Posted by Rand Herman on February 3, 2008 at 5:52 PM
I am curious as to what works for you for cold weather clothing. What will keep you ventilated while snowshoeing (hiking) in extreme cold and warm when stopped waiting to take a photo? I've yet to find a good lightweight combination (base layer, mid layer, shell) that works for me.
Thanks for your input.
Posted by Rick Dunn on February 3, 2008 at 6:16 PM
The key for staying warm when starting/stopping repeatedly is a synthetic base layer that will wick away sweat and moisture. Working up a good sweat and then stopping and having a cold wet t-shirt stick to your skin is nasty.
Over the synthetic shirt and long underwear, I usually have a lightweight fleece vest or jacket, and then either a heavier jacket or water and wind-proof shell depending on the weather; both have adjustable ventilation under the arms to help regulate temperature. I prefer the shell/fleece combo when the temps will be moderate as I can pull off the shell and stick it in my pack once I get moving.
I also use gloves (actually mittens) where the thumb and finger pockets flip back so that I can work the camera/tripod controls more easily. I use liners under the gloves to keep my fingers reasonably warm while working the camera.
Posted by Roger Rouch on February 3, 2008 at 8:10 PM
If you don't mind shelling out a couple of bucks, the little heat generating envelopes called "hot hands" or the like are nice when it's really cold. You can stick them in gloves, or pockets and they last about 6 or 8 hours. Really helps warm up the hands when you have to take the gloves off for things and are also nice inside vest or inner layer pockets.
Posted by Brent Murphy on February 3, 2008 at 8:22 PM
For the legs, I usually just wear some long underwear and nylon hiking pants. If it's doing to be really bad out, I'll wear some shell pants on top.
Up top, I'll wear a polypro base layer and a fleece jacket. I'll then have a down jacket and a Gore-tex shell in my pack, to keep me warm when we stop to shoot for a while.
On the hands, I wear thin windproof gloves with textured fingers for shooting, then fleece gloves on top of that. I'll have some big shell mittens over that if necessary.
On the head, just a windproof fleece cap. If it's going to be just plain bitter cold, I'll throw in a lightweight balaclava.
Posted by Paul Beiser on February 3, 2008 at 8:32 PM
Great advice here. One addition - stopping to photograph in cold weather, I always have a down jacket (or synthetic) to throw on. Hiking I can have just a couple of layers, but stopping I always throw on a burly jacket and a warm hat.
Posted by Bret Edge on February 3, 2008 at 10:55 PM
I started using Icebreaker's merino wool thermal tops & bottoms last year and will never wear another synthetic garment. It's super soft, wicks moisture well and doesn't stink even after several days without washing it. On my legs, I only wear thermal bottoms and use some North Face Apex softshell pants, which block all wind and most moisture. Up top I wear a thermal top, an Icebreaker insulating layer and a Marmot soft shell jacket while hiking. When I stop to photograph I'll throw on a down jacket if it's really cold.
Most important for me is keeping my head and hands warm. I wear thin fleece gloves w/ a Windstopper lining and either a balaclava or fleece hat, both of which are wind-proof.
Wearing layers makes it easy to adjust your clothing to the temperature and activity while always maintaining a reasonable comfort level.
Posted by Jay Ryser on February 4, 2008 at 12:19 AM
I'm going to echo the merino wool as a base layer. I'm partial to Ibex (www.ibexwear.com) and Smartwool. Merino is very warm for the weight and manages moisture well.
I'm also a big soft shell fan. Instead of water PROOF shell (Goretex, etc.), I use a stretch woven or other breathable shell as an outer layer.
Mid layer depends on conditions, but the Ibex Shak shirt is wonderful for most conditions when I'm moving. My wife swears by an old Mountain Hardwear farmer john suit made of Power Stretch as a mid layer for almost everything. That's too warm for me.
A good hat & gloves/mittens are a must. I'm using a Buff - kind of a fleecy, stretchy combination neck gaiter, balaclava, hat that's very versatile.
Add a puffy jacket for the stops and some chemical handwarmers and you'll be set.
Posted by Art Escobado on February 4, 2008 at 1:05 AM
Wool warms when wet!
Posted by Rand Herman on February 4, 2008 at 10:10 AM
About shells: Goretex is too clammy for winter use (IMO) and the best bet is one of the Schoeller material softshells. I have Mtn Hardware and Patagonia softshells and really like the MH with a hood. I live in Mammut softshell pants for XC skiing and snowshoeing. I'm also a huge fan of Patagonia Capilene - P'gonia should be announcing their Feb sale very soon......
Posted by Mel Ladewig on February 4, 2008 at 12:35 PM
I guess I'm a bit more old school (even though at 29, I'm many years younger than most here). This winter was the first that I'd done significant amounts of winter photography. The past several years, my work made it nearly impossible to get out in the winter. Further in the past, my winter activities were mostly skiing, snowshoing and mountain climbing. Two things make winter landscape photography difficult in my opinion. First, you've got to carry a whole bunch more stuff. Secondly, you've got to stop and wait while you're getting the shot.
Like Brent, I like the smartwool stuff as a base layer. Very comfy. Not too hot. I rarely use the technical base layers, rather going straight to insulation layers that are easy to remove.
I own a "soft shell" as they call the newer style coats with a "windstopper" barrier and a nylon layer over a fleece layer. I like it for general wear and I like its breathability and general comfort. But this coat is a far cry from warm in my opinion. Its a good coat around town, or when actively moving, but in winter photography I usually find that I'm setting up my tripod and waiting in one place for too long, and need significantly more insulation.
I still think there is still a time and place for some of the mountaineering basics. You'll still find lofted insulation layers (poly or down fill) and gore tex shells in my pack. The goretex shell can add several degrees of warmth simply by cutting the wind from the insulation layers. But it is also valuable when you need a layer to stop the wind, but are heated to the point where you don't want insulation. Its also lightweight and compact. My newer gore tex is a Marmot 3 layer gore tex XCR coat, and I think its a big improvement in breathability from the older gore tex I own.
For my winter camping trip, this is what I wore.
Temp climbing into the area was 20-25 F. Overnight temp dropped to 13F (unseasonably warm after the previous weekend was in the -20 to -10F range).
Base insulation: Spyder* entrant insulated pants and gaiters, north face poly insulated and quilted jacket and a Marmot goretex shell. I switched between the insulation and goretex shell as my body temperature required. On the way down, I wore my marmot soft shell (which I brought in case the temps were as cold as the weekend before).
Light Gloves: I brought two pair. One pair were essentially the Marker Spring Glove, leather with light insulation and a very comfortable fit. The other gloves are a North Face windstopper glove. My hands tend to get very hot and sweat even in lightweight gloves, so I often need more than one pair of gloves for a multi day trip.
Boots: I opted for some new -40F Salomon boots for this trip. If I were always moving, my Salomon Super Mountain 9 boots were always fine, but I had been having trouble with warmth just standing around photographing this winter.
After I got to camp and was setting up to go shoot, I had these additional items.
700 fill North face down vest would go between the base insulation and the goretex shell.
Mountain hardware synthetic fill pants sized extra large so they can zip over any layers below.
Military surplus "nose wiper" mittens. They have "fur" on the back and go almost up to your elbows. I had never liked these much in the past, mostly because they are heavy, bulky and difficult to wear while doing stuff but they really work well for photography. It wasn't too cold on my trip, so I was able to work my cameras bare handed. But it was sure nice to stick my hands back into these mittens with a hand warmer activated inside between shots. They'd work equally well in colder weather if you needed to use liner gloves to work the cameras. I haven't seen an equivalent mitten in REI, Mountain Chalet etc... so you might need to make a trip to the military surplus store in search of these.
* A note about the Spyper pants. These are not ideal for winter hiking/photography in my opinion and I'll try to replace them with something similar that has full side zips. I consider full side zip pants to be essential for most winter activities because they give you the ability to change layers without removing your boots. I just haven't found something with the equivalent functionality of these pants in a full side zip yet, nylon water resistant shell with wear zone protection and light insulation.
Posted by Laurent Baig on February 4, 2008 at 5:48 PM
Put on an extra layer when you stop. Take it off when you start. If you're hiking and you start to sweat, peel a layer. Nuff said. There is no wonder fabric, the best you can do is layer, and use wicking fabrics as mentioned earlier.
Posted by Bret Edge on February 4, 2008 at 7:19 PM
Amen, Laurent.
Posted by bill meikle on February 5, 2008 at 8:18 PM
I'd recommend gloves like ski gloves, no fingers, easy to slip on and off and warm, use elastic/rubber bands (or string) to fix them onto the ends of your shell sleeves, then you have warm hands and can easily drop them off when you are shooting without losing them in the snow. This works better than all the other methods for me.
Bill
ps I like "hot hands" too!
Discussion
13 repliesThanks for your input.
Over the synthetic shirt and long underwear, I usually have a lightweight fleece vest or jacket, and then either a heavier jacket or water and wind-proof shell depending on the weather; both have adjustable ventilation under the arms to help regulate temperature. I prefer the shell/fleece combo when the temps will be moderate as I can pull off the shell and stick it in my pack once I get moving.
I also use gloves (actually mittens) where the thumb and finger pockets flip back so that I can work the camera/tripod controls more easily. I use liners under the gloves to keep my fingers reasonably warm while working the camera.
Up top, I'll wear a polypro base layer and a fleece jacket. I'll then have a down jacket and a Gore-tex shell in my pack, to keep me warm when we stop to shoot for a while.
On the hands, I wear thin windproof gloves with textured fingers for shooting, then fleece gloves on top of that. I'll have some big shell mittens over that if necessary.
On the head, just a windproof fleece cap. If it's going to be just plain bitter cold, I'll throw in a lightweight balaclava.
Most important for me is keeping my head and hands warm. I wear thin fleece gloves w/ a Windstopper lining and either a balaclava or fleece hat, both of which are wind-proof.
Wearing layers makes it easy to adjust your clothing to the temperature and activity while always maintaining a reasonable comfort level.
I'm also a big soft shell fan. Instead of water PROOF shell (Goretex, etc.), I use a stretch woven or other breathable shell as an outer layer.
Mid layer depends on conditions, but the Ibex Shak shirt is wonderful for most conditions when I'm moving. My wife swears by an old Mountain Hardwear farmer john suit made of Power Stretch as a mid layer for almost everything. That's too warm for me.
A good hat & gloves/mittens are a must. I'm using a Buff - kind of a fleecy, stretchy combination neck gaiter, balaclava, hat that's very versatile.
Add a puffy jacket for the stops and some chemical handwarmers and you'll be set.
Like Brent, I like the smartwool stuff as a base layer. Very comfy. Not too hot. I rarely use the technical base layers, rather going straight to insulation layers that are easy to remove.
I own a "soft shell" as they call the newer style coats with a "windstopper" barrier and a nylon layer over a fleece layer. I like it for general wear and I like its breathability and general comfort. But this coat is a far cry from warm in my opinion. Its a good coat around town, or when actively moving, but in winter photography I usually find that I'm setting up my tripod and waiting in one place for too long, and need significantly more insulation.
I still think there is still a time and place for some of the mountaineering basics. You'll still find lofted insulation layers (poly or down fill) and gore tex shells in my pack. The goretex shell can add several degrees of warmth simply by cutting the wind from the insulation layers. But it is also valuable when you need a layer to stop the wind, but are heated to the point where you don't want insulation. Its also lightweight and compact. My newer gore tex is a Marmot 3 layer gore tex XCR coat, and I think its a big improvement in breathability from the older gore tex I own.
For my winter camping trip, this is what I wore.
Temp climbing into the area was 20-25 F. Overnight temp dropped to 13F (unseasonably warm after the previous weekend was in the -20 to -10F range).
Base: Polypro liner socks, Wool socks, smartwool long underwear bottoms, adidas dri-clime shirt.
Base insulation: Spyder* entrant insulated pants and gaiters, north face poly insulated and quilted jacket and a Marmot goretex shell. I switched between the insulation and goretex shell as my body temperature required. On the way down, I wore my marmot soft shell (which I brought in case the temps were as cold as the weekend before).
Light Gloves: I brought two pair. One pair were essentially the Marker Spring Glove, leather with light insulation and a very comfortable fit. The other gloves are a North Face windstopper glove. My hands tend to get very hot and sweat even in lightweight gloves, so I often need more than one pair of gloves for a multi day trip.
Boots: I opted for some new -40F Salomon boots for this trip. If I were always moving, my Salomon Super Mountain 9 boots were always fine, but I had been having trouble with warmth just standing around photographing this winter.
After I got to camp and was setting up to go shoot, I had these additional items.
700 fill North face down vest would go between the base insulation and the goretex shell.
Mountain hardware synthetic fill pants sized extra large so they can zip over any layers below.
Military surplus "nose wiper" mittens. They have "fur" on the back and go almost up to your elbows. I had never liked these much in the past, mostly because they are heavy, bulky and difficult to wear while doing stuff but they really work well for photography. It wasn't too cold on my trip, so I was able to work my cameras bare handed. But it was sure nice to stick my hands back into these mittens with a hand warmer activated inside between shots. They'd work equally well in colder weather if you needed to use liner gloves to work the cameras. I haven't seen an equivalent mitten in REI, Mountain Chalet etc... so you might need to make a trip to the military surplus store in search of these.
* A note about the Spyper pants. These are not ideal for winter hiking/photography in my opinion and I'll try to replace them with something similar that has full side zips. I consider full side zip pants to be essential for most winter activities because they give you the ability to change layers without removing your boots. I just haven't found something with the equivalent functionality of these pants in a full side zip yet, nylon water resistant shell with wear zone protection and light insulation.
Bill
ps I like "hot hands" too!