat, you will begin to sweat very quickly.

To lastly sum up this post, I want to stress the importance of waterproofing your gear. Most new boots don’t come waterproofed so you will need to do it yourself. You can buy a cheaper waterproofing spray from a shoe store and use it on your shoes when they are clean and dry, and about 2 times a year. You can also use this spray on your jacket, pants, or anything else that may get wet.

That is a good basis for layering. Again, alter this list to match your needs. I hope this was a help to you and stay tuned for part 2.