Cold weather clothing for people like me, who sweat a lot.

Great advice here. I repeat a couple of things because I'm a sweaty guy myself.

1. Start cold when hiking. I warm up quick.
2. Layers are important. Shed layers early to avoid overheating/sweating. Technique may be as important as technology/fabric choice.
3. Wicking base layer. I've picked up some cheap but good stuff new at Box Stores, used and cheaper at Thrift Shops.
4. I love Ibex merino as a second layer.
5. Zippers are your friend. Vent early. Pits, front, whatever.

I suffered through Army basic training at Fort Lewis Washington in January 1969. Cotton undershirts, cotton fatigue shirt, cotton field jacket. Drill Sgts would double time us to a training area, then we'd sit sweaty on exposed bleachers for two hours in a stiff breeze. They would not of course allow us to unbutton our jackets to vent. I knew better. 80% of the company was sick by the end of basic.
 
Try to avoid Gore Tex if you can. eVent breathes a lot better, and Neoshell even more so. (So much that some people use it in place of a softshell.) OutDry also works well, I've heard, but I'm not sure how it compares to eVent or Neoshell. And it's being used almost solely in gloves and shoes; I'm not sure why.
I've also heard that the Gore Tex membrane quickly tears when used in boots, leaving you with a water-permeable boot that's less breathable than one without the membrane. I'm not sure how widespread that problem is. I do know that OutDry doesn't have it. I'm not sure why, exactly; something to do with the nature of the material.

Reading material: http://www.outsideonline.com/outdoor-gear/Insane-in-the-Membrane.html
Something to note: Mountain Hardwear's Dry.Q is rebranded eVent. They use the eVent membrane, with a customized face fabric.
 
Somewhere in the high teens to low twenties(Fahrenheit), this is what I wore last time without much issue...........

Asolo Sasslong boots $140
SmartWool Mid weight hiking socks(forget exact name) $18
OutdoorResearch Gaitors over calf for snow(seriously great investment) $32
5.11 TDU tactical pants(for $45 I haven't found better)
(edit)Minus33 merino Expedition pant liners(over kill, light weight would have been better)($80)
IceBreaker 400gram merino wool(guestimate) shirt liner(sale $70)
Woolrich alaskan wool shirt(bought XL $16, tailor $20 = $36)
ToadSkinz Firebelly rain jacket $70
Choas helmet liner $28
Rey Mears possum hat <--- laugh, but it's so soft and warm..........$42
Elk gloves with 40gram thinsulate. $24

$585 total I'd say you could do it with less than $250 total if you bought all synthetic. I'm still testing. Maybe one day I will make the switch to all synthetic.

The glove, head gear and rain jecket were off much of the time. This was a 3 night trip.
 
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Some great advice on gear

I used to snow shoe in -20 with a 50 lbs pack
I sweat very easily and I had to make sure I did not sweat
The last thing I wanted was wet clothes next to my skin

I used to wear only an undershirt, light nylon wind jacket, wool hat, gloves, and scarf.
I regulated myself by opening and closing the jacket and taking on and off the hat, scarf and gloves
It was a constant process, but I did not need to stop to take off layers
Hat scarf and gloves went in and out of my pockets

But when I rested, I immediately put on a heavy parka
 
Agree with starting cold, especially if you're warm natured and prone to sweating a lot. I am very warm natured, and it doesn't even get cold enough here(teens of a morning at the worst) for me to actually hike in a long bottom baselayer. No doubt the majority of people are going to want more clothing(twice in UT people were hiking in base, mid, and outer layers when I was in a short sleeve t-shirt), but even in the mid to upper teens, I typically wear boxer briefs under unlined softshell pants, and a Capilene 1 or 3 top with a thin unlined softshell jacket plus a Buff in beanie mode on my head, and "silkweight" windstopper gloves. Probably might as well be naked if idle at those temps with the clothes I am active in, but I'm not idle. That's what the extra baselayers, glove liners, warmer headgear, and down jacket worn in camp are for.
 
For layering, take a look at Under Armour and Snugpak for your needs for everything from underwear with wicking properties to parkas.
 
+ 1 more for starting cold... That being said, I hike a lot, and I sweat a lot... I have also tried just about every material and layering options.... At some point, if you're working hard, you're just gonna get wet. Unless you have the luxury of lots of time to take it slow, you'll probably end up wet. So my biggest suggestion is to wear quick drying layers- I'd go polyester or silk- and bring lots of extra clothes... I went on a hike near Stevens pass the other day when it was like 8 degrees up there and sweated my ass off on the way up... plopped down for lunch at the top, and went from hot and sweaty to FROZEN in 10 minutes.... If you're stopping for anything more than 5 or 10 minute4s, I'd suggest swapping layers for something that is dry, because once that heat is lost, it takes quite a while to get it back.
 
I swear by Under Armour clothing. It really does a good job of wicking away moisture.
 
I've tried them all and from many different companies. For sweating, you want synthetic, wool wets out and stays wet for a long time. The best material I've found is Polartec Power Dry - many manufacturers use it now. I believe it comes in three different weights. I live in Canada and our version of REI [MEC] uses it on their base layers at 1/2 the cost of Patagonia's base layers using the same material. I spend a lot of time at higher altitudes in the winter and I sweat a lot too. By the time I ski to my camping spot, my base layer is wet. What I do is leave it on and by the time I've dug-out tent platform and set-up the tent, it's bone dry. I usually toss on a clean one for bed. Unlike a lot of base layers [when wet] the Power Dry stuff doesn't cling to you when wet, breathes beautifully, dries quickly, is warm, and above all is seriously hydrophobic [hates water]. That's my recommendation. Pair that with a hardshell and a warm mid layer [down, wool, synthetic] and you have a decent winter system. The base layer is the fundamental component. If you sweat, don't even look at wool as a base layer - plus it's crazy expensive [for brand name stuff] and gets holes easily. Sometimes at camp, I'll even wear a synthetic base layer with a merino shirt overtop which adds some serious warmth. Have fun, winter camping is the best camping there is ... largely b/c your beer stays super cold.

Additionally, as others have mentioned, start cold [it hurts, but works]. Even on bitterly cold mornings starting up a mountain, I'll just wear a base layer and a super light wind shell [Patagonia Houdini - best jacket on earth]. The shell protects against convective heat loss which is your biggest worry when working/sweating hard.
 
redpoint said:
I've tried them all and from many different companies. For sweating, you want synthetic, wool wets out and stays wet for a long time. The best material I've found is Polartec Power Dry - many manufacturers use it now. I believe it comes in three different weights.
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Sounds right. Capilene 2, 3, and 4 are all different weights of Power Dry. I only use my Capilene 1 and 3 for hiking, but have used Marmot's equivalent of Cap2 at work, and it's both very warm for the weight and amazingly quick drying. Not as comfy as the heavier weights, and grabbed body hair on me, but the performance was outstanding. I say "was" only because that particular top's sizing was crazy, and it got donated after a few uses. Great stuff, though. Love the Cap3 midweight Power Dry as well. I have the heavy weight military Cap4 equivalent bottoms(also bizarrely sized), too, but it only gets cold enough here to use them a couple times per year, and that with minimal activity. They seem to dry almost instantly after getting them sweaty, though. I think Power Dry pretty much renders everything else obsolete.
 
I look for jackets and pants that have sweat holes built into them.

ive borrowed pants anf jacket for snowboarding and pondered why there were beads under each arm and knee area, when someone told me it was sweat holes and I thought 'whoever invented that is a genius'.
 
I didn't read all of the replys but polypropolene is the best for wicking away moisture. Just remember wash in cold water only. I still have mine from my time on the road as industrial truck tech. Cintas uniform carries insulated coveralls filled with hollofil.
 
OwenM said:
Sounds right. Capilene 2, 3, and 4 are all different weights of Power Dry. I only use my Capilene 1 and 3 for hiking, but have used Marmot's equivalent of Cap2 at work, and it's both very warm for the weight and amazingly quick drying. Not as comfy as the heavier weights, and grabbed body hair on me, but the performance was outstanding. I say "was" only because that particular top's sizing was crazy, and it got donated after a few uses. Great stuff, though. Love the Cap3 midweight Power Dry as well. I have the heavy weight military Cap4 equivalent bottoms(also bizarrely sized), too, but it only gets cold enough here to use them a couple times per year, and that with minimal activity. They seem to dry almost instantly after getting them sweaty, though. I think Power Dry pretty much renders everything else obsolete.
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Yeah, I was going to recommend the Patagonia long underwear...have picked up a few pairs at the outlet in Freeport and it works great. Never feels wet even when I'm sweaty and dries quickly. For travel or casual wear I really like Minus33 merino wool but it feels damper when I'm sweating heavily and isn't quite as warm when wet.
 
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