Elia Beck's Top 7 Tips For Bundling Warm in Winter Weather

    Welcome back to Hats, Boots, & Chocolate! This week, I figured that, with Christmas and New Year's over and the long, dark, cold wintertime slog ahead, I had better do a blog post about my favorite ways to stay warm on chilly days.

    With the caveat, of course, that I don't live in Canada, Alaska, North Dakota, or Minnesota. I live in Utah. And while my home state does have some pretty respectable winters, especially in the northern half where I live, my tips are optimized for our slightly milder--but still chilly--winter weather.

    Here we go!

#1. Invest in a high-quality compression shirt.

    If you ever see me on a chilly day with relatively little jacketing, it's probably safe to say that I'm wearing a compression shirt. Since compression clothing is specifically designed to keep your muscles warm for athletics, it makes for a fantastic base layer. Because it's made of moisture-wicking material, it will help to keep you from overheating, while also building up a wee cushion of warm air right next to the skin. The only problem I have with mine is that if I'm not wearing a belt over my clothes, Medieval fantasy style, the compression shirt likes to hike up around my waist, leaving my belly button miserably bereft of its benefits. Just keep in mind that you might be pulling yours down a lot throughout the day, and you'll be fine.

#2. Invest in a good beanie. Or ten. Or... you know, twenty.

    I. Love. Beanies. They are by far my favorite kind of hat (though my cowboy hat is pretty good, too).

    The reason for this is that I have not yet found a beanie that I don't look good in, and I love having cozy ears. In fact, this whole blog post is inspired by the beanie I was given at the start of my Luminaria reindeer-wrangling career, as it's very, very warm and cozy. I also make my own beanies on a hat loom, and I must say that mine are far cuter than the one I've been given for work, but also not quite as insulative. Apparently a fleece lining and tight knit makes a big difference.

    Because your head loses a heck of a lot body heat, a beanie is a must for your winter wardrobe. Find one that looks good with your outfits, or start making your own so you can color-coordinate, and wear that baby everywhere. You won't regret it.

    (Unless you're my sister and can overheat from a beanie, even in the deadest, coldest day of winter. Sorry, sister. You don't know how much you're missing out.)

#3. Gloves. Just... gloves.

    I recently invested in a cheap pair of fingerless gloves, and I've been loving them a lot. See, the thing with normal knitted winter gloves is that you have no gripping power, which makes driving in the winter a pain, especially if you drive an old car like mine that doesn't warm up fast. Chilly steering wheels suck; get yourself some fingerless gloves.

    Also, get yourself some heavier-duty gloves, too. If you work outside, get some leather work gloves with some that 'Thinsulate" lining in it, and pair them with your cheap fingerless gloves. The advantage here is that the work gloves insulate your fingertips and protect you from errant hay prickles, while the fingerless gloves inside let you take off the work gloves and have dexterity for a minute without losing all your hand warmth.

    And if it's really cold, put a couple hand warmers in between the layers of gloves.

#4. Aside from the compression shirt, layer outwards.

    Never try and stuff more layers under the layers you're already wearing. That's just a recipe for freezing marshmallowdom. What I do when it's really cold is wear my compression shirt, and then a regular women's-fit T-shirt, and then a baggy dry-fit athletics shirt. Once I have those layers, I'll add a light jacket (for the sleeves), and then a hoodie whose sleeves have been cut off. For me, personally, I don't need a lot of sleeve; just enough to keep the wind off my arms. More important is core warmth, hence the sleeveless hoodie.

    After those layers are done, I belt them in place with my Medieval-fantasy-inspired belt situation (AKA around the waist, not the hips; I've said this before) and add a cloak. Or two. The ruana cloak can turn into an extra layer of tunic, and then you can add a mantle cloak on top of it.

    Despite the seven-ish layers this entails, I don't feel too much like a marshmallow. I can still function, though depending on how the ruana cloak is situated it can mess with my arms' range of motion a little bit. But it is very warm and cozy.

    The last thing you want to do when layering is compress your layers together, because then there are no air pockets between them to catch heat and hold it close. Layer out. Don't stuff layers underneath.

#5. Scarves are awesome. You just have to learn how to use them.

    I didn't used to believe this, but scarves are actually pretty cool. What I've learned to do is wear the scarf around the back of the hood of my jacket, because my scarf is wool, and it gets itchy.

    What a scarf can do that very few other clothing items can is wrap around your face to protect your mouth and nose from the chill. In my wardrobe, a scarf is not for neck warmth. It's in case my nose gets chilly. (And for fashion, because my scarf looks good on me. Yay!)

    Plus, a scarf can be useful in a pinch, if you need to tie something/someone up, or if you lose your belt and need an impromptu sash.

#6. Wool socks.

    I have learned to never underestimate wool socks. My socks, in particular, aren't very thick--but they sure are warm. And that's a good combo, because it means my feet don't feel overstuffed when I put them in my boots.

    Just like with tip #4, when layering socks, layer outwards. If you're going to wear more than one pair of socks, put the baggier socks on the outside so you can get more air pockets. Otherwise, just get a good pair of socks and wear that by itself, because I promise that your feet will feel colder when constricted by too much sock than they will in looser, thinner confines.

    And add hand warmers to your boots. Outside your socks. Pay attention to the warnings on the label.

#7. Don't neglect your legs!

    Nothing is worse than going out on a chilly winter day in nothing but a pair of jeans. You'll quickly realize that your denim legwear ain't going to keep the heat in.

    If you can handle tight legwear (which I can't, which is why I haven't done this), get a pair of compression shorts. If you can handle close-fitting legwear, but not tight stuff (like me), wear leggings under your jeans. Even legging-shorts will be better than nothing. This concept works for the same reason as the compression-shirt concept from tip #1. I also like to wear pants under my dresses when I go to church, because it's warmer that way.

    If it's really cold outside, put a pair of sweatpants over your jeans. Warmth is all about insulation, and insulation is all about air pockets that can be filled with delightful, lovely heat.

    There you are! My basic tips for staying cozy. And, granted, I prefer to be a little cooler than to be too warm, because it gets hard for me to breathe when I'm too warm. As such, I've pretty well acclimatized myself to cool weather, and will happily go about in what other folk would consider "too few layers".

    Also, something else I've noticed: if I go a little longer without showering during the winter, I stay warmer with less layering necessary--and in fact can overheat even when I'm outside, wearing very few layers at all. I believe that this is because oils accumulate on the skin when you haven't showered for a while, and oiled skin is a well-accepted warmth hack among some circles of backpackers and outdoorsmen. I've read people on those sorts of online forums saying that they make sure to lotion as much of themselves as they can before crossing an icy river, because the oil helps keep the cold water away. Do I have scientific evidence that this works? No. But I've got a heck of a lot of observation.

    So, maybe, during the winter, cut down your showering a little. Maybe instead of showering every morning, shower every two or three days. You might find that you're a little toastier on your outdoor excursions. If it's really cold, you probably won't be sweating all that much anyway.

    That's all I've got today.

    See you next week!