Learning to Layer

The first layer for cold-weather exposure should keep you warm and dry on the inside. Since it's what touches your skin, it also makes sense to wear something soft, lightweight and pliable (those who have been chaffed by wool underwear will attest to this). This layer, the underclothing, will work with your outer layer to keep you dry. The best material for long underwear are those that "wick" wetness away from your skin quickly and effectively.

If you're thinking about wool or cotton underwear for cold weather, you might think again. Both fabrics dry slowly, holding heat-draining moisture against your skin. We've all done it— worn cotton socks on a cold, damp day and lived to regret it— but there are a wide range of superior fabrics available now which can wean us from our past mistakes.

Today's synthetic fibers, polypropylene and the like, work much better. (Silk is nice too, but difficult to care for.) Not only do they feel comfortable against the skin, they dry quickly and actually pull perspiration vapor away from the skin towards the next layer of clothing, the insulation layer, where it can evaporate.