How to Dress for Cold Weather

I Made this instuctable to tell you about how (i) dress for a day or two in cold weather and how to use the clothes to make sure you avoid frostbite.

Introduction: THe human body is not made for temperatures in the far northern and southern regions of the world, the perfect temperature for us when we are resting is 27 degrees celsius. At that temperature we do not sweat or get cold.

For surviving in cold temperatures and to preserve bodyheat the most important thing is to stay dry and to avoid getting wet and swaty.

"If you sweat, you die" -Words of wisdom from Greenland.

(This is only some basic tips and iam am not responsible for you actions or any damage or harm you cause by using this guide. Iam by no means a proffesional)

Step 1: Layer 1

The key to staying warm and dry is to work with layers that you can remove or ad depending on your level of activity.

Layer 1 is the one closest to your body and consists of 6 pieces of clothing.

1: Underwear, these can be just normal underwear

2: Long johns

3: A shirt, prefferably with a tall collar

4: Socks, here wool i the number 1 material and knee-high socks are really good. Always bring an extra pair and alternate often to keep your feet dry, you can dry the old ones around your neck inside your jumper. Compine the thinner ones with thick outerones to be warmer and avoid blisters.

5: A warm cap. Most important piece of clothing because body heat escapes through the head.

6: Gloves. Try to avoid touching snow or water and bring a dry extra pair.

In all of the thing i am listing choosing a good material is important, old classic materials like wool always works but some new synthetic materials can work to. Cotton is not a very good materiel because it absorbs moisture and dries slowly.

Step 2: Layer 2

Layer 2 consists of 3 basic thing

1: A good Jumper. Wool still the best material.

2: A good pair of trousers. I have 2 different pairs i like one made of wool which are army surplus from WW2 for really cold days and one pair of "Fjällräven G1000", which are thinner and made of waxed cotton to resist wind and moisture.

3: Thicker winter gloves. These are for when it gets really cold and are optional, it all depends on the weather and the amount you are sweating.

Step 3: The Outer Layer

The 3 and outer layer consists of only a few things.

1: A good pair of winter boots with lots of room for toes will help your feet stay warm. Wellies are good when its really wet outside but when the temperature drops below -10 dergrees celsius boots are the thing to go for.

2: A warm wintercoat is good of you are doing very easy actvities that dont require much energy to keep the bodyheat but if you start hiking or skiingbut the coat and/or skipants in a backback and ventilate exess heat away and to avoid sweating.

A tip for getting cheap clothes that work well is army surplus, they might not be beautiful but work well.

Remember its better to be a little cold that to be warm and sweaty, the moisture will cool you and you will start to freeze.

Hopfully this basic guide helped you and prepared you a bit for colder weather. If you are planning to go on a longer trip to really cold places please take a class and learn everything about cold weather to make sure you are safe.