Head to Toe: Layering your Clothing for Outdoor Adventures
The ARS Sojourner
Now that winter is fully upon us, and adventures such as the Arizona ScQRPion’s “Freeze Your B* Off Winter Field Day” (FYBO) are looming, I thought I would share some of the secrets of dressing to stay warm, dry, and safe in the outdoors.
In a word, the secret is “layering.”
Around town, we tend to dress for two extremes - we wear light clothing for our heated indoor environments, and throw on a heavy coat or jacket to survive the short dash to another heated environment. This works because we're exposed to the weather for just a few minutes, and also because we're generally not exerting for long enough periods to work up a sweat.
In the backcountry, where you may be grunting up a steep hill with a heavy pack one minute, and digging a snow cave the next, you need more flexibility. Also, you must be able to handle any weather condition that nature may throw at you, from hot sunny days to a raging blizzard.
Finally, you want to minimize weight and bulk in your pack, whether you're on a one-day outing, or a multi day trek. By carrying several lightweight layers of clothing, you have the flexibility to handle many different conditions.
What layers to carry? I'll start from the skin out and describe a system that works for me. In all but the warmest weather, I'll carry lightweight long underwear tops and bottoms. This inner layer, which is next to your skin, should perform the vital duty of transporting moisture sweated out of your skin away from your body, rather than trapping it. It should also provide some insulation. Most natural fibers, such as cotton, trap and absorb water, and quickly become clammy and cold. Wet clothing must be avoided, because wetness multiplies the chilling effects of wind, and wet natural fiber clothing is very difficult to dry in the outdoors.
So I use underwear made of polyester, a synthetic fiber that dries quickly. Most polyester long underwear is chemically treated to increase its wicking properties, which help pass moisture to your outer layers of clothing, where it can evaporate.
Common brands are Dupont's “Thermax” and Patagonia's “Capilene”. An older type of wicking underwear, made of polypropylene fiber, is not as good as treated polyester because it loses its shape with repeated washings, and also retains body odors.
The next layer consists of a shirt and pair of pants- but not just any old clothing will do. Since this is the layer that you'll be wearing while moving, it must be tough enough to withstand abrasion from brush and rocks, as well as the wear and tear of setting up camp, etc.
For a shirt, I usually pack a polyester expedition-weight long underwear top. These usually have zippered turtleneck tops. I take long pants made of nylon or polyester. Stay away from cotton pants and shirts- denims, for example, are one of the most useless fabrics in bad weather. The heavy cotton soaks up water like a sponge, refuses to dry, and severely chills the wearer.
Nowadays, there are many comfortable synthetic pants and shirts to choose from. The pants I have, made by The North Face, are woven from a soft nylon fiber that feels almost like cotton, yet is extremely tough and dries very quickly.
The third layer is the main insulating layer, used mostly at rest stops and around camp. My standby is a very warm and light down jacket made by Feathered Friends. Good quality down is still the warmest insulator for its weight, unsurpassed by any synthetic insulator. Down's main disadvantage is that it's difficult to dry once wet. Luckily, it's hard to get it really wet, as anyone who's tried to hand wash a down jacket can testify. Down is surprisingly water-repellent, otherwise ducks and geese would sink!
That said, I won't carry a down jacket if I expect a lot of wet weather. In such conditions, down gradually picks up moisture and can't be dried in the field. Instead, I carry a polyester fleece or pile jacket. Patagonia's “Synchilla” and Malden Mills “Polartec” are common brands. Although somewhat bulky, polyester fleece has the outstanding advantage of retaining its insulating value when wet. You can soak a fleece jacket in water, wring it out, put it on, and have nearly the same warmth as a dry garment.
What little moisture remains evaporates quickly. So polyester fleece is the overwhelming choice when the weather is continuously wet.
Down and fleece pants are available, but are only needed for severe cold, such as polar or high mountain environments. I have used fleece pants when standing around for long periods in the winter, such as teaching snow physics and avalanche classes. In a more normal backcountry situation, I would just crawl in my sleeping bag.
The final, outer layer consists of a shell jacket and pants. This layer should protect you from wind and rain. I've used W. L. Gore’s “Gore-Tex” since it was introduced to the market. After a few technical glitches were solved, Gore-Tex became the first fabric to successfully combine waterproofness and breathability in the same fabric. Before Gore-Tex, you had to choose between a waterproof fabric that didn't breathe, or a breathable fabric that leaked like a sieve. There were several fabrics that were a compromise, but none worked very well. Waterproofness is important because you need an outer garment that sheds rain and wet snow.
Breathability is a less obvious requirement, until you've worked up a sweat hiking in a rainstorm and afterward discovered that your clothes are soaked from your own body moisture. Gore-Tex allows the moisture put out by the skin and wicked outward by your synthetic clothing to escape to the air, while still preventing liquid water from soaking you from the outside.
At present there are several competing brands of waterproof/breathable fabrics. I've covered my legs and torso, but how about head, hands, and feet? The extremities are critical- up to half the body's heat lost can occur
through the head, for example. The obvious solution for keeping your head warm is a hood on your insulating jacket, but I avoid them in the backcountry because there are many situations where I want head warmth but don't need to wear my jacket. So I use a fleece pullover watch cap that covers my ears. On winter trips I carry a balaclava, a fleece cap that can be pulled down over my entire head. (There's a cutout for my face!).
For rain protection, I've always relied on the hood built into my Gore-Tex jacket, but lately I've been trying a Gore-Tex brimmed hat. Hoods are noisy and don't turn with head movements. The brimmed hat keeps rain from going down my neck and gives my head a lot more freedom of motion.
Hands are tricky. Being tool-using animals, we need to be able to manipulate things such as radio controls and pack fastenings, while still keeping our fingers warm. The trick is, once again, layering. I wear a lightweight pair of polyester gloves that are thin enough to allow me to do most tasks. For more warmth, I add a pair of fleece mittens over the gloves. Mittens are far warmer than gloves because they allow your fingers to share their warmth. For protection wind and wet, I add a pair of Gore-Tex mitten shells.
On my feet, I wear a thin pair of Thermax socks next to my skin, then a heavier wool and synthetic pair. Finally, I choose boots that are waterproof and breathable. Full-grain, good quality leather does the job, as does lighter split leather and nylon boots built with a Gore-Tex liner.
In deep snow or wet weather, I seal the gap between Gore-Tex pants and boot tops with gaiters, zippered nylon tubes that fasten to the bootlaces and under the instep.
You might notice that I just mentioned wool for the first time. Wool has a good reputation, and while it is the best of the natural fibers for wet weather, wool falls far short of the synthetic fabrics now available. Wool's one remaining strong point is that it retains its loft under pressure, so it's still the best choice for warm socks that retain their loft. Wool's socks for outdoor use should contain a large percentage of nylon and other synthetic fibers, because they help the sock retain its shape and increase its durability.
How do the layers work in the field? If I'm hiking, skiing, or snowshoeing in calm, sunny weather, my body is producing a lot of heat (and sweat), so I'll probably be wearing just the inner layer of lightweight underwear and my synthetic pants and shirt. I'll wear the lightweight gloves and balaclava as required. I've found that I can regulate my body temperature very effectively with the balaclava, increasing or decreasing my head's exposure to the cold air.
Let's say that there's a storm moving in. As the wind picks up, I'll add the Gore-Tex jacket to stop the wind-chill effect, which is the strongest contributor to lowering body temperature and causing hypothermia. I'm still working hard as I move along, but the Gore-Tex shell allows my body moisture to escape, while keeping the wind from destroying the insulating value of the rest of my clothing. If it starts to rain, I'll add the Gore-Tex pants and probably the gaiters, if I'm not already wearing them.
In falling snow, I may not wear the Gore-Tex pants, because my body heat will keep my legs dry.
Now I reach my planned campsite, where I'll set up my tent in the snow, as well as my FYBO antenna and station. At first, the warmth from skiing keeps me warm, but as I cool off, I add the fleece jacket for warmth. If it's raining or snowing, I'll put the jacket on under my Gore-Tex shell. I may also add the Gore-Tex pants. To keep my hands warm, I'll wear the fleece mittens over my lightweight gloves, and remove the mittens temporarily to tie knots or do other fine work. In wind, rain, or snow, I'll add the GoreTex shell mittens, and also flip up the hood of my Gore-Tex jacket.
On a summer trip, I'd probably leave out the lightweight underwear bottoms, and carry a polyester T-shirt instead of the long-sleeved underwear top. I'd carry a fleece watch cap instead of a balaclava, and add a brimmed sun hat.
You'll note that I haven't discussed cost. Some items, such as the down jacket and the Gore-Tex rain gear, are quite expensive, but most other items of outdoor clothing are cheaper than town clothing.
Just remember that it's your comfort and safety that are on the line. When you slip into that toasty down or fleece jacket during a chilly evening in camp, it will be worth every penny. (See photo)
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Bruce Grubbs, N7CEE, contributing editor to The ARS Sojourner, has been active in QRP for the last 15 years, and enjoys homebrewing, kit building, and field contesting. His favorite wilderness activity is exploring the Grand Canyon on trips of a week or more, and he also enjoys long backpack trips in the mountains of the west. An author and pilot, he's an expert outdoorsman. His e-mail address: mail@brucegrubbs.com
