The ONE Big Mistake That's Making You Colder

it's Common Sense am I right well when it comes to cold weather layering Common Sense isn't always that common in fact there's one pretty big mistake that a lot of new winter hikers make that could be making you colder leaving you wondering why and so today I want to talk about cold weather layering how it's supposed to work and how Doing It Wrong could actually make you colder so let's check it out layering is about more than just putting on more clothes to stay warm it's about regulating your heat and managing moisture everybody knows that if you get soaking wet when it's cold out you're going to be pretty miserable the same is true if you fall in a stream or if you just work up a really good sweat from being active in fact managing sweat is the main purpose of a layering system but a lot of new winter hikers put on too many layers thinking layers of what's going to keep me warm they end up drenching their base layers in sweat and the moment they stop even for a small break all that sweat ends up making them colder than if they had just put on less layers to begin with okay no problem just wear less layers right got it well yes and no if you're hiking uphill you're going to sweat there's no way around it so it's not just about how many layers it's about having the right layers and knowing how they work to manage sweat so let's talk about both so probably the two most important layers are the base layer and the outer shell most people start a list like this talking about the base layer but I want to talk about the outer shell first working our way from outermost layer to innermost and a good winter shell is just that it's a shell it doesn't have any insulation and it resembles a rain jacket more than anything else a Shell's main function is to block cold wind and wet snow from getting into your inner layers this means the shells need to be waterproof the only problem with waterproof is that not only do we need to keep wet snow from getting in we also need to let sweat out so most winter shells use high-tech Fabrics like Gore-Tex to allow water vapor to escape without letting water drops in the theory is is that water vapor is small than water drops so Gore-Tex uses microscopic holes that are smaller than drops but bigger than Vapor or at least that's the theory in reality even breathable shells do a mediocre job of evacuating sweat Gore-Tex seems to do the best but even with Gore-Tex you want other options to evacuate sweat quickly like oversized pit Zips that's one of the reasons why I really like the shell made by Outdoor Research not only is it Gore-Tex but it has these pit Zips that will zip all the way to the Hem of the jacket so if you really start working up a big sweat you can essentially create really big holes in your shell to let all that sweat out the only real way to get rid of inner moisture is ventilation Gore-Tex helps with that a little bit pit Zips help with it a lot so Gore-Tex pit Zips that's why I like the shell and if you buy it at Moose Draw this jacket is an incredible price at just 225 dollars which for high quality Gore-Tex shell is half of what you would typically pay in fact most of the layers that I'm talking about today you can get who is today's sponsor even if you don't like the layers that I'm recommending Moosejaw has dozens if not hundreds Gore-Tex and other layers to choose from like these Outdoor Research soft shell pants I like soft shell dwr treated pants in the winter because they breathe better than hard shell pants and you need that because your legs are working hard and you can't really unzip your pants like you can a jacket check out these pants and other layers I'm talking about at Moose Jaw use the code mlo MJ for 10 off most things that Moose Jaw sells five percent off things that are already on sale some exclusions do apply okay so there are two types of layers that go between the shell and the base layer you've got insulating layers and you have what we mostly call Mid layers some people think that these are the same but there's one critical difference an insulating layer's only job is to provide insulation they're not intended to keep out wet snow or evacuate sweat in any way all they do is keep you warm things like puffy jackets either down or synthetic and generally with puffy jackets the larger the baffles the warmer that they're going to be but what type of insulating layer isn't as important as when to wear it since insulating layers don't really evacuate sweat you generally only want to wear them when you aren't moving very much like when you're at camp or when you're stopped for extended periods of time mid layers on the other hand are a little bit more important these are typically made of fleece and are the next layer after your base layer if it's really cold out and you are feeling cold even though you are moving a mid layer is what you want to put on but you don't have to put it on sometimes your base layer and a shell is all you need while you're moving uphill so only put on a fleece if you still feel cold even though you are moving two of my favorite mid layers are my Alpha farpoint hoodie and the sky goat full zip hoodie the alpha hoodie is nice because it breathes really well but still does a good job of insulating which makes it perfect for high energy activities but sometimes it's not enough and you need something like the sky goat hoodie the full zipper on the sky goat is good when you you need to shed this layer fast remember just because you're hot and need to take off a layer doesn't mean that other people are take too long to take on or put off a layer and you might make other people cold while they're waiting for you lastly and most importantly mid layers work differently than insulating layers and that fleece still has the ability to wake moisture moisture wicking is the most important feature of a layering system but for that we need to talk about base layers base layers are the layer right next to your skin and arguably the most important layer in your system base layers keep you warm even when you hike by wicking moisture away from the skin and out to the surface of the base layer where if you're warm enough to just have on a base layer and a shell it can evaporate through the Gore-Tex shell or get dried out through the pit steps or if you're cool enough to also have on a mid layer fleece also has wicking capabilities you can pick up the sweat from the base layer and continue to Wick it up to the Shell where the Gore-Tex and the pit Zips can take over so the most important part of your base layer and your mid layer is the ability to Wick moisture generally speaking synthetic is the best of wicking moisture and cotton is the worst with wool lying somewhere in between cotton should never be used in a cold weather layering system it holds onto water like a sponge and it keeps it against the skin synthetic performs the best but tends to smell bad wool doesn't smell bad and still Wicks moisture but tends to hold on to it a little bit more than synthetic just not as bad as cotton I recently got the synthetic wool blend base layer from Smart wool and I'm hoping that it will Wick like synthetic and smell better like wool but the thing that I'm most impressed with it is in high sweat areas it's got this mesh material that will really allow it to breathe well okay so now that you know how layers work to manage sweat how do you use them well the best piece of advice that I can give you is to be bold start cold when you're waiting around Gathering up gear at your car you aren't working very much and you will feel cold and you'll want to be putting on those mid and insulating layers but once you start moving you will get overheated quickly you won't want to stop to take off layers because that means taking off your pack and your outer shell and your gloves and everything else you'll end up convincing yourself that you aren't sweating that much you'll sweat into your layers too much and they won't be able to Wick moisture fast enough out to the next layer they'll get overwhelmed eventually drenched and sweat and the moment that you stop you will be cold colder than if you just worn less layers to begin with but if you feel a little bit chilly while you're at the car you will be in a better position once you start moving uphill from then on out especially if you plan to spend the night out there you need to micromanage your sweat if you're sweating a lot take off a layer open up your pit Zips in the front of your jacket if snow isn't coming down hard you might just hike in your mid layer or even in just your base layer remove your gloves and your hat to vent heat from your extremities whatever you have to do to manage sweat that is what is ultimately going to keep you the warmest and finally what you need to keep in mind is that once down gets wet it can't keep you warm anymore so you need to protect it from getting wet like I talk about in this video right here thank you Moosejaw for sponsoring this video don't forget that you can save 10 by using Code mlomj some exclusions do apply like subscribe and do all those other things and as always thanks for watching

Channel: MyLifeOutdoors

Views: 3,611,899

Keywords: Layering, Cold weather, warm clothes, winter, layers, goretex, breathable, shell, baselayer, baselayers, mid layer, midlayer, insulating layer, insulation, jacket, snowshoes, snowshoeing, sweat, Moisture management, backpacking, skiing, backcountry, what to wear in winter, stay warm in winter, how to

Id: -Ogv5_xT6S4

Length: 8min 10sec (490 seconds)

Published: Wed Dec 14 2022