How To Layer For Total Comfort In Extreme Cold

What to wear when it’s -30F or below, and you want to go outside

We’re headed to Yellowknife next week to see the Aurora Borealis during solar maximum with a group of friends. It’s -30 there right now. As I’m helping all of them get appropriately geared up, I figured readers might get some value from all this as well.

This trip is a unique challenge due to its relaxed nature. We’re not climbing a mountain, we’re not performing heavy aerobic activity, we’re going to be sight seeing, riding in dog sleds, probably taking some hikes, and plan to generally stand or sit around looking at the night sky. Those relatively low activity levels mean that we won’t be generating overwhelming amounts of body heat, so we need clothing that maximizes static insulation and protection from the elements.

The basic program looks like this:

Torso

• Base layers

• Mid-Layer (fleece, heavy wool sweater or similar)

• Puffy insulation

• Shell

Legs

• Un…