Believe it or not, now is the time for us to be looking for winter clothing. For those of us in the Rockies, we are well aware of what winter brings in temperature, snow and wind. Those of you in more temperate climates, feel lucky now, but be aware that as things deteriorate in our country, you may be forced to move into those beautiful snowy mountains. Here are some thoughts about warm cold weather clothing.
Insulation is nothing more than providing dead air space for heat to be stored. Therefore, higher bulk clothing is more insulating than thin clothing: Wool is better than cotton, nylon, rayon or any other clothing fabric except for maybe polypropylene There are always exceptions to the rule, but for the most part this is a pretty good rule. Therefore, it figures that a high loft down parka, as long as it is dry, will provide the wearer with excellent insulation.
There was a key phrase there. Did you pick it out? Well to remind you, the key phrase was " as long as it is dry ". Snow seldom wets down,only because of the nylon fabric that is used as the outer windbreaker surface and most if not all down parka manufacturers use water resistant material for this purpose. But, if it gets wet, it is absolutely useless in the cold weather.
So, what other types of fabrics provide good insulation. Again, bulk is one key. The next is the type of filling that is used to provide the insulation. After the dawn of the synthetic age, Dacron and other synthetic batting became very popular. It provided good loft, and the synthetic nature of the batting meant that even if wet, it would provide some insulation. Over the years the materials have been specially designed so that the moisture would freeze in the fiber, and then could actually be broken off of the batting, by simply a hardy shake. This was a great selling feature when I was selling sleeping bags at the local sporting goods store. Down was great, but the synthetic fiber was more popular.
The military went one step further by including down, feathers and a synthetic batting for their sleeping systems. The idea being that if the down got wet, the feathers would still provide some loft, and adding the synthetic batting would also provide the loft necessary to be able to stay warm enough not to freeze.
Back in the days of my youth...just about the time that dirt was created, when I went skiing we relied mostly on cotton thermal underwear...the white waffle kind, and then a good pair of down snow bibs, and a down parka. No layering, just a good coat we felt was all that was necessary.
I always seemed to get cold anyway, and so the next year, I'd purchase a bigger coat, until I looked a lot like the Pillsbury Dough Boy. The reason? We didn't take into account the fact that our bodies were sweating, and the good old cotton underwear became moist, lost it's loft and actually became a better conduit for cold than our own bare skin.
Enter layering.
As time went on, we found that if we could stop the wind from penetrating our coats, and we were wearing some sweater type insulating material, the bulk problem disappeared. Then the thin parka/windbreaker became very popular. It was long, and reached nearly to our knees. It had zippers on the sides, and in the front that could be adjusted upwards so as not to encumber our legs and arms while skiing, and we could also regulate the amount of air that got inside the coat. Unfortunately, we were still wearing cotton for the underwear, and it still got damp from our sweat.
We then discovered that wool. It seemed that wool was the best type of under garment to use, because it would not get wet, and the bulk was still there for greater insulation. However, wool itches and can become very uncomfortable for some people to wear close to their skin. Eventually, polypropylene was invented, and with it a breathable, water wicking underwear became the rage.
Open cell foam is an excellent insulator. It is breathable, and allows the moisture to pass through, and still hold the heat in. I was on a winter camp a few years ago. We were ice fishing at a mountain lake, not far from home. The weather was clear, and in the winter, this usually means COLD. Especially at night when there are no clouds, all of the heat escapes skyward. The temperatures dropped to about forty degrees below zero F. A year before, I learned a lesson not to sleep on top of the snow. You have to remove the snow down to the bare frozen ground. I don't remember a more uncomfortable night, as I continued to roll like I was on a spit...but no fire, just ice.
I read about a man named Jim Phillips, who had tested many different materials to see which one was the best insulator. He found that 1" or 2" layers on top of a sleeping bag was the most efficient way to stay warm. Underneath the sleeping bag he used a 3" or 4" open cell foam pad. I tried his system that year when the temperature got so cold. I was surprised at how warm I stayed using this simple system of newspaper, plastic sheeting, foam under pad and a 1" foam cover over the sleeping bag; then wrapping myself up like a mummy in the plastic sheeting. My son and I literally had to open our bags because we got too hot. Most of the others were in their cars with the engines running, trying to stay warm with the car heaters. In the morning the plastic sheeting had the moisture from our bodies frozen on it. A matter of a shake or two, and the water vapor turned ice was gone. We actually breathed in the plastic sheeting. Note, this is not like thin dry cleaners plastic, but heavy visqueen material.
Now, Jim Phillips has designed a foam clothing system that can be used underneath a windbreaker. He also designed foam gloves, hats, boots and other accessories. They do work, but with heavy use, they have a tendency to break down. So, it is wise to either purchase extra clothing, or get the patterns and make some extras.
I have found that if you can find merino wool, this is one of the best layering natural fibers. The merino wool is short stranded, and does not cause itching found in regular wool clothing. The one bad thing is the cost. It is similar to cashmere in it's feel, and it also doesn't pick up the sweaty smell that other wool products do. You can layer 2 or 3 sweaters, and find yourself in non-bulky bliss. I find that if I continue to look for merino wool sweaters and pullovers in the second-hand stores this time of year, most times I can pick it up for about $5.00 a sweater. Also, merino wool socks are excellent for boots as they don't itch, pass moisture, and wear very well.
Try and stay with natural colors like brown, tan, light green or other natural color. Blue and red are not natural colors!
Insulation is nothing more than providing dead air space for heat to be stored. Therefore, higher bulk clothing is more insulating than thin clothing: Wool is better than cotton, nylon, rayon or any other clothing fabric except for maybe polypropylene There are always exceptions to the rule, but for the most part this is a pretty good rule. Therefore, it figures that a high loft down parka, as long as it is dry, will provide the wearer with excellent insulation.
There was a key phrase there. Did you pick it out? Well to remind you, the key phrase was " as long as it is dry ". Snow seldom wets down,only because of the nylon fabric that is used as the outer windbreaker surface and most if not all down parka manufacturers use water resistant material for this purpose. But, if it gets wet, it is absolutely useless in the cold weather.
So, what other types of fabrics provide good insulation. Again, bulk is one key. The next is the type of filling that is used to provide the insulation. After the dawn of the synthetic age, Dacron and other synthetic batting became very popular. It provided good loft, and the synthetic nature of the batting meant that even if wet, it would provide some insulation. Over the years the materials have been specially designed so that the moisture would freeze in the fiber, and then could actually be broken off of the batting, by simply a hardy shake. This was a great selling feature when I was selling sleeping bags at the local sporting goods store. Down was great, but the synthetic fiber was more popular.
The military went one step further by including down, feathers and a synthetic batting for their sleeping systems. The idea being that if the down got wet, the feathers would still provide some loft, and adding the synthetic batting would also provide the loft necessary to be able to stay warm enough not to freeze.
Back in the days of my youth...just about the time that dirt was created, when I went skiing we relied mostly on cotton thermal underwear...the white waffle kind, and then a good pair of down snow bibs, and a down parka. No layering, just a good coat we felt was all that was necessary.
I always seemed to get cold anyway, and so the next year, I'd purchase a bigger coat, until I looked a lot like the Pillsbury Dough Boy. The reason? We didn't take into account the fact that our bodies were sweating, and the good old cotton underwear became moist, lost it's loft and actually became a better conduit for cold than our own bare skin.
Enter layering.
As time went on, we found that if we could stop the wind from penetrating our coats, and we were wearing some sweater type insulating material, the bulk problem disappeared. Then the thin parka/windbreaker became very popular. It was long, and reached nearly to our knees. It had zippers on the sides, and in the front that could be adjusted upwards so as not to encumber our legs and arms while skiing, and we could also regulate the amount of air that got inside the coat. Unfortunately, we were still wearing cotton for the underwear, and it still got damp from our sweat.
We then discovered that wool. It seemed that wool was the best type of under garment to use, because it would not get wet, and the bulk was still there for greater insulation. However, wool itches and can become very uncomfortable for some people to wear close to their skin. Eventually, polypropylene was invented, and with it a breathable, water wicking underwear became the rage.
Open cell foam is an excellent insulator. It is breathable, and allows the moisture to pass through, and still hold the heat in. I was on a winter camp a few years ago. We were ice fishing at a mountain lake, not far from home. The weather was clear, and in the winter, this usually means COLD. Especially at night when there are no clouds, all of the heat escapes skyward. The temperatures dropped to about forty degrees below zero F. A year before, I learned a lesson not to sleep on top of the snow. You have to remove the snow down to the bare frozen ground. I don't remember a more uncomfortable night, as I continued to roll like I was on a spit...but no fire, just ice.
I read about a man named Jim Phillips, who had tested many different materials to see which one was the best insulator. He found that 1" or 2" layers on top of a sleeping bag was the most efficient way to stay warm. Underneath the sleeping bag he used a 3" or 4" open cell foam pad. I tried his system that year when the temperature got so cold. I was surprised at how warm I stayed using this simple system of newspaper, plastic sheeting, foam under pad and a 1" foam cover over the sleeping bag; then wrapping myself up like a mummy in the plastic sheeting. My son and I literally had to open our bags because we got too hot. Most of the others were in their cars with the engines running, trying to stay warm with the car heaters. In the morning the plastic sheeting had the moisture from our bodies frozen on it. A matter of a shake or two, and the water vapor turned ice was gone. We actually breathed in the plastic sheeting. Note, this is not like thin dry cleaners plastic, but heavy visqueen material.
Now, Jim Phillips has designed a foam clothing system that can be used underneath a windbreaker. He also designed foam gloves, hats, boots and other accessories. They do work, but with heavy use, they have a tendency to break down. So, it is wise to either purchase extra clothing, or get the patterns and make some extras.
I have found that if you can find merino wool, this is one of the best layering natural fibers. The merino wool is short stranded, and does not cause itching found in regular wool clothing. The one bad thing is the cost. It is similar to cashmere in it's feel, and it also doesn't pick up the sweaty smell that other wool products do. You can layer 2 or 3 sweaters, and find yourself in non-bulky bliss. I find that if I continue to look for merino wool sweaters and pullovers in the second-hand stores this time of year, most times I can pick it up for about $5.00 a sweater. Also, merino wool socks are excellent for boots as they don't itch, pass moisture, and wear very well.
Try and stay with natural colors like brown, tan, light green or other natural color. Blue and red are not natural colors!
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