One of many largest 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 whole lot of experimentation to dial in a system that works for you and it’s one thing I’ve been tweaking for years. On this publish, I clarify what I take advantage of for winter pants layering and the method that led me to the clothes I take advantage of right now.
This publish can be a response to a reader who’s scuffling with the problem of sweating in winter, and who appreciates the truth that I speak about sweat in my opinions. Yeah, I sweat. Particularly in winter, after I want to hold at the very least twice as a lot security and survival gear for climbing within the mountains. Winter climbing, snowshoeing, mountaineering, and mountaineering are so completely different from the three-season climbing I do, that I’ve to nearly consider them as a separate sport.
Pant Layering Elements
Listed here are the elements of the winter pant layering system I take advantage of right now:
I do most of my winter climbing within the White Mountains in New Hampshire the place the temperatures vary from 30 levels right down to -15 levels Fahrenheit with wind chills right down to 30 under zero. My winter hikes sometimes final 6-10 hours and I ceaselessly regulate, add, or take away clothes to forestall perspiring relying on my exertion degree. Layering is the one solution to regulate your clothes to such a variety of temperature circumstances.
Utilization
I generate a whole lot of warmth after 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 if 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 could evaporate with out chilling you.
For temperatures right down to about 10 levels, I put on the Below Armor Boxers, REI Activator Tender 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 whole lot of warmth, however most of it’s vented by my pants. That is all I want for many of my winter hikes.
It’s a bit of completely different under the knee and beneath the gaiter, the place I are likely to sweat quite a bit. That was an issue for me as a result of the sweat would soak my socks and decrease legs. Nonetheless, I’ve began sporting oven-roasting luggage over a sock liner and beneath a heavy sock in my winter boots. I’ll speak about that have extra in a subsequent publish, 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. In order for you one thing a bit of bit extra upscale than oven-roasting luggage, strive Rab Vapor Barrier Socks. They’re designed for a similar factor however are simpler to clean 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 beneath the REI softshell pants, for extra heat. It needs to be actually chilly for me to do that. This KUIU underwear is de facto distinctive as a result of it has aspect 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 climbing.
If I’m feeling chilly through the hike, I put Outside Analysis Helium Rain Pants on over the REI Activator Tender 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. When you’ve got 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 giant 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 period outside. 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 Massive Breakthrough
My largest breakthrough by way of winter pants was after I began sporting softshell pants. These are hotter than regular three-season climbing pants, they’re rather more windproof, water resistant, and extremely breathable. I began off with REI Mistral Pants (now not made), REI Activator 1.0 Pants (now not made), REI Activator 2.0 Pants (now not made), REI Activator 3.0 Pants (now not made), and now put on REI Activator Pants. I put on them every time temperatures drop under freezing. They’re simply implausible and I can’t advocate them extremely sufficient.
Earlier than this, I used to put on lengthy underwear and the Marmot Precip full-zip pants on most hikes. The good factor about that system is that you would be able to vent the shell pants throughout a variety of temperatures and exertion ranges by opening or closing the zips. Nonetheless, I used to be all the time too scorching 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 mixture 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 whole lot of warmth. As a substitute, goal to be barely cool.
- Keep in mind 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 entice warmth as a lot as they preserve out wind and might have a very massive impression in your heat degree even when it’s not windy.
- Attempt to use clothes which can be superb at shifting sweat away out of your pores and skin to the subsequent highest layer in your layering system. This may be performed 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 whole lot of additional warmth and quickly evaporate sweat.
Final Up to date December 2024
SectionHiker is reader-supported. We solely make cash if you are going to buy a product via our affiliate hyperlinks. Assist us proceed to check and write unsponsored and impartial gear opinions, newbie FAQs, and free climbing guides.
