Dressing for Cold Weather

Now that it’s getting a lot colder in Chicago I thought I would give you guys some tips on how to dress for cold weather. You see, I spent hours and hours in the cold during the day or at night and kept myself relatively warm and didn’t get sick from it. I doubt that any of you would be subjected to that much cold on any given day during the middle of winter, but if you do, I know how you can stay warm!

Tip #1

Cover all parts of your body, don’t expose skin to cold temperatures.

Tip #2

Wear suitable outerwear. This means, if it’s wet out, wear something that is waterproof. If it’s cold, wear something that insulates you.

There are a couple of steps to keep in mind to stay warm if you are out and about in the cold for extended periods of time (more than 15 minutes on a Chicago winter day)

1. Wear base layers. This means wear a layer underneath your regular outfit to keep you warm. That could be an under armour top, silk leggings. A patagonia capilene top and bottoms. I have silk leggings, thermal leggings (from american apparel) and under armour leggings. Silk is best because it is very light and comfortable, the other leggings are good too but they are just not as light.

2. Put on your regular outfit over your base layers. Mine is typically jeans and a long sleeved top.

3. For additional warmth, you can throw on a sweater or a hoody.

4. The next step is making sure you wear thick socks. Keeping your feet warm will help keep your legs and the rest of your bodyw arm.

5. Another key layer is your outerwear. You need to wear the right outerwear for the weather. Again, if it is raining, wear a waterproof shell. (You can zip in a fleece to keep yourself warm) If it’s just cold, with no precipitation, you should wear a down coat. A tip I’ve learned about down is: Put your down coat on a few minutes before you walk out the door so it has a chance to warm up to your body heat. Putting it on as you go out the door will take a bit longer to warm up to you and not be as effective.

6. Last but also very important step is to make sure you cover the rest of your body especially your head (most of your body heat escapes through your head!). So, you need to wear gloves (I like the mittens that flip so you can have your fingers to do stuff), a hat (knit hats are great!) and a scarf to keep the cold from getting your body. Also, if you don’t have a hat, wear your hood, (especially if you have a down coat with a down hood!) it can work just as well to keep you warm and safe from windy cold days.

What do you guys do to stay warm when it’s cold out? Feel free to add your tips in the comments section!