Minnesotans, you’re doing it wrong: What experts say about dressing for the cold

Those of us who live in Minnesota have a choice to make about winter: Embrace the cold that takes over our state for much of the year, or shun it, burrowing inside for a long, grim wait for warmth.

It’s been said so often it’s a cliché, but the difference can be just a matter of dressing for the conditions. It’s something that takes a bit of trial and error to learn — even for people born and raised here.

Some people “go to work and they get in a cold car, or maybe they warm up their car before, but they’re coming in and out of cold and they’re not dressed properly,” said Susan Hendrickson-Schurke, who founded Wintergreen Northern Wear, which she has since sold, after sewing gear worn by her husband, Paul, and Will Steger in their 1986 expedition to the North Pole.

The good news? Dressing to actually enjoy winter isn’t that hard and it doesn’t have to be expensive. As temperatures start to take a tumble, here are some tips from Minnesota experts.

The first thing to think about when dressing for warmth is what you plan to do outside. Dressing to stand outside and watch a pond hockey tournament is very different from dressing to run or ski.

Think about it this way: Clothes do not produce heat on their own. You do, Hendrickson-Schurke said. Some activities produce more body heat than others. Also, some people run hotter than others.

The trick is to trap body heat without trapping sweat, because moisture has a chilling effect. Finding that sweet spot — based on the activity you’re doing and the temperature outside — takes trial and error.

“Play around with the dress,” said Jan Guenther, a winter lover and co-owner of Gear West, a Long Lake outdoor sports store. “If you sweat, maybe it’s not breathable enough, or you have too many layers.”

The most important rule for dressing for the outdoors is layering. Done correctly, layers trap body heat (but not sweat), and allow for adjustment throughout the day: you can take a layer off or add one back as needed.

Layering properly isn’t difficult, but it’s not just a matter of adding clothes upon clothes. Instead, it’s all about finding the right base, insulation and wind layers for the activity.

“You dress for the three W’s: wicking, warmth and wind,” Hendrickson-Schurke said.

Wicking describes how some fabrics draw moisture away from the body. A wicking base layer helps the body stay warm and dry. “That next-to-skin layer holds that immediate warmth to your body and it also wicks moisture away,” Hendrickson-Schurke said.

Wool and some synthetic fabrics are good at wicking moisture away. Avoid cotton, which absorbs moisture and holds it to the skin, causing clamminess.

It’s also important that this layer fits well, Hendrickson-Schurke said. If it’s too tight, it may hamper circulation, but if it’s too loose, it won’t work properly.

Next comes the warmth layer, or layers, depending on the situation. Hendrickson-Schurke likened this layer to insulation in a house. The more bulk and air you trap, the warmer you’ll be.

Ideally, these are thicker garments — think a vest, a fleece jacket or a sweater — that trap body heat in.

“You want to keep the core warm, because when the core is warm, that body heat will send out heat to your arms and fingers,” Hendrickson-Schurke said.

Again, think about breathability, Hendrickson-Schurke said: While down is a great insulator, it may not be the best mid-layer for active pursuits because the fabric it’s encased in is typically tightly woven and not very breathable. It’s a better candidate for insulation if you’re hanging out at the winter Beer Dabbler or in a deer stand.

If you’re outside doing something strenuous, such as cross-country skiing, you may not need more than a base layer and a light warmth layer. As a spectator at a ski race, however, you’d want to layer up.

Even a good insulation layer is no match for wind, which zaps away the body heat that you’ve dressed carefully to trap. When it’s cold, and especially when it’s windy, a wind layer helps keep heat close.

Picking an effective wind layer is a little more complicated than throwing on any old wind-blocking jacket, Hendrickson-Schurke said. Some fabrics, like the ones raincoats tend to be made of, don’t breathe, so while they block wind they also lock in moisture.

Instead, look to shell jackets. Hendrickson-Schurke said she prefers nylon to GORE-TEX, often made to repel water. Hendrickson-Schurke said that while GORE-TEX is supposed to breathe, she finds it doesn’t breathe fast enough, which can lead to moisture issues in situations where the wearer is outdoors for long periods, such as winter camping.

Don’t forget to wear a hat to avoid losing heat through your head. Guenther said she also likes neck gaiters, which can be worn several ways and can help cover your neck and ears. “You can pull a Buff up over your face or pull it down, depending on how you need it,” she said.

When it comes to hands and feet, the same layering logic applies — you want to stay warm and dry, and layers can help. Mittens are warmer than gloves, Hendrickson-Schurke said. Don’t wear tight socks or boots, because they cut off circulation.

To supplement body heat, there’s always hand and feet warmers. Guenther said her hands tend to get cold when she’s coaching skiing, so she has a battery-powered glove heater that’s small enough to fit into ski gloves and does the trick.

Guenther said it may feel intimidating at first, but dressing for warmth isn’t much different from dressing for work. “You put on different layers or different touches,” she said. “And you have to feel that it’s a priority to spend a little time to figure out what works for you and then dress appropriately.”

Ultimately, she said, it’s worth it.

She encouraged anyone starting out to visit their local outdoors store to find a few high-quality pieces that offer versatility and will last a long time.

“Your local store knows this stuff and is here to help you, and probably has some reasonable deal on a couple things that will work well and is quality enough that it can be a workhorse,” she said.