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> "People here say there’s no such thing as bad weather," said Ms. Gulsrud, 39. "Only bad clothing." That's true for anything outdoor in winter that involves p
by mirimir 7y ago
> "People here say there’s no such thing as bad weather," said Ms. Gulsrud, 39. "Only bad clothing."
That's true for anything outdoor in winter that involves physical exertion. Bicycling, running, cross-country skiing, whatever. Cotton and down can kill you. Because they tend to get soaked with sweat, and then lose insulating capacity.
So you want silk, wool or polypro fleece, and Goretex.
- Cougher 7y ago"Cotton and down can kill you." It isn't like they - or most of the rest of us - are climbing Everest here.
- mirimir 7y agoI guess that you've never lived somewhere that's way below freezing in the winter. Or at least, worked up a sweat outside, there.
- Cougher 7y agoThe New England climate that I've lived in for the bulk of my life is very close to Copenhagen's. I also love the winter and I exercise vigorously almost daily, working up a sweat out in the woods. Amazingly enough, most people during the course of human history didn't have access to fancy fabrics, yet we managed to not get "killed". Living in a city has the added advantage of having any number of heated establishments that you can step into if you're about to die.
- mirimir 7y agoHey, sorry about my tone. My experience is in areas with far colder winters. And cross-country skiing for long distances through public land, with only occasional shelter. Before there were cellphones.
- Grustaf 7y agoAs much as I like silk and wool, considering that it very rarely goes below freezing here in Copenhagen I wouldn’t say it’s an issue. Besides, the town is completely flat, so not much sweating.
- mirimir 7y agoThat woman in TFA was wearing a wool coat, no?
- aartur 7y agoI don't recommend Goretex, or other jackets with membranes, for outdoor activities (unless it's raining or it's really windy). They are not nearly as breathable as regular clothes, which means you will be sweating more. And even when you wear wool or a polyester fleece they won't warm as well as when they are dry. This sound counter-intuitive but a lighter non-membrane jacket works better for me, both in terms of comfort and longer-term retention of body heat (better breathability -> less sweat -> smaller cooling effect).
- mirimir 7y agoI lived for over a decade in a place that was often quite cold in the winter. Like below 0°C for months, and sometimes down to -40°C for weeks. Also quite windy, so wind chill could be -50°C or below, at times. And I didn't own a car, so bicycling was my only option. I did buy Gortex pants and jacket, though. So for riding, I wore silk underwear and sock liners, wool socks, heavy wool pants, high-top lace-up leather combat boots, a wool sweater, a neoprene face mask, and Gortex. I wore pretty much the same kit for cross-country skiing and snowshoeing. But less for downhill skiing. I did ski with a guy who almost froze to death, after his cotton and down got soaked.
- aartur 7y agoI'm not against wool/polyester inner layers, they are much better than cotton. But it's not magic, they will also work worse when they are wet, and they don't transport the sweat from the skin perfectly. So what works the best for me is reducing the effect of accumulating sweat, i.e. maximizing the breathability of the jacket (for example, by using a "windshirt" style jackets from materials like Pertex). Maybe in such exteme conditions as -40°C it's different, but for me a windshirt + thick inner layers (polyester/wool) work well for 6+ hour long bicycle rides in about 0°C.
- mirimir 7y agoI agree. And I should have mentioned that I'd unzip the Gortex when I got warmed up. Or even put it in my pack, and just use a windshirt. But it's nice to have, in case the temperature drops or the wind picks up. Or if there's freezing rain.