Winter weather is on its way and many of us will be spending a lot of time outdoors so this week's vid will cover some cold weather tips to help you stay warm this winter. Layering winter clothes helps keep you dry and warm in a few ways. First it gives you the ability to add and remove layers based on the weather conditions and your activity level. That helps keep you dry by avoiding sweating during times of exertion. Second, the layers themselves trap air space between them which adds to the insulating ability of the clothing.

The number and weight of your layers is going to vary depending on the conditions and what you’re doing. For example, if I’m on a late season whitetail hunt, sitting in a tree stand for hours on end I might have a midweight merino Long John bottom, heavy wool or softshell pants, and a pair of bibs on my bottom. Up top I’ll have a mid weight long sleeve top, heavier merino quarter zip, a down vest, and a heavy wool pullover. I carry the bibs and heavy pullover in my pack and put them on once I’m settled in the stand so I don’t overheat on the way in.

If I’m hunting late season elk in the mountains where temps often plummet well below zero, and I’m doing a lot of hiking and climbing, I’ll do away with the bibs and lighten up the top layers. I’ll go with a lightweight base layer up top, then stack everything else as before. The reason I opt for a lighter base is climbing mountains is hard work and, even though temps may be well below freezing, I’ll often strip down to my base layer up top to avoid sweating. If I do sweat, the lighter base layer dries quickly in the dry winter air. When I cool down, I can start stacking those layers back on and they’ll be dry because I took them off before sweating in them. I want to take a minute to revisit and clarify what I just said. People always say you should avoid sweating but when you're working hard, especially if the sun is out and there’s little wind, you’re going to sweat. It’s impossible not to. What we can do is remove layers to keep from wetting them out. And with fewer layers what sweat we do produce will evaporate quickly at which point we can put the dry layers back on.

Today there are countless options for technical outdoor clothing. Synthetics are light weight, durable, fast drying, and insulate well even when somewhat damp. The downside is it stinks horribly if you wear it for more than a day or two. Wool tends to absorb more moisture than synthetics and takes a little longer to dry. But it maintains high insulating value when damp. An added benefit is that it doesn’t stink, even when you wear the same base layer for weeks, or months, at a time. A great example of that is the 74 days I spent in the wilderness on Season 8 of Alone. During all that time I wore the same merino wool base layers, never washing them. For two and a half months I rarely even took them off. I didn’t smell real good but the clothing didn’t stink at all which is quite amazing.

Goose down is another one of nature’s miracles. Weight for weight, there is no other material on the planet that comes close to down’s insulative qualities. When the mercury plummets you simply can’t beat it. But there’s a catch and it’s a big one. Down really shines with its super cold because when it’s that cold, it’s also dry. Cold air simply can’t hold the moisture like warm air can. For down, dry is crucial because if it gets wet it loses its loft and its insulative qualities along with it.

If you're getting any Firstlite gear, please use this link. https://tinyurl.com/yrsak3tb

List of FL Gear shown in the Vid:
Kiln Longjohn Bottoms
Kiln quarter zip hoodie
Wick Short Sleeve T
Trace Pants
Brooks Down Vest
Uncompahgre Foundry Jacket
Brambler Gaiters

Other Gear:
Schnee's Pack boots
Schnee's Timberline boots
Columbia wool Bibs
NaturalGear Snow Camo Pullover
Asbell Wool Pullover

Surviving Alone by Clay Hayes - https://amzn.to/3Qqou3l

GEAR I USE:
Backpacks - https://kifaru.net/
Archery Gear - https://www.3riversarchery.com/
Tents & Tarps - https://seekoutside.com (enter clayhayes5 at checkout for 5% off!)
Optics - https://www.vortexoptics.com
Clothing - https://www.firstlite.com/

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