Monday, December 6, 2010

Hiking, Climbing, Skiing... Layers Keep You Warm!

This one is for the dudes!

Hate the cold, but love the great outdoors? Well, with the appropriate layers, you can enjoy your winter time outdoor activities... without freezing your gonads off!

And ladies, don't fret! All of these products are available in women's as well as men's! Not only that, these would make excellent Christmas gifts for your nature loving hunny!

CHECK IT!

BASE LAYER:
The base layer is meant to wick away moisture. The more you move, the more you perspire. The material in this layer pulls that moisture away from your skin, allowing it to evaporate. This keeps you from freezing when you stop moving. There are lightweight base layers that are best for higher levels of activity or less severely cold temperatures, midweight base layers that are best for less activity or colder temperatures, and expedition weight base layers that should be worn when you are going to be participating in very little activity or severely cold temperatures.

PATAGONIA
CAPILENE 3 CREW TOP    $49


This is a midweight base layer by Patagonia. It is made from 65% recycled Polartec Power Dry polyester and 35% Polartec Power Dry polyester. I found it at REI! Here's the link!


ARC'TERYX
PHASE AR CREW LS $65 SALE $52


This is a midweight base layer by Arc'teryx. It is made from Phasic™ AR. I found it at Mammothgear! Here's the link!


MOUNTAIN HARDWEAR
MICRO POWER STRETCH LONG SLEEVE CREW    $75

This is a lightweight base layer by Mountain Hardwear. It is made from Polartec Micro Power Stretch (90% polyester, 10% elastane). I found it at Moosejaw! Here's the link!


MARMOT
LIGHTWEIGHT CREW LS    $42  SALE  $37.95
Marmot Lightweight Crew L/S
This is a lightweight base layer by Marmot. It is made from Polartec® Power Dry® with Cocona® performance technology. I found it at USoutdoorstore! Here's the link!


INSULATING LAYER-FLEECE:
The fibers of the material in this layer should trap air to create an insulating layer and give warmth. Like the base layer, you can find these in varying weights.

PATAGONIA
R1 PULLOVER    $119

This is a polyester fleece by Patagonia. It is made from 93% polyester (41% recycled), and 7% spandex. I found it at Zappos! Here's the link!


ARC'TERYX
CALIBER MEN'S ZIP NECK FLEECE    $119

This is a lightweight fleece by Arc'teryx. It is made from Polartec® Classic Micro Velour Cord Fleece. I found it at Arc'teryx! Here's the link!


MOUNTAIN HARDWEAR
MICRO GRID ZIP T-SHIRT    $85

This is a polyester fleece by Mountain Hardwear. It is made from Gridlock Fleece (100% polyester). I found it at Moosejaw! Here's the link!


MARMOT
POWER STRETCH HALF ZIP    $95

Power Stretch Half Zip
This is a versatile fleece by Marmot. It is made from Polartec®Power Stretch® 88% Polyester and 12% Elastane. I found it at Marmot! Here's the link!


SHELL:
This layer is meant to protect you from wind and water. This layer should also be breathable so that perspiration does not get trapped inside the layers and can evaporate.

PATAGONIA
STRETCH ASCENT JACKET    $299

This is a Patagonia shell. It is waterproof, breathable, and stretches. It is made from 2.5-layer, 50-denier 4.1-oz 100% all-recycled stretch-woven polyester with a waterproof/breathable H2No barrier and Deluge DWR (durable water repellent) finish. I found this at Moosejaw! Here's the link!


ARC'TERYX
ALPHA SV JACKET    $599

This is an Arc'teryx shell. It is waterproof, breathable, and has a hemlock that keeps it in the harness while climbing. It is made from 480N Gore-Tex Pro Shell 3L. I found it at Moosejaw! Here's the link!
 

MOUNTAIN HARDWEAR
ALCHEMY                                 $200  SALE  $149.95
Mountain Hardwear Alchemy Jacket - F10 (Men's)
This is a Mountain Hardwear soft shell. It is stretchy, wind proof, water resistant, and breatheable. The body is made from Alchemy Stretch Softshell (6% elastane, 94% nylon) and the panels are made from Schoeller NanoSphere Softshell (51% polyester, 47% nylon, 2% elastane). I found this at o2gearshop! Here's the link!


MARMOT
PRO TOUR JACKET    $275

This is a Marmot soft shell. It is water repellent, highly breathable, and wind resistant. It is made from Polartec Power Shield 02 100% Nylon. I found it at Moosejaw! Here's the link!


INSULATED DOWN:
These are meant to trap body heat and protect from external cold. In extreme conditions, you will want to layer this underneath the shells shown above.

REI explained it best.....
"Not all down is created equal: Down is graded according to fill power, which indicates how many cubic inches 1 ounce of down occupies when placed inside a container. (In lab testing, the typical container is a tube.) Down ranges from 450 to 900 fill power. Higher numbers indicate a higher quality of down, with more air-trapping ability. Down with higher fill-power numbers includes fewer feathers and uses bigger, more mature down plumules. Larger down clusters are more durable and can better withstand repeated compressing."  Check out more of their shopping advice! Here's the link!

PATAGONIA
DOWN SWEATER FULL ZIP HOODIE    $250

This is a Patagonia 800 fill goose down. It is wind proof, water resistant, and made from recycled Ripstop polyester. I found it at REI! Here's the link!


MOUNTAIN HARDWARE
NITROUS                                 $220  SALE  $153.95
Mountain Hardwear Men's Nitrous Jacket - F10
This is a Mountain Hardware 800 fill goose down. It is made from Sensor Ripstop (100% polyester). I found it at o2gearshop! Here's the link!

If you think this looks familiar, you may have seen it in my earlier post: Fashion Find! Ditch the Marshmallow!

MARMOT
ZEUS JACKET    $164.95  SALE  $128.95

This is a Marmot 800 fill goose down. It is made from Bantam Rip 1.1 oz 100% Polyester DWR and Micro Poplin 1.8 oz 100% Polyester DWR. I found it at e-OMC! Here's the link!


SOCKS:

Check out: DarnTough!

LIGHTWEIGHT
WIGWAM IRONMAN SURGE PRO    $11

Here's the link!


MIDWEIGHT
SMARTWOOL PHD    $21.95

Here's the link!


HEAVYWEIGHT
ICEBREAKER X     $24

Here's the link!


I hope this post can help you prepare for winter fun! Please be sure to share it with your friends on Facebook and Twitter!

Also, I'd like to thank one of my best friends Aaron, for helping me with this post! He is an awesome rock climber and does pretty much every outdoor sport imaginable! Thanks to him, I stayed cozy today in my Arc'teryx pullover he got me for Christmas one year! Thanks Bro!

2 comments:

  1. Hey Ashley, so I got my Nitrous jacket a week ago and it really is amazing. There is a picture of it on my Facebook if you want to see what it looks like. But it is really warm and ultra light if anyone is looking for something that isn't going to bog them down in the winter and gives them more movement. Anyways hope to see you this semester at school. And keep the blog going, I love it!

    ReplyDelete
  2. HEY!!! Thanks!! I'm so glad you like it! Perhaps I can use your picture to do an update!

    ReplyDelete