Not sure if you've heard of the uk made buffalo special 6 shirt and trousers. They remove the need for layers. And they retain over 97% of their insulation capability when soaking wet . Their sleeping bag system FAR outclasses every other sleep system anywhere for any price. ( including wiggy's, feathered friends, carinthia, exped ultra...etc.etc.etc WET OR DRY . Best money I ever spent. Great video as always.
Several of the Amazon links don’t work. They only take you to the generic Amazon home page. I assume you won’t get a referral fee if we search that page for the recommended gear.
As someone who was a competitive skier and a ski instructor, one thing I would add for remaining warm would be to stay well hydrated, something which is easily overlooked in colder weather.
This is excellent advice! Thank you for adding this!!! I will come up with a small list of extra facts people have contributed from the comment section. Thx again!
This is excellent advice. I work outside all day. It's not very strenuous, but as I am quite thin when I stop I get cold quickly. I learned to keep hydrated from a marathon runner friend.
Tip for anyone who does all the things but still feels chronically cold: You may simply not be eating enough. And it has nothing to do with body fat. Anyone who's known food insecurity (or experienced disordered eating) in cold climates can tell you that it only takes a couple of days of inadequate nutrition to start feeling drastically reduced resistance to cold. Low iron anemia may be a factor, but sometimes even just increasing overall calorie intake with so much as a bowl of oatmeal a day can go a long way toward helping with thermoregulation. Hope this helps someone out there!
@TheBearEssentials Aww thanks! Yeah hydration is underrated af. My experience is more centered on urban homelessness than wilderness survival, so the pros/cons are very different (drinkable water being relatively abundant, legal/discreet places to pee maybe not so much, etc) so it's hard to get most people I know to hydrate more lol, but it's so important! Also thanks for all your hard work dude, your content provides a lot of useful info that applies to way more than just campers 😊
Do you think this is why people often eat bedtime snacks? My mother always gave us a little something before bed. She grew up poor, on a farm and said the piss pot would freeze during the night. They needed extra calories to stay warm. She passed that tradition down, as did I.
Thats a great point! I am naturally extremely thin but have a strong core and still have a very hard time with cold. I feel it in my bones. If I have time to adjust, prepare, and the temps are t a sudden drop, I do better. What about silk? I thought silk was to be worn as a base layer. That’s what we did in Northern Japan. Then wool. 4:37
I’m a person who’s always been thin who moved from the Caribbean to a place where it’s seriously cold in winter. Fortunately my body instinctively had me eating a ton more food. But I was okay with it. I knew I needed some serious insulation!
God bless you!!! I'm in the Swedish Army, and I know what cold is. You are the only TH-camr I've seen that knows how to deal with it in reality. It's so refreshing to finally hear someone knowing what they are talking about, instead of the usual rambling about useless GoreTex and similar scams. All well to you! Cheers from Sweden!
@@captaincarl1603 He might have missed the part that you were in the army so that stuff is illegal being considered a weapon of mass destruction, against the Geneva Convention.
@@captaincarl1603 The Canadian Armed Forces had a thing saying to stay warm think COLD. Keep you and clothes clean, don't overheat, dress loose and layered, and keep dry.
So I learned from men at work on the pile driver, if you want to keep your warm, put news paper in your boots and change it out at lunch. That paper would be wet at noon you would change it out and have warm feet all time, as the paper soaked up the sweat. For me it was a revelation and the cheapest way to keep your feet warm.
Thank you, from someone who works outside with marine pile drivers. Having to wear waterproof rubber boots, this is a good idea. A change of liners and socks is good, but this will help too.
I worked in the Arctic for over 30 years and have clothing I can survive in any cold weather. One job I had I would get dropped off on a mountaintop communications site. We had to have gear that we could survive in any cold in case there was a generator failure and weather keeps the helicopter away. I used to snowshoe in temperatures down to minus 40. Always shed layers to keep from sweating. I’ve camped in temperatures around -30.
@@DamienDrake2389 I don’t wear any cotton, wool or down. Use fleece in layers. Also get a windproof but breathable outer layer. I like Hodgeman fleece made for wearing with fishing waders The bottoms even have a straps that goes under the arch of your foot.. I like a soft polyester layer against my skin. I wear an insulated nylon shelled layer that can be easily removed. I also wear a coat or vest similar to this. I buy the ones that compress real small. These layers fill the airspace under the wind proof layer. I used to work with a guy that climbed mountains that gave me this tips. We did tower work together in the Arctic during the winter at oil exploration drill sites. At 58 years old he set a time record for climbing the 7 highest peaks on the 7 continents .
I've spent a lot of time hiking and camping, often in harsh conditions, and I can tell you're one of the rare people who truly speak from real experience. Thanks, brother. Greetings from Algeria!
I work in traffic control. We usually have about 15-30 mins of lifting and moving to set things up, then we stand in place for several hours. I usually do just wear the thick wool socks but that initial sweat from setup then my feet felt frozen the rest of the day. Going to use these ideas as best I can and should be much better off. Thank you!
And once again you efficiently, calmly, and professionally demonstrate why you are the #1 outdoor enthusiast channel on YT, and I don't say that lightly or randomly, I've been following YT outdoor channels for over a decade and you have become the gold standard. Thank you for your dedication and no-nonsense presentations.
You're the first fellow I've heard talk about shopping at used clothing stores. My kit is continuously being upgraded as I shop at the two small second hand clothing stores here.
Ya! I went a long time not being able to find earth tones in wool for modern stuff. So I was thrifting around and found it was a goldmine! Lots of older clothing was made of quality stuff! Hidden treasure for us outdoorsy folk!
Many of us cant shop second hand due to the mycotoxin contamination on clothes from the clothes being around moldy environments or ecen around the clothes in the store that have been in mold. Also people who use toxic scented laundry detergent and dryer sheets. These also damage wool clothing and affect their quality.
I wish that was still an option here. The "secondhand" stores are just normal stores now, who price everything at normal store prices, since it's "vintage" and "upcycled". Hell, even the biggest outdoors goods chain is more of a fashion store by now carrying levi's etc. and selling cotton clothes as cold wear clothes (example The North Face cotton hoodies).
Having grown up in Hawaii and about to move to bend Oregon I appreciate this video as well as all the comments and tips and suggestions. I feel like a kid learning to walk again!
I moved to Carlisle, PA from St. Thomas a few years ago. He’s telling the truth about the sweat thing although I only feel it when I wake up under 20 blankets! Gotta change my base layer shirt almost immediately or freeze. it’s MUCH milder in Oregon. You’ll be fine. From one island girl to another: WELCOME TO THE BIG ISLAND! Buckle up! It’s kinda weird here.
Sorry to write you twice but, girl, you’re about to have a big wardrobe change. I went from shorts, skirts and tanks with a lightweight sweater to OMG? What do I wear? I settled mostly on yoga pants for pants. Jeans are a bit stiff and constrictive. I think leggings are adorable but I can’t wear them sadly. In the winter, I wear a sleeveless shell under a fleece three-quarter zip top. When it’s 30 degrees or below, I add a turtleneck sweater between them. Shoes killed me. I found a girl with a channel, Anya barefoot shoes, who saved me. I’d always used Merrell barefoot running shoe, so I kept doing that. But she introduced me to Xero shoes. I’m on my third pair of their ballerina flats and I do love their overpriced house shoes/slippers. Figuring out your tops and bottoms and shoes to transition is a challenge. You might try getting to know LLBean. It’s hard to “see yourself” as pretty in such an alien environment. But trust me: this video is way, way overkill for the gentle cold you’ll experience in Oregon. Nevertheless, the principles still hold true.😊
A couple of additional points; Your socks should not have a tight elastic fit at their top. Remove your socks and look at your leg, where the top of your socks were. If there is an indent, your socks are restricting the flow of blood (which carries heat from your core to your feet). They are acting like a tourniquet. Next; When you are actively producing heat (too much heat that will cause sweating) Remove your hat. Since heat rises, your hat holds in a lot of heat, thereby causing sweat. Also, carry with you one of these modern silver foil blankets. They fold up to the size of a pack of cigarettes', and weigh almost nothing. You can easily carry one in any pocket. You won't even know it's there. But in an emergency it could easily save your life. Stay Warm.
> When you are actively producing heat remove your hat I love a thin synthetic buff for this. Going uphill: Remove hat, pull the buff over my ears to protect those from wind and cold while keeping the top of the head free to exchange heat On the top / going downhill: pull the buff down to protect the neck, reinstall hat
I am old and have to move snow by hand, usually about 2 hrs at a stretch. Your information is going to be very helpful. I have sort of figured most of this out over the past 10 years, but I will be using this video to tweak my clothing for maximum heat, especially for hands and feet. I caught on, a couple of years ago, to merino wool being great (I cannot wear any wool but merino). I bought the thin layers of merino only because I was poor, but those alone were the game changer, along with merino wool socks.
I am SO impressed with your level of knowledge. I’d love to be your grandson/daughter in 30 years …… solid wisdom gained sitting at your feet listening to stories! High Five!
Very good. I just layer woolen clothes I made from wool military blankets… 1 shirt, 1 trousers when the temps are under ~55, merino balaclava, and linen hood. As she cools down considerably more below freezing, one more woolen jacket made of the same military blankets often does the trick, but when it gets particularly chilly I add a second wooly coat and a woolen kama for my legs. Feet and hands have been a journey. I made boots from reindeer pelt that do the trick no matter how cold it gets, but it’s that area between below freezing temperatures and colder fall weather that I have trouble finding a balance between a comfortable, flexible boot, that also stays dry, and also insulates enough. This video has given me a number of ideas to improve my situation - thank you.
Sounds like a great system, and I love the repurposing the military blankets! Great idea. The reindeer boots, wow that’s incredible. Those would be awesome when it’s that freezing cold - no risk of wet snow. I agree I find that fall to early winter the absolute toughest time. When it’s past -14C, the snow turns more dry and things are much more manageable ironically!
I put a waterproof breathable shell over my wool sweater, its supposed to be the best at wicking away sweat and i was surprised to see how much moisture was on my outter shell and not the wool or my body when i came inside. I got an outershell with a reflective layer, its supposed to be waterproof and breathable but probably is more on the waterproof side then breathable so it did its job keeping the heat in and some moisture, but away from mybody. Its a Columbia titanium ski jacket with omniheat, basically a relfective layer you could simulate with aluminum foil tape inside your coat. Problem is it relies on your own body heat , it doesnt have much insulation intself, hence the nice wool sweater i wear. It would be nice to have a perfect all in one package, until then we gotta figure what works best. Apparnetly haveing the wool as your base layer is best to keep you dry,but i figure if it can wick sweat away from your body , it can wick sweat away from your base later too and it seems to do that.
This is my first intro to you, I've been perusing TH-cam to see what folks know about Winter gear systems, but on my own time also men's fashion (single at the moment, lol). Being Ex-Army, Advanced Winter Warfare certified, having been to the North Pole on a 6 month tour on Ellesmere Island, and all over Canada. Been in the Northwest Pacific under Alaska, in Lincoln Bay/Arctic Ocean, in the Atlantic at Meat Cove, NS. Northern Quebec in winter. Also in August in the Otish mountains when there was still snow in the shadows of the peaks! (Air drops, prospecting, prior to military....we stored our lunch beer in the snow....ROFL! 5km line cut EM survey prospecting runs....not light work). Brother, your video gets a grade A+. You know what you're talking about. No question. I've got no points to correct for you, you didn't, as far as I can tell, make any mistakes. I've done improvised shelters at -56C. I know cold. Long range snow-mobile patrols, advanced to contact, cam and concealment.... Certainly no challenge here from me, so if I come across as challenging, it's just because I'm engaged, not being confrontational. I noted your attention to detail, but also style and fashion. The style and fashion aspect is something I'm just getting into myself. I'm a trained, experienced survivalist. Experience in Canada only. But all of it. If you would allow me to make a recommendation. You've listed Merino as a top notch product, and it is, I use socks and thermal underwear with it. But for a neck layer....a Pashmina, in my opinion, is the most elite cold weather option. I know what some of your gear costs, it's in your price range. A good 80x20-30 inch, light summer (ideally baby, but at minimum ethically sourced) Pashmina (cashmere scarf) is optimal for the neck warmth component. I actually practice you're active vs idle layering, save for my feet....which you've given me much to consider. I'm not beyond learning!!!!!. I'm totally impressed with this video. One thing I'd add to your content is R value reduction with respect to oil permeation. 'Clean clothes'. You inattely cover clothing changes with your active/idle discourse, but never address the R value reduction of dirty...socks, underwear, liner layers. Like directly address, it's certainly inferred from your content 'if you know the cold'.... Good job man. Nice to meet you.
Also. A very, very new gear option for me is....(like ordered a few days ago)....Brother.....Footcare is so essential on the trail. Pedicure equipment. I know it sounds stupid, but a foot callous file, pumice stone, nail clippers, cuticle tool). It may sound like metro nonesense, but you 'know' intrinsically how much a hangnail in the bush f**ks you up. Learn how to take care of your hands and feet, carry the simple tools...get fancy titanium tweezers and stuff....but be able to groom in the field. In depth. A 'shower' (bird bath), hot coffee and shave? make the world a better place. Know what comforts you need to feel human in the cold. It makes all the difference.
Pashmina, and oil R value reduction. Wow these are EXCELLENT additions!!! Thank you so much for your very detailed response and kind words. I can also relate the liking the fashion of it all! You seem like a great person, and extremely well versed and experienced. It’s an honour to have you in the community here. 🤝
@@DavidSinanan I've been carrying a basic victorinox knife for years and always felt it kinda sucks as a knife (no safety, short and thin blade) and was considering getting something more serious. But then I realized the toothpick, tweezers (for thorns and splinters) and scissors (for nails, bothersome facial hair, wonky eyelashes and all the little annoyances) are actually way more useful than the actual knife (on day hikes, anyway)
Tip: if you use thick wool as you mid layer, cotton or poly cotton shell works better for heat retention than pure synthetic. Also, army surplus is a good source of cheap Gore-Tex gear, given you don't mind the camo.
Amazing video! The best of it's kind I've ever seen on here. Very detailed yet comprehensive information without distractions or aggressivly selling gear or stating wrongful/half-true messages. Thank you for creating this. 🙏
A superb video, which is well worth watching and sharing. 👍 To Summarize: Avoid getting wet at all costs, including via sweating! [0] To minimize sweating, *Always wear "wicking" fabrics for base-layers, such as Merino Wool and Synthetics* [1] *Wear thin, breathable socks when active* [2] *Wear loose fitting shoes,* to allow circulation and avoid overheating [3] *Avoid cotton underwear,* as it doesn't "wick" [4] *Wear thin, ideally mesh, base-layers,* as they're more breathable [5] *Change layers when needed,* as wearing wet layers will make you cold [6] *Choose base-layers with zips,* allowing you to ventilate to cool yourself [7] *Don't wear long sleeve mid-layers when active.* Sleeveless vests are OK. [8] Outer "shell" layers aren't always breathable, so prefer those with armpit and side zips. *Use soft shells in mild weather,* as they're more breathable [9] *Wear mittens instead of outer gloves,* with an inner "liner" glove [10] *Insulate your neck* (e.g. with a scarf or gaiter) to keep warmth in and cold out [11] *Wear Merino Wool hats or beanies*
As a cyclist I've only ever known synthetic, had no idea that during hiking it's not the best solution. Your comparison with merino wool is quite helpful, I will try it out in colder temperatures for biking and winter hiking.
I've been using my nitrile (like surgical) work gloves for decades, fishing hiking in winter. A gamechanger. Make sure they are loose fitting. Enjoy your stuff, keep it up.
I have forty years in the high Sierra skiing, snowshoeing, mountain snow biking, ice fishing, snow camping etc.I like your warm feet advice, one thing I do is wear a light medium sock in a Sorel type boot with a liner and if you can carry spare socks and a pair of spare liners, spare base layer and fire to dry wet layers during rest stops, no cotton, cotton kills.
Super good information, great delivery. I work outdoors in cold /wet marine weather. I use fleece "wrist gaiters". Inside or outside of shell sleeves, almost to the elbow. They keep draft and moisture from creeping up sleeves, keep tops of hands and lower arms warm when taking gloves off, and can easily be taken off when moving and getting too warm, or to wear when jackets must come off from a lot of activity. When they get wet they are easily replaced without taking off a whole layer. The tip here from a pile driver about newspaper to collect moisture in boots is one I will adopt, thank you, excellent video.
For Hands, I like Fingerless flap mitts. The flap can be flipped out of the way to use my fingers if I need, and because it's fingerless I get the full effect of being a mit
I don’t have your range of experience but have done a lot of winter walking in the UK mountains in sub zero temperatures and snow. Everything you say is good advice particularly about mitts, a neck warmer and headgear. I solved my problem of sweating on a climb and being wet on reaching the top by using a Buffalo Mountain Shirt which has a Pertex outer and a pile inner. It was my go to top for winter along with a waterproof jacket and emergency outer layer for when I rested. One word of caution to others, after many years of hill walking I have sun damage on my head and sometimes get chilblains in my fingers because of not always wearing a brim hat and suntan lotion in summer and gloves in cold ( but not freezing) wet weather so these are a must if you want to avoid future problems.. I also echo your comments about (what you call a vest), you get body warmth without the bulk of sleeves.
As a long time wilderness survival trainer I agree with all you said and I have a few additions. One: lot's of thin layers with lots of zippers is best. Constantly zip and unzip and remove and add layers to keep yourself comfortable. It takes energy to deal with excess heat or cold so constantly adjusting to be comfortable is important. If you are hiking in the shade, zip up, hiking in the sun, unzip. Moving in and out of the shade and sun, the zippers go up and down. Don't forget the zipper in your pants. There are two large veins in the crotch so the pants zipper can do a lot of control. A lot of thin layers allow you to make small changes whereas a thick layer will be too large a change. I like to have thin wool fingerless liners under my mittens. It gives me maximum dexterity when I need it while keeping my hands warm for a little while. I like to use an oversized, extra long, wool balaclava with a thin synthetic liner under it. The balaclava can be worn as a hat and quickly and easily pulled down to cover the neck with no gaps between the hat and neck. There are a lot of blood vessels in the scalp so the hat is another great temperature regulator. When I am hiking in and out of shade and sun, in and out of the wind, the hat comes off, goes on, comes off, goes on.... And lastly, remove the boots and socks frequently especially if you are just starting or haven't hiked for a few weeks. This is to check for sweating and hot spots which will turn into blisters. When I am taking a group out, I insist everyone removes their boots and socks every hour and I personally check every foot. I have carried too many people out with unwalkable feet. One very last thing: if someone gets frostbite feet, do not thaw there feet until they get to the hospital. Someone can walk, ski, snowshoe on frozen feet. They cannot move on their own if the frozen foot is thawed. If it has gotten as bad as the feet became frozen, they already will lose their toes maybe even their feet so several more hours on the frozen feet will not make much difference. Also a frozen foot (or hand) will not pass toxins to the blood so it is safer for the limb to be thawed at the hospital where they can handle the blood toxins.
For everything but the most extreme cold, I use a wool glove which is comfortable enough down to about 35F, and then I'll put the Enlightened Equipment Torrid mitts over those, and put together, they are comfy down to around 0F. The Torrid mitts are roomy enough for warmer liners if I need to go sub zero though, so it's still a great system.
@@TheBearEssentials They are the best weight to warmth I've found. Super light weight, but still as warm or warmer than most down mitts I've tried. They're really roomy, and the synthetic insulation performs as well as about 900 fill power down. A good leather outer with a really good liner would probably be warmer, but also much heavier and not packable. With backpacking it's always a trade-off, and for daily wear here, where sub-zero happens but is kind of rare, they are an ideal solution, in my opinion.
Your tip about surgical gloves for your hands acting like a wet suit is also true for your feet. It's known as a vapour barrier sock. This goes between your liner sock and your insulating sock. The idea being to keep your thick insulating sock and boot insulation dry. Everything else stated in the video is spot on with my winter outdoors experience. As stated, the main principle is to keep yourself dry. How you do that is a matter of preference. Wool garments work as do fleece and other synthetics. It's a matter of what works best for your body and your budget.
Great addition! Thank you for expanding on the point about dry footwear! I have this exact concept in my dedicated footwear vid on the topic, but didn’t include it here. Glad you caught that and shared it in this comment section! Thank you
Eine dünne Mülltüte über dünnen Strümpfen und darüber nochmal dickere Strümpfe geht auch. Ich habe das auf einer sechswöchigen Winterwanderung in schwedisch Lappland ausprobiert, funktioniert einwandfrei.
I got a pair of extremely tight work gloves, it seems like they are made of something like latex. However when I’ve worn them in the extreme cold my hands feel awful. Mittens seem to be truly the only thing I can find to keep my hands warm. What is the best material for hand warmth?
12:04 I’m excited to try the mittens over gloves. I thought it was the fingers being separated. When only wearing gloves even with a liner, my hands still freeze
My feet sweat everyday... I am usually barefoot around the house because of it but the most important thing is to not let your feet STAY wet. Change socks, go barefoot, do whatever you need too. Also realize that if you are too hot (head, neck, core) your feet will sweat and freeze, regardless of your socks/footwear setup. Good video!
I would add one more thing about the shoes. That's right - you want to keep blood circulation. However, you should consider natural fit shoes with a wide toebox instead of simply going one size bigger. Most of the modern shoes are narrow. They keep your toes squeezed, and extra room in the front does not really help. Look at your bare foot before putting on the shoe. The big toe wants to stay straight. The small one wants the same. Find the shoe which lets them stay straight. You'll be surprised by the new level of comfort.
30+ years ago I was on a ski lift in Colorado. I was boarding solo, got paired up with a guy in his 70’s. During our small talk I complained about how cold my feet were. He said to use a spray-on antiperspirant on my feet because, the sweat is why I’m cold. It works and it has changed my life. I know some people don’t use antiperspirant. That’s fine, you do you.
Trick with the surgical glove works on your feet as well. Layers go like this (inner to outer). Talcum powder, nylon stockings, soft plastic bag (best is like butchers use for packing meat), woollen socks, boots.
Right on!! I totally forgot to include that with footwear in this one - thanks for adding this!!! I covered the covered it in my dedicated footwear cold feet vid, but didn’t cover it here, so thank you for adding this to the comments and discussion!
@@nathanielyoungman4454Wouldn’t cornstarch feed fungus? That could be troublesome in the long run. Would bentonite or kaolin clay powder be both non-food and non-abrasive? This reminds me of how soldiers in the world wars in Europe would sometimes keep their feet covered in Vaseline as a method of preventing trench foot. I wonder if tallow or lard would have worked the same, and if it might be applicable here.
Couple of tips to throw in from an ice diver. When indoors such as a large tent where a heater blower may be on, go outside and change, I never kit up indoors or I’ll be locking in moisture which under the ice is a killer. Secondly, if on the skidoos or out in the wind say minus 40c you need your face covered, head for ex mil stores and check out their arctic face coverings particularly the nose which should have hard casing to stop the wind cutting through.
Dumping heat at transitions is so often overlooked ( I work in backcountry touring and other mountain sports). "be bold start cold" as the expression goes. The other thing I would add is keeping your head/hair dry as possible (I actually wear a loose weave straw hat for ski touring) so that means less sweat, and snow melt. About bags on feet. My experience is it works best at very cold temps. (-25ºc), something to do with sweat regulation in the body. Otherwise you are just getting your feet wet. And watch out for steel toes/shanks, worth putting a flat soul liner in for extra R value. Great tips all round!
@@TheBearEssentials Thanks, years of construction (framing/siding), outdoor maintenance (rocks, roofs etc) and play have taught me a few lessons, and gabbing with some 'old timers' about 'back in my day'.
I moved to Pennsylvania from the USVI and Florida. Holy cow it’s cold! Thanks for the info. I have noticed that piling on the blankets eventually makes me sweat and have to jump out of wet base layer in the morning and change to keep from freezing! Ordering that Merino hat before Trump’s stupidity tariffs kick in. Thanks! Know that sane folks in the US love you guys! Buying as much Canadian stuff as I can right now!
Today, I came in and was fine. So had some cold water and then some smoothie. Wow, did I get cold and took a long time to warm up. Having some hot tea 1st , then later having my hydration
Cashmere and alpaca beanies are even lighter and softer, and surprisingly not that much more expensive than merino in most places! I just got a really light and warm cashmere one for about $10 more than my usual merinos, and I have to say the extra softness against my face/scalp is WELL worth the little splurge. And I'm someone who will wear a t-shirt under a scratchy old Norwegian sweater with no problem!
I've always noticed that less is more for layers, for really cold weather, you want one thin under layer that can dry off quickly, and one thick outer layer that you can occasionally open up to vent out the moisture, a lot of people will put on 3, 4, or even 5 layers, but all that does is force your body to warm up all the layers separately, making it take a lot longer to get warm in the first place
My silk long underwear is possibly the warmest underlay I've ever had while skiing. I also used them for military flying (Army helicopters -other than the CH47, are not known for great cabin heaters)..... best money I ever spent. Thanks for the video!!
I go winter climbing in Scotland a lot. On a route that has a hard or longer walk in I take a 2nd base layer and strip off at the base of the route and put fresh one on. It can be a bit brutal but works really well.
For dexterity in mitts get the trigger finger mitts, if your finger gets cold you can pull it in with the rest of your fingers then put it back when tying knots or some such. you can usually find these in a military surplus store.
Wow this is an amazing video and you have a new subscriber! I know you are not aiming this video to moms with kids in cold climates but wow this is all so applicable to parenting in the winter! Especially camping with littles. Thank you so much!
Thanks for subbing! I’m trying to take pretty advanced concepts and make them applicable and easy to understand for everyone - so that all levels can learn something in a way. But you’re right it’s more geared toward outdoor enthusiasts. I’m so so glad this helped you Julia! Thx for the comment.
For keeping hands warm, I have already purchased a pair of thinner gloves made of merino wool from a company in Austria. They keep my hands warm in relatively cold weather, but won't keep my hands warm in really cold weather. They do have a pocket on the back that can hold hand warmers, and 3 of the finger tips on each glove you can use on touch screens. I am currently looking at getting mittens from this same company that allow you to unzip the part that covers the fingers while keeping the mitten on. They are very expensive, but quite practical for everyday use as they were originally designed for the German and Austrian military.
I love this stuff. Years ago, I learned the hard way during hunts about overdressing and then getting cold after sweating too much. One has to consider the effort level. I joke with my kids that I walk to my stand in my underwear, then suit up for the hunt in the stand. It is not far from the truth. Water/Sweat is the enemy. Jogging or hiking - if you are comfortable when you begin the hike or run, you have on too much! You should be cool, then warm up to a steady-state comfort when exercising, then when you stop it is OK to add the clothing. Great info and great production quality. Great job.
Living in the Pacific northwest, I can say the whole "stay dry" thing isn't always an option. Drenched and soaking through gortex and other breathable stuff. I prefer just going medieval with a cloak and larger and longer coats which feature knee length wool. I don't care about getting wet when it barely changes the temperature.
I vote for the medieval cloaks to come back in style. Im actually thinking of making a bear essentials one with a broach like LOTR. But great point, PNW is a TOTALLY different ballgame that im not an expert in. Thanks for sharing.
I really like the common sense approach of gear used appropriately for comfort that is not well thought out by many new to the wilderness. Also the tips on getting equipment from places other than the most expensive suppliers was great.
I wear the Darn Tough John Henry boot socks with my Nick's builder pros at work (construction) and my toes absolutely freeze!!! I tried those same socks today with a pair of polyester socks over them inside of Muck Boots and my toes were much warmer. They just got very sweaty!!
I've seen a couple of guys put a beenie / watch cap over their ball cap. Efficient way to layer according to the situation. I liked the input for not going too thick on the insulation, especially when active.
When I was a younger guy, I was invited by some older dudes on a 4 week elk hunting trip. My first hunting other than small game. PNW, Washington. I was a construction worker and was used to working in the cold but I only layered with the typical cotton stuff of the day for its durability and you only get cold when you’re not working and active. On the trip, it was VERY foggy, high humidity and I was about 3 miles from camp. It started raining right after I had found FRESH sign and I had taken a hide behind a tree that had fallen across the trail the sign was on. Fresh hoof drag marks on the fallen tree. I was definitely getting cold but it paid off when a group of elk were walking on the trail, coming my way. I was just starting to actually shiver but I took down a spike. I had only watched one in our group dress a 4 point the day before but was very insecure about trying to get the job done by myself without messing it up. Obviously there was no way I was going to drag that thing anywhere, so I took off my orange sweatshirt, hung it above the elk and started my hike to camp for help. The rain had soaked through my jeans, cotton longjohns and was quickly soaked through my sweatshirt, long sleeve tee, and tee. Damn! I was shivering uncontrollably! I’d hiked to the dirt road and was about a mile from camp when I saw the jeep coming 🤗 it was so late that it was almost sundown. The guys raised hell with me for being out so late until I told them I had an elk down and was coming for help. There was 5 of us and we worked pretty fast but I was freezing through it all. The campfire saved my butt, but they all bitched at me for wearing all that cotton. All I could say was that, I didn’t know better. Never done that sort of thing and thought all my layers would be enough. Everyone chipped in with some wool clothing but I still had only cotton longjohns and jeans. Thankfully it switched to snowing and didn’t stop till we had about a foot and a half overnight. 3 elk, and 27 days in the woods, I was hooked, but on my way home, I stopped at a sporting goods store and bought plenty of wool for next year. I guess I’m lucky, my feet just don’t really sweat. Never have wet socks and always had good, insulated boots and did use thick wool socks for the extra cushioning anyway. At least my feet stayed warm and dry. I’ve been a wool guy for winter ever since. Synthetics are great for lightweight but they tear easily and burn easily. Fine for snow skiing but not for busting through brush and woods. You always have great content here, thanks.
See this is where doing renne and historical stuff is fun because people always ask if it’s not cold running around in the snow with just a tunic some tights and a cloak. Lmao no that’s a wool base layer and a thick-ass blanket that you can wrap in or open (or “flap” as I call it lol) to ventilate as needed. They’re not as practical or lightweight so they’re hardly perfect but it’s still interesting at least to me
Very interesting DJ. I'm bookmarking this video to watch again and share. I'm not outdoors very often, but your recommendations sound spot-on. I did know about the neoprene gloves under winter mitts/gloves. I do like merino wool. Stay safe (and comfortable) in the great outdoors. Blessings from Ontario.
Fantastic advice. I've long had my doubts about GoreTex and your nuanced explanation helped me understand about different circumstances of use and limitations of the fabric. Also wanted to say that I totally agree with the comments below about hydration and nutrition when fighting the cold. May I add another factor to watch out for? Tiredness. The times in my life when I've felt the absolute coldest have been the times when I was absolutely exhausted - in spite of whatever the temperature was. Tiredness is not a good thing to add into the mix when you've got other factors to worry about.
Excellent, excellent information. I'm from the tropics, now living in Canada and trying to get good information about this. Some of these points rang true as soon as you said them. (hoping for more snow)
I know synthetic is less expensive, but natural materials like wool really does make a difference. The most active I am in winter is walking to school/work and shoveling the drive way, but I've found wool always feel better on my skin in extreme cold, especially around my mouth where the condensation happens.
This is how it's done. Top marks. Solid, factual info. Sometimes what is worse (in my experience) is wet and coldish weather. There is a whole different gear list for that, but essentially the same mission. Keep dry. Maybe another video idea for you?
Thank you for all the great tips! Living in Manitoba sure brings on the cold weather so I look forward to using some of these tips. I recently just bought some gear from SKRE , some merino wool base layers and they will be the first that I’ve tried out. I went with the 300 thinking that would be my best bet for hunting but after watching this video , I’m starting to think maybe I should have gone with the 150’s 🤣. Just came across your video , now subscribed! Take care
Cool video my brother!!! It brought back memories from when I did SERE training in the navy in 2006. We happened to do it in Maine in January so naturally Cold Weather survival was bundled in lol. Good shit. God Bless
Thanks for sharing! You are doing a great job on YT! Starting from information and experience you share and ending with filming and postproduction. I know how much time and effort invested in all your videos! Taking my hat off, master!
The only thing you skipped that I use is a bandanna protect my face para goggles and a scarf. What's a red heart you're set up for Arctic weather. Still skiing and snowmobiling in 10 below PS the banana would actually freeze up with moisture and freeze up with snow and ice and actually help insulate your face. Strange as that sounds interesting
Very good summary, learned a few things more! Thanks! *But side note to the medical glove* : Keep in mind that they will dry out your skin and you better have some hand moisturizer with you, wearing them long and often is definitely not good without proper care.
The only thing you skipped that I use is a bandanna protect my face para goggles and a scarf. What's a red heart you're set up for Arctic weather. Still skiing and snowmobiling in 10 below
With boot sizing - it's not just about bloodflow. It's actually kind of questionable how much that reduces blood flow. It's largely about compressing the insulation of warm socks. Just like the bottom of your sleeping bag doesn't keep you nearly as warm as the top. All the insulation is compressed and can't do it's job. Heat has a much more direct route from your foot to the outside when all those fibers are in contact with each other and the boot. All that insulation and any that is built into the boot should have enough room to do it's job.
That’s an excellent point to add on! Thanks for the help to other reading this. I’d assume most times it’s exactly as you describe and not blood flow. However, (just to counter that point about blood flow construction being questionable) having a bit more insulation even if it’s compressed theoretically should still work better than not having it at all, but in reality, the reverse happens. Which reinforces the blood flow theory I’d think. Thanks again for the comment and addition to helping everyone here!
@@TheBearEssentials Good point. Hopefully somebody does some research to figure it out. Understanding this better could actually save toes and feet. Appreciate the video - tons of good advice here.
@@TheBearEssentialsIce skating experience: thin sock on one foot, both thin and thick sock on the other. The foot with the thick sock got cold. Took off the thick sock, skated and the foot warmed up. I think the pressure restricted blood flow.
Mors Kochanski told people who couldn’t get boots and socks to work together well to try three pairs of wool socks with no boots. If it gets cold enough this winter I might give it a try!
Great video and a lot of really good advice. Certainly a lot of high activity advice. One opportunity to enhance this list is giving advise on the super low activity states. Around camp and early morning. Hard to do it all of course. But slug life is still something we will all do.
How did you come to choose the toe socks? I remember rainbow coloured toe socks on the 70s, which we wore mostly to annoy adults 😂. But all the additional bulk made them a tight fit in our shoes / boot - not ideal for keeping warm. You indicate mitts are preferable to (digit-individuating) gloves. Would the same case not apply w respect to standard socks vs toe socks? Great video! Thanks!❤
Really useful thanks for that!! Most of the things are counterintuitive but we just have to think about every single situation. I simply LOVE wool, and the mistake that I always do is wear cotton under, because I don't want the wool to smell (because it is delicate and really difficult to wash)!! From now maybe I'll use synthetic to push moisture out....even if I don't like that much synthetic. But, or I go synthetic or I go natural! 😅
I keep uniheat packs for my reptiles since we do get a cold winter with a chance for power outages. They are used for shipping plants too and max at 100f so no scalding. They come in 24-96 hour packs and I read if repacked to be oxygen free, they go dormant and last longer. The 40-72 hour packs I have had had a few years of shelf life.
Thank you so much! I am a relatively new reptile owner and I always was worried about a possible power outage. Now I will buy heatpacks and some suitable insulated boxes. Just in case....
Wish I had this info sooner! We did a 20 mile loop in the Sawtooths of Idaho with about 5 miles of snowshoeing... I wore my heavy duty wool socks and sure enough my toes are still numb & ice cold a month later. 😬
After roughing it for 10 months being homeless outside the part regarding sweat there's something I've seen overlooked as well. Especially for sleeping in a tent and you do not have access to a shower or change of clothing. Doesn't matter what you do you'll never dry.
About the socks thing- if the boots are a size big for the loft wool socks then surely they will be way to big with thin liner socks only. Comfused now as to what size boot to buy
Where to Find the Gear Mentioned:
-----*Socks*-----
Merino Wool Toe Socks
Injinji Liner Crew Toesocks (Synthetic)
(USA): amzn.to/4gmtSkD
(CAN): amzn.to/3Zrs2Z6
Thick Wool Socks
Darn Tough Merino Wool Boot Sock Full Cushion
(USA): amzn.to/4g2Z0WC
(CAN): amzn.to/3VxGcqj
Icelandic Wool VERY Thick Socks - JB Fields
(USA): amzn.to/3ZEXQL8
(CAN): amzn.to/4fV7f7b
-----*Winter Boots*-----
Sorel Pack Boots
(USA): amzn.to/49r5vQH
(CAN): amzn.to/49pwxIf
Kamik Rubber Boots with Removable Liner
(USA): amzn.to/3DcBmbz
Big Warm Boots
Baffin Eiger Boots (Removable Liner)
(USA): amzn.to/4glLNYW
-----*Underwear*-----
Merino Wool Underwear
Icebreaker 150 Merino Wool Underwear (Mens)
(USA): amzn.to/3OMboOU
(CAN): amzn.to/3OJJGlF
-----*Base Layers*-----
*Mesh Baselayer Tops*
Brynje Super Thermo Long Sleeve Shirt (Synthetic)
(USA): www.brynjeusa.com/product/unisex-super-thermo-long-sleeve-shirt/ref/4/
Brynje Long Sleeve Shirt Inlay (Merino Wool)
(USA): www.brynjeusa.com/product/unisex-long-sleeve-shirt-inlay/ref/4/
*Mesh Baselayer Bottoms*
Brynje Super Thermo Longs (Synthetic)
(USA): www.brynjeusa.com/product/unisex-super-thermo-longs/ref/4/
Zipped Merino Wool Baselayers (May be sold out)
First Lite Kiln Baselayer Bottoms
(USA): amzn.to/3VRW5Z5
Sitka 330 GSM (Thick) 3/4 Zipped
(USA): amzn.to/4g5AzYC
First Lite Merino X Midweight Quarter-Zip Top
(USA): amzn.to/49pyvID
-----*Shell Layers*-----
Outdoor Research Foray 2 Rain Jacket
(USA): amzn.to/3D0v0fn
Soft Shell Jacket
Revolution Race Hi-Ball Softshell Jacket
(USA): amzn.to/3OL3qW4
Soft Shell Pants
Revolution Race GP Expedition Pro Pants
(USA): amzn.to/3SrWC2o
-----*Hands*-----
Mittens with Removable Liners
Outdoor Research Alti Mitts
(USA): amzn.to/4f76TJt
Liner Gloves
Smartamzn.to/3ZpfBwW
-----*Neck and Head*-----
Villand Merino Wool Neck Gaiter
(USA): amzn.to/3D6rkcb
Hats/Toques
Bear Essentials 100% Merino Wool Beanie
thebearessentials.com/products/100-soft-merino-wool-beanie
*Note, most of these are Amazon Associate Links with a referral code on my end - its no cost to you but helps the channel*
Costco often carries 100% Marino wall long sleeve shirts etc!
Me too. Unless it below zero. Cotton works great. If it in very dry cold environment.
Not sure if you've heard of the uk made buffalo special 6 shirt and trousers.
They remove the need for layers.
And they retain over 97% of their insulation capability when soaking wet .
Their sleeping bag system FAR outclasses every other sleep system anywhere for any price.
( including wiggy's, feathered friends, carinthia, exped ultra...etc.etc.etc
WET OR DRY .
Best money I ever spent.
Great video as always.
Several of the Amazon links don’t work. They only take you to the generic Amazon home page. I assume you won’t get a referral fee if we search that page for the recommended gear.
The best base layer is brynje!
As someone who was a competitive skier and a ski instructor, one thing I would add for remaining warm would be to stay well hydrated, something which is easily overlooked in colder weather.
This is excellent advice! Thank you for adding this!!! I will come up with a small list of extra facts people have contributed from the comment section. Thx again!
Hydrated, but remember to pee. Don't hold it in because it takes a lot of energy to keep a full bladder warm.
This is excellent advice. I work outside all day. It's not very strenuous, but as I am quite thin when I stop I get cold quickly. I learned to keep hydrated from a marathon runner friend.
As an RN, I totally agree 👍
If you spend time at altitude, you can lose a quart of water per day, just from respiration.
Tip for anyone who does all the things but still feels chronically cold: You may simply not be eating enough. And it has nothing to do with body fat. Anyone who's known food insecurity (or experienced disordered eating) in cold climates can tell you that it only takes a couple of days of inadequate nutrition to start feeling drastically reduced resistance to cold. Low iron anemia may be a factor, but sometimes even just increasing overall calorie intake with so much as a bowl of oatmeal a day can go a long way toward helping with thermoregulation. Hope this helps someone out there!
Excellent addition here ( as well as keeping hydrated)
@TheBearEssentials Aww thanks! Yeah hydration is underrated af. My experience is more centered on urban homelessness than wilderness survival, so the pros/cons are very different (drinkable water being relatively abundant, legal/discreet places to pee maybe not so much, etc) so it's hard to get most people I know to hydrate more lol, but it's so important! Also thanks for all your hard work dude, your content provides a lot of useful info that applies to way more than just campers 😊
Do you think this is why people often eat bedtime snacks? My mother always gave us a little something before bed. She grew up poor, on a farm and said the piss pot would freeze during the night. They needed extra calories to stay warm. She passed that tradition down, as did I.
Thats a great point! I am naturally extremely thin but have a strong core and still have a very hard time with cold. I feel it in my bones. If I have time to adjust, prepare, and the temps are t a sudden drop, I do better. What about silk? I thought silk was to be worn as a base layer. That’s what we did in Northern Japan. Then wool. 4:37
I’m a person who’s always been thin who moved from the Caribbean to a place where it’s seriously cold in winter. Fortunately my body instinctively had me eating a ton more food. But I was okay with it. I knew I needed some serious insulation!
God bless you!!! I'm in the Swedish Army, and I know what cold is. You are the only TH-camr I've seen that knows how to deal with it in reality.
It's so refreshing to finally hear someone knowing what they are talking about, instead of the usual rambling about useless GoreTex and similar scams.
All well to you! Cheers from Sweden!
Wow thank you so much, this is high praise from someone from the Swedish army, my absolute respect goes out to you. And thanks for the nice comment!
I heard that inserting heated cans of surstromming under your layers also keep you warm. 😉
@@Perktube1 Haha...Even being Swedish I don't deal with Surstromming in any way, shape or form!
@@captaincarl1603 He might have missed the part that you were in the army so that stuff is illegal being considered a weapon of mass destruction, against the Geneva Convention.
@@captaincarl1603 The Canadian Armed Forces had a thing saying to stay warm think COLD. Keep you and clothes clean, don't overheat, dress loose and layered, and keep dry.
So I learned from men at work on the pile driver, if you want to keep your warm, put news paper in your boots and change it out at lunch. That paper would be wet at noon you would change it out and have warm feet all time, as the paper soaked up the sweat. For me it was a revelation and the cheapest way to keep your feet warm.
Thank you, from someone who works outside with marine pile drivers. Having to wear waterproof rubber boots, this is a good idea. A change of liners and socks is good, but this will help too.
Newspaper is not as ubiquitous as it used to be, unfortunately.
I was just thinking… where do you find news papers now a days?
Discovered merino wool about 7 yrs ago and have been obsessed ever since. Appreciate the tips on relaxed state gear vs active state, important stuff.
Merino wool is the best! Glad this was helpful and thanks a bunch for the comment.
I worked in the Arctic for over 30 years and have clothing I can survive in any cold weather. One job I had I would get dropped off on a mountaintop communications site. We had to have gear that we could survive in any cold in case there was a generator failure and weather keeps the helicopter away. I used to snowshoe in temperatures down to minus 40. Always shed layers to keep from sweating. I’ve camped in temperatures around -30.
That used to be Toronto fifteen years ago before global warming.
You were trying out for one of the "Avengers"? 😄✌️☘️👍
What tips can you provide from all that experience?
@@DamienDrake2389 I don’t wear any cotton, wool or down. Use fleece in layers. Also get a windproof but breathable outer layer. I like Hodgeman fleece made for wearing with fishing waders The bottoms even have a straps that goes under the arch of your foot.. I like a soft polyester layer against my skin. I wear an insulated nylon shelled layer that can be easily removed. I also wear a coat or vest similar to this. I buy the ones that compress real small. These layers fill the airspace under the wind proof layer. I used to work with a guy that climbed mountains that gave me this tips. We did tower work together in the Arctic during the winter at oil exploration drill sites. At 58 years old he set a time record for climbing the 7 highest peaks on the 7 continents .
@@Chris_at_Home thanks for the advice! Is there any reason you don't wear wool and/or down?
I've spent a lot of time hiking and camping, often in harsh conditions, and I can tell you're one of the rare people who truly speak from real experience. Thanks, brother. Greetings from Algeria!
Appreciate you, man! Cheers from the other side of the world! Thanks for the nice comment, you’re the first person I’ve seen mention Algeria I think!
Facts are great here, but your filming and editing make all your videos stand out. Thanks for being on youtube, always excited when you upload!
I appreciate that! Wow thank you so much.
Exactly what I thought!
I work in traffic control. We usually have about 15-30 mins of lifting and moving to set things up, then we stand in place for several hours. I usually do just wear the thick wool socks but that initial sweat from setup then my feet felt frozen the rest of the day. Going to use these ideas as best I can and should be much better off. Thank you!
And once again you efficiently, calmly, and professionally demonstrate why you are the #1 outdoor enthusiast channel on YT, and I don't say that lightly or randomly, I've been following YT outdoor channels for over a decade and you have become the gold standard. Thank you for your dedication and no-nonsense presentations.
Probably the best video on keeping warm on TH-cam. All 100% scientific, tried & tested great advise. No BS. Thanks!
You're the first fellow I've heard talk about shopping at used clothing stores. My kit is continuously being upgraded as I shop at the two small second hand clothing stores here.
Ya! I went a long time not being able to find earth tones in wool for modern stuff. So I was thrifting around and found it was a goldmine! Lots of older clothing was made of quality stuff! Hidden treasure for us outdoorsy folk!
Many of us cant shop second hand due to the mycotoxin contamination on clothes from the clothes being around moldy environments or ecen around the clothes in the store that have been in mold. Also people who use toxic scented laundry detergent and dryer sheets. These also damage wool clothing and affect their quality.
I wish that was still an option here. The "secondhand" stores are just normal stores now, who price everything at normal store prices, since it's "vintage" and "upcycled".
Hell, even the biggest outdoors goods chain is more of a fashion store by now carrying levi's etc. and selling cotton clothes as cold wear clothes (example The North Face cotton hoodies).
Having grown up in Hawaii and about to move to bend Oregon I appreciate this video as well as all the comments and tips and suggestions. I feel like a kid learning to walk again!
I moved to Carlisle, PA from St. Thomas a few years ago. He’s telling the truth about the sweat thing although I only feel it when I wake up under 20 blankets! Gotta change my base layer shirt almost immediately or freeze. it’s MUCH milder in Oregon. You’ll be fine. From one island girl to another: WELCOME TO THE BIG ISLAND! Buckle up! It’s kinda weird here.
Sorry to write you twice but, girl, you’re about to have a big wardrobe change. I went from shorts, skirts and tanks with a lightweight sweater to OMG? What do I wear? I settled mostly on yoga pants for pants. Jeans are a bit stiff and constrictive. I think leggings are adorable but I can’t wear them sadly. In the winter, I wear a sleeveless shell under a fleece three-quarter zip top. When it’s 30 degrees or below, I add a turtleneck sweater between them.
Shoes killed me. I found a girl with a channel, Anya barefoot shoes, who saved me. I’d always used Merrell barefoot running shoe, so I kept doing that. But she introduced me to Xero shoes. I’m on my third pair of their ballerina flats and I do love their overpriced house shoes/slippers. Figuring out your tops and bottoms and shoes to transition is a challenge. You might try getting to know LLBean. It’s hard to “see yourself” as pretty in such an alien environment. But trust me: this video is way, way overkill for the gentle cold you’ll experience in Oregon. Nevertheless, the principles still hold true.😊
A couple of additional points; Your socks should not have a tight elastic fit at their top. Remove your socks and look at your leg, where the top of your socks were. If there is an indent, your socks are restricting the flow of blood (which carries heat from your core to your feet). They are acting like a tourniquet. Next; When you are actively producing heat (too much heat that will cause sweating) Remove your hat. Since heat rises, your hat holds in a lot of heat, thereby causing sweat. Also, carry with you one of these modern silver foil blankets. They fold up to the size of a pack of cigarettes', and weigh almost nothing. You can easily carry one in any pocket. You won't even know it's there. But in an emergency it could easily save your life. Stay Warm.
Great additions!!
Where could I purchase one of those blankets, I’m getting on a bit and feeling the cold more every year? Thanks
@richardjohnston4682
Walmart on the camping aisle is probably the most accessible. Salvation army. Military surplus. Some sporting goods stores.
@@richardjohnston4682 They are sold at many places, just look for space/emergency blanket
> When you are actively producing heat remove your hat
I love a thin synthetic buff for this.
Going uphill: Remove hat, pull the buff over my ears to protect those from wind and cold while keeping the top of the head free to exchange heat
On the top / going downhill: pull the buff down to protect the neck, reinstall hat
Beyond proper layering, venting is everything, especially when repeatedly going from an active state to a passive one. Awesome video
Number one rule for staying warm in the winter is to remain inside a warm, comfortable home, rocking in a rocking chair near a wood burning stove.
I am old and have to move snow by hand, usually about 2 hrs at a stretch. Your information is going to be very helpful. I have sort of figured most of this out over the past 10 years, but I will be using this video to tweak my clothing for maximum heat, especially for hands and feet. I caught on, a couple of years ago, to merino wool being great (I cannot wear any wool but merino). I bought the thin layers of merino only because I was poor, but those alone were the game changer, along with merino wool socks.
I am SO impressed with your level of knowledge. I’d love to be your grandson/daughter in 30 years …… solid wisdom gained sitting at your feet listening to stories! High Five!
Very good. I just layer woolen clothes I made from wool military blankets… 1 shirt, 1 trousers when the temps are under ~55, merino balaclava, and linen hood.
As she cools down considerably more below freezing, one more woolen jacket made of the same military blankets often does the trick, but when it gets particularly chilly I add a second wooly coat and a woolen kama for my legs.
Feet and hands have been a journey. I made boots from reindeer pelt that do the trick no matter how cold it gets, but it’s that area between below freezing temperatures and colder fall weather that I have trouble finding a balance between a comfortable, flexible boot, that also stays dry, and also insulates enough.
This video has given me a number of ideas to improve my situation - thank you.
Sounds like a great system, and I love the repurposing the military blankets! Great idea.
The reindeer boots, wow that’s incredible. Those would be awesome when it’s that freezing cold - no risk of wet snow. I agree I find that fall to early winter the absolute toughest time. When it’s past -14C, the snow turns more dry and things are much more manageable ironically!
@@EsyuDach I wear a waxed cotton poncho if it rains, or if the snow is particularly heavy
I put a waterproof breathable shell over my wool sweater, its supposed to be the best at wicking away sweat and i was surprised to see how much moisture was on my outter shell and not the wool or my body when i came inside. I got an outershell with a reflective layer, its supposed to be waterproof and breathable but probably is more on the waterproof side then breathable so it did its job keeping the heat in and some moisture, but away from mybody. Its a Columbia titanium ski jacket with omniheat, basically a relfective layer you could simulate with aluminum foil tape inside your coat. Problem is it relies on your own body heat , it doesnt have much insulation intself, hence the nice wool sweater i wear. It would be nice to have a perfect all in one package, until then we gotta figure what works best. Apparnetly haveing the wool as your base layer is best to keep you dry,but i figure if it can wick sweat away from your body , it can wick sweat away from your base later too and it seems to do that.
This is my first intro to you, I've been perusing TH-cam to see what folks know about Winter gear systems, but on my own time also men's fashion (single at the moment, lol).
Being Ex-Army, Advanced Winter Warfare certified, having been to the North Pole on a 6 month tour on Ellesmere Island, and all over Canada. Been in the Northwest Pacific under Alaska, in Lincoln Bay/Arctic Ocean, in the Atlantic at Meat Cove, NS. Northern Quebec in winter. Also in August in the Otish mountains when there was still snow in the shadows of the peaks! (Air drops, prospecting, prior to military....we stored our lunch beer in the snow....ROFL! 5km line cut EM survey prospecting runs....not light work).
Brother, your video gets a grade A+. You know what you're talking about. No question. I've got no points to correct for you, you didn't, as far as I can tell, make any mistakes.
I've done improvised shelters at -56C. I know cold. Long range snow-mobile patrols, advanced to contact, cam and concealment....
Certainly no challenge here from me, so if I come across as challenging, it's just because I'm engaged, not being confrontational.
I noted your attention to detail, but also style and fashion. The style and fashion aspect is something I'm just getting into myself. I'm a trained, experienced survivalist. Experience in Canada only. But all of it.
If you would allow me to make a recommendation. You've listed Merino as a top notch product, and it is, I use socks and thermal underwear with it. But for a neck layer....a Pashmina, in my opinion, is the most elite cold weather option. I know what some of your gear costs, it's in your price range. A good 80x20-30 inch, light summer (ideally baby, but at minimum ethically sourced) Pashmina (cashmere scarf) is optimal for the neck warmth component.
I actually practice you're active vs idle layering, save for my feet....which you've given me much to consider. I'm not beyond learning!!!!!.
I'm totally impressed with this video.
One thing I'd add to your content is R value reduction with respect to oil permeation. 'Clean clothes'. You inattely cover clothing changes with your active/idle discourse, but never address the R value reduction of dirty...socks, underwear, liner layers. Like directly address, it's certainly inferred from your content 'if you know the cold'....
Good job man. Nice to meet you.
Also. A very, very new gear option for me is....(like ordered a few days ago)....Brother.....Footcare is so essential on the trail. Pedicure equipment. I know it sounds stupid, but a foot callous file, pumice stone, nail clippers, cuticle tool). It may sound like metro nonesense, but you 'know' intrinsically how much a hangnail in the bush f**ks you up.
Learn how to take care of your hands and feet, carry the simple tools...get fancy titanium tweezers and stuff....but be able to groom in the field. In depth.
A 'shower' (bird bath), hot coffee and shave? make the world a better place. Know what comforts you need to feel human in the cold. It makes all the difference.
Pashmina, and oil R value reduction. Wow these are EXCELLENT additions!!!
Thank you so much for your very detailed response and kind words. I can also relate the liking the fashion of it all!
You seem like a great person, and extremely well versed and experienced. It’s an honour to have you in the community here. 🤝
@@DavidSinanan I've been carrying a basic victorinox knife for years and always felt it kinda sucks as a knife (no safety, short and thin blade) and was considering getting something more serious.
But then I realized the toothpick, tweezers (for thorns and splinters) and scissors (for nails, bothersome facial hair, wonky eyelashes and all the little annoyances) are actually way more useful than the actual knife (on day hikes, anyway)
Tip: if you use thick wool as you mid layer, cotton or poly cotton shell works better for heat retention than pure synthetic.
Also, army surplus is a good source of cheap Gore-Tex gear, given you don't mind the camo.
Amazing video! The best of it's kind I've ever seen on here. Very detailed yet comprehensive information without distractions or aggressivly selling gear or stating wrongful/half-true messages. Thank you for creating this. 🙏
A superb video, which is well worth watching and sharing. 👍
To Summarize: Avoid getting wet at all costs, including via sweating!
[0] To minimize sweating,
*Always wear "wicking" fabrics for base-layers, such as Merino Wool and Synthetics*
[1] *Wear thin, breathable socks when active*
[2] *Wear loose fitting shoes,* to allow circulation and avoid overheating
[3] *Avoid cotton underwear,* as it doesn't "wick"
[4] *Wear thin, ideally mesh, base-layers,* as they're more breathable
[5] *Change layers when needed,* as wearing wet layers will make you cold
[6] *Choose base-layers with zips,* allowing you to ventilate to cool yourself
[7] *Don't wear long sleeve mid-layers when active.* Sleeveless vests are OK.
[8] Outer "shell" layers aren't always breathable, so prefer those with armpit and side zips. *Use soft shells in mild weather,* as they're more breathable
[9] *Wear mittens instead of outer gloves,* with an inner "liner" glove
[10] *Insulate your neck* (e.g. with a scarf or gaiter) to keep warmth in and cold out
[11] *Wear Merino Wool hats or beanies*
Great summary :)
@@TheBearEssentials Thanks for the comment and an excellent video.
Hopefully, the summary will help people remember them all.
As a cyclist I've only ever known synthetic, had no idea that during hiking it's not the best solution. Your comparison with merino wool is quite helpful, I will try it out in colder temperatures for biking and winter hiking.
I've been using my nitrile (like surgical) work gloves for decades, fishing hiking in winter. A gamechanger. Make sure they are loose fitting. Enjoy your stuff, keep it up.
Great point! Ya my buddy recommended that recently to me and it has been a gamechanger for winter fishing!
Pure silk cycling gloves make greater undergoes too
Used them for winter gardening too
I have forty years in the high Sierra skiing, snowshoeing, mountain snow biking, ice fishing, snow camping etc.I like your warm feet advice, one thing I do is wear a light medium sock in a Sorel type boot with a liner and if you can carry spare socks and a pair of spare liners, spare base layer and fire to dry wet layers during rest stops, no cotton, cotton kills.
Wow thanks for sharing your decades of experience, much appreciated! And great addition.
Super good information, great delivery. I work outdoors in cold /wet marine weather. I use fleece "wrist gaiters". Inside or outside of shell sleeves, almost to the elbow. They keep draft and moisture from creeping up sleeves, keep tops of hands and lower arms warm when taking gloves off, and can easily be taken off when moving and getting too warm, or to wear when jackets must come off from a lot of activity. When they get wet they are easily replaced without taking off a whole layer. The tip here from a pile driver about newspaper to collect moisture in boots is one I will adopt, thank you, excellent video.
For Hands, I like Fingerless flap mitts. The flap can be flipped out of the way to use my fingers if I need, and because it's fingerless I get the full effect of being a mit
I don’t have your range of experience but have done a lot of winter walking in the UK mountains in sub zero temperatures and snow. Everything you say is good advice particularly about mitts, a neck warmer and headgear. I solved my problem of sweating on a climb and being wet on reaching the top by using a Buffalo Mountain Shirt which has a Pertex outer and a pile inner. It was my go to top for winter along with a waterproof jacket and emergency outer layer for when I rested. One word of caution to others, after many years of hill walking I have sun damage on my head and sometimes get chilblains in my fingers because of not always wearing a brim hat and suntan lotion in summer and gloves in cold ( but not freezing) wet weather so these are a must if you want to avoid future problems.. I also echo your comments about (what you call a vest), you get body warmth without the bulk of sleeves.
As a long time wilderness survival trainer I agree with all you said and I have a few additions. One: lot's of thin layers with lots of zippers is best. Constantly zip and unzip and remove and add layers to keep yourself comfortable. It takes energy to deal with excess heat or cold so constantly adjusting to be comfortable is important. If you are hiking in the shade, zip up, hiking in the sun, unzip. Moving in and out of the shade and sun, the zippers go up and down. Don't forget the zipper in your pants. There are two large veins in the crotch so the pants zipper can do a lot of control. A lot of thin layers allow you to make small changes whereas a thick layer will be too large a change. I like to have thin wool fingerless liners under my mittens. It gives me maximum dexterity when I need it while keeping my hands warm for a little while. I like to use an oversized, extra long, wool balaclava with a thin synthetic liner under it. The balaclava can be worn as a hat and quickly and easily pulled down to cover the neck with no gaps between the hat and neck. There are a lot of blood vessels in the scalp so the hat is another great temperature regulator. When I am hiking in and out of shade and sun, in and out of the wind, the hat comes off, goes on, comes off, goes on.... And lastly, remove the boots and socks frequently especially if you are just starting or haven't hiked for a few weeks. This is to check for sweating and hot spots which will turn into blisters. When I am taking a group out, I insist everyone removes their boots and socks every hour and I personally check every foot. I have carried too many people out with unwalkable feet. One very last thing: if someone gets frostbite feet, do not thaw there feet until they get to the hospital. Someone can walk, ski, snowshoe on frozen feet. They cannot move on their own if the frozen foot is thawed. If it has gotten as bad as the feet became frozen, they already will lose their toes maybe even their feet so several more hours on the frozen feet will not make much difference. Also a frozen foot (or hand) will not pass toxins to the blood so it is safer for the limb to be thawed at the hospital where they can handle the blood toxins.
Thankkkk you for this Info !! 🙏👍🇺🇸
For everything but the most extreme cold, I use a wool glove which is comfortable enough down to about 35F, and then I'll put the Enlightened Equipment Torrid mitts over those, and put together, they are comfy down to around 0F. The Torrid mitts are roomy enough for warmer liners if I need to go sub zero though, so it's still a great system.
Just checked out those mitts, wow do they look warm. Sounds like an awesome strategy and thanks for sharing your knowledge!
@@TheBearEssentials They are the best weight to warmth I've found. Super light weight, but still as warm or warmer than most down mitts I've tried. They're really roomy, and the synthetic insulation performs as well as about 900 fill power down. A good leather outer with a really good liner would probably be warmer, but also much heavier and not packable. With backpacking it's always a trade-off, and for daily wear here, where sub-zero happens but is kind of rare, they are an ideal solution, in my opinion.
Your tip about surgical gloves for your hands acting like a wet suit is also true for your feet. It's known as a vapour barrier sock. This goes between your liner sock and your insulating sock. The idea being to keep your thick insulating sock and boot insulation dry. Everything else stated in the video is spot on with my winter outdoors experience. As stated, the main principle is to keep yourself dry. How you do that is a matter of preference. Wool garments work as do fleece and other synthetics. It's a matter of what works best for your body and your budget.
Great addition! Thank you for expanding on the point about dry footwear! I have this exact concept in my dedicated footwear vid on the topic, but didn’t include it here. Glad you caught that and shared it in this comment section! Thank you
Eine dünne Mülltüte über dünnen Strümpfen und darüber nochmal dickere Strümpfe geht auch.
Ich habe das auf einer sechswöchigen Winterwanderung in schwedisch Lappland ausprobiert,
funktioniert einwandfrei.
i wouldnt wear that for too long no? otherwise you feet will drown in their own sweat, cant be healthy for more then a day....
I got a pair of extremely tight work gloves, it seems like they are made of something like latex. However when I’ve worn them in the extreme cold my hands feel awful. Mittens seem to be truly the only thing I can find to keep my hands warm.
What is the best material for hand warmth?
12:04 I’m excited to try the mittens over gloves. I thought it was the fingers being separated. When only wearing gloves even with a liner, my hands still freeze
My feet sweat everyday... I am usually barefoot around the house because of it but the most important thing is to not let your feet STAY wet. Change socks, go barefoot, do whatever you need too. Also realize that if you are too hot (head, neck, core) your feet will sweat and freeze, regardless of your socks/footwear setup. Good video!
I would add one more thing about the shoes. That's right - you want to keep blood circulation. However, you should consider natural fit shoes with a wide toebox instead of simply going one size bigger. Most of the modern shoes are narrow. They keep your toes squeezed, and extra room in the front does not really help. Look at your bare foot before putting on the shoe. The big toe wants to stay straight. The small one wants the same. Find the shoe which lets them stay straight. You'll be surprised by the new level of comfort.
30+ years ago I was on a ski lift in Colorado. I was boarding solo, got paired up with a guy in his 70’s. During our small talk I complained about how cold my feet were. He said to use a spray-on antiperspirant on my feet because, the sweat is why I’m cold. It works and it has changed my life. I know some people don’t use antiperspirant. That’s fine, you do you.
So cool to get that old man knowledge! Awesome anecdote and thanks for sharing!
Trick with the surgical glove works on your feet as well. Layers go like this (inner to outer). Talcum powder, nylon stockings, soft plastic bag (best is like butchers use for packing meat), woollen socks, boots.
Right on!! I totally forgot to include that with footwear in this one - thanks for adding this!!!
I covered the covered it in my dedicated footwear cold feet vid, but didn’t cover it here, so thank you for adding this to the comments and discussion!
Try cornstarch instead. Talc is bad for you and micro abrasive
@@nathanielyoungman4454Wouldn’t cornstarch feed fungus? That could be troublesome in the long run. Would bentonite or kaolin clay powder be both non-food and non-abrasive?
This reminds me of how soldiers in the world wars in Europe would sometimes keep their feet covered in Vaseline as a method of preventing trench foot. I wonder if tallow or lard would have worked the same, and if it might be applicable here.
Couple of tips to throw in from an ice diver. When indoors such as a large tent where a heater blower may be on, go outside and change, I never kit up indoors or I’ll be locking in moisture which under the ice is a killer. Secondly, if on the skidoos or out in the wind say minus 40c you need your face covered, head for ex mil stores and check out their arctic face coverings particularly the nose which should have hard casing to stop the wind cutting through.
Dumping heat at transitions is so often overlooked ( I work in backcountry touring and other mountain sports). "be bold start cold" as the expression goes. The other thing I would add is keeping your head/hair dry as possible (I actually wear a loose weave straw hat for ski touring) so that means less sweat, and snow melt.
About bags on feet. My experience is it works best at very cold temps. (-25ºc), something to do with sweat regulation in the body. Otherwise you are just getting your feet wet.
And watch out for steel toes/shanks, worth putting a flat soul liner in for extra R value.
Great tips all round!
Great additions! Especially the “be bold, start cold” - I’ll definitely highlight this for folks
@@TheBearEssentials Thanks, years of construction (framing/siding), outdoor maintenance (rocks, roofs etc) and play have taught me a few lessons, and gabbing with some 'old timers' about 'back in my day'.
Love that saying!
I moved to Pennsylvania from the USVI and Florida. Holy cow it’s cold! Thanks for the info. I have noticed that piling on the blankets eventually makes me sweat and have to jump out of wet base layer in the morning and change to keep from freezing! Ordering that Merino hat before Trump’s stupidity tariffs kick in. Thanks! Know that sane folks in the US love you guys! Buying as much Canadian stuff as I can right now!
I just moved to Canada from Italy and I'm gonna spend the winter in the north. Thanks for the precious advice 😄 Keep up the good work!
Bonjiorno! I would imagine there will be similar conditions to spending a some time on the mountains in the winter there.
Reach out anytime my friend.
Nobody talks about drinking something warm. That first sip of a warm drink/soup on a cold day will warm you up from the inside out
Today, I came in and was fine. So had some cold water and then some smoothie. Wow, did I get cold and took a long time to warm up. Having some hot tea 1st , then later having my hydration
@Horsefaire literally! That's why hot coco is a wintertime drink.
Cashmere and alpaca beanies are even lighter and softer, and surprisingly not that much more expensive than merino in most places! I just got a really light and warm cashmere one for about $10 more than my usual merinos, and I have to say the extra softness against my face/scalp is WELL worth the little splurge. And I'm someone who will wear a t-shirt under a scratchy old Norwegian sweater with no problem!
This is such a good point!!
Also possum fur hats are excellent.
I've always noticed that less is more for layers, for really cold weather, you want one thin under layer that can dry off quickly, and one thick outer layer that you can occasionally open up to vent out the moisture, a lot of people will put on 3, 4, or even 5 layers, but all that does is force your body to warm up all the layers separately, making it take a lot longer to get warm in the first place
My silk long underwear is possibly the warmest underlay I've ever had while skiing. I also used them for military flying (Army helicopters -other than the CH47, are not known for great cabin heaters)..... best money I ever spent. Thanks for the video!!
That’s awesome, thanks for sharing your experience! I’ve never used silk before and want to give it a go now
silk is so awesome, was my goto for years in the Rockies.
I go winter climbing in Scotland a lot. On a route that has a hard or longer walk in I take a 2nd base layer and strip off at the base of the route and put fresh one on. It can be a bit brutal but works really well.
For dexterity in mitts get the trigger finger mitts, if your finger gets cold you can pull it in with the rest of your fingers then put it back when tying knots or some such. you can usually find these in a military surplus store.
7:43 as someone who's core overheats while arms can be cool
Sleeves. Usually found in bike shops, merino wool sleeves are ❤!
Wow this is an amazing video and you have a new subscriber! I know you are not aiming this video to moms with kids in cold climates but wow this is all so applicable to parenting in the winter! Especially camping with littles. Thank you so much!
Thanks for subbing! I’m trying to take pretty advanced concepts and make them applicable and easy to understand for everyone - so that all levels can learn something in a way. But you’re right it’s more geared toward outdoor enthusiasts. I’m so so glad this helped you Julia! Thx for the comment.
For keeping hands warm, I have already purchased a pair of thinner gloves made of merino wool from a company in Austria. They keep my hands warm in relatively cold weather, but won't keep my hands warm in really cold weather. They do have a pocket on the back that can hold hand warmers, and 3 of the finger tips on each glove you can use on touch screens. I am currently looking at getting mittens from this same company that allow you to unzip the part that covers the fingers while keeping the mitten on. They are very expensive, but quite practical for everyday use as they were originally designed for the German and Austrian military.
I love this stuff. Years ago, I learned the hard way during hunts about overdressing and then getting cold after sweating too much. One has to consider the effort level. I joke with my kids that I walk to my stand in my underwear, then suit up for the hunt in the stand. It is not far from the truth. Water/Sweat is the enemy. Jogging or hiking - if you are comfortable when you begin the hike or run, you have on too much! You should be cool, then warm up to a steady-state comfort when exercising, then when you stop it is OK to add the clothing. Great info and great production quality. Great job.
Living in the Pacific northwest, I can say the whole "stay dry" thing isn't always an option. Drenched and soaking through gortex and other breathable stuff. I prefer just going medieval with a cloak and larger and longer coats which feature knee length wool. I don't care about getting wet when it barely changes the temperature.
I vote for the medieval cloaks to come back in style. Im actually thinking of making a bear essentials one with a broach like LOTR. But great point, PNW is a TOTALLY different ballgame that im not an expert in. Thanks for sharing.
I really like the common sense approach of gear used appropriately for comfort that is not well thought out by many new to the wilderness. Also the tips on getting equipment from places other than the most expensive suppliers was great.
I wear the Darn Tough John Henry boot socks with my Nick's builder pros at work (construction) and my toes absolutely freeze!!! I tried those same socks today with a pair of polyester socks over them inside of Muck Boots and my toes were much warmer. They just got very sweaty!!
I've seen a couple of guys put a beenie / watch cap over their ball cap.
Efficient way to layer according to the situation.
I liked the input for not going too thick on the insulation, especially when active.
When I was a younger guy, I was invited by some older dudes on a 4 week elk hunting trip. My first hunting other than small game. PNW, Washington. I was a construction worker and was used to working in the cold but I only layered with the typical cotton stuff of the day for its durability and you only get cold when you’re not working and active. On the trip, it was VERY foggy, high humidity and I was about 3 miles from camp. It started raining right after I had found FRESH sign and I had taken a hide behind a tree that had fallen across the trail the sign was on. Fresh hoof drag marks on the fallen tree. I was definitely getting cold but it paid off when a group of elk were walking on the trail, coming my way. I was just starting to actually shiver but I took down a spike. I had only watched one in our group dress a 4 point the day before but was very insecure about trying to get the job done by myself without messing it up. Obviously there was no way I was going to drag that thing anywhere, so I took off my orange sweatshirt, hung it above the elk and started my hike to camp for help. The rain had soaked through my jeans, cotton longjohns and was quickly soaked through my sweatshirt, long sleeve tee, and tee. Damn! I was shivering uncontrollably! I’d hiked to the dirt road and was about a mile from camp when I saw the jeep coming 🤗 it was so late that it was almost sundown. The guys raised hell with me for being out so late until I told them I had an elk down and was coming for help. There was 5 of us and we worked pretty fast but I was freezing through it all. The campfire saved my butt, but they all bitched at me for wearing all that cotton. All I could say was that, I didn’t know better. Never done that sort of thing and thought all my layers would be enough. Everyone chipped in with some wool clothing but I still had only cotton longjohns and jeans. Thankfully it switched to snowing and didn’t stop till we had about a foot and a half overnight. 3 elk, and 27 days in the woods, I was hooked, but on my way home, I stopped at a sporting goods store and bought plenty of wool for next year. I guess I’m lucky, my feet just don’t really sweat. Never have wet socks and always had good, insulated boots and did use thick wool socks for the extra cushioning anyway. At least my feet stayed warm and dry. I’ve been a wool guy for winter ever since. Synthetics are great for lightweight but they tear easily and burn easily. Fine for snow skiing but not for busting through brush and woods. You always have great content here, thanks.
Wow! What a story - glad you survived the cold that day and nice haul on the elk! This was a great read, thanks for sharing!!!
See this is where doing renne and historical stuff is fun because people always ask if it’s not cold running around in the snow with just a tunic some tights and a cloak. Lmao no that’s a wool base layer and a thick-ass blanket that you can wrap in or open (or “flap” as I call it lol) to ventilate as needed. They’re not as practical or lightweight so they’re hardly perfect but it’s still interesting at least to me
Great video! I know almost all this information already but I love learning from others on what works for them.
Very interesting DJ. I'm bookmarking this video to watch again and share. I'm not outdoors very often, but your recommendations sound spot-on. I did know about the neoprene gloves under winter mitts/gloves. I do like merino wool. Stay safe (and comfortable) in the great outdoors. Blessings from Ontario.
Fantastic advice. I've long had my doubts about GoreTex and your nuanced explanation helped me understand about different circumstances of use and limitations of the fabric.
Also wanted to say that I totally agree with the comments below about hydration and nutrition when fighting the cold. May I add another factor to watch out for? Tiredness. The times in my life when I've felt the absolute coldest have been the times when I was absolutely exhausted - in spite of whatever the temperature was. Tiredness is not a good thing to add into the mix when you've got other factors to worry about.
I’m enjoying the hat I purchased from you …really nice during our first Ottawa snow event…thanks again
Gary
Gary!! Thanks so much!! Made me really happy reading this. Thx for watching and commenting here, and ofcourse your support.
Excellent, excellent information. I'm from the tropics, now living in Canada and trying to get good information about this. Some of these points rang true as soon as you said them.
(hoping for more snow)
I warmed up a lot when I started using silk socks and gloves under my other socks and gloves. Good tips.
I know synthetic is less expensive, but natural materials like wool really does make a difference. The most active I am in winter is walking to school/work and shoveling the drive way, but I've found wool always feel better on my skin in extreme cold, especially around my mouth where the condensation happens.
This is how it's done. Top marks. Solid, factual info.
Sometimes what is worse (in my experience) is wet and coldish weather. There is a whole different gear list for that, but essentially the same mission. Keep dry. Maybe another video idea for you?
I grabbed a mesh long sleeve base layer a while ago on your recommendation video. Love it. It’s my go-to for all of winter.
Watching this video while living in Australia
Great video DJ. You guys know how to stay warm up there lol. I've been wanting to try mesh base layers since watching your videos on it
Good information on the vest, my employer gave us all a carhart vest for Christmas, I wondered what good a vest did, now I know.
Thank you for all the great tips! Living in Manitoba sure brings on the cold weather so I look forward to using some of these tips. I recently just bought some gear from SKRE , some merino wool base layers and they will be the first that I’ve tried out. I went with the 300 thinking that would be my best bet for hunting but after watching this video , I’m starting to think maybe I should have gone with the 150’s 🤣. Just came across your video , now subscribed! Take care
Cool video my brother!!! It brought back memories from when I did SERE training in the navy in 2006.
We happened to do it in Maine in January so naturally Cold Weather survival was bundled in lol.
Good shit. God Bless
NICE! SERE training is unreal, I can only imagine how tough that would be in January in Maine lol..an unforgettable experience to say the least.
Thanks for sharing! You are doing a great job on YT! Starting from information and experience you share and ending with filming and postproduction. I know how much time and effort invested in all your videos! Taking my hat off, master!
I appreciate the support, and I’m glad you found it helpful! Ya so much to make something like this, thanks for the appreciation my friend!
such good advice. I'm blown away & we all (beginners) make these mistakes.
Thanks for watching, glad you found it useful!
As a Florida resident for over 20 years I can say I approve this video
I have been fighting sweat for years, thanks for info
The only thing you skipped that I use is a bandanna protect my face para goggles and a scarf. What's a red heart you're set up for Arctic weather. Still skiing and snowmobiling in 10 below PS the banana would actually freeze up with moisture and freeze up with snow and ice and actually help insulate your face. Strange as that sounds interesting
We used to put breadbags on our feet EBFORE putting socks on as kids, kept the feet wet but warm....
Very good summary, learned a few things more! Thanks!
*But side note to the medical glove* :
Keep in mind that they will dry out your skin and you better have some hand moisturizer with you, wearing them long and often is definitely not good without proper care.
The only thing you skipped that I use is a bandanna protect my face para goggles and a scarf. What's a red heart you're set up for Arctic weather. Still skiing and snowmobiling in 10 below
With boot sizing - it's not just about bloodflow. It's actually kind of questionable how much that reduces blood flow. It's largely about compressing the insulation of warm socks. Just like the bottom of your sleeping bag doesn't keep you nearly as warm as the top. All the insulation is compressed and can't do it's job. Heat has a much more direct route from your foot to the outside when all those fibers are in contact with each other and the boot. All that insulation and any that is built into the boot should have enough room to do it's job.
That’s an excellent point to add on! Thanks for the help to other reading this.
I’d assume most times it’s exactly as you describe and not blood flow.
However, (just to counter that point about blood flow construction being questionable) having a bit more insulation even if it’s compressed theoretically should still work better than not having it at all, but in reality, the reverse happens.
Which reinforces the blood flow theory I’d think.
Thanks again for the comment and addition to helping everyone here!
@@TheBearEssentials Good point. Hopefully somebody does some research to figure it out. Understanding this better could actually save toes and feet. Appreciate the video - tons of good advice here.
@@backpacker3421thx my friend!! And thx again to adding to the knowledge base!
@@TheBearEssentialsIce skating experience: thin sock on one foot, both thin and thick sock on the other. The foot with the thick sock got cold. Took off the thick sock, skated and the foot warmed up. I think the pressure restricted blood flow.
Mors Kochanski told people who couldn’t get boots and socks to work together well to try three pairs of wool socks with no boots. If it gets cold enough this winter I might give it a try!
Mors is a legend, he was one of the best !! Thanks for adding this point in!!
Great video and a lot of really good advice. Certainly a lot of high activity advice. One opportunity to enhance this list is giving advise on the super low activity states. Around camp and early morning. Hard to do it all of course. But slug life is still something we will all do.
How did you come to choose the toe socks? I remember rainbow coloured toe socks on the 70s, which we wore mostly to annoy adults 😂. But all the additional bulk made them a tight fit in our shoes / boot - not ideal for keeping warm. You indicate mitts are preferable to (digit-individuating) gloves. Would the same case not apply w respect to standard socks vs toe socks? Great video! Thanks!❤
Really useful thanks for that!! Most of the things are counterintuitive but we just have to think about every single situation. I simply LOVE wool, and the mistake that I always do is wear cotton under, because I don't want the wool to smell (because it is delicate and really difficult to wash)!! From now maybe I'll use synthetic to push moisture out....even if I don't like that much synthetic. But, or I go synthetic or I go natural! 😅
I keep uniheat packs for my reptiles since we do get a cold winter with a chance for power outages. They are used for shipping plants too and max at 100f so no scalding. They come in 24-96 hour packs and I read if repacked to be oxygen free, they go dormant and last longer. The 40-72 hour packs I have had had a few years of shelf life.
Thank you so much!
I am a relatively new reptile owner and I always was worried about a possible power outage.
Now I will buy heatpacks and some suitable insulated boxes.
Just in case....
Merino wool is good but a possum fur mix with merino is even better 👍🏻
DJ always has the latest and greatest in the science of warmth
Eyy thank you!
Valuable information! Thank you!
Awesome video ,dj ,that cold fresh air certainly keeps you handsome ! 😊shall look into merrino wool ,thanks
very bang on for the week and the month, love this, thank you Natalie 🌅
I too am a huge fan of Merino.
Baselayers, liner socks, over socks, liner gloves, beanie, snood, balaclava... all Merino.
It's a superfabric.
Couldn’t agree more!
Always super tips. This episode is chock full of them - and a complete shopping list for just before Christmas! Thanks
Glad it was helpful! Thx for the nice comment
This is one of the best videos I've seen in ages
Wish I had this info sooner! We did a 20 mile loop in the Sawtooths of Idaho with about 5 miles of snowshoeing... I wore my heavy duty wool socks and sure enough my toes are still numb & ice cold a month later. 😬
Lmao! Im imagining the black foot from the movie Mr Deeds (If you get the reference)
Also wear a string vest under your wool or synthetic baselayer.
Excellent advice, but the bottom line is, I still hate cold weather...🥶. I need a fully heated snow suit.
Hahahahaha 🤣 thanks for the laugh. I agree with you on some days 😅
I watch these type of videos for tips on heat management when i am skateboarding in the winter
that lines up with everything i learnt the hard way
After roughing it for 10 months being homeless outside the part regarding sweat there's something I've seen overlooked as well. Especially for sleeping in a tent and you do not have access to a shower or change of clothing. Doesn't matter what you do you'll never dry.
About the socks thing- if the boots are a size big for the loft wool socks then surely they will be way to big with thin liner socks only. Comfused now as to what size boot to buy