Your Guide to Winter Layering

Learning how to dress for winter adventures will make every moment more enjoyable – and could save your life. Dressing improperly will cause you to be cold, uncomfortable, or can even cause injury (frostbite is never fun) – and at the very least, improperly dressing will take what was supposed to be a fun day outside and turn it into a miserable time. 

Here we're going to explain how to layer for the cold, including layers that can be removed if you get warm, to give you the best chance at a comfortable and fun winter adventure.

Starting at your base layer (the layer closest to your body outside of undergarments), you’ll want this to be moisture-wicking. Why? By wearing a moisture-wicking layer, you’ll remain drier and or dry more quickly as you sweat, keeping your core temperature warmer. Cotton material absorbs moisture and dries slowly, leaving cold, wet cloth right next to your skin. On the other hand, merino wool or synthetic fabrics dry without absorbing moisture, allowing your skin to breathe and they won’t hold freezing material against you. Remember, this includes your top half and bottom half!  

Next, you’ll want an insulating mid-layer. How much insulation you have depends on the activity and location – but you want to stick with the synthetic or merino wool here as well . The purpose of this layer is to keep you warm. Fleece jackets, wool or fleece sweaters, and down or synthetic puffy jackets all work well. The mid-layer is also where you can increase or decrease insulation depending on your activity. For example, if you are hiking somewhere with increased elevation but also decreasing temperature, you can do multiple, thinner mid-layers to allow for easy heat adjustment. This can be something like a fleece jacket over the baselayer and a puffy down jacket above that. For the bottom half of your body, a great option is hiking pants over leggings or fleece pants over long underwear (or mix and match those options). 

Finally, you’ll want an outer shell. An outer shell’s purpose is to protect. This could be a rain shell, a winter jacket, softshell pants, rain pants, or ski bib depending on what type of weather you are looking to venture out in. Some key features of an outer shell are protection against water (rain or snow) and wind. For your bottom half, this outer shell layer may go directly over the base layer on the bottom, or could go over top of hiking pants or leggings. 

Now that we have the basic layers down, let’s discuss how to decide what to wear: Multiple layers can be easier to adjust for changing temperatures if you have a way to carry them when they are no longer on your body. Thicker layers do not always mean warmer – paying attention to material can be far more important than checking off the layer list. Because your core determines a lot of your body temperature, it is often easier to go a little lighter on the bottom, while still ensuring our top half (core) stays warm. 

Additional gear to consider in winter includes gloves, hats, scarves or neck gaiters and socks. While this may seem straightforward, layering doesn’t work the same way for these items. While a thin pair of gloves inside a waterproof pair are a great idea for winter adventures involving snow or rain, this isn’t always an option depending on your sport. For example, winter paddling requires more finger dexterity so you need flexible gloves, while in other activities like ice climbing, you need multiple pairs of gloves for warmth and protection. Socks are another example where you might think to wear two pairs will mean extra warmth, but it is actually recommended to wear one pair that is thicker, or if absolutely necessary, a thin base layer style synthetic sock with a warmer sock on top. Double socks can reduce breathability and restrict blood flow to extremities, causing feet to be colder, as well as cause issues with shoe fit and comfort. 

Of course when venturing into some winter activities, there are additional layers necessary that are sport specific. For example, helmets while skiing, snowboarding, or ice climbing. Ski bibs are also common to take the place of an outer layer shell. Likewise, winter fly fishing will include waders that replace an outer shell layer for your lower half. While sport specific layers are more common in winter, they typically either replace or fit with the outer shell rather than layer on top of it. 

Once you figure out the key details of your winter adventure, such as temperature and weather, location, and activity, you can follow the simple guide of 1) base layer 2) mid layer(s) and 3) outer layer to properly prepare and set yourself up for a great winter adventure!