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Thermal layers are the first part of the 3 layer system designed to keep people warm and dry when its cold and wet outside...They are the first line of defense in your snowboard winter clothing designed to keep you warm and dry...Ok what is the 3 layer system...It is simple...Base layer... Insulating layers and an outer layer... Layer #1...is a NON cotton layer of clothing that soaks up body moisture and moves it away from the body....Good examples are thermal underwear made of Silk or Polartec or Akwatec or any other fabric designed to wick moisture away from the body...Please don't wear cotton... Keep on reading and see why ! THE BEST PLACE to get schooled and buy thermals for adults and kids is WICKERS.COM Layer #2... is one or more layers worn over your base layers and under your outer snowboard winter clothing that insulate the body from cold...a good example would be a fleece longsleeve shirt and long legged midweight bottoms...You want a thicker material that holds air but wicks moisture...The colder it is the more insulating layers can be added as needed...definitely avoid cotton...A merino wool sweater is perfect over fleece...If you snowboard in areas that are more wet than cold, smart wool or natural wool can be a good choice...AGAIN...Natural wool is the ONLY fabric/cloth that will keep you warm when soaking wet, but can be very itchy and seldom worn as base layers...But try not to get soaking wet... See layer #3 advice.. Layer #3... is the outer layer, that is waterproof and windproof...ie your SNOWBOARDING JACKET and PANTS...They are the most important layer in your snowboard winter clothing wardrobe besides the base layers. They are waterproof in one direction... water cannot get in, but water vapor can disperse out....The best example is GORE-TEX...Gore-tex is expensive to use in snowboard clothing as all the seams must be taped or welded...but well worth the extra cash if you spend alot of time outdoors in the cold and wet... I checked out the gore-tex website and learned a lot about gore-tex and it's use in winter clothing that I didn't know before...Hey YOU can go check it out too at GORE-TEX.com Then jump back here to trek on with your winter clothing schooling ! DO NOT wear cotton as a base layer...DO NOT EVEN THINK about dressing yourself, your kids or even your dog in cotton base layers !!! BECAUSE Cotton gets wet easily from sweating and does not wick water and moisture away from the skin, and it feels cold when wet! IT IS COLD WHEN WET ! Always wear thermal base layers made specifically for snowboarding or winter conditions... Cotton can be worn for intermediate layers, but its better not to wear it at all... Try fleece or other fabrics made for snowsports ...Some of the best base and intermediate layers are made of Capilene by Patagonia, Polartec,Cool Max mesh liners, Helly Hansen Lifa ,Smart Wool and natural wool... These fabrics are used extensively in ski and snowboard and winter clothing... Another good website to get schooled about some other commonly used fabrics and materials used to build a hot jacket is PATAGONIA.com where you can learn all about CAPILENE versus WOOL ... Plus what techniques are used to make those materials work properly so they keep moisture off your skin and allow moisture to escape !!! WHERE TO BUY THE BEST THERMAL LAYERS ONLINE Well check WICKERS.COM A shop with a pretty good selection of base layers and thermals is Altrec.com. They have mainly Patagonia Capilene and silk thermals along with a few thermals by Outdoor Research and one or two others for women AND men...You can pick what works best for your area...You can see just about everything they have in stock right here, but do not forget to check out all their other winter clothing too... Time to move on and check out all the other places that sell snowboard and winter clothing and snowboard clothing products before you buy...You can always cruise on back and get what you want easily!!! Now next place is The-House.com's snowboard shop Ok...NOW check out two other places...Sierra Trading Post.com and Snowshack.com OK now I saved the One of the Best for Next to Last... Snowshack.com OK OK back to REALITY... Snowshack.com Now for the real good news , they also have the Hot Chilly top and bottom combo deals ....Ok I almost forgot!!! they got Burton, Marmot and Rossignol thermals as well...Check em all out before you decide... Lets see what Backcountry.com One thing to note is BC.com and the DOG's have both got a women's and mens section for snowboarding and winter clothing. So check them both out... DOGFUNK has almost the exact same product line, So I am only showing the BC.com thermals...If you want, you can click over to Dogfunk.com and get the same thermals there too ! Well if you were patient and scrolled down this far, you should know a whole lot more about thermal base layers used under winter clothing than when you started at the top of this VERY long section... Good luck shopping and stay warm this winter...
FROM DA SNOWBOARDING MASTER! |
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