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Clothing for Winter Activities | Maintaining a Comfortable Temperature During Winter Activities | Layering for Wind and Weather | Some Useful Hiking Tips | Rainwear | Hardshells and Softshells |
Clothing for Winter Activities by Will Rietveld On our cold weather outings, we are often hiking, snowshoeing, or XC skiing uphill at the beginning of the trip, so we are generating a lot of heat and don’t need heavy clothing. But when we stop for lunch it is easy to get chilled because of the moisture in our clothing. On our way back the sun is getting low and a cold wind suddenly make it feel a lot colder. Dressing for cold weather activities to stay warm and comfortable is a challenge, especially when our activity level and the weather vary a lot. The trick is to use the layering system and choose the right fabrics. The layering system consists of a base wicking layer, an insulating layer, and a shell layer. For fabrics, think synthetic – nylon, polypropylene, and polyester. Silk and wool also work well, and down is a good insulator as long as it stays dry. Cotton is a no-no. There is a saying that “cotton kills”, because it absorbs a lot of moisture, doesn’t insulate when wet, and dries very slowly. You can easily get chilled or hypothermic wearing cotton clothing. The base wicking layer moves sweat away from your skin. Fabrics such as polyester, polypropylene, silk, and modern wool retain very little moisture and dry quickly. Examples are a long sleeve hiking top, synthetic long johns, and liner gloves. The insulation layer traps the heat that your body generates and allows moisture to escape. Examples are fleece jacket and pants, insulated jacket and pants, and insulated gloves or mittens. It is usually better to add insulation in layers so you can regulate your temperature better. The shell layer protects you from the wind as well as rain or snow. Like the other layers, it should be breathable to allow moisture to escape. Examples are a nylon jacket (with hood) and pants, Gore-Tex (or other waterproof/breathable fabric) jacket and pants, glove shell, and waterproof boots. Note that the more waterproof a fabric is the less breathable it is. Choosing the right shell layer is a balancing act to meet the needs of the activity in the expected conditions. Choosing the type and amount of clothing to take on an outing depends on your individual needs and preferences. Some people get cold easier than others, and need to wear more clothing. Experience is important; after you have been out a few times, you get a better idea of how much clothing is needed. There are a lot of clothing choices, but the important thing to remember is to wear only synthetics and use the layering system. Wool, although not a synthetic, is a good fabric for winter warmth. It wicks moisture well and has the additional advantage of being warm even when wet. However, it absorbs more moisture than synthetics and is fairly slow to dry. Personally, I would choose fleece over wool. Fleece (a polyester) comes in a variety of weights for all types of clothing. Remember that your head is your biggest heat exchanger. About 30% of body heat is lost through your head. There is a saying: “if your hands get cold, put your hat on”. It works the other way too: “if you get too hot, take your hat off”. Finally, a word on hypothermia. There are many good articles on hypothermia on the web. This would be a good time to read about hypothermia and know what the dangers are. If you bring adequate clothing and use the layering system, you don’t have to worry about hypothermia in most situations. However, I always take an extra insulation layer along, just in case the weather gets bad. Maintaining a Comfortable Temperature During Winter Activities by Will Rietveld When I look at how some people dress for a snowshoe or XC ski trip—with layers upon layers of clothes—I wonder how they avoid getting overheated and sweaty. They are better dressed for ice fishing than for an active sport! If you are a person who can wear a lot of insulation on a snowshoe or ski trip, and not get overheated, then you are fine and don’t need to read further. But if you have a problem with getting overheated and sweaty, then read on. You might have a fear of getting cold and not being able to get warmed up again, so you wear lots of clothes to be sure you stay warm. That approach can be self-defeating because it’s very likely you will get overheated, moisture from perspiration will build up, and you will get chilled when you stop. Getting hot will also slow you down. In this article, I would like to talk more about adjusting your clothing to maintain a comfortable temperature all day. The layering system does not mean that you should always wear a base layer, insulation layer, and shell layer. Rather, you should always wear a base wicking layer, then add insulation layers and a breathable shell layer as appropriate for the conditions. The trick is to wear the right amount of clothing for the weather and your activity level, so the moisture will escape and you will stay comfortably warm and dry. If you wear too much insulation (fleece, microfiber, down), moisture will still build up because it can’t escape through thick clothing as fast as it is being generated. Black is a good color for winter activities because it absorbs the sun’s energy better and keeps you warmer. When I dress before leaving home, I put on the clothing I expect will be appropriate for that particular day. To decide this, I take into account the activity, location and weather—if it will be cloudy or sunny, windy or still, what the temperatures will likely be, and how active I will be. Then I add a layer or two to keep me warm while I am standing around at the meeting place and trailhead. When we get started, I take the extra layers off and put them in my pack. This ensures that I start out warm. Throughout the day I either add or remove clothing to maintain comfort, and do it before I get too hot or too cold. Our Southwest winter sunshine is really warm, so when I am climbing in a sunny location with no wind, it doesn’t take very many clothes to stay warm and dry. However, if it becomes cloudy or windy, I suddenly become chilled, and need to either increase my activity level and/or put on another layer. A quick way to get warmer is to put on a warmer hat and gloves. Adding a lightweight breathable shell layer is often enough if it gets breezy. But if the chill factor really kicks in, it may require adding both an insulation layer and a shell layer. It’s important to remember that your head is your body’s “radiator”—if you are feeling chilly, put on a warmer hat; if you are getting hot, take your hat off. It’s also handy to adjust zippers at your neck and pit zips. When you stop on the trail for a longer break or lunch, it is a good idea to pick a sunny location and add an extra layer. If you are wearing synthetics and not too many layers, you will dry out just fine. On the way back to the trailhead, usually downhill, the sun is getting lower and your activity level is lower, so you will probably need to add an extra insulation layer. If you are doing a sport where you are likely to fall in the snow, then you need to be covered with water-resistant/breathable clothing so you stay dry. What you really want to avoid is being sweaty or getting wet, then getting chilled, especially when there is a sudden or dramatic weather change. That is a recipe for hypothermia. The strategy for staying warm and dry may seem a bit complex and a bit of a nuisance to keep adding and subtracting clothes, but it’s the necessary approach to stay comfortable during winter outdoor activities and for summer activities in the mountains. Since we are warm-blooded animals we need to constantly regulate our body temperature within certain limits or we feel uncomfortable. And there is a real risk of injury or death from being either too cold (hypothermia) or too hot (heat fatigue or heat stroke). So selecting, planning, and adjusting your clothing to be comfortable during outdoor activities is part of the knowledge you need to be trail wise. by Will Rietveld Probably the most versatile piece of clothing in my pack is my wind shirt. A wind shirt is no more than a thin, wind-resistant, water-repellent, and highly breathable nylon or polyester shell jacket or pullover. Why is it so useful? Think about hiking uphill in highly variable weather, especially in wind and intermittent rain or snow. A wind shirt blocks the wind and prevents convective heat loss. It traps warm air inside your clothing to keep you warmer. It allows moisture from perspiration to escape as water vapor so you don’t get chilled when you stop. It is water resistant enough to repel light rain or snow. And its breathability makes it comfortable to wear in a wide variety of conditions. When Do I Need It?—While snowshoeing, day hiking, or backpacking in the mountains we encounter a lot of variable conditions and unexpected weather. One minute its calm and warm in the sun, and 10 minutes later its cloudy and blustery. This happens a lot in the winter and spring, but it can happen anytime in the high country. Putting on an insulated jacket is not a good remedy if you are hiking uphill; it doesn’t take very long for it to get steamy inside. The trick is to break the wind and retain your body heat at a comfortable level. Personally, I never hike in the high country without some type of wind shell. What Qualifies as a Wind Shirt?—The key factor is that is must be both wind resistant and breathable. There are numerous “microfiber” fabrics that qualify. These are tightly-woven nylons and polyesters with a DWR (durable water repellent) finish to make them shed rain, up to a point. My lightest wind shirt is made of Pertex Microlight and weighs 3.5 ounces. The latest and greatest is made of Pertex Quantum and weighs less than 3 ounces. Wind shirts made of EPIC fabric are a little heavier, but they perform very well. Wind shirts are by no means wind-proof, meaning they will still feel a little breezy inside. It’s the balance of wind resistance and breathability that makes them work. They repel the wind and weather, yet you feel dry and comfortable inside while hiking uphill. You might be thinking: why not put on my rain jacket and pants? Well, that would work fine if your exertion level is low. But if you are actively hiking uphill while wearing a polyurethane-coated nylon jacket (or Gore-Tex jacket for that matter) as a wind shirt, what you will get is a sauna inside! That’s because rainwear is highly waterproof but is not very breathable. How Do I Use It?—The key to comfort is wearing the right amount of insulation under your wind shirt. It depends a lot on the temperature, wind and weather, and your activity level. I will often wear a wind shirt over just a hiking shirt or base layer. For me it’s a very comfortable combination. When I stop for more than just a couple of minutes, I put an insulation layer on over my wind shirt to keep me warm, then I take it back off when I resume hiking. If I get too warm with the wind shirt on I take it off; if the wind comes up and I feel chilled, I put it back on. What Works Best As An Underlayer?—The base layer you wear under your wind shirt must be “hydrophilic” so that it wicks moisture (perspiration) away from your skin and transfers it to the outside where it can pass through your wind shell as water vapor. There are a lot of garments on the market that are classified as “wicking layers”. Most are made of treated polyester yarns. Merino wool breathes as well or better than most synthetic fabrics, and there are several excellent thin wool wicking base layers available. If you need more than a single base layer to stay warm, you can add a fleece layer or other synthetic insulation under your wind shell. How Much Rain Protection Will It Provide?—If you are actively hiking uphill a wind shirt worn over a wicking layer is an ideal system for hiking in light or intermittent rain or snow. Your body produces enough heat to maintain a dry and warm environment within the shell. For light rain, this system works far better than wearing a conventional waterproof-breathable rain suit. Waterproof-breathable fabrics (like Gore-Tex) are just not breathable enough to expel internal moisture from perspiration while actively hiking uphill. So what you get is a sauna inside, which gets worse as active exertion is sustained. It’s better to have more breathability and maintain a temperature on the cool side of comfortable, which is better for hiking uphill. The key properties that make a wind shirt work best are thinness, breathability, and water repellency. A thin wind shirt is very lightweight and compressible, so it’s no problem to carry. It will also be comfortable over a wider range of conditions and dry out quickly. A wind shirt is so versatile that you will find yourself wearing it more often than anything else in your pack. By Will Rietveld Here are a few tidbits of information that may be useful. I’m sure many of you are already aware of these things, so bear with me, maybe there is something you don’t already know.
Map Miles and Trail Miles I have found that one of the best ways to measure distance hiked is to keep track of my time on the trail. Most experienced hikers know what their hiking speed is (for example 2.5 miles per hour), so all you have to do is multiply the number of hours you hiked by your hiking speed to get the total distance. Make a deduction for your rest stops and lunch break. It comes out amazingly close.
Maintaining a Climbing Pace
Hiking Down a Slope I hope you found something useful. Happy hiking! By Will Rietveld As we enter the rainy season, and many of us are anointed with a heavy dose of mountain mist in the form of afternoon thunderstorms, it is appropriate to discuss the topic of rainwear. What kinds of rainwear are available, and what should I get? Most people want something that really works, is lightweight and compact, and doesn’t cost too much. As I discuss the options, it is really easy for the topic to get highly technical. I will spare you the physics lesson, but if you want to read more, go to www.BackpackingLight.com and read the article on “Waterproof Breathable Fabric Technologies: A Comprehensive Primer and State of the Market Technology Review” by Alan Dixon. His knowledge of fabric technologies is amazing. Types of Rainwear I am simplifying this topic a great deal to keep it down to a short article. Basically, there are three categories of rainwear in terms of waterproofness and breathability: 1) waterproof/breathable, 2) waterproof/non-breathable, and 3) water-repellent/breathable. The first type is the most popular. These garments are waterproof, and breathe reasonably well (depending on the fabric technology), and need supplementary ventilation to make them comfortable for hiking. The second type of garment is waterproof, and requires lots and lots of ventilation or it will get very steamy inside (it probably will anyway). The third type is more accurately called “shower-proof’—it’s waterproof up to a point and then wets trough, but is significantly more breathable. There are 8 types of rainwear in terms of fabric technologies: 1) Gore-Tex, 2) other waterproof/breathables, 3) microporous polyurethane laminates, 4) Propore fabrics, 5) stretch woven fabrics, 6) polyurethane coated fabrics, 7) silicone impregnated nylons, and 8) plastics. The first four are waterproof and breathable, the fifth is water repellent and breathable, and the last three are waterproof and non-breathable.
Rainwear Descriptions
Do you feel a bit overwhelmed? I certainly do. I have tried a lot of different rainwear, and find the whole topic of rainwear to be rather complex and frustrating. There is no ideal rainwear that really stands out. Rather than plunk down a lot of $$ for the high tech stuff, which is actually fairly heavy, I personally opt for the Propore-type rainwear. What I currently recommend is the RainShield O2 hooded jacket and a pair of lightweight microporous polyurethane laminate pants like the Marmot PreCip pants or similar. Rain pants wear out faster from sitting on rocks and logs, so that is why I prefer the more durable nylon pants. As you can see, there are a lot of rainwear options. Fabric technology and the science of breathability have come a long way in the past 25 years, and seems to be getting close to providing us with the ideal rainwear. It will arrive within the next 5 years, but it won’t be cheap. Meanwhile I will be happy with my RainShield jacket; if it rips I can always buy another one. By Will Rietveld I’m not talking about eggs or people’s heads, although that has some possibilities! Rather, I’m talking about clothing for weather protection. You have probably noticed the terminology “hardshells” and “softshells”, and wondered what the difference is. Actually it’s a bit murky because there are a lot of variations and exceptions, but I will try to give a good general description and some examples so you will understand the basic differences. A “hardshell” is anything similar to Gore-Tex, that is, a micro-porous membrane laminated to a nylon fabric that provides waterproofness and breathability. They are called waterproof/breathable, or W/B garments. There are a lot of products out there that are similar to Gore-Tex; it seems like every manufacturer has their own proprietary W/B fabric technology. The products range from lighter weight rain clothing to heavier, full-featured “tech jackets” that provide serious weather protection, especially in winter. A “softshell” is made with a highly breathable, but weather-resistant fabric. Most do not have a membrane laminated to a fabric. A “stretchwoven” softshell, means it incorporates Lycra or a special weave that increases its ability to stretch and accommodate body movements. Many stretchwoven fabrics are made by Schoeller, with names like “Dryskin” and “Dynamic”. Some fabrics, like Pertex Equilibrium have a “denier gradient” design that passively moves moisture from the inner face to the outer face of a fabric with a denier (and thus, capillary diameter) gradient driving capillary action. Ibex Climawool is a tight weave of nylon, merino wool, and Lycra that incorporates the attributes of wool into a weather-resistant fabric. EPIC fabric is made of thread that has been soaked with silicone before the fabric is woven. It is the lightest of the softshell fabrics. In hardshells, the laminated membrane that accounts for its W/B features has major limitations. The waterproofness of a Gore-Tex jacket, for example, only lasts for about a year. Then the garment starts to “weep”, that is, moisture soaks through and the inside of the jacket gets damp, and consequently your clothing gets damp. This is caused by the loss of the “durable water-repellent (DWR)” chemical treatment on the surface of the garment, and the pores of the membrane getting clogged with dirt and oils. To remedy the problem, Gore-Tex garments need to be kept clean and the DWR treatment occasionally renewed with products from Revivex or Nikwax. In addition to the weeping problem, W/B garments are not very breathable. The product hype says they are breathable, but bottomline they are not very breathable. Anyone who has drenched him/herself with sweat in a hard shell while hiking hard in the backcountry knows what I am talking about. You get almost as wet from sweat on the inside of the jacket as you do from rain on the outside! Newer hardshell products like Gore-Tex Paclite III and XCR, and e-VENT from another company are significant improvements over the old Gore-Tex fabrics. For serious winter rain, snow, or cold, a hard shell garment is still a good way to go. The beauty of softshell garments is their high breathability and broad comfort range, much greater than hardshells. They are also quite durable, wind-resistant, and water resistant. Note that I said water-resistant and not waterproof. Softshells work great for light and intermittent rain or snow, but they will eventually wet through in hard and continuous rain. For light and intermittent precipitation conditions, which is the case much of the time, serious outdoors people find a softshell garment much more versatile. Compared to hardshells, the breathability and temperature regulation of softshells are a blessing. They will shed a shower, light rain, or intermittent rain with aplomb and dry out quickly. You can actually hike uphill in a softshell garment without it turning into a sauna inside! A softshell garment also has a broad comfort range, meaning it will be comfortable to wear from sub-freezing temperatures to summer hiking temperatures. The fabric is a little thicker, and gives the impression that it will be too warm to wear for hiking, but the performance proves otherwise. A softshell garment weighs a few ounces more than a hard shell, but the additional comfort and versatility are usually worth the extra weight. The lightest softshell jackets and pants are getting down to about 15 ounces each, depending on features. Finally, like most high tech outdoor clothing these days, softshell garments are pricey (so is Gore-Tex). Expect to pay around $150-$200 (or more) for a jacket and $100-$150 for the pants. If you want to get more information on softshells and read reviews on specific products, go to www.BackpackingLight.com. They have a wealth of information on the subject, as well as many other subjects related to outdoor gear. Enjoy and care for our wonderful backcountry. Happy hiking! |