Stay warm on a winter walk: the three layers

A thick winter coat feels warm when you leave the house. Ten minutes into a brisk walk, you are sweating. When you stop to look at the view, you get cold. The solution is not a thicker coat, but three thinner layers that each do one job.

Layer one: keep your skin dry

The first layer sits against your skin. Its job is not to keep you warm, but to keep you dry. Wet skin loses heat much faster than dry skin. A cotton T-shirt soaks up sweat and stays cold and clammy. A thermal shirt, long sleeve, moves the moisture away from your skin to the outside, where it can evaporate. You stay dry, and dry means warm.

Layer two: hold the warmth

The second layer traps warm air close to your body. Fleece is ideal. It is light, warm and dries quickly. The men’s fleece sweater has a short zip, so you can let out heat when you walk uphill. The women’s fleece jacket has a full zip and a stand-up collar. On a cold but dry day, a quilted body warmer over a fleece keeps your core warm and leaves your arms free.

Layer three: stop wind and rain

The outer layer protects the other two. Wind blows warm air out of a fleece in seconds, and rain soaks it. A windproof, waterproof jacket stops both. The Wolkendek men’s winter jacket, waterproof, has a zip-out inner jacket, so it works as a shell or as a warm coat. The Wolkendek rain jackets have zips under the arms to let out moisture.

Don’t forget the ends

Your head, hands and feet lose heat quickly.

• A merino wool beanie is thin, warm and doesn’t itch. The folded cuff gives a double layer over your ears.
• Gloves with touchscreen fingertips let you check a map without baring your hands.
• Wool socks, 3 pairs, keep your feet warm in boots. For long hikes, the merino hiking socks prevent blisters.
• A checked scarf closes the gap at your neck.

Adjust as you go

The beauty of layers is that you can adjust them. Open a zip when you warm up. Take off the beanie on a climb. Put everything back on when you stop. Start a walk feeling slightly cool: within ten minutes, you will be just right.

A vacuum flask 1 liter with hot tea in your backpack 30 liters makes every winter walk better.