The following is a guest post from the folks at Trail Creek Outfitters at Glen Eagle Square in Chadds Ford/Glen Mills. Near the new Whole Foods and the new Crazy 8 store, both of which are great, so take time out to head down there and visit. Don’t let the winter cold prohibit you from participating in outdoors activities, just dress properly! Make sure you check out our calendar page, as TCO is co-hosting a film festival in February–details are on the calendar.

Click to visit the Trail Creek Outfitters website.

We Know How to Keep You Warm

We hear people complain that they are always cold. We can fix that. We know how to keep you warm and comfortable for any outdoor activity in rain, wind, sleet, snow or whatever else Mother Nature throws at you.

Before we address how to stay warm, we should explain why you get cold. Simply put, our bodies produce heat to keep us at a constant temperature of 98.6 degrees. Our job is to hold onto that heat. When skin is wet, that takes heat away from the body 23 times faster than when it is dry. When the wind blows across the skin, heat is lost. The higher the wind speed, the greater the heat loss (think wind chill). So staying warm is pretty simple. You must first keep your skin dry. Then you must insulate (hold onto the heat that your body produces). Finally, you have to block the wind.

Keeping the Skin Dry
You may think that to keep your skin dry you only have to wear a raincoat when it’s raining. It’s not that simple. In addition to producing heat, our bodies emit moisture (perspiration). This process goes on all the time even if you’re just sitting still at a bus stop. Of course, the more active you are the more you perspire and the wetter you get. If you are wearing cotton or silk, the moisture is absorbed by that fabric and it stays on your skin. Remember wet skin cools 23 times faster than dry skin. Think about how cold you are when you get out of the shower until you dry off. The way to keep your skin dry is to wear a synthetic or wool quick drying, wicking layer. Whether it’s sitting soccer game or running a 10k, we can tailor the next-to-skin layer to your activity. This layer is the most important layer in the “how to stay warm” system. It can’t be overstated how crucial the proper base-layer is. We know how to keep you warm.

Insulating
You’ve had a good breakfast and your furnace is fueled up and throwing off some good heat. How do we keep that heat from escaping out the chimney? We must trap that heat in our clothing. Clothing insulation is nothing more than dead air space (tiny air chambers). You are probably familiar with a lot of the insulations on the market (down, Primaloft, polar fleece, etc). They all work. However, each has its own distinctive properties. Down, for instance, is the lightest and warmest for its weight insulation, but loses its insulating value when it gets wet. Polar fleece is very light, warm and cozy, but the poorer quality fleece can pill and isn’t very abrasion resistant. We can sort through all of these trades-offs and customize the best insulation for your particular needs. Oh yeah, don’t forget to wear a hat to seal off that chimney. We know how to keep you warm.

Outer Shell
This is where the shell comes in. We know that a waterproof shell can keep you dry from the outside, but it needs to not only be waterproof but breathable. No matter how good your next-to-skin layer is, it will be overwhelmed with moisture if the perspiration cannot escape. If your shell is waterproof then it is also windproof which will hold your heat in when the breeze is blowing. Some people prefer to have their insulation and shell in one garment. That is great for those very coldest days and we offer a selection of insulated jackets. However, you may consider a shell and a separate insulation. This way if its 50 degrees and raining, you can just wear your shell. You will be dry and not overheated. We know how to keep you warm.

That’s the basics. Other factors such as activity level, circulation problems, and quality of garments will affect how you personally adapt to these principles. We can adjust our recommendations to suit your needs. We know how to keep you warm.

Recommendations

Now that you know the general method of keeping warm, we can recommend some specific garments to suit specific activities.

Running
Mountain Hardwear Transition Zip-T
Marmot Power Stretch Tights
Smartwool RBX Ultra Cushion Socks
Patagonia Expedition Weight Glove Liners
Turtle Fur Windtech Hat
Montrail Hurricane Ridge Trail Runners

Mountain Biking
Arcteryx Gamma SV Jacket
Patagonia Windshield Tights
Outdoor Research Powerline Glove
Mountain Hardwear Windstopper Headband
Bridgedale Light Hiker Socks
Patagonia Midweight Capilene Zip-T

Downhill Skiing
The North Face Alpine Light Parka
Patagonia Stretch Boundary Pants
Marmot Piste Glove
PolarMax Turtleneck
Smartwool Ski Socks
Mountain Hardwear Micro Chill Pants
Patagonia Light Weight Ski Hat
Marmot Steffani Sweater
Columbia Hoodoo Pull On Boot

Horseback Riding
Barbour Bedale
Muck Boots
Patagonia Light Weight Capilene Socks
The North Face Cirque Top
Marmot Windstopper Gloves
Patagonia Puffball Vest
Mountain Hardwear Transition Dome Hat

Day Hiking
Columbia Trekker Convertible Pant
Ex Officio Air Strip Shirt
Patagonia R.5 Crew
Mountain Hardwear Alchemy Jacket
Marmot Windpro Glove
The North Face Pumori Vest
Bridgedale Trekker Socks
Turtle Fur Wool Hat
Merrell Pulse Mid Waterproof Boot

Couch Potato
Columbia Micro Fleece Hoody
Patagonia El Cap Pants
Marmot Micro T
Acorn Versa 2Way Socks
Uggs Tasmans

Take Care Of Your Gear

Now that you have all of the gear to keep you warm for your particular activity, we need to say a few words about maintenance. First, keep your clothing clean. This applies to all of your layers, but it is especially important for your waterproof/breathable outerwear. Many people think their jackets are leaking when in fact the water-repellant finish (DWR) has worn off and you are getting condensation forming inside the jacket (just like the windows of your car). You should clean it with powdered detergent at the very least, but preferably a non-detergent wash such as Nikwax Tech Wash. After washing your outerwear, you need to reapply the water-repellent finish with a product called Revivex. The same principle applies to your footwear. Keep boots and shoes free from mud and dirt. Every so often use a leather conditioner and reapply a waterproofing agent. Nikwax makes variety of these products that are tailored to the kind of material used in the boots. Avoid animal based products such as mink oil which can weaken the leather. If you take care of your gear, it will take care of you and last through many, many adventures.