Dressing in Layers for a Winter Hike

1. Base layers
2. Middle (insulating layers)
3. Weatherproof outer layers
4. A few things to keep in mind

If you’ve ever spent much time outdoors in foul weather, you probably understand the old adage that “there is no bad weather — just bad clothing choices.” That’s especially true during an Alaska winter, when your clothes are truly a moving shelter against the elements.

That’s why dressing in layers is so helpful. The term means about what you might imagine — donning multiple layers of clothing — and serves three key purposes:

1. It keeps you warm while at rest (and thus not generating much body heat).
2. It keeps you from overheating while you exercise (and are thus producing more body heat).
3. It makes it easy to adjust your insulation between those two extremes, simply by adding or removing layers as necessary.

With that said, dressing in layers doesn’t mean putting on five t-shirts or six pairs of pants. Instead, think in terms of three layers: a base layer that fits close to your skin, a weatherproof layer on the outside to protect you against the elements, and one or two insulating layers in between. This type of layering system is practical, efficient, and easy to manage.

Dressing in layers: The base layer

If you’ve ever work long underwear, you’ve worn a base layer. The base layer should fit close to your skin, but not be so tight that it binds at your joints or impedes circulation. Too-tight clothing is great way to end up colder than you started out, because if your blood isn’t circulating freely it can’t keep you warm!

Never choose cotton as your base layer for cold-weather wear. Cotton soaks up water readily and loses its insulating ability when wet, whether that wetness comes from melting snow or sweat from your body.

Instead, opt for wool or wicking polyester blends, which may be labeled simply as polyester or under trademarked names such as Capilene.

If you’re wearing something called “long underwear,” should you also wear regular underwear? That’s totally up to you but, again, the safest and warmest choice is to stay away from cotton if you can. And yes, they do make underwear from fine, itch-free merino wool!

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Dressing in layers: The middle (insulating) layer

You should also stay away from cotton for the middle, or insulating, layer. Are you sensing a theme here? Again, wool and wicking polyesters, or a blend of the two, are a great choice. So are non-cotton fleeces, and down or down-alternative garments.

As a general rule the fluffier your midlayer is, the warmer it’ll be. That’s because the extra “fluff,” whether it comes from down or fleece, traps air as an extra insulating layer.

Ideally, you should aim for just one insulating layer — it’s just easier to manage that way. But if you’re in very cold temperatures, you might find it more practical to wear two midweight insulating layers than one heavyweight layer.

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Dressing in layers: The weatherproof outer layer

The inner portions of your layering system keep you dry and comfortable. The outer layer is what keeps the elements away. I prefer to use a windproof, waterproof/breathable hardshell jacket as my outer layer because it’s extremely versatile in a wide variety of conditions. With that sort of jacket, pit zips come in handy for extra ventilation.

However, some people prefer a softshell jacket or even a puffy jacket with a waterproof coating on it. It all comes down to choosing the layers that are most appropriate for your activity level and the conditions you may encounter.

Keep in mind, that outer layer should be big enough to let your fluffy or puffy middle layers stay fluffy/puffy. If those middle layers get too compressed, they won’t insulate you as well.

Want to know what pit zips, hardshell or softshell mean? Check out my glossary of hiking terms.

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A few things to keep in mind

Don’t forget that all this layering advice applies to the top and bottom of your body — you can layer both shirts and pants. You can also layer your gloves if need be, wearing a thin liner glove inside of a heavier glove/mitten or a weatherproof overmitt.

Ditto for headgear and even socks — but in these cases, it’s really only practical to wear two layers at most. More than that, and the situation quickly becomes unmanageable.

When it comes to socks, wearing too many socks or too-thick socks could leave your feet colder than they started out. That’s because if there’s not enough room for all that sock inside your boot, it ends up cutting down your circulation to the point your body can’t keep your feet warm — sort of like shutting off the flow of hot water to a radiator.

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