What kind of shirt/outerwear should I wear for skiing?

Question

I go skiing often and when I ski, I usally wear a hoody and a down vest. However, when it snows the hoody absorbs the snow and it gets wet. I have been considering buying a cold gear shirt from underarmour but, I also want to buy something to wear on top that will be waterproof. Is there something I can wear under my vest that is thin and waterproof and would match well. If you have any advice, that'll be great. Thanks~!

Answer 1

Go to a ski or outdoor shop and have a look at the racks and racks of clothing to see if there is something you like.. I suggest getting something waterproof and breathable.

As a bit of general advice, a hoody is a bad option. Cotton does not insulate very well, and wet cotton doesn't insulate at all. Try wool or fleece. Much more efficient and safe.

Have a look here http://wikiski.com/wiki/index.php/Category:New_to_the_Snow#Dressing_for_the_weather

and here http://wikiski.com/wiki/index.php/Category:Equipment#Parkas

Answer 2

Strike #1...The Hoodie. It's cotton. It stays wet...You get cold.

Strike #2...The Down Vest. When it gets wet...you get cold. Wearing a down vest OVER something waterproof will not solve your problem.

Solution:

Base Layer: Something like EMS Techwick or Patagonia Capaline. Under Armor is OK...just get the breathable stuff.

Mid-Layer: Fleece or a synthetic fill vest or jacket. I wear a jacket made from Polartec Windbloc fleece or a Vest made with Primaloft...much better and thinner than down..also, it stays warm when wet.

Outer Layer: When I need it, I wear a very light Gore-Tex shell. It is a rain jacket...not a ski jacket. I have one from Marmot and one from EMS. IF it gets damned cold (like below 10F and windy) then I crack out the Gore-Tex Mountaineering Coat. I maybe wear that 2-4 days a season....maybe.

The base layer will set you back $35; a good Windbloc or Windstopper fleece jacket will go for abot $130 and a waterproof shell will run $99-$200 depending on the material and the brand.

Things to look for...Wool, Thermore, Primaloft, Windstopper, Windbloc, Gore-Tex

Things to avoid...Cotton, Down

Answer 3

You might want to just get a regular waterproof shell jacket. There isn't really anything that could be worn comfortably under a vest that is waterproof. I usually just wear a jacket and a t-shirt, but sometimes a wear a descente dna base layer (pretty much the same thing as under armour) if its really cold. I have a soft shell for when it's warmer, which is also waterproof but a lot lighter.

Answer 4

Cotton's bad in the winter because it gets wet, stays wet, and loses most/all of its insulating value. Some actually call it "death cloth" for those reasons (it can lead to hypothermia). For insulating, I like fleece stuff made from Polartec fabrics and the stuff from Northern Outfitters (Note: Polartec doesn't make assembled clothes. Retailers like Campmor and Cabela's make reasonably priced clothing from Polartec fabric)

On top of the insulating fleece (or whatever you choose) you would want a wind/waterpoof shell. Stuff with Goretex is pretty much the standard, though there are alternatives. Goretex and other breathable materials have a bunch of tiny holes in them, which are too small for water to go through (waterpoof), but big enough for water vapor (from evaporating sweat) to go through (breathable).

Here are a few guides which go into detail about cold weather clothing:

http://www.usap.gov/travelAndDeployment/documents/FieldManual-Chapt1ExtremeColdWeatherClothing.pdf - PDF file - Field Manual for the US Antarctic Program

http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CFPage?CMID=&objectID=29900&langId=-1&mode=article&pageView=image&catalogId=10001&partNumber=&storeId=10151&deptId=000000000&categoryId=000000000&jumpToPage=1¤tPage=0&subdeptId=000000000 - A guide to laying.

http://outersports.blogspot.com/2006/05/layering-for-cold-weather-activities.html - Another guide to laying.

http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/community/inthefield/fieldguides/guidebooks-story-1.jsp?hierarchyId=20028&title=Columbia%20Layering%20Guide%20for%20Warmth%20and%20Comfort%20&contentId=ross_layering_review1&oiPage=fieldguides - Yet another guide to layering.

http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/community/inthefield/fieldguides/guidebooks-story-1.jsp?hierarchyId=20028&title=Fleece%20Buyer's%20Guide&contentId=ross_layeringfleece_bg02&oiPage=fieldguides - An article from Cabela's about different types of fleece (velour, windproof, berber, etc).

Some of my favorite cold weather retailers:
http://www.campmor.com
http://www.cabelas.com
http://www.northernoutfitters.com