How To Layer For Cold Weather: (From A Polar Training)

Learning how to layer for cold weather isn’t as complex as you might think. IT IS hard to find the right “system”, but once you have it down, you will be able to layer in temperatures reaching 30 below and colder. Although these were the clothes we used during extremely cold weather, you can apply the same techniques for dressing anywhere cold.

Preview: Through this post, I am going to share a collection of what I have learned through my uncle who went on a North Pole expedition, 2 Polar expedition training courses, working aside one of the world’s greatest Polar Explorers Eric Larsen, and other cold weather trips.

When it comes to extremely cold weather, layering your clothes is one of the most important things to focus on because it can be the difference between a good adventure or… hypothermia. It is also important to balance your body temperature to avoid overheating and sweating as that can also create a negative experience.

However, in this article, you are going to get a good idea of how to effectively create your own layering system that allows you to enjoy the winter environment when others may not! So let’s get in on how to layer for cold weather!

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How To Layer For Cold Weather

1: Keeping Your Head And Neck Warm

You may have heard that most of your body heat is lost through your head.. well this isn’t true. It IS true that about 10% of your body heat is lost. So all in all, it is still very important to cover up any exposed areas and this is how we do it:

• Neck Gaiter: You’d be surprised by how much warmth can escape from your neck. We minimize the heat loss by wearing it over our ears but below our mouth (as pictured).
• Stocking Cap: Any stocking caps will do here as long as it covers your ears and is a material such as polyester or wool.
• Neoprene Face-Mask or “Polar Nose Beak”: A wind-resistant face mask prevents wind from hitting bare skin. This is especially important in environments where strong straight-lined winds are common. A nose beak is a special homemade sewn piece of gear with fleece on the inside and nylon on the outside. This is to replace the face mask- as you can see in the photo above.
• Balaclava: These would be worn on extremely cold or windy days. Too hot for warmer days.
• Goggles/Glacier Glasses: On sunny days when the sun is reflecting off the snow, it can be extremely blinding! Goggles are an essential part of the layering system when temperatures really dip in the extremes.
• Fur Ruff: The Fur Ruff that is sewn onto your windproof Anorak layer creates a warmer atmosphere inside the hood and does a good job of blocking much of the wind. In polar environments, you can get powerful straight-lined winds which can prove to be brutal.

2: Layering Your Upper Body

Here is how to layer for the extreme cold weather like an expert… upper body edition! However, it is worth noting the importance of layering lighter-weight materials closest to your body, as it is easy to add layers but challenging to take off. When I first got into cold weather environments, I made the mistake of wearing a heavyweight wool shirt closest to my body. Don’t do the same.

• Light Weight T-shirt: Base layer lightweight t-shirt to begin.
• Light Weight Base-layer: I wore a lightweight Smartwool, long sleeve base-layer over my t-shirt and this proved to be a good system in conjunction with the Anorak on warmer days. Your body produces a lot of heat when you move throughout the day.
• Light Weight Quarter Zip Fleece: Adding a lightweight fleece jacket proved to be the most efficient on days below zero degrees Fahrenheit. Since we were constantly moving and working, this was my outermost “warmth” layer. Meaning that I wore my t-shirt, base layer, a lightweight quarter zip fleece as my third layer, and then my anorak on top. When it comes to extremely cold weather, you would be very surprised by how warm you can stay as long as you’re active. Just remember this… “work is warm”!
• Medium Weight Fleece: Adding a quarter zip medium weight jacket would be the layer over what was previously written on days where severe cold and wind were prevalent.
• Vest: When you feel your body getting chilled, throwing on a vest while you are moving is a great way to retain warmth without overheating as you would with the parka layer. Just get a vest that is large enough size to go over all layers. (This would be layered over your anorak)
• Parka: The “Break-time” warmth layer. In extremely cold weather, this layer is put on the second that you stop moving to eat, take a break, get cold, etc. This layer is truly the “king” of all layers and an expedition-rated thick parka is needed. The jacket goes directly over all other layers including your anorak.
• Anorak: This is a layer that fits over all base layers and acts as a wind barrier during cold weather. This is always worn unless conditions are truly warm. In order for the jacket to be the most effective, you should attach a fur ruff to the hood. Example: Wintergreen Anoraks

3: Not Losing Fingers

My hands tend to have horrible circulation, so finding a system that works is crucial to me. A major part of how to layer for cold weather comes with my hands for me. Some people can wear insulated gloves on warmer days, however, I found that I needed to have mittens on at all times. My system looks like this:

• Liner Gloves: Liner gloves are worn all day, every day. When temperatures dip into the negatives, touching any metal with bare skin can become a danger. Liner gloves are a necessity.
• Mitten Inserts: The layer under the shell mitten that provides insulation. We always take these mitten inserts out of our shells to dry them out. That’s why having a removable liner is necessary. You can put them in your sleeping bag for the night to wake up to warm, dry mittens.
• Shell Over-Mittens: Long shell over-mitts provide wind protection and waterproofing to keep moisture out.

4: Keeping Your Toes

Layering for your feet is practically the same as layering anywhere else. Start with a thin layer and add thickness as needed. Then, have a boot that has a removable liner (to dry out) that is oversized enough to fit your feet and socks without compressing them.

• Liner Socks: Any liner socks work great.
• Vapor Barrier Socks/ Bags: This vapor barrier bag stops your sweat from reaching the insulation layer (heavyweight wool socks). When it comes to choosing what to put over liner socks, you can get fancy and order vapor barrier socks, or you can reuse plastic grocery bags.
• Wool Socks: I wore regular Smartwool socks. These were great and kept my feet warm!
• Winter-Rated Boots: There are many options for winter-rated boots that will suffice, but having a removable inner liner is essential as you will be able to dry out the liners. Baffin makes great expedition boots. Make sure they are rated for the temperatures and conditions that you will be in.
• Snow Gaiters: Gaiters like these are essential for keeping snow out of your boots while keeping your feet dry. Wet feet are no fun (although it did happen to us often and sometimes it is out of your control). However, many shell bibs/pants have snow gaiters attached.

Winter Survival Tip: If you fall through the ice, once you get out, roll through the snow as it mimics a sponge and can soak up a significant amount of water- which could save your life as you work to warm up and get dry layers on.

5: Layering For Your Legs

My legs seem to stay the same temperature, so even during below zero degrees, I found myself only using a pair of two long underwear and shell bibs over them. Again, this layering is similar to the upper body section. Start with lighter-weight clothes and move up.

• Boxer Briefs: Exoficio boxers for me!
• Light Weight Long Underwear Bottoms: I wore medium-weight long underwear bottoms.
• Medium Weight Long Underwear Bottoms: Although I would layer 2 lightweight pairs before putting the medium weight on, this layer is important for the days that are extremely cold.
• Shell Pants or Bibs: Bibs are overly superior for real polar conditions as it retains more warmth compared to pants.

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Just listed in this article are the clothes that I wore on a day-to-day basis to stay warm in extremely cold weather. Not listed are the other clothing items that were carried either as backup layers, tent clothes, spares, etc. It is important to carry backup layers when traveling on ice (especially) in case of an event where you fall through.

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Thanks for checking out my guide on how to layer for cold weather!

Here are a few more related articles:

• 8 Best Hot Tents For Winter Camping (Ranked)
• Best Pulk Sled For Winter Camping (Ranked)
• Solo Camping For Beginners: Everything You Need To Know To Stay Safe

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