IntroductionToCold Weather Gear
Your Guide to Layering for Cold Weather Comfort and Maintaining Technical Outerwear
Roy Scribner www.CampingBlogger.net
Introduction to Cold Weather Gear – December, 2009www.CampingBlogger.net Page 2
Layering for Cold Weather Comfort
The term “layering” gets bantered aboutwith regularity when it comes to dressingfor cold weather, but the mechanics of layering is often misunderstood andimplemented improperly, resulting in frigiddiscomfort.In order to understand how layeringworks, you must first dispel with thenotion that clothes can make you warm. They cannot. The body actually generates theheat needed to keep itself warm, placing a particular emphasis on the heart and thebrain. That is, if the heart or the brain starts cooling, the body will attempt to correctthis by pulling heat away from the extremities. Our mothers knew exactly what theywere doing, when they made us wear hats to go outside and play in cold weather!Since the body generates the heat required to keep itself warm, dressing properly forcold weather is all about controlling this heat so that it does not escape or, if the body isbecoming too hot, allowing some of this excess heat to vent. Multiple layers of clothingare much more efficient than a single, heavy, coat because each layer creates an airpocket that stores some of the body’s heat. A single coat, no matter how big and heavy,only creates one air pocket.In addition to multiple air pockets that store the body’s heat and insulate your bodyfrom the cold, another important consideration is controlling perspiration. Normally,when the body gets too warm it creates perspiration on the surface of the skin that willevaporate, which cools the body. When we are wearing heavy clothes, however, thisperspiration stays trapped against the body, short-circuiting this cooling function andcreating a vicious cycle as the body keeps trying to cool itself through more and moreperspiration.In cold weather, a build-up of perspiration on the body becomes dangerous when theexcess moisture eventually defeats the ability of the clothes to insulate, and your body’sperspiration begins to freeze. This shocks the body, which up to this point had beentrying to shed heat, and confuses the body’s internal thermostat.
Multiple layers of clothing are muchmore efficient than a single, heavy,coat because each layer creates anair pocket that stores some of thebody’s heat.
Introduction to Cold Weather Gear – December, 2009www.CampingBlogger.net Page 3
The process of layering, then, is to createmultiple air pockets of insulation aroundthe body, while conducting perspirationout and away from the body. This was atall task just a few years ago, but modernadvances in synthetic fiber technology hasmade the principle effective and viable forall outdoor winter activities. The layering principle is comprised of the following threecategories:1.
A wicking layer that is both absorptive, pulling moisture away from the skin, andquick drying, passing the moisture on to the next layer. Look for polypropylene,Polartec® and polyester microfiber materials. The wicking concept also appliesto the feet, where a thin polypropylene sock, underneath a regular wool sock,can keep your feet dryer and warmer.2.
Insulation layer(s) need to trap the warm air created from body heat, but allowmoisture from perspiration to keep moving. Vests are popular insulation layer,either standalone or in combination with another insulation layer. Look forPolartec®, Windstopper® and PowerStrech® materials and wool.3.
An outer shell layer needs to be able to block wind and rain, but like the otherlayers, also needs to be able to breathe. Popular materials are Gore-Tex®,Cloudburst®, Trinity®, eVent® and Precip®.It is important to understand that theprinciple of layering is as much abouttemperature control as it is about theclothes. Well-designed cold weatherclothing is a tool that allows you toeasily contain or ventilate heat, while atthe same time allowing moisture toescape. Throughout the day, ourclothing requires continuous tuning,depending on our level of activity, andan individual piece of clothing’s ability tofacilitate this tuning is what separatesthe quality garments from the cheap stuff.
A layering system includes a
wicking
layer, an
insulation
layer and anouter
shell
layer
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Introduction to Cold Weather Gear
Your guide to layering for cold weather comfort and maintaining technical outerwear.
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