Winter Pant Layering for Hikers Who Sweat

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 put up, I clarify what I exploit for winter pants layering and the method that led me to the clothes I exploit right this moment.

This put up can also be a response to a reader who’s battling the problem of sweating in winter, and who appreciates the truth that I speak about sweat in my critiques.  Yeah, I sweat. Particularly in winter, after I want to hold no less than twice as a lot security and survival gear for mountaineering within the mountains. Winter mountaineering, snowshoeing, mountain climbing, and mountaineering are so completely different from the three-season mountaineering I do, that I’ve to nearly consider them as a separate sport.

Pant Layering Elements

Listed here are the parts of the winter pant layering system I exploit right this moment:

I do most of my winter mountaineering 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 steadily modify, add, or take away clothes to forestall perspiring relying on my exertion stage. Layering is the one method to modify your clothes to such a variety of temperature situations.

Utilization

I generate a whole lot of warmth after I climb elevation in winter and I would like 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 while 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 might evaporate with out chilling you.

For temperatures right down to about 10 levels, I put on the Underneath Armor Boxers, REI Activator V3 Tender Shell Pants, and the OR Crocodile Gaiters. This successfully provides me two layers of protection for the reason that boxers finish simply above my knee and the gaiters begin just under it. I nonetheless generate a whole lot of warmth, however most of it’s vented by my pants. That is all I would like for many of my winter hikes.

It’s just a little completely different under the knee and underneath 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 underneath a heavy sock in my winter boots. I’ll speak about that have extra in a subsequent put up, however the net-net is that I don’t get moist socks anymore as a result of the perspiration can’t cross 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 soak up moisture and freeze in a single day. If you need one thing just a little 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 underneath the REI softshell pants, for extra heat. It needs to be actually chilly for me to do that. This KUIU underwear is absolutely 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 footwear or pants, or placing it again on. This makes it actually versatile for layering. Initially developed for hunters, I feel they’re a greatest purchase for winter mountaineering.

If I’m feeling chilly throughout the hike, I put Out of doors Analysis Helium Rain Pants on over the REI Activator 3.0 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 a giant benefit. I primarily use the Helium Pants as a wind barrier, though they’re completely waterproof as effectively. In case you have 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 massive boots. They’re additionally straightforward 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 would like 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 damage myself or want to assist an injured hiker. They’re nice if you happen to’re not shifting a lot, however I instantly sweat in them if I begin to hike with a pack on.

Softshell Pants – My Huge Breakthrough

My largest breakthrough by way of winter pants was after I began sporting softshell pants. These are hotter than regular three-season mountaineering pants, they’re way more windproof, waterproof, and extremely breathable. I began off with REI Mistral Pants (not made), REI Activator 1.0 Pants (not made), REI Activator 2.0 Pants (not made), and now put on REI Activator 3.0 Pants. I put on them each time temperatures drop under freezing. They’re simply incredible 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 great factor about that system is you could vent the shell pants throughout a variety of temperatures and exertion ranges by opening or closing the zips. Nonetheless, I used to be at all times too sizzling and tended to sweat. On prime of that, I discovered it awkward to hike in shells that have been unzipped on a regular basis.

Classes Discovered

If I have been to summarize the teachings I’ve realized about pants layering, it’d be the next:

1. Don’t spend some huge cash on one garment and count on that it’ll carry out in quite a lot of situations. You’re higher off spending your cash on a mixture of skinny layers that every do the factor they’re designed for very effectively.
2. Don’t fear about being too chilly. In case you are shifting, you’ll generate a whole lot of warmth. As an alternative, purpose to be barely cool.
3. Do not forget that your underwear (boxer shorts) and gaiters depend as a layer. Including one other base layer on prime of them could make you sweat excessively.
4. Wind-proof or wind-resistant layers entice warmth as a lot as they maintain out wind and might have a very massive influence in your heat stage even when it’s not windy.
5. Attempt to use clothes which are excellent at shifting sweat away out of your pores and skin to the following highest layer in your layering system. This may be accomplished by utilizing a wicking baselayer, a porous grid-like fleece sweater like Patagonia R1, or full zip shell pants which will be unzipped to shed a whole lot of further warmth and quickly evaporate sweat.

Final Up to date October 2023

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