Extreme Cold Weather Clothing
Antarctic Expedition Wear
2024-25
Warm clothing for Antarctica or any cold conditions when the temperature drops and the wind blows. The "layer method" of dressing is more effective than a single bulky garment. Each layer has its own part to play, insulating air is trapped between as well as within layers, flexibility is maintained as conditions change.
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Weather Clothing for Kids'
Foundation / Base Layer - A close fitting layer that provides Insulation and wicks away perspiration from the skin to maintain comfort.  The
layer next to the skin. This should be soft, comfortable
and able to wick away perspiration quickly so leaving
you feeling dry in spite of any exertion. Moisture
in clothing will reduce the insulating qualities, so
it is important to get sweat away from your skin then
out and away from your clothes. Breathability is of
the utmost importance. To function most efficiently
the foundation layer should be close fitting to the
body.For the coldest temperatures, long underwear is a must. Modern foundation layer garments are generally made of very fine wool or synthetic materials, they may treated to prevent the build up of bacteria that live in sweaty clothes and make them smell.
The gold standard
of thermal underwear is merino wool,
not a budget option but it really does deliver performance-wise.
A soft and fine natural product, the wool of the merino
sheep, it is very good at wicking sweat from the skin
surface and is naturally odor resistant. Insulated base
layer tops - A versatile layer that
can be your outer layer indoors and help keep you toasty
outdoors. Insulated base
layer bottoms- Long johns - To go under
thick, warm pants and over-pants. It's unlikely
you'll need long underwear for your legs in the
Antarctic summer in coastal regions, unless you really
do suffer from the cold. |
Men's
- MERIWOOL - midweight merino baselayer half-zip
Women's - Merino.tech merino wool base layer
top - light or midweight
Men's
- Thermajohn Ultra Soft Thermal Underwear Set,
synthetic, several colors
Women's
- Thermajane Ultra Soft Thermal Underwear Set,
synthetic. 10+ colors|
The Outer or Shell Layer - Direct weather protection, this layer must be windproof and may be waterproof depending on the temperature it will be used at. It can be literally a "shell" or have additional insulation built in.
 Jackets
should always have hoods for cold conditions.The outer layer is particularly important and should have features such as draw-cords and fastening cuffs to prevent warm air being lost to the outside and to prevent snow finding its way into nooks and crannies (snow in the cranny is most uncomfortable). Waterproof is not necessary for very cold weather as no rain falls, though if you intend to spend any time in boats waterproof is vital as you don't want to get ashore after bouncing over an excitable sea to find you are wet and cold for the rest of the day. Fully waterproof garments are not as able to transmit perspiration as readily as garments that are not fully waterproof and tend not to be as soft and flexible at low temperatures, choose according to your intended use. Insulating materials for this outer layer where used can be synthetic or the traditional and arguably still the most effective - natural down. |
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Mid Insulation Layer/s - AKA your "normal" clothes, with a bit of care over fabric selection and design details you can better prepare for the cold. A versatile layer that provides insulation with easy on-off. Buttons, zips and the like allow for versatility of ventilation at rest, during exertion or to quickly close everything up when the weather worsens.
Traditionally woolen sweaters and pants made of natural fibers were worn. These may still be used or they may be supplemented or substituted by more modern materials such as polypropylene fleece or lightweight down. This layer should provide insulation while allowing ventilation and breathability for the passage and release of perspiration. Insulating Layers for the Upper Body Wool mix or breathable synthetic shirt, woolen sweater, fleece or down sweater and /or jacket. At least one of these layers should be long at the back to avoid exposure of flesh during exertion. The insulating layer can also be a wind-proof or water-proof outer layer or could be separate. Don't be tempted to think that you will be able to get away with a fleece as your only outer layer however, despite new coatings and finishes, they just aren't wind or water-proof enough on their own. You might prefer a heavy down-filled parka, while these are extremely warm and can easily be thrown on over a t-shirt for immediate serious insulation, they can be inflexible in terms of layer dressing when walking ashore, go for a more versatile light-weight one.  Lightweight
down, with or without hoodMore lightweight down: men's | women's  Synthetic
insulated , windproof jacketmen's | women's Insulating Layers for the Lower Body Thick warm pants of a natural material such as moleskin or heavyweight synthetic material such as polyester or nylon. Personally I have worn moleskin (a kind of cotton, named for its texture and not made from either the skin or kin of moles) pants in both polar regions and wouldn't consider wearing anything else, for warmth, comfort and practicality they have no rival. Pants should not be tight fitting as they can restrict circulation and don't trap so much of that insulating air, ditch the skinny fits until it warms up again. Lined pants - Men's Women's Moleskin pants - Men's Women's |
Women's - Winter Softshell PantsWind chill - the commonest reason I see people being uncomfortable in cold conditions is that they don't take enough consideration of the effects of the wind. Ensuring that the outer layer is made of properly windproof material makes all the difference and increases the effectiveness of all of your clothing.
At warmer temperatures, the wind has a smaller cooling effect. As the temperature falls the cooling effect of the wind increases. The table shows the effect that the wind speed has on apparent temperature, the numbers in the blue section are the reduction of temperature effect at that speed.
The colder it gets, the greater the cooling effect of the same wind speed.
With a wind speed of 10mph at +30F, the wind effect is 9 degrees of cooling, by the time it's -20F, the same wind speed has an effect of 21 degrees of cooling.
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Protect the Extremities with
Accessories - Head, hands and fingers, feet and
toes, not forgetting ankles, wrists and neck.
In extremis for the sake of survival, if the body is losing so much heat that it may be in danger, blood flow to those parts losing the most heat and that are "expendable" may be shut down to a trickle. Needless to say, this will not happen to your whole head, but may affect ears, nose or cheeks. This could result in frostnip, frostbite and ultimately the loss of that body part. Fingers and toes are in the most danger. FEET Boots Standard synthetic or leather hiking boots cannot be worn when it is very cold and specialist insulated boots are needed. These generally have soft insulated uppers, thick plastic or rubber soles and thick insoles to prevent heat loss to the snow and ice. They are great at keeping you warm, but not so great for walking over rugged terrain or climbing. For use in and around boats in the Antarctic summer, the modern take on rubber wellington style boots are ideal with a close fitting and insulated neoprene upper. They are much better for walking in than traditional wellies as they fit more closely to the lower leg and are increasingly used by tourists and guides. They are waterproof up to the top so you don't have to worry when getting in or out of the zodiac and you can be comfortable in them all day.
Antarctic Winter
Boots
Antarctic
Summer Boots
Thermal
insoles - to stop the heat leaking away downwards  One
or two pairs of thick warm socks, wool
is the material to go for here, a small amount of a
synthetic material such as nylon aids durability and
some stretchy material such as elastane gives a snug
fit and stops them falling down. There are lots of thick
acrylic socks out there which while cheaper just aren't
as good as wool in cold conditions.The layering principle also applies with more than one pair of thin socks being warmer than a single thick pair. Don't be tempted to cram too many socks on so that your boots are tight. Air is the insulator and squashing it all out means you won't be as warm. Use a bit of trial and error to see what works for you and your preferred cold weather footwear, start with a thin pair of everyday socks as undersocks and then a thick pair on top and see how it goes. Thermal socks for: Hiking | Work | Hunting | Ski HANDS 
In very cold conditions 2 (or even 3) pairs of gloves
or mittens according to the conditions and activity
should be worn. The layer principle can also apply to
the hands. A light first layer often known as
glove
liners, then an insulating layer and/or a weatherproof
outer layer depending on use. The outer pair should
be wind proof while water-resistance is always very
useful when in and around small boats.Ski-type gloves are good as they are warm and water resistant with it, they are usually adequate alone for polar coastal regions in the summer though give poor dexterity. A thin pair of glove liners under a warmer over-pair means that you'll be able to take photographs or do other things that require manual dexterity without taking them off. Fingerless gloves or those with a flap so that you can push fingers through without taking them off are hopeless in my experience, don't bother unless you've used them before and know that you like them. Mittens will always be warmer than gloves made of the same materials. Sensor gloves: Lightweight gloves that allow you to use touch screen devices without needing to take the glove off. Men's Women's Men's winter gloves and mittens | Women's winter gloves and mittens | Glove liners HEAD
"When your feet are cold, cover your head."
- Inuit saying
While your hood will be wind-proof, you don't necessarily want to have it up all the time, a wind-proof hat can be far more convenient and give better visibility and freedom of movement, your hood acts as back-up when necessary. Hats are probably the most personalized piece of cold weather kit you can get with lots of fancy colors and designs, be careful not to get carried away by form over function, those cute dangly pom-poms can get mighty irritating when the wind starts whipping them against your face. While on the subject of pom-poms, those on top of the hat can make it impossible for your hood to fit snugly which means there's a large air gap resulting in reduced insulation. Winter hats - Men's | Women's | Balaclavas | Windstoppers IN-BETWEEN BITS
EYES
Goggles in colder weather or in conditions of blowing snow to prevent snow from getting in the eyes and to cover the top part of the face. |
Sunglasses
Layers of clothing for Antarctica,
underwear and insulating layers on the left
and then alternative
shells to go over these depending on conditions and activity
levels to the right.
Accessories for the extremities are vital,
boots, gloves, head and eyewear for Antarctica
In the coldest
weather, the gloves and boots required become quite cumbersome
so limiting what can be achieved.
When fully dressed for extreme cold, there should be no cold-spots, there should be no way you can move around (normally) and expose flesh or just a single layer at the wrists, neck or midriff. The outer layer should be just that, the outer layer at ALL times, don't try to use an inner jacket/layer as the outside one, you'll be far too cold by the time you realise it's not working very well. With goggles on and a good hood drawn about the face and a balaclava, it is possible to have no exposed flesh at all.
Also important is to be able to vary the clothing easily, draw-cords and "pit-zips" (zips in the armpit of the shell layer) allow for ventilation when loosened / opened or insulation when pulled close, hoods, balaclavas and hats can be added or removed according to changing weather and activity.
Generally Antarctic gear appears rather too big when seen in isolation. Shirt / jacket / sweater "tails" are long, boots are chunky, mittens are long and hoods are large. Over pants in particular may seem large as they are designed to be put on when outdoors if the weather gets particularly bad. In such conditions, you can't sit down and calmly take your boots off first. The outer layers quickly go over everything underneath and then zip / draw / tie, closer to the body to keep the heat in.
An Antarctic
Scenario
- layering for versatility
This is me in Antarctica on a relatively mild and calm late winters day at about -15C (+5F). The sun and lack of wind meant it felt unusually warm for a short while, with the potential for the wind to get up and temperature to go down especially when the sun started to set early in the afternoon. This is a real use of cold weather gear, in the worst weather it is dangerous to go far outside, so people generally stay on base.
We went out on a trip to some icebergs frozen into the sea-ice. This entailed a 3 mile very rugged overland hike to get to the edge of the sea and then more hard work over a couple of miles of broken flat sea-ice with a substantial snow covering.
This was a day of varied temperatures, changing wind speed, and different activity levels, hard uphill walking and then easier on the flat. There was always the possibility that some hardcore Antarctic weather could arrive in a pretty short time that we needed to be prepared for. The clothing had to be versatile for changing conditions and up to the job of fending off the worst the weather might bring.
Received by email
I found this site by googling "extreme cold weather
clothing" because I am sick of being stuck in the house
for three months every year when the temp drops too low
for me here. I live in Ohio and it drops to twenties and
below and often with winds and I get chilled to the bone
when I try to wait on public bussing even just for ten minutes.
I bought and wear expedition weight thermal long johns
top and bottoms, jeans, wool socks over polyester socks,
cotton polyester shirt, two fleece sweaters, a 550 fill
down classic Alaskan parka with a fleece gator and thick
gloves......AND I'M STILL COLD!!!!! My arms are the
coldest followed by my torso and then my legs.
I
can't even stand being outside for ten minutes. After
ten minutes I am chilled to the bone and start to ache....after
twenty to thirty I start to shiver. wicking sweat away??
WHAT sweat??! How do I wick away the icicles????
Any suggestions would be deeply appreciated.
Thanks.
Yes, I wear the tunnel hood secured over the high neck
of the parka covering my face from the eyes down and also
atop of the gator.
Reply
You have my sympathies, some people are just more prone
to the cold than others.
Things that spring to mind:
1 - Jeans, dreadful in the cold, in
Antarctica we used moleskin trousers, you could get lined
trousers or almost anything else, jeans are bad in the cold,
especially if tight fitting. All clothing should be a little
loose fitting (not baggy) so as not to constrict blood flow.
2 - Neck (ok sorted), wrists and ankles - are
they all insulated? Make sure clothes overlap and
are insulated here.
3 - Shoes / boots - are
the soles thick and insulated? An extra insole
may help if they aren't, you can lose a lot of heat downwards.
4 - Headwear - you don't mention
anything and vitally important, you can lose an awful lot
of heat through your head, an old saying - "If your
feet are cold wear a hat". Hoods alone can be a bit
loose, a beanie or balaclava under it can make a big difference.
5 - Wind proofs? Is the outer layer
windproof? If the wind can get through and take heat away
the effect can be significant.
6 - Heat from
the inside, are you properly fed? Your metabolism
will adjust to cold temperatures after a while and burn
fuel to warm you up - as long as it has enough fuel, it's
not a coincidence that we generally hanker after stews and
soups and hearty food in cold weather rather than summer
salads.
7 - Health issues. There
are a number of medical conditions that can result in feeling
cold all the time, in particular anemia
- a lack of iron in the body and/or inability to make enough
red blood cells, hypothyroidism - from
the inactivity of the thyroid gland, blood vessel
issues - resulting in a lack of blood flow to the
extremities in particular, diabetes - can
lead to kidney damage, a symptom of which is feeling cold
all the time, anorexia - from the lack
of body insulation and food to burn to produce heat from
within.
Paul - webmaster