"Moisture Wicking" wintertime clothing?

One of the reasons why I'm inside a bunch of Buffalo clothing in winter is to combat this problem. It's very easy just to add and remove layers yet always have a good windproof shell. The shirts have zips from pits to waist band so ventilation is never a problem. It breathes really well and pumps out moisture brilliantly. Snow just bounces off and it'll take a fair amount of rain before I need to reach for Gortex. And if it is raining it isn't that cold anyway. I've described Buffalo stuff before as like layers of an onion. A feature I really like is get a Buffalo shirt damp using it as an outer layer and you can just bung on a dry Buffalo jacket over the top if you get cold later and still pump the water out without any problem. The technology is really old now as it is just Pertex and pile, so there are far sexier individual wind shells around. But as a system of layers for dealing with cold and getting moisture out whilst remaining windproof I think it is brilliant. I can swim in my Windshirt, wring it out, and put it back on under some more Buffalo and I won't feel particularly cold as it dries. Buffalo turns up a lot here for mountain / cave rescue where conditions are likely to get damp and sweaty. I've seen it getting some good reports on canoe forums too, and I'm not surprised.
 
Beisser, hey

I use the Special 6 shirts, the unlined Windshirt, and one of these Mountain Jackets.

In case you are thinking of lobbing out on one I think it's worth restating that as a stand alone garment I think there are much nicer soft shells. It is the system as a whole that brings it into its own.

Also worth a flag is I've bought separate hoods for them and I find them sized a little small even though I only take a medium size crash hat.
 
wildmike said:
Favorite baselayers are my Filson Alaskan guide merino wool underware and my Woolpower 44 gram top whaich I use in very cold weather or as a medium weight layer.

Second layer is usualy a wool shirt or sweater and a pair of wool trousers.

Fianl layer is either a wool anorak or a shell made of waxed cotton if wet wet weather is involved.

The anorak made of a wool blanket which has been treated with lanolin sheds even a medium rain with ease and breathes far better than all of the breathable fabrics, as well as cutting heat loss from wind in most conditions (admitedly it would not be adequate in a 50 mph wind in -40 degree temps, but then I'd be hunkered up somewhere anyway)

In very cold weather a piece of clothing worth their weight in gold are makinaw wool bib overalls( Cabelas, Filson and Woolrich all have great ones)

A good pair of net underware also help a lot in extremem cold conditions. Only ones I know of currently still being manufactured are the stringies from Wiggy's.

If wearing regular lace up boots the feet will stay Waaay warmer if you lace them looser. Most folks wind up with cold feet due to lack of proper circulation.

Arctic mitts such as the US military surplus ones with a wool liner are also a needed piece of equipment.
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Thanks for mentioning FILSON "Wildmike". I simply forgot about them. I have some of their items and I've really done well with them. Their hunting hats are tops in my book. Some of their stuff is extremely pricey but I haven't had any clothing item from FILSON that wasn't great quality. They are a great vendor for Merino Wool clothing items.

A guy I listen to on Republic BRoadcasting named Col John Moore who has a great show concerning survival among many other topics really preaches using merino wool sox especially. He has many other good tips on his website www.thelibertyman.com

I totally agree with your recommendation of arctic grade mittens. Mittens are always much better than gloves in all my endeavors in the cold.

If there is any boot on the market better than Danner I would like to know about them. I know Redwing is also good but I think that Danner is just a bit better. I really like a lot of the answers so far guys :)
 
baldtaco-II said:
Beisser, hey

I use the Special 6 shirts, the unlined Windshirt, and one of these Mountain Jackets.

In case you are thinking of lobbing out on one I think it's worth restating that as a stand alone garment I think there are much nicer soft shells. It is the system as a whole that brings it into its own.

Also worth a flag is I've bought separate hoods for them and I find them sized a little small even though I only take a medium size crash hat.
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For anyone with young kids I have noticed that Buffalo has now added some cool garments for them !!!!;):thumbup:

I love their stuff and have a Special 6 shirt, windshirt, Belay jacket, Mitts, boxers and Tec-lite bottoms.
 
pitdog said:
For anyone with young kids I have noticed that Buffalo has now added some cool garments for them !!!!;):thumbup:

I love their stuff and have a Special 6 shirt, windshirt, Belay jacket, Mitts, boxers and Tec-lite bottoms.
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I've seen you have the shirt and sleeping bag. Do you Nikwax yours?
 
Another maker along the lines of Buffalo is Paramo. The idea of both is to move moisture away from the skin so it can evaporate but not sacrifice the evaporation by keeping you dry, just warm.

Kind of like boots, what works for some of us will not work for others so finding combinations that work is a lot of trial and error. I've been in club sauna's and after ten minutes had a small lake forming under me while others are hardly showing a drop of perspiration. Most of the "wicking" material would work for these folks and some of us will overpower it in no time.

About the hardest challenge for me is "stand" hunting deer. Hike out a few miles in the dark in -5 degrees or lower then take a stand and not move a muscle for four hours. After an hour the heat of the hike wears off and if your soaking wet it's no small task to keep warm even if you start adding layers. It took me years of shivering before solving the challenge.

For me Merino wool (Smartwool, Patagonia) works best under most conditions, Under Armour and Patagonia Capilene are good too. If it's going to be constant exertion in cold, damp/rainy conditions then Paramo and Buffalo get the nod.
 
kgd said:
Having the right clothing is good, but I think its more important to take a quick stop once in a while and evaluate the need to vent, remove a layer of change up clothing. The more frequently you do this, the better you will be able to detect early moisture build up.

I think what happens is we tend to push on with not enough little breaks to determine just how well your body is doing with heat and moisture management. The latest high tech cloths may get you a little further down the trail, but you still run the risk of sweating too much even with all the good stuff when climbing our engaging in some high output activity.
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I totally agree.

As one who hikes in steep terrain almost daily,

…and tends to sweat like a…, well you get the idea.


Carrying and utilizing extra gear is the key to comfort in the field.


Learning what works for you,

…and being prepared with what you need on the trail,

…lets you adapt to the conditions you encounter.



Also, testing new gear before depending on it is always smart.



Big Mike
 
baldtaco-II said:
I've seen you have the shirt and sleeping bag. Do you Nikwax yours?
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I've used Nikwax TX-Direct on the shirt once, don't use the TX wash in !
To be honest the way Buffalo works I don't really think you need to proof it.
 
Big Mike said:
I totally agree.

As one who hikes in steep terrain almost daily,

…and tends to sweat like a…, well you get the idea.


Carrying and utilizing extra gear is the key to comfort in the field.


Learning what works for you,

…and being prepared with what you need on the trail,

…lets you adapt to the conditions you encounter.



Also, testing new gear before depending on it is always smart.



Big Mike
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Hey Mike, that's the beauty of the Buffalo stuff, you don't wear anything underneath it so when ya start to sweat you undo the side zips and get cool air circulate all round your body drying the sweat and cooling you off. No stopping to mess about changing layers !:thumbup:
 
I just purchased Dry Duke top/bottom for my son at the West Point PX. Wanted to get the polypro, but they didn't have his size (he's 11). Never heard of Dry Duke, but it looks like some sort of high tech synthetic. Anyone know if it's any good? Gonna be kinda cold for his camping this weekend! William
 
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