Dressing for the outdoors is simple if you stick to three key principles.
These will help you stay warm, dry and comfortable, whatever the weather.
Your core temperature only has to drop two degrees for hyperthermia to set in.
That's why the type and the amount of clothing you wear makes such a difference in cold
and wet weather.
Most clothing has a high cotton content, but for many outdoor activities, cotton is
a poor choice and sometimes it can be life-threatening.
So to demonstrate just how bad things can get if you wear cotton on the hill, I'm going
to try to climb a mountain dressed in a cotton t-shirt, a pair of jeans, a cotton sweatshirt
and a kagool. Donna is joining me and she's wearing all the latest and greatest kit from
Cotswold.
You know, I've always said that a bad day on the hill is better than a good day in the
office. I think I'm going to eat my words. I better go and get changed.
Cotton fibres do a fantastic job of absorbing moisture, which is why you get damp underarms
if you wear a cotton t-shirt on a hot day.
Now a damp t-shirt hardly matters if you're on the high street, but if you're on the side
of a mountain, a sodden t-shirt is a shortcut to hypothermia. That's because wet clothing
conducts heat away from the body very quickly. And what's true for t-shirts is also true
for underwear and cotton trousers, especially jeans.
What I'm going to do is potentially quite dangerous. So I've got lots of proper outdoor
clothing in my rucksack, as well as a hot flask, in case things get a bit rough.
The first key to staying dry and warm is to wear a base layer, made from a synthetic
fabric or merino wool. This clothing wicks sweat away from the skin and towards your
next layer of clothing, leaving you noticeably drier.
Some fibres soak up body odour, leaving you smelling like the inside of a Turkish bath.
However, merino is particularly effective at reducing this smell, and some synthetic
fabrics have additional properties, such as silver, which can also help to minimise body
odour.
Normally, my skin itches like crazy when it comes up against wool, but modern merino
wool is so fine I've never had any discomfort.
Well, we've been going 30 minutes and I'm starting to feel pretty uncomfortable. How
are you doing?
I'm feeling a little bit cold. I think I might stop at the fleece on it today.
OK, let's do that.
The second layer is the insulating layer. The fleecy material traps body heat to help
keep you warm, while still allowing your sweat to continue its journey away from your skin,
which is why wearing a cotton sweatshirt would defeat the whole objective.
Are you serious, Mama?
I quite like my cotton sweatshirt.
Most mid layers are made from polyester, and there are loads to choose from. If you're
walking in cold weather, then you'll want a mid layer that is able to trap lots of heat.
At the other end of the spectrum, if you're out walking on a hot summer's day, you may
not need any mid layer at all.
If like me, you enjoy the outdoors year round, there's a more flexible and a more affordable
option than buying lots of standalone fleeces for different times of year.
And that's to use two lighter weight fleece tops, one of which is oversized to layer comfortably
on top of the other. You wear the regular sized one in warmer weather or when exercising
and both in colder weather or when you stop for a break.
The layering system isn't foolproof. It can go wrong if you end up wearing too much in
the way of mid layers and start to overheat or don't take enough time to stop and put
on an extra layer when you begin to feel cold.
Both of these things are surprisingly easy to do, even in weather like this.
Sometimes it's simply not practical to stop and take off a layer, especially when it's
raining. You can partially regulate your heat by pulling up your sleeves to expose your
wrists or by putting on or taking off a hat. A bit like putting a lid on a pan of hot water
to bring it to the boil or taking the lid off to stop the water from spilling over.
So the second key is to regulate the number and the thickness of your mid layers to prevent
yourself from sweating excessively or becoming too cold.
I prefer to be a little on the cooled side rather than risk overheating as I puff up
hill.
So far we've dealt with removing sweat and trapping body heat. Now that the wind's getting
up we need to put a barrier between ourselves and the elements, while still allowing all
that sweat to escape.
The word nylon comes from mashing the words New York and London together. I think it's
the first time I've been on a mountain when I wish I'd rather been there than here.
These days walkers use waterproof jackets that have what is known as a breathable quality,
which means that the fabric allows sweat to escape while still keeping rain at bay. Some
materials are more effective at doing this than others.
Price wise when I'm wearing a proper layering system I'd rather that my jacket be cut from
a high performance fabric with fewer features than have lots of bells and whistles but with
a reduced breathability.
That's a nice jacket you've got there Donna. You've got over trousers too. Nice.
If you're on a budget think about buying a really great jacket and a less expensive
pair of over trousers, especially if you don't plan to make walking in bad weather a habit.
You can also apply the layering principle to legs. Instead of buying different trousers
for summer and winter conditions you can wear a pair of unlined, fast drying walking trousers
in summer and wear a pair of synthetic leggings underneath in colder weather.
I have to confess that when I'm wearing a proper layering system like Donna I only wear
waterproofs when I absolutely have to.
If it's windy or just spitting with rain then I prefer to wear a windproof jacket or
a softshell which is a combination of a mid layer and a shower proof outer rolled into
one. It does add a few extra grams to my rucksack but it's far more breathable than
even the best waterproof fabric as my sweat vapour doesn't have to pass through any coatings
or membranes and if I do get caught out in filthy weather I can leave it on as an extra
heat trapping barrier under my waterproof shell.
So the third key is simple where the highest quality fabrics you can afford that are capable
of blocking out wind or wind and rain depending on the conditions.
What a great view. It's pretty special eh?
Yeah it's awesome.
So how are you feeling?
Yeah I'm good thanks and dry, warm, fresh, it's not like me this cotton clothing absolutely
rubbish I'm freezing. So there we have it, an inner layer to draw the sweat away from
your body, one or more mid layers to trap all that body heat in and shell clothing to
keep the elements out and leave your jeans at home for Saturday night.
Cotswold stocks all the clothing you need to build your own customised layering system.
Stop in for a chat or visit the website for more advice and information.
