I enjoy being outdoors in all sorts of weather conditions. I particularly like going out when the temperatures drop below 0ºF. Unique ice formations, steam rising from bodies of water and many other phenomena only appear in extreme cold. Here along the southern edge of Lake Michigan it is not uncommon to experience these temperatures a couple of times in a typical winter.
In this post I go over what clothing I have found to work well in these conditions. I also go over why I enjoy going out in this weather and what gear I use.
However, going out in these weather conditions is not to be taken lightly, particularly when you will be hiking through areas where you are unlikely to see more than one or two other people. If you are not properly prepared you can easily find yourself in a life threatening situation. I have spent years learning how to safely go outside for extended periods of time when temperatures are below 0ºF with wind chill factors of -30ºF, and how to do photography under these conditions. In this series of posts I will share how I do this in a manner which is both enjoyable and safe.
In this post I will use my most recent sub-zero excursion to illustrate how I dress to stay warm while out on the trail, taking photographs, for several hours.
One of the most important pieces of advice I can give is that you need to familiarize yourself with hypothermia. The second most important piece of advice I can give is to take your time learning how to be outdoors in extreme cold. It takes practice and some degree of trial and error to figure out what works best for your body given the conditions in your area. I began by going out for short walks in my neighborhood, where warm and dry conditions were always close at hand. It was not uncommon to discover that my warmest clothes were not nearly warm enough. As I learned from these experiences I slowly built up a well thought out and tested set of cold weather gear and practices, which in turn allowed me to stay out for longer periods of time under harsher conditions.
With that said, here is what I wore on my most recent photo hike to the Indiana Dunes on a day when the temperatures were -8ºF, with winds in the 20mph to 30mph range. I spent three hours on a 3.5 mile trail which passed through a variety of wetlands, dunes and ultimately took me to a beach at the very southern tip of Lake Michigan. Note, when I provide brand names it is for the purpose of allowing comparison to other brands and products. These are simply the items which I have found work for me, your mileage may vary.
From bottom to top…
Feet
- Heavy weight Merino wool thermal socks.
- Columbia Bugaboot III.
The main considerations here are proper thermal insulation and waterproofness, while retaining enough space to be able to comfortably wiggle the toes. I used to try layering socks with the expectation that this would lead to better insulation. However what usually happened was that the fit inside my boots was tight, and this restricted both air flow and blood circulation which led to more problems with my toes getting cold than when I stuck with one layer of socks and a roomier fit. I did purchase my boots a full 1.5 sizes larger than my normal shoe size, but ultimately width was the limiting factor. Buying even larger boots simply created too much empty space in front of the toes and interfered with my natural gait too much.
I find that the tread pattern and depth is mostly irrelevant. What is much more important is fit and the degree of waterproofness. Any moisture that works its way into the boot is going to lead to problems.
Legs
- Wool medium weight 250 base layer. I have found that LLBean sells effective and good quality base layers.
- Toomett fleece lined water repellent outdoor pants.
The pants are made with a wind resistant outer shell that is reasonably water repellent. By reasonably I mean I cannot kneel in a puddle of water for 5 minutes with out having some water soak through. But in sub-zero temperatures you are more concerned with wind resistance. It is simply too cold to encounter water in its liquid form, assuming that you do not foolishly walk out on to and subsequently break through ice. When it comes to cold weather pants I go for a loose, baggy fit. When hiking up and down sand dunes, and constantly squatting down to take photographs of interesting ice formations, you need room to move comfortably. You also want to trap a layer of warm air inside your outer layers and form fitting clothing does not provide this. Being out in extreme cold is not about fashion and looking good, function beats form, period. Rule of thumb, if it looks good on you it is probably inadequate for going outside.
Torso
- Wool medium weight 250 base layer. Again, I find that LLBean products work well for me.
- Regular T-Shirt.
- Heavy weight Chamois shirt.
- A full on heavy winter coat. I have a $300 parka from The North Face that has been worth every penny.
Your torso is the most important area to keep warm. This is where all of your important internal organs reside and the body regulates itself to keep them at the proper temperature. If your core body temperature starts to go down, the body will start to shut off circulation to what it considers less important parts such as hands and feet. So if your core is not warm, no combination of awesome footwear and gloves will keep your toes and fingers from going numb. Another important consideration, particularly when out hiking where you can generate significant body heat, is to avoid cotton as the layer closest to your skin. Cotton will soak up and hold sweat, holding against your body and eventually leading to heat loss. Wool does a much better job of wicking moisture away, and has the advantage of drying more quickly than cotton. Wool also retains its insulating properties when wet, unlike cotton.
Similar to my choice of pants, I go for a roomy winter coat. Even with three layers underneath, it is important to allow for airflow and freedom of movement. When dressed for extreme cold you should look like an over inflated blob. Again, if it looks good on you it is probably not practical for outdoor use. As a photographer I pay particular attention to the number and size of pockets. I like to be able to carry accessories like a pocket camera, extra batteries, candy bars, tissues, gloves and neck gaiters, etc. I also separate items into different pockets as much as possible. When I go to pull out that extra layer of gloves I don’t want to inadvertently pull out my car keys and lose them in the snow without realizing it. For this reason things like keys, money and cards all go into a separate pocket which will securely zip shut. I also use the same pocket every time I go out, that way when I am searching for something I know there is no need to even unzip that pocket to look, because the only things there are keys money and cards.
Hands
- Alepo Cashmir lined leather gloves (~$25).
- Heat Company Heat 3 Shell (~$170).
The hands are one of the most difficult body parts to keep warm. Particularly when you have to keep removing your gloves to operate a camera. It took me quite a while to come up with an effective solution, but what I finally settled on really works well. So well that on my most recent 3 hour excursion in sub-zero temps, my hands and fingers were comfortably warm the entire time. The key is a two part system. The Alepo brand gloves are surprisingly warm without being bulky and allowing for good manual dexterity. The combination of leather and Cashmir is very wind proof and retains heat well. The gloves are nimble enough that I can easily work all of the buttons and dials on my Nikon mirrorless camera while wearing them. Note that I do not operate the camera via the touchscreen. I have configured the programable buttons on the body of the camera in a way that allows me access to all of the settings I commonly use.
The Alepo gloves on their own are not enough when the temperatures drop in to the 20’s and below. Most of the time I simply wear an oversize pair of ordinary fingerless winter gloves over them for additional warmth, taking them off for those short periods when I am working the camera while still wearing the Alepo gloves. When the temperatures drop into the single digits and below I break out the Heat Company Heat 3 shells. Basically these are really outstanding insulating shells designed to fit over a pair of regular gloves. They are incredibly warm and were designed specifically for photographers so they have some nice features. One of the features I appreciate most is an elastic loop which fits over your wrist and attaches to the glove. Thus, when you pull the shell off to work the camera, you can just let it hang from your wrist. But features aside, I have simply never had cold fingers while wearing the gloves for hours at a time in sub-zero temperatures, the insulation is that good. They are not cheap, and I do not need to use them often. But when I do need them, they are worth the cost.
Head & Neck
- Fleece Neck Gaiter.
- Balaclava.
- FRR fur lined leather bomber hat.
The Balaclava allows you to cover your entire head and face except for the eyes to ward off frost bite. The neck gaiter provides extra insulation on the neck while keeping cold air from working its way inside your jacket as you move. The bomber hat is one of those ones with the ear flaps that you can pull down to cover not just your ears, but your cheeks all the way down to the chin. I am not a big fan of fur in general, and I tried unsuccessfully to find a hat that would work in extreme cold for years before turning to this particular style. But when you plan to spend hours at a time in sub-zero temperatures and high (30mpg and up) winds, the combination of leather and fur beats anything else I could find. Simply put, my head, ears and cheeks have never gotten cold while wearing this hat.