MINNEAPOLIS — Dressing right for winter is important whether you’re a football fan attending a tailgate party in Super Bowl host city Minneapolis, or just looking to enjoy outdoor activities in the cold.
The Associated Press asked Steve Schreader of Midwest Mountaineering, an outdoor gear store in Minneapolis, for advice on winter wear.
Layering is key to cold-weather dressing, and it works for “any part of the body,” Schreader said.
For your torso, begin with a long-sleeved shirt of merino wool or polyester. The fabric should breathe and be relatively light so you don’t overheat. Schreader said he would stay away from cotton.
Next, put on a midlayer, such as a fleece pullover. This is “going to be your first line of insulation,” Schreader said. “Allowing you to keep that body heat to your core.”
The top layer should be a windbreaker shell. If the temperatures are extremely cold, you’ll want a “big puffy jacket.” That “big insulating layer” creates an air pocket that keeps your body heat in and is a “barrier between you and the rest of the elements,” he said.
He recommends that both the midlayer and the outer shell have hoods.
For the lower body, you may want to layer long underwear beneath canvas pants. But beware of jeans or 100 percent cotton pants, which don’t protect well against the cold and don’t dry fast if they get wet.
Feet
Start with a light pair of woolen socks. Then add a midlayer of “thick, almost fluffy” wool socks designed for hiking or even mountaineering, Schreader said.
Boots like Merrell Moabs or the Sorel brand will keep feet dry and warm, he said.
“Your feet are probably the one thing that if they’re not comfortable, the rest of you is not going to be comfortable,” he said. But you also “don’t want to overdress your feet,” because if they sweat, “you’re going to get clammy,” and that will feel cold.
Head
“Most of the extremities that get frostbitten first are on my head — my nose, my ears, my cheeks,” Schreader said.
Use a hood and add a stocking cap. A neck gaiter that can be scrunched down or pulled up can add a layer across your face.
Hands
Start with a lightweight liner glove, like a Polartec. Look for the touchscreen finger pad design so you can use your phone screen.
Add mittens that have liners as well as outer shells. Schreader says he recommends mittens for the main hand coverage because “having your fingers closer together, not isolated, is going to create a better heat pocket in your hands.”
