I think the best base layers are made of merino wool. This material wicks away moisture if you get a little sweaty, retains insulation properties even when damp. But what to me really sets merino wool apart from synthetic materials it somehow resists odor and funk better than anything else in my experience. Also, unlike poly-based base layers, it won’t melt, which is good if you are ever warming up around a fire.Originally Posted by rob_s
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Buckle Up. Good on you for thinking about this now.
If you had a budget in mind, I could make better recommendations. Will you be driving/carrying on or checking a bag?
Layers-
Merino Wool- Pros-Warm/packs light/naturally antibacterial so it does not hold stink/retains 70+% of its warming properties even when wet/naturally flame resistant
Cons-Can be expensive relative to synthetics, can be more fragile than synthetics/can shrink if improperly washed and/or dried
Note-most products in this space are made in China. This may be a space where if you want the product, you have to buy from China.
Synthetics-Pros-warm/packs light/much more durable relative to merino wool/often much less expensive than merino wool/stuff that will work is readily available at many big box stores.
Cons-not as warm as merino gram for gram/not as warm if wet/can hold stink such that they really need to be washed in Oxy clean on the regular/can be flammable
Socks- Merino Wool- Historically, Costco sold a 70+ % Merino Wool Sock Made in the USA for under 20USD in a 4 pk. These are simply great. I am told that this year's model is not as good and has much less wool in them. Legacy stuff is now going for 60USD a 4 pk on amazon and ebay and is probably still "worth" it relative to Smartwool and Darn Tough which are superlative at 20 USD EACH. Having said that, cold feet suck, buy good socks. NO COTTON AT ALL.
Hat/gloves-Fleece hat big enough to cover your head easily. I am a big Outdoor Research fan re Gloves. Having said that, Costco sells a "Head" and "Spyder" brands in weights that would likely
work well for you.
Scarf-I like the variety and fashion of them.
Buff- A great piece of gear and may make more sense than a scarf in a covid world where you can pull it up over your face and nose.
Given who you are and where you are from, you would probably get more "value" out of a puffy coat and a wind/rain shell over it than a 1 piece design
IMHO- the intersection of quality/value/performance/fashion is Uniqlo for outerwear and their HEATTECH base layers.
https://www.uniqlo.com/us/en/men
When I was outfitting Scouts and Scout Parents- Sierra Trading Post was a go to place.
https://www.sierra.com/
There is no doubt that Arcteryx is the best made mass market outdoor gear sold in the outwear space. It is usually priced accordingly. Try to find it 25% off. It is rarely more than 35% retail.
I am not your attorney. I am not giving legal advice. Any and all opinions expressed are personal and my own and are not those of any employer-past, present or future.
I just wear layers. I don't look at thread counts or merino wool or wicking anything. Just layers. I wear a tank top, a t-shirt, some sort of sweater and a jacket. And jeans. That's it. I live in the NE, yesterday was windy and 22°. Because of the wind I wore a hoody, one you'd normally wear in the spring or early fall, and a jacket.
This was the jacket
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Rugged-El...ze-L/910140544
If I spent all day outside I would probably have different clothing but being mostly indoors with some outdoor stuff this was fine. Even took my dog out for half hour. Only regret was that I didn't bring gloves.
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To keep the budget down you might try buying second hand, especially if you're only going to use it for a single trip. Besides Craigslist, next door and Facebook marketplace I think Patagonia and REI sell used clothing. Especially for an insulating layer you're just going to cover with a shell.
Familiar with both areas and conditions. Depending on how we quantify "budget" I could give you a shopping list, but the principles are pretty universal. Complementary layers that can be added or shed as needed, moisture wicking and breathable if you're going to be active, wind resistant and DWR is always handy, minimize bulk wherever possible for comfort and packability. Playing outside, start with wool or fleece undies and tees, long or short as you wish, under insulated or non-insulated softshell tech fabrics. Wool lined gloves and beanies. GTG wool socks like Darn Tough, Fits, a few others, inside your footwear of choice.
GJM's Arc reference is solid. Buy once, cry once. There is also great benefit in working within a manufacturer's system, as the layers are more complementary and sized to fit together. It may not be "budget", but it needn't be terribly expensive either. His suggestion below is Arteryx. I wear a lot of Beyond, and their import line is solid.
Going home to Florida, you won't have much need for a budget friendly big puffy jacket. But a smartly chosen combination of softshell jacket, wool or fleece mid-layer, base layers, and tech pants will continue to be useable.
A lot of stuff out there works, and it becomes degrees of well and combination of features at given price points.
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Get a knit beanie that you like. I have a Marmot with a fleece band stitched to the inside that is superb. I also have an FMF (powersports exhaust) logowear beanie that I must've picked up on some deep discount years ago. It has proven remarkably competent this winter, with impressive wicking capabilities. I watched the precipitation change from rain to snow on Christmas morning, and it did great all week. I have less hair than you, but in relevant conditions (still well above freezing), I'd rather have a t-shirt and a beanie than a jacket and nothing on my head.
I haven't seen it mentioned yet, but when I lived near mountains and spent extended time outdoors in snow, I really liked silk long johns as a base layer. Even better than wool. But I don't bother unless I plan to be outdoors (or possibly outdoors) in snow all day.
I'm good down to the mid 30s as long as I'm active and it's a relatively dry cold with just an insulated Dickies "Eisenhower" jacket. If I'm going to be less active or out for a longer period of time, I do more.
My basic building block is a "down sweater," basically a lightweight down jacket. Has a big, tall collar that does the job of a scarf really well. It weighs almost nothing and packs down to about the size of a softball if you need to do that. Amazingly warm. I picked it up on an end of season clearance for about $50 at the local REI nearly a decade ago. Over that, depending on conditions (rain, snow, wind, etc., I have an REI brand Gore-Tex shell that I bought in 1996 and has been almost everywhere with me. Still going strong, although if I used it more or harder, I probably would have killed it and replaced it with something tougher. If needed, I'll add a first underlayer, something like a thin fleece. With that, I can be outside and not super active for a couple hours down to about 20. If I'm active, I might sweat even at that temp.
I haven't had any reason to be out much colder than that in recent years, as the (work) equipment I use starts having issues. Replacing the Gore-Tex shell with a decent quality winter parka gets me down to zero or so. At that point, you need to pay attention to exposed skin. I took my usual 40-minute walk last February when it was about 6 here for a couple days, and I think I damaged the skin on my lip a little bit. Some kind of wind protection would have been good. That's when I revived this thread. I still "need" to do something there, although I haven't actually "needed" to yet.
Since you're a Milwaukee guy, you might at least check out their line of M12 heated gear.
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Not another dime.
definitely an option. Wife is all over poshmark for her and the kids' gear.
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Fair point, and generally I'd agree, but frankly I'm more than a little annoyed at the two trips as it is (both have skiing components that I'm opting out of, because I don't see the point in skiing twice ever) and would prefer to not repeat either of these trips or any other involving these temps. It's downright goddamn uncivilized!
But, as mentioned, poshmark is an option and the wife has been on a buying frenzy for her and the girls, including their ski gear (I fly out after their done with that folly).
I just don't know what I don't know and kind of need an infant's guide to dressing for cold.
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something else that occurs to me... frozen water. I think y'all call it "snow"?
I don't expect I'll be rolling around in it like some kind of child, but particularly in Jackson likely won't be able to avoid it. Do I need to be thinking about fancy footwear (other than my standard GoreTex laceup Keen boots?) or pants (other than Wranglers over some longjohns?)?
My go-to everyday boot is a Doc Martens Chelsea Boot. I'm operating under the assumption that those boots, the aforementioned Keens, and some Smartwool socks will be sufficient?
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Growing up in the northeast we used to put plastic bread bags over our socks before putting boots on for some extra warmth before going out to play in the snow. Vapor barrier socks are the grownup version of this. That and warm socks might add enough warmth that you could use your existing boots.
Windblock fleece hats help a lot in cold weather. But it has to be cold as I'll quickly get overheated if not. I find regular 'ski' hat style puts pressure on my ears/eyeglasses and after too long can become uncomfortable. The Peruvian style hats, with the earflaps, keep my ears warm without this.
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