ARE YOU READY FOR COLD WEATHER?

BY JOHN BERRY

When I left the house to pick up my clients the other day, it was thirty one degrees and there was a heavy coating of frost on my windshield that I had to scrape off, before I could leave the house. This is supposed to be fall. Technically speaking winter is not to begin for another month. Despite this information, I found myself having to prepare for a very cold morning and a tough day. The temperature was to stay in the thirties and, with lake wind advisories, I could expect a wind chill in the low twenties. I had to carefully dress for the day and it made me think about the best way to accomplish this. 

The secret is to dress in layers. You need a base layer, a mid layer and an outside shell.  The base layer is the one next to your skin.  For the past few years the material of choice has been polypropylene.  It is highly breathable and can easily wick moisture away from your body. When you are dry you are warm.

What is old is new and the new miracle fiber for base layers is wool. Wool long underwear is what my grandfather wore to survive working outside in the cold. It is what I was issued in the Army in 1966 to survive the winter at FT. Leonardwood. Now manufacturers like Patagonia have rediscovered wool as the base layer of choice. The new stuff is knit from merino wool which is not as itchy and can be thrown into the washing machine. It also maintains about sixty percent of its insulation value when wet. I have acquired a few pieces and find them to be very comfortable and warm. 

The mid layer is between the base layer and the outside shell. Its function is to provide the necessary insulation to keep your body warm. Polartec fleece has been the gold standard for the last few years. It is still a solid choice. It wicks moisture away from the body, is a great insulator and dries fast. Wool is a great insulating layer and several of the manufacturers of outdoor clothing are coming out with new merino wool mid layer garments.  Patagonia, Simms, Mountain Khaki and others have great functional layers that fit the bill.

Down has always been a great insulator but it loses its insulating ability when it gets wet.  L. L. Bean has a new garment that features down that has been treated with a waterproofing agent that overcomes a lot of this disadvantage. They, Patagonia and others are also making down sweaters with much less bulk, which makes them much easier to layer.

The outside shell is a key component for your cold weather system. It keeps the wind off of you and helps lock in the heat. I prefer a Gore-Tex rain shell because it can also keep out the rain or snow yet will breathe so it doesn’t get clammy. Buy one with a hood and hand warmer pockets. I generally buy mine a size larger than needed, so that I can wear multiple layers under it. Waxed cotton is also a good choice because it will stop wind, rain and snow and it also breathes. Avoid any shell that does not breathe. 

Make sure and include a good hat. I want something that is water and wind proof and covers the ears. I also want a bill to protect me from the sun and keep the rain off of my glasses. Think Elmer Phud. A low cost alternative is to wear a stocking cap over a baseball cap. It keeps the sun out of your eyes and it is warm. For wind and rain protection, pull up the hood on your rain jacket. 

Your hands really take a hit so don’t forget the gloves. If it is above freezing, I wear wool fingerless gloves. If it is below freezing I wear wind proof fleece fingerless that have pull over mittens attached that cover my finger tips. I also carry disposable hand warmers that I put in the hand warmer pockets of my jacket. Your feet can get cold easily so I wear heavy wool or polypropylene socks with sock liners. Avoid cotton socks as they are not good insulators and do not wick moisture away from your feet. 

If you take these simple suggestions, you will be able to venture out in cold weather and enjoy a day of fishing, when others are huddled around the fireplace. 

John Berry is a fly fishing guide in Cotter, Arkansas and has fished our local streams for over thirty years.