Clothing for snowshoeing?

Question

I'll be going on my first snowshoeing outing in a couple of weeks. I need advice on clothing/gear. I bought an insulated parka with a hood and some ski gloves, but I am unsure on the lower body clothing/pants. Do I buy what's called "powder pants" and cover my jeans? Or do I buy insulated ski pants and wear those over a pair of leggings? We will probably be snowshoeing on fairly easy trails/mostly flat ground. Other questions include winter boots v. using hiking boots inside the showshoes and short v. long gaiters. Thanks for any advice.

Answer 1

you got a good question here. The way your going is not bad but there is a better way to dress for snowshoeing. Because you will be moving alot and will get quite warm you should dress in layers. A t shirt and long johns should be your base layer to wick away all the sweat and then dress up and out from that like wear a sweater and a windbreaker, for pants wear sweatpants and wind breaking pants to cover that...

Don't get me wrong an insulated parka is good if its -40 or so but it probably won't be that cold when your out eh? So just dress up cause its not good to get too warm and not being able to take clothes offf


I hope that helps

Have fun!

Answer 2

You want layes (polypro, silk, etc.) with a wind layer on top of the layers. Don't wear jeans unless you are not going very far from civilization..they are the worst thing when they get wet. Being wet is actually a bigger concern than being cold...being wet and cold is a problem. You also want a backpack to put the layers in. Keep the jacket you have because if it is really cold it will be a great layer..and will be great when you stop for breaks.

Answer 3

Thick and warm clothes. Heavy jacket, snowpants, boots, and a couple pairs of socks. That usually works for me.