Winter Clothing
Winter is cold. You need to protect yourself from cold temperatures, wind and wetness.
Clothing
Showing up to a winter outing with the wrong clothing places you at real risk of hypothermia and frostbite.
See our Winter Clothing Layers Page for more on how layering works.
RULE NUMBER ONE for Clothing
Absolutely NO Cotton is allowed on a Winter Outing.
Cotton retains moisture and hastens cooling. In the winter, wet cotton can lead to hypothermia. It also take a LONG time to dry out, leaving you cold and wet for extended periods.
Note scout photo. This was taking outside of a heated cabin after a bit of sledding. Note how melted snow has soaked into the cotton pants. Cotton can easily soak up 25 times its weight in water.
The synthetic top was also covered in snow but stayed mostly dry and quickly lost any remaining moisture after shaking it out and spreading it out in the cabin. The cotton pants were also laid out to dry in a heated cabin and remained wet for several hours. If a heated cabin was unavailable, these pants would have likely stayed wet for the entire outing and this Scout would have been cold and miserable.
Sledding was done intentionally with cotton for demonstration purposes and synthetic pants were worn the rest of this outing.
Rule Number Two - Dress in Layers
Warm and DRY is the key to dressing in the winter. Where the layers you need to stay warm and avoid sweating. If you get cold, add a layer. If you start to get too warm, remove a layer before you start to sweat.
Layer Recommendations:
Outer Layer - aka Shell Layer
Waterproof Breathable Jacket with hood
Armpit Zips are Fantastic - if you can find/afford a jacket with pit zips, you will be happier on winter hikes
Waterproof Breathable Pants
Middle Layers - aka Insulating Layer
There are many options here
2-3 Layers
Fleece Pullover or Jacket for daytime work use
Puffer Jacket added at night and when sedentary
Base Layer - aka Underwear
Synthetic or wool long underwear
Thickness depends on the outing we are going on
Emergency Layer
A reusable mylar blanket or poncho liner can be used to augment your insulation if you find you are really cold
Great to pull out on long stops
Headgear
Contrary to urban tales, you don't lose most of your body heat through your head. That said, it is still important to cover your head and neck, especially when not moving or sleeping.
See our Winter Headgear Page for more information.
An uncovered head does get cold
You should have something that will cover your head and something to cover your neck and face
Recommendation:
Beanie Hat
Wool or Synthetic
Buff style Face Gaiter
Microfiber or wool
Used to cover neck
Adjust to cover face and/or head as needed
Ideally use in conjunction with beanie
Handgear
Handgear is vital to keep you hands functional and protected from frostbite.
See our Winter Handgear Page for more information.
Recommendation if Building Snow Structures:
Two pairs of Showa Best 282
aka Smurf Gloves
Waterproof/Breathable TEMRES Technology
Acrylic Insulation
Allows you to work on snow blocks without getting hands wet
One-two pairs of thick, insulated gloves or mittens in addition to Showas
Footgear
Proper footgear is vital for comfort and to protect your toes from frostbite.
See our Winter Footwear Boots Page and Winter Footwear Socks Page for more information.
Socks
You must have a good sock plan for winter use
Socks are used to insulate feet from cold and protect from blisters
Winter boot are often insulated and breath poorly - resulting in sweaty socks
Plan to change socks frequently
Wet socks in the winter increases your risk of freezing and non freezing foot injuries
Discussed in our Winter Footwear Socks Page
Wool Mountaineering socks
Ideally pack 2 pairs per day on snow and one extra if sleeping in the snow
If your boots aren't waterproof, you'll want more pairs of dry socks to change into
Snow Boots
Waterproof, Insulated Boots
Full length boot preferred as they keep out more snow
Discussed in our Winter Footwear Boots Page
Snow Gaiters
Keeps snow out of boots
This is huge when making snow shelters and breaking a trail through the snow - otherwise your boots will fill up with snow and soak your feet
Discussed in our Gaiters Page