Rethinking layers...

[Jpsmith1]

So, y'all kind of rocked me with the CLO factor of various pieces of gear and now I'm kind of reevaluating everything I 'knew' including how I use my layers.

Super basic question.

Moderate hike in on a cold day.

Yeah, start cold and all, I get that. I do that.

At your stand/glassing point do you:

A. Layer up immediately to trap and preserve the heat you've built up?

B. Allow yourself to cool, layering up as you shed heat?

I've been letting myself cool and kind of layering up slowly over 15-30 minutes but now I'm wondering if I'm not better off layering up immediately.

 

[justinspicher]

I always want to layer right away, but wait until I’ve done a quick scan of the area I’m glassing to make sure I don’t need to move to get a shot.

 

[Turkeygetpwnd38]

Layer up immediately

 

[Alpine4x4]

Layer up right away. If you get cold while wet from the sweat its hard to shake imo.

 

[STL]

I don’t know about you all, but I need to be conscience of not getting into a like a moderate exertion level or I’ll sweat like a son of a gun. For me it’s more about letting myself dry off vs cool down. If I’m not sweating though, I layer up right away.

 

[Wolfshead]

I don’t layer up immediately. If I do then I’ll be dripping in sweat.
So, I work in steps, depending on how cold it is.
When I get to my stand, I will put on my bibs if I’m wearing them, and leave the front unzipped.
I will wait until I’m past the sweating stage, then I will zip them up.
If I’m still very warm, I’ll wait a little longer to put on my parka.
I don’t wait until I start to get cold, I wait until I’m not sweating, if that makes sense.
If I get all dressed, and I’m still sweating, I’ll be pretty damp, and then, that’s when I get really cold.
If I take my time I don’t get very sweaty, and if I dress before I get cold, then I’ll be warm through out the sit.

 

[Sinistram]

To echo what others have said, as soon as I sit down and get set, on go the heavies. A few reasons you'll want to do this:

1. Why would you wait until you start to get cool/cold to put on warm clothes? You're giving the cold a head start that way.
2. If you're wearing the correct stuff (i.e. base layers) any sweat on your body will be pulled away and into the other layers as you sit. It might be a bit gooey for a few minutes, but that's the penalty for getting sweaty in the first place.
3. It's much easier to cool down to a comfortable body temperature than it is to warm up when it's cold outside.

Unless you're wearing some mega heat suit, you'll probably get cold eventually anyway, so why not delay it as long as possible?

 

[rogerdoger]

If I have a big hike that is going to be an ass kicker I will bring an extra base layer top. Once I get to my spot I take the wet off and put on the dry right away and layer right away. I know a lot of people (have read and heard it on podcast) think that’s a waste of weight but it works for me and I do not get as cold. I do sweat a lot, more than the average person.

My other option is to stop before you get to your final destination. Eat some food drink water and let some moisture dry. The final little push will usually warm me back up from getting cold. Then I layer up right away, still a bit wet but not soaking wet.

 

[MT_Wyatt]

I used to wait.

Now I typically layer up and start trying to dry off as soon as I can after big efforts when I know I’ll be a lot less active - higher functioning layers have helped this quite a bit. It’s noticeable how much less fuss I have using active insulation pieces compared to some hunting partners that are just trying to use the wind to dry off.

 

[Poser]

I usually layer up immediately to having committed to the spot for awhile. I may do a quick survey of the area first to ensure I don't need to immediately start moving again.

 

[feanor]

Layer up quickly. Also depends on wind. Sometimes before getting to that high point where it’s windy, I’ll layer up just below, where there is a wind break, and hike a little more with layers. This allows you to go slower and and survey the area if it’s light, while not chilled by the wind.

 

[Jpsmith1]

To echo what others have said, as soon as I sit down and get set, on go the heavies. A few reasons you'll want to do this:

1. Why would you wait until you start to get cool/cold to put on warm clothes? You're giving the cold a head start that way.
2. If you're wearing the correct stuff (i.e. base layers) any sweat on your body will be pulled away and into the other layers as you sit. It might be a bit gooey for a few minutes, but that's the penalty for getting sweaty in the first place.
3. It's much easier to cool down to a comfortable body temperature than it is to warm up when it's cold outside.

Unless you're wearing some mega heat suit, you'll probably get cold eventually anyway, so why not delay it as long as possible?

Just a case of reconsidering everything I *thought* I knew and confirming my thinking with others who are probably more knowledgeable than I.

I think I learned a lot of stuff about staying warm with lower quality and less optimal layering items. So, staying warm at all was a struggle, no matter how I used the layers.