As an outdoor person
who hikes the peaks in Colorado, dressing in
layers is extremely important and applying
the same principles to travel is important
as well.
When you
hike, you will get hot and cold as you go
through different terrain, altitude and
weather conditions. Often during a
hike you will add or remove clothing layers depending
on the situation. As in hiking, you
will find that athletes in other sports such as
skiing will also dress in layers to provide alternatives helping
them stay warm or coll, dry and comfortable. Often on an early morning hike or
catching the first chair up the ski lift in the
morning, people
may start out wearing several layers of
clothing. As the day goes on and the sun
gains altitude, the air warms up. People
will begin striping off layers to
maintain a comfort level. Should
conditions change on a hike at altitude, it may
be necessary to put layers back on that were
taken off.
Consider travel as a
sport and you are the travel-athlete or
travelete. The sport of travel at it's
minimum will involve walking and carrying a
backpack. You may be out in adverse
weather conditions such as extreme heat, rain or
even snow. Mornings may be cold and
afternoons hot. A day may start out
pleasant but have an afternoon cold-front come
through. It's important to be prepared
and to be able to adjust as conditions change by adding or removing
layers of clothing helping to ensure you are comfortable.
Traveling with a single
heavy jacket not only adds weight and takes up
space, but it does not allow you to easily
adjust to changing conditions. Having multiple layers of clothing
allows you to easily adjust to changing conditions,
staying comfortable and warm.
Be sure to read our pages
on
Under / Base Layers,
Under
Jackets and
Primary / Rain
Jackets that will give you ideas on what to
bring and how to dress in layers.
On the Summit
of Quandary Peak,
Colorado - Elevation 14,265 Feet |
A little more about
dressing in layers and warmth.
I have climbed over
half the 14 thousand foot peaks in
Colorado; some in summer and some in
winter. Regardless of the season, it's
important to dress in layers due to the
ever changing conditions you encounter
and the amount of heat your body
generates on both the ascent and
descent.
Although this
photo shows a nice sunny day in winter, it was
cold, but not extremely cold. I am
wearing a shell jacket with a lite
down-filled poof jacket underneath and I
was plenty warm.
I have been in
winter conditions at 14 thousand feet
experiencing winds close to 60 mph and
temps so cold that if you removed your
gloves your hands would freeze in close
to a minute. Even in extreme
adverse conditions, wearing a shell
jacket over multiple underlying layers
has kept me warm and
comfortable. |
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