Dressing for cold weather hikes

When your are dressing for cold weather hikes you will need to keep a few tips in mind. Cold weather hiking can get dangerous if you don't follow these.

Sweating while you are “cold weather hiking” is the most important thing to avoid if at all possible. Sweating while hiking will actually make you colder and makes for a miserable night of sleeping. You can regulate your body temperature by layering your clothes and watching what type of clothes you wear.

You will want to wear synthetic and wool materials as much as possible. Synthetic materials like polyester, polypropylene, acrylic, and fleece. Synthetics and wool will retain their insulating factor even when they get wet. Cottons will not, it will actually soak any moisture up like a sponge.

Layer your clothing as much as possible when dressing for cold weather hikes.

Your base layer will need to be a material that wicks away the moisture from your body. Synthetics like polypropylene work well for this. Silk underwear is a good alternative but is not as effective as polypropylene. When you are ready to purchase underwear you will find three different grades:; light, medium and expedition. The expedition is recommended for helping you stay warm. You can always take off outer layers if need be. Stay away from cotton long johns, you don't want to be changing underwear in the middle of a hike.

For your middle layer, pants and shirts, you can use wool. Wool insulates very well and dries quickly which makes it an excellent choice. Wool is the choice of clothing in the cold areas of the world like Scotland, Iceland amongst others, so it is a proven choice of material. Synthetics also work well but may require an extra layer.

For your outer layer use a synthetic jacket that goes down to just below your waist. Try to find one that is wind and water resistant. Synthetics are light and breathe well, allowing your body heat to escape, which helps regulate your body temperature. A wool jacket, although tempting, is bulky and heavy and will take up a lot of room in your backpack when you are not using it.

More tips for dressing for cold weather hikes:
Use a stocking cap to help you keep warm. You lose a lot of body heat out through the top of your head and a good stocking cap will prevent that. You can take the cap off to help cool down, remember no sweating, but it should be the first thing you put back on when you are done hiking.

A good pair of gloves are essential for cold weather hiking, it's hard to walk with your hands in your pockets when you are trying to climb rocks and hills. Mitten work the best to keep your hands warm, but their downfall is, you can't use your fingers if you need them. Wool also works well in this situation.

Pay close attention to keeping your feet warm. Start with good socks, use a combination of synthetic and wool. A good synthetic sock liner will wick away the moisture to the wool, which can absorb a lot before it gets saturated. Synthetic socks also work well. Always carry an extra pair or two to change into if your feet get wet or cold. Always put on a dry pair when you are done hiking.

Insulated boots are something that need to be looked at when dressing for cold weather hikes. Also look for boots with a rubber bottom and leather uppers, they work well for hiking through snow. Some leathers are more waterproof than others so be careful of what you buy.

If you are hiking in deep snow, over 6 inches, then you will want a pair of gaiters. Gaiter will stop the snow from coming in over the boot tops, since that is the area on the boot that will be the warmest.

If you are going over or climbing ice then you will need a good pair of ice cleats. When the sun is setting in the evening the slush on the trail will freeze which makes for difficult walking. A pair of cleats will give you traction and help you gain a lot more ground to get you to where you want to go. Ice cleats are simply sandals that strap on to your boots.

One more thing when dressing for cold weather hikes. Make sure you have a good flashlight or headlamp and extra batteries. The sun sets a lot earlier and comes up a lot later so you will probably need them.

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