bad greek myth concept: a siren but she only sings despacito
her name is alexa
this is so sad
listen I try not to nerd out about outdoors stuff on main too much, but friends, if you have one single takeaway from having followed me on tumblr, let it be this: (cold) cotton kills.
I can’t believe the 2005 pride & prejudice completely understood that the ONLY correct characterization for Darcy was having him look mortifyingly uncomfortable in literally every situation he’s placed in. his body language is just. horrifying. this man wants to crawl into a hole. not to mention he’s like 6 and a half feet tall which is just. he’s so uncomfortably Large that you can’t ignore him even though he Desperately Wants You To Ignore Him. thank GOD they didn’t try any of that Dashing Gentleman bullshit. awkward nerd is the only correct Darcy.
I mean, how chilly? 32-50s F, below 32, and below 0 are all very different conditions. I’ve never camped in the Alps, so I’m not the best resource, but here is some general cold weather camping info:
First of all, get a sleeping bag for the job. In the winter I use a sub-zero bag with a fleece insert, which I also recommend. I prefer to be too hot and unzip the bag then to be too cold and miserable.
Warmth ultimately is all about your base layer though. Put a wool blanket below you in the tent so the cold ground doesn’t sap your heat. If you can, bring a second wool blanket to put over you, so the morning dew gathers on it instead of on your sleeping bag which will get wet.
You sweat all day and all night. Sweat freezes. Change your socks and underwear before you go to sleep and when you wake up.
If you’re backpacking that’s going to be space-prohibitive, but make room for at least the one wool blanket for your base layer.
Wool everything. Wool gloves. Socks, especially. Wool longjohns as a base layer are good too, and you can get them and the socks cheap on amazon or even thrift stores for the socks.
Make sure it’s 100% wool. Cotton is useless in the cold, and even dangerous. If you get wet in wool, you stay warm. Not so with cotton. As they say, “cotton kills.”
Get yourself waterproof boots, or waterproof the ones you already have. Wet & cold is bad. Always.
Get some hot hands, but don’t use the ones that go in your boots. They almost always get too hot, and you have to stop and take them out. Just layer up a pair of cotton socks below your wool socks if your toes are cold. Sometimes I toss some hot hands in my sleeping bag, but they always end up getting into my pajamas pant legs and burning me lmao. Ya gotta do a cost benefit analysis on that one.
Idk these are pretty generalized tips since I don’t know anything about your trip. I assume you’ll be going with someone who knows more about the area and weather. If not, start researching what you’ll need to be comfortable and safe there. Have fun!
Important question: What if one can’t do wool everything due to allergy? Or at least not as the initial base layer. Is a cotton base followed by wool and THEN other gear acceptable at all?
Idk if its actually an allergy or what because I can hack it on my feet and legs just fine?? But wool on my upper body w/o something between skin & wool tends to lead to being incredibly itchy & hives?? It is SUPER BIZZARE.
cotton is definitely not an option, especially as the layer closest to your skin. If there’s a synthetic fabric you’re not allergic to, that would be a great option (wool is great but tbqh wool/poly blends or just straight up poly/synthetics are far more common nowadays because they’re less itchy). Silk baselayers, while expensive & not quite as insulating as wool or synthetics, are also a solid option.
Fleece & waterproofed synthetics are common & affordable now at pretty much any major outdoor retailer. Wool is admittedly still pretty much ideal for extremely damp conditions such as the PNW, but if you don’t expect to be rained on constantly for the entire trip you might actually be better off with lighterweight layers.
missionlameturtle 