Moisture plus cold makes for challenging outdoor-training conditions. Dialing in your layering so that you鈥檙e warm聽and dry but not likely to聽overheat聽is tricky. Overdo the insulation, and you鈥檙e apt to sweat like mad, which can cause聽you to become cold and very uncomfortable once you slow down. Underdress, and you risk moisture freezing聽on you, potentially leading to hypothermia. The following guidelines for getting your running, snowshoeing, and cross-country skiing outfit just right come from my own gear testing experience over the years, as well as聽interviews with pros, survival experts, and guides.
Next-to-Skin Choices
The most important job of a聽base layer聽is to move sweat away from your skin so that it can evaporate rather than cause聽clamminess and chafing. For that reason, I like to wear extremely thin base layers. While I have tested many over the years, I still find myself grabbing an old ($49), because it鈥檚 just the right thickness, moves moisture with the best of them, and is treated with Polygiene to quash odor. (That makes a world of difference if I don鈥檛 have time to wash it between runs.) I鈥檓 too self-conscious to run in just tights, so I wear a (now discontinued) pair of Black Diamond CoEfficient pants, which fit more like tight sweatpants. They鈥檙e also made from聽Polartec Powerdry fabric, which has the best warmth-to-wicking ratio of any I鈥檝e tested. Since the CoEfficients aren鈥檛 made anymore, I鈥檝e found that the Outdoor Voices Weekender sweats ($100) don鈥檛 have quite the thermoregulating chops but are plenty stretchy and more supple next to the聽skin.
Midlayers
Look for options that have聽insulation where you need it but not where you don鈥檛. ($188) is a good midweight crossover piece. The stretchy merino arms and back don鈥檛 inhibit motion and are thin enough to dump heat while you聽warm up, while the lofty, wool-insulated front keeps your core toasty. I never wear insulated bottoms during cardio. (Remember the adage聽鈥淏e bold and start cold鈥?) It鈥檚 fine to wear a pair of puffy pants while waiting for your friends at a trailhead, but you鈥檒l sweat聽through them in a matter of minutes if you keep them on while running.
Outerwear
While in some parts of the world, getting wet in the winter can kill you in a few hours, you鈥檒l be fine most places if you head out for a run in the snow or sleet without a shell. I鈥檝e found that a waterproof membrane on top of all of my other layers will trap my sweat so that I鈥檓 just as soggy as if I鈥檇 stood under dumping snow or rain. Unless it鈥檚 really coming down, stick with your midlayer most of the time and bring a soft shell or wind shell as backup in case the weather turns really foul while you鈥檙e out. My go-to is the ($90), because it deflects enough wind and rain聽without causing me to stew in my own sweat.
Accessories
Cold and achy hands聽are a special聽kind of misery. Bring a pair of gloves, which you can always stuff in a pocket if your digits get too hot. My favorite pair is made by and costs $15.
A good hat can go a long way鈥攚e all know聽how much heat you can lose through the top of your head. A lightweight running hat that fits nice and tight while wicking聽moisture, like Arc鈥檛eryx鈥檚 Phase R beanie ($35), is going to keep your dome cozy. A generic fleece one will get the job done, too. My father-in-law gave me one for a Christmas Eve run in Indiana, and聽while it isn鈥檛 nearly as slick as the Arc鈥檛eryx, it鈥檚 warm and moves moisture well enough.