Layering for Cold Weather 101: Outerwear

As the weather starts to grow a bit colder and our lives keep taking us outdoors with football games, baseball tournaments, deer season and the fair, we want to take a minute to educate you on the BEST way to keep warm. Though a good jacket is a great step in the right direction, there is so much more to keeping warm. We are going to start at the very bottom of it all, what you need to wear under your clothes, and work our way out to jackets, gloves, hats, scarves and even socks in this technical series on layering.

Outerwear: Part 3

By Staff Member Bradley Roper

Over the last two weeks we have been beginning to teach you about the process of layering and its benefits. After base layer and mid layer there comes the outer layer. These three layers work hand in hand to help keep you not only dry but also WARM. And we all know that being warm is what we want.

Ross has written over the past two weeks that BASE LAYER is critical for moisture wicking (keeping you dry). He mentioned MID LAYER as being beneficial for building insulation and helping us to create a layer of heat. Working with those two layers is the OUTER LAYER that blocks the external elements, such as wind, rain and snow, from reaching us. Without the outer layer in place, the mid layer loses its stored heat and also, if it is raining or snowing, the base layer can become saturated and you will no longer be dry. As Ross has already mentioned, staying dry is one of the keys to being warm.

Shopping for technical outerwear can be overwhelming and confusing if you do not know some of the options that are available to you. These options range anywhere from high quality rainwear, to the ever-so-popular softshell, to rip-stop, waterproof-breathable hardshells. Knowing the different products is half of the “battle.”  Depending on your activities, there are many different choices for you. We need to make sure you get into the jacket that meets your needs in the best way.

First we have rain wear. Every company that we carry in our store has an option for a nice, lightweight rain jacket. These jackets range in price from $90-$120, are often packable, and serve the purpose of being waterproof and breathable while maintaining a very light weight. Not your standard plastic poncho, these jackets have some serious technology. While The North Face may call it Hyvent, Patagonia may call it H2No, and others call it different things the same purpose is being served…KEEPING THE RAIN AWAY.

You have the choice of getting a lined or an unlined rain jacket. A lined jacket will have a mesh layer on the inside that is great for moisture wicking and comfort. This is beneficial because rain jackets are known for being a bit stuffy. Unlined jackets offer the benefit of being lighter weight and have a technology inside that helps to keep the material from touching your skin so as to keep you from feeling clammy. Some examples of these jackets with the varying technologies include:

MARMOT	THE NORTH FACE	COLUMBIA
Aegis Jacket	Resolve Jacket	Watertight Jacket
	Venture Jacket

Second we have Softshells. These jackets have recently been taking the outerwear industry by storm. They are made of a blend of nylon and elastane. These stretchy jackets provide a great range of motion, great breathability, temperature regulation, and are 100% windproof. The fabric itself is waterproof; however, the seams are not sealed inside so as a whole the jacket cannot be called waterproof even though it does a great job of standing up against more than just a slight shower. I once forgot my umbrella and used my softshell in its place during a thunderstorm and did not get wet at all! Some would argue that these are the “perfect jacket” for our south Alabama weather. Some softshells are insulated with a fuzzy fleece interior giving them more warmth for those colder nights. Some examples of these softshells that we have in our store include

THE NORTH FACE	PATAGONIA	COLUMBIA	MOUNTAIN HARDWARE
Apex Bionic	Adze Softshell	Tectonic Softshell	Android Softshell
Chromium Thermal		Ascender 2 Softshell

MARMOT	ARC’TERYX	EXOFICCIO
Leadville Softshell	Gamma AR Softshell	Boracade Softshell
Gravity Softshell

Third we have Hardshells (outer shells). These jackets are built to stand up to a lot of abuse. A lot of the technology inside them is designed to be ski-specific but these jackets can be used for a variety of other things as well. They are 100% waterproof and also breathable from the inside out so you do not feel uncomfortable. They will be made of a very durable, rip-stop nylon that is great for anything from every day wear all the way to making a run down your favorite ski slope. Ski-specific technologies include powder skirts, goggle pockets, and more. When not on the slopes the powder skirt is great to have for windy, rainy days and the goggle pocket doubles as great storage for water bottles. We only have two ski-specific hardshells in our store:

ARC’TERYX	THE NORTH FACE
Beta AR Jacket	Various Guide Jacket

The last category of outerwear would be the Triclimate or 3-in-1 jacket. These jackets utilize the mid-layers that Ross wrote about last week with an outer shell jacket to create the “ultimate jacket” for warmth in changing conditions. There are several different combinations to choose between. You could get an outer shell with a fleece, wind-resistant fleece, synthetic down, or even a softshell jacket inside. These inner jackets will zip out of the outer shell to be worn by themselves if desired. The outer shell can be worn alone to make a great rain jacket. Or simply put them both together to have a mid layer and outer layer in one! A few of these types of jackets can even be considered ski-specific because the outer shell jacket will have some of those features written about above.  Some examples of these 3-in-1 jackets with different inner jackets and varying features include:

COLUMBIA	MARMOT
Rare Earth Interchange	Gorge Component Jacket
Lhotse Mountain II Interchange	Ridgetop Component Jacket

THE NORTH FACE

Phere Triclimate Jacket

Atlas Triclimate Jacket

Cassius Triclimate Jacket

Windwall Triclimate Jacket

Condor Triclimate Jacket

With so many different options available for outerwear it is best to be a little educated on the subject. We will be glad to help you find the perfect jacket for you. Whether that be a simple rain jacket to keep stowed under your driver’s seat or a heavy duty 3-in-1 for any occasion, we have the jacket for you, and most of our jackets come in both men's and women's fits. If we don’t have what you need here in the store, just let us know, and we can help you find it or order it for you!

Get into the jacket that you need this Fall/Winter season. With the proper layers in place you can fight the chill this season.