{"id":9051,"date":"2019-10-23T10:00:34","date_gmt":"2019-10-23T14:00:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.butler.edu\/healthyhorizons\/?p=9051"},"modified":"2019-10-23T10:26:15","modified_gmt":"2019-10-23T14:26:15","slug":"clothing-and-gear-tips-for-cold-weather-hiking","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/blogs.butler.edu\/healthyhorizons\/workout-wednesday\/clothing-and-gear-tips-for-cold-weather-hiking\/","title":{"rendered":"Clothing and Gear Tips for Cold-Weather Hiking"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"parsys articlebody\">\n<div class=\"text parbase section\">\n<div class=\"mb10\">\n<h2><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"img-responsive\" style=\"color: #333333;font-weight: 300\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/dam\/vagnini_071616_1096_layering.jpg\" alt=\"detail of a hiker wearing layers\" \/><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>To stay comfortable on a cold-weather hike, it\u2019s critical to wear the right clothing and carry the right gear.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"text parbase section\">\n<div class=\"mb10\">\n<p><b>Wear layers:<\/b>\u00a0Layering is a three-part system that includes a base layer that wicks perspiration away from your skin, a mid layer that insulates you from the cold and a shell layer that keeps wind and moisture out. The goal with layering is to add and remove layers throughout your hike so you can stay warm and comfortable without overheating and getting sweaty. It can feel like a chore to stop and change clothes, but it\u2019s really important to stay dry. Getting wet on a cold day can possibly lead to hypothermia.<\/p>\n<p><b>Say no to cotton:\u00a0<\/b>When cotton gets wet, it takes a very long time to dry, which can leave you feeling damp, cold and miserable. Synthetic and wool layers dry much faster and will move perspiration away from your skin.<\/p>\n<p><b>Cover your skin:<\/b>\u00a0Any skin that is exposed to freezing temperatures and cold wind is prone to frostbite. Take special care of your nose, cheeks, ears, fingers and toes.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><b>For your hands,<\/b> try wearing lightweight or mid-weight fleece gloves under waterproof shell mittens or shell gloves. It\u2019s also a good idea to bring an extra pair of fleece gloves that you keep stowed in your pack in case the ones you\u2019re wearing get wet.<\/li>\n<li><b>For your feet,<\/b>\u00a0wear synthetic or wool socks that fit well. Thicker socks provide more insulation, but make sure they don\u2019t cause your boots to fit too tight, which can cut off circulation. It\u2019s also important to keep your feet dry, so carrying an extra pair of socks to change into is a good idea. Wear waterproof boots if you\u2019ll be trekking through snow, and if you\u2019ll be in very cold temperatures you might require boots with built-in insulation.<\/li>\n<li><b>For your nose and cheeks,<\/b>\u00a0try a neck gaiter for face mask.<\/li>\n<li><b>For your ears,<\/b>\u00a0a winter hat or headband can do the trick. A neck gaiter or face mask may also provide coverage for your ears.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Avoid tight clothing:<\/b>\u00a0Wristwatch bands, cuffs of gloves, gaiters and boots that are too tight can cause poor circulation, which can increase your chance of getting frostbite. Make sure your clothing and gear fit properly.<\/p>\n<p><b>Add heat:<\/b>\u00a0Hand warmer and toe warmer packets are a great way to warm up your digits, especially if you\u2019re prone to cold fingers and toes.<\/p>\n<p><b>Wear a hat:<\/b>\u00a0You can lose heat through the top of your head, so pull a winter hat on if you\u2019re feeling chilly.<\/p>\n<p><b>Keep snow out with gaiters:\u00a0<\/b>If your hike will take you through deep snow, gaiters are a must for keeping snow out of your boots. They also add a bit of warmth. Be sure to use waterproof\/breathable gaiters for hiking in snow.<\/p>\n<p><b>Bring goggles or sunglasses:<\/b> Always protect your eyes from the sun and wind. Many goggles and some sunglasses allow you to swap lenses in and out so you can select the right lens tint for the weather.<\/p>\n<p><b>Pack a headlamp:\u00a0<\/b>If you\u2019re hiking in winter, you\u2019ll have less daylight hours, especially if you\u2019re in the northern part of the U.S. You don\u2019t have to end your trip when the sun goes down, but you must be prepared to hike in the dark. Have a sense for how many hours of usable daylight you have and always pack a headlamp with fresh batteries.<\/p>\n<p><b>Keep batteries warm:\u00a0<\/b>Cold weather can kill batteries quickly. Lithium batteries tend to hold up better in cold temperatures than alkaline batteries, but no matter what battery type you use, it\u2019s best if you try to keep them warm. Stowing your headlamp, GPS, cellphone and other electronics in a pocket close to your body can help.<\/p>\n<p><b>Apply sunscreen:\u00a0<\/b>Just because it\u2019s cold out doesn\u2019t mean you stop worrying about sunburn. In fact, if there\u2019s snow on the ground, the sun\u2019s rays can reflect back up at you, so you need to be diligent about applying sunscreen on the underside of your nose and chin and around your neck.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.rei.com\/learn\/expert-advice\/cold-weather-hiking.html\" class=\"broken_link\">www.rei.com\/learn\/expert-advice\/cold-weather-hiking.html<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on the_content --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on the_content -->","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>To stay comfortable on a cold-weather hike, it\u2019s critical to wear the right clothing and carry the right gear. Wear layers:\u00a0Layering is a three-part system that includes a base layer that wicks perspiration away from your skin, a mid layer &hellip; <a href=\"http:\/\/blogs.butler.edu\/healthyhorizons\/workout-wednesday\/clothing-and-gear-tips-for-cold-weather-hiking\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on get_the_excerpt --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on get_the_excerpt --><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9193321,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[15126],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9051","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-workout-wednesday"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/paB9fc-2lZ","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/blogs.butler.edu\/healthyhorizons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9051","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/blogs.butler.edu\/healthyhorizons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/blogs.butler.edu\/healthyhorizons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/blogs.butler.edu\/healthyhorizons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9193321"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/blogs.butler.edu\/healthyhorizons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9051"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/blogs.butler.edu\/healthyhorizons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9051\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9061,"href":"http:\/\/blogs.butler.edu\/healthyhorizons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9051\/revisions\/9061"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/blogs.butler.edu\/healthyhorizons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9051"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/blogs.butler.edu\/healthyhorizons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9051"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/blogs.butler.edu\/healthyhorizons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9051"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}