Winter Clothing
It's been awhile since I did a winter outing(40 years)--what is the best clothing and boots for an winter outing?
Avoid cotton like the plague.
Basically you need a base layer wool or synthetic, an insulation layer, wool, synthetic, or down, and then a shell.
personally I prefer to go with wool base layer, synthetic mid layer insulation, down jacket, and a wind jacket.
I only hike in trail runners, but in the winter if there is standing snow of any depth I'd suggest a pair of Goretex light hiker boots by any of the major brands. Make sure to try them on and avoid wearing too heavy of socks. Dry feet are key this time of year.
its all about layering when hiking in winter. u need to remember when on the move u will be very warm and will need to adjust your layering to keep from sweating. i like to start out with a thin base layer, medium layer and a breathable fleece on top of those [upper torso]or even another layer under the fleece depending how cold it is. then u want a real nice down jacket to use when your not hiking or something that is nice n toasty..the tricky part is geting it correct fom the waist down to your feet. depending on the amount of snow u may be going thru your bottoms can be minimal or if going thru deep snow then you will need full coverage. i usually hike with a pr of synthetic type long john bottom and regular zipoff cargo pants if its just cold and no deep snow along with a regular setup for my feet.a nice pr of merino wool socks and my asolo goretex summitt boot[$$uggh]...keep in mind this is for basic winter travel[easy/minimal snow]...now if u plan on going thru endless amounts of snow and cold thru the white mtns this setup may not be enough and i guarantee it is not enough. i hope this helps.
I layer up with an Arc Teryx Montain hard shell and soft shell, with insulated bibs. cost a bundle but will use on the Matterhorn 2014.
Well it al depends on your hiking style really
My winter gear is
Smartwool NTS midweight upper
Columbia polyester hoody
Marmot ares down jacket
Addidas climalite t-shirt
Columbia omni-tech raincoat
Under Armour 3.0 base pants
Addidas Shorts
Outdoor research Gaiters
2 Nike elite Socks
1 Smartwool midweight socks
Marmot precip pants
DC stillwater mittens
Carhartt beanie
Spy sunglasses if its gonna be snowy
Nike sweatpants for camp
Scarpa Kailish boots
-i can always make it work with some combination of these items
i try to hike till dark so if im cold at camp i get in my sleeping bag, if you dont like doing that maybe bring something extra for camp.
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