January 10, 2024
Winter is upon us here in the northern hemisphere, which means ‘tis the season of setting off cold and getting warmer as you go. Unless you stop to take in the view. Or the route flattens out, in which case you’re no longer generating heat through exertion, your sweat hasn’t dried, and the wind makes it feel like you’re wrapped in a wet towel — you suddenly feel very, very cold.
So, how do you avoid this hot-cold-hot-cold-freezing experience and have a nice time while exploring outside in the colder months? The trick is to channel your inner onion, by embracing clothing LAYERS! Strategic layers. Everyone knows the Michelin Man feeling – toasty but unable to move your arms or stand with your legs together for all the bulky layers. This is not the layering approach we’re going for.
“Strategic layering” is term we made up but the gist is that in order to avoid feeling boiling hot mid-adventure* and unable to move your arms, you need to plan your layers carefully. Here’s the theory behind layering for winter adventures – how you combine them will depend on your circumstances.
*Or worse, freezing cold after stripping down to a sweaty cotton t-shirt in desperation.
Purpose: Keeping your skin dry by absorbing sweat.
Your base layer sits closest to your skin and the important thing to note here is wicking. In warm weather, sweat on your skin cools your body down but when it’s already cold outside, you don’t want any additional cooling as the sweat evaporates. Wicking materials pull sweat away from your skin before that cooling process of evaporation can start.
Purpose: Keeping your body warm by trapping in heat, while allowing your skin to breathe (to avoid that sweaty feeling you’d get if you exerted yourself while wearing a kitchen refuse bag).
Your mid-layers are where you’ll have the most flexibility in terms of how many layers you add. The number of layers will depend on the thickness of each layer (these range from lightweight long-sleeve t-shirts to thick down jackets) and the nature of your adventure. For example, a slow walk on flat terrain means you’ll be generating less of your own body heat, so you’ll need more (or thicker) layers to keep you warm. A typical line-up of mid-layers may include a long-sleeve thermal t-shirt, a fleece, and a down jacket.
Purpose: Protecting you from the chilling effects of wind and rain (as the name suggests).
No matter how good your thermal insulation layers are, they will be rendered useless if they get wet or they let the wind whip through. The best quality outer layers will be waterproof (as opposed to water resistant) while still allowing some breathability. They should be light enough that you can wear them over a puffy down jacket without feeling restricted (remember the Michelin Man scenario we’re trying to avoid?), and still feel comfortable even if you’ve stripped off all your other mid-layers and just need to stay dry.
Purpose: Keep your extremities warm and prevent chills from exposure to cold air and surfaces.
Hats, gloves, and socks are the final piece of the winter layering strategy. Aside from the socks, they’re also the easiest things to remove if you do find yourself getting a little warm i.e. cool down the extremities while keeping your core warm.
The general rule of thumb is that the pricier the clothing, the better the warmth to weight ratio you’ll get (cheaper kit's often thicker for the same warmth. Look secondhand for higher quality layers at cheaper prices). Having said that, depending on what winter looks like where you are, and what kind of adventures you get up to, you may not need super pricey* technical clothing. Only by getting outside on a few winter adventures will reveal what level of warmth you, personally, need.
Winter adventures offer a whole other world of fun, but they also offer their own set of challenges. Hopefully, by channeling your inner onion, staying warm won’t be one of them.
See more of Tegan’s winter-related comics below:
5 Steps to Fika-Inspired Winter Adventures
Illustrations by Tegan Philips.