Recently temperatures got down to around 10 degrees, and it had not been this cold in thirty-plus years. I still went out for walks and took pictures, and layered up to stay warm. I will discuss what I wore to keep warm.
As anybody that goes hiking, I like to dress in layers. First, I will describe what I used to keep my torso warm. For my first layer, I wore a MERIWOOL Men’s Base Layer – 100% Merino Wool Midweight Long Sleeve Thermal Shirt. Merino wool is a fine wool, and it keeps you warm even if it is wet. It also feels good against my skin.
The second layer I wore is a Woolrich Men’s Bering Wool Plaid Shirt. This is a traditional wool shirt, and I don’t have to worry about it being itchy since it is not a base layer.
For the third layer, I wore a Columbia Men’s Steens Mountain Full Zip 2.0 Fleece. This is a polyester fleece jacket. With this layer, I can take it off and put it back on if I cool off or warm-up. Polyester is an excellent hiking fabric since it is quick drying.
For the final layer, I put on a Carhartt Men’s Shoreline Vapor Jacket. This jacket is 100 percent nylon and has lots of pockets to carry stuff. This jacket protects me from elements such as snow and rain. Nylon, like polyester, is also quick drying.
For my legs, I used a couple of layers. I wore only the leggings from Thermajohn Men’s Ultra Soft Thermal Underwear Long Johns Set with Fleece Lined for my base layer. The material is 92 percent soft polyester and 8 percent spandex.
For my pants, I wore FREE SOLDIER Men’s Fleece Lined Outdoor Cargo Hiking Pants Water Repellent Softshell Snow Ski Pants with Zipper Pockets. These are budget snow pants and worked very well for me.
To keep my head warm, I wore two of the Minus33 Merino Wool 740 Expedition Balaclavas. This is made of 100 percent merino wool. One was not enough to keep me warm, so I had to wear two.
To keep my feet warm I wore Darn Tough Merino Wool Boot socks and Merrell Men’s Moab 2 hiking boots.
Let’s not forget about underwear which can be overlooked. As always, don’t wear cotton underwear. I like Fruit of the Loom Breathable Micromesh underwear. It is made out of 93 percent polyester and 7 percent spandex and is cheap.
Overall, it is costly to stay warm but worth it if you are in the elements all day. I will also say I like wool since it does not stink. The disadvantage is that it is expensive and not very durable. I have to hand wash all my wool garments. Synthetics such as polyester are more durable, and you can wash in the washing machine. The major disadvantage is that they get pretty stinky.