Reggie's Guide to Layering Clothes

[Hellow]

Heh, with the upcoming winter season for the United States and surrounding countries, I thought this would be a good idea. Layering is an important part of keeping warm during the winter season, without it, expect to catch colds near constantly. So, lets get to it. I will first make a list of what should go on (in order), then I will describe what purpose each serves:

• Wicking layer
• Insulating Layer (may wear more than one)
• Protective Layer (Outer Shell)

Wicking Layer: This layer is designed to take away moisture from the body, thereby keeping anything that could get cold (water) away. In this, we include thermal trousers. Jeans get cold very easily and can nearly freeze if they get wet, so wear thermal trousers in place of them. One fabric to avoid, which has already been mentioned, is cotton. It retains moisture rather than removing it, thereby holding moisture in places that you do not want.

Insulating Layer: The name of this layer describes its purpose perfectly: keep warm in and cold out. Good fabrics for this is fleece, wool, silk, and down feathers. You can wear more than one of these layers, because the more of these you have, the warmer you are.

Protective Layer (Outer Shell): This layer is supposed to keep things like snow and rain out and help to keep warmth in, while releasing moisture. This is where all the hoods, pockets, and the like need to be. This can be a giant coat or just a waterproof shell, either one works fine.

I hope this guide helps everyone in the upcoming winter months.

[Karen]

Just a disclaimer/correction. One does not catch a cold from being cold. That's a myth.

And there is no reason to "exclude denim" from the category of cotton in the "wicking layer" - denim is cotton. When it gets wet, it stays wet, just like all cotton.

[jennielynn1970]

hey Reggie... got some time to look up good socks that can be layered. I want socks that will wick away sweat in winter boots, but really thick wool socks or whatever, to wear over them so that my feet are "big enough" to take up more space in the boots I got (they didn't have any 1/2 sizes, so they're a bit big). If they can be ordered on line, even better. Unless they have things like this at Burlington, TJ Maxx or Marshalls or Ross. I hate paying a ton for socks.

[Hellow]

hey Reggie... got some time to look up good socks that can be layered. I want socks that will wick away sweat in winter boots, but really thick wool socks or whatever, to wear over them so that my feet are "big enough" to take up more space in the boots I got (they didn't have any 1/2 sizes, so they're a bit big). If they can be ordered on line, even better. Unless they have things like this at Burlington, TJ Maxx or Marshalls or Ross. I hate paying a ton for socks.

Hmm, I have never had to layer socks before, although I have heard that they can restrict blood flow to your feet and make you colder. Probably the best socks for this would be made by Carhartt.

[Lady's Human]

Socks for CW....

it all depends on what you define as "cold weather....."

I've got outfits for everything from cool (20-30 degrees) to what the army defines as cold.......-30 and colder. I have a pair of boots I don't even THINK about putting on until the mercury dips below -20 F.

It also depends on activity level, time you're expecting to spend outside, wind conditions, etc.

[Catty1]

I used to date a guy that was a hiking/outdoor expert.

He said to wear thin(like men's dress) nylon socks first, then the heavier sock over those, as the nylon wicked away the moisture to the outer sock.

I still recall being in the Arctic when I was a kid and putting on the footwear to walk to school in - 60 F temps: heavy winter work socks, then the stitched duffel sock, THEN the tightly sewn and hand-beaded mukluks (done locally by people before it became a trendy tourist and fashion thing!). Mukluks had a drawstring right around the top - tie it up, and away you go. Light as a feather, and perfect outdoor/indoor wear! Never came off til we got home.

[Cataholic]

I waited outside in the cold last week and I was pretty sad to learn that my cold weather gear was pretty much worthless. Now, I typically don't stand outside in the cold, but, I would be much better prepared if I did so again! Course, that would be after a trip to the store to buy 'real' CW gear.

In other news, I do have two sleeping bags, both used less than one time (I alternated between them..he he). One is good up to 15 degrees, the other one -20. Or, the opposite. Both called, "mummy style". Anyone interested in purchasing them, cheap, let me know by pm. I paid $40 for one and $80 for the other.