Dressing for the cold Stop and Go activity levels?

Tell us your current typical layer set and we can go from there. I assume you have experienced today’s “active” insulation like Patagonia’s Nano Air including the ‘light’ and ‘hybrid’ flavors?

Typically a LW base layer [ p’ Everyday] plus a thin mesh T-shirt and a windshirt.

Active insulation layers are on my Too dear list but I do have a Patagonia Ninja top but usually find it far too warm at only 0C

Legs usually my home sewn Powerstretch loose tights and windpants

Well, I don’t know if I can address clothing for -30C, but I can give you my approach for multi-day ski trips. Legs are base layer, shorts (for the pockets) and shell pants that have zips roughly the length on the thighs for ventilation and for access to the pockets beneath. If things get really warm (these are spring Sierra trips) I can take off the shells and ski in shorts and base layer. If things get REALLY warm, I ski in just the base layer for maximum breatheability.

Upper body starts with base layer and mostly just that. A bit cooler and I will add a Montbell ultra light shell jacket – similar to a Marmot Driclime but half the weight, with shell and very light lining. Or a light fleece. Colder than that means W/B shell jacket, and maybe warm hat in place of or with the sun hat. Gloves are Powerstretch liner gloves or none, and mitten shells over for windy or cold, and knit mittens as well, but rarely except cold morning starts.

In the base layers and shorts, no gloves. sun hat only mode, this takes me up into the 60’s. With the shell pants on, W/B shell, glove liners, mitten shells, warm hat under the hood, down into the 20’s while on the move, maybe the teens uphill.

Extrapolating colder, I expect I’d start simllar but with a warmer base layer, like powerstretch  or expedition weight. Next step I think would be a light base layer combined with something thicker as a combined base. My approach is to have a configuration that I can modify pretty extensively without having to take off boots. I only have to take off boots if I take off my shell pants, and I only do that when it is so warm that de-booting is no problem. I find I can handle a large range of temperatures leg-wise with the base layer and shells – If It’s cold I can’t stop for long, but I never find that to be an issue. At lunch I break out the puffy (homemade synthetic with hood) and throw that over whatever I have on my torso for a big boost.At the end of the break I don’t have to take off anything but the puffy which is the top layer, so I never have to go down below what I was wearing on the move in order to get back to that configuration.

So the torso, hands and head are where the changes mostly happen, and I think I would aim for something similar at whatever temperature range I anticipated, just using warmer base layer (or layers) and more mid-layers, to suit. I think I might go for side zip puffy pants for serious cold, so that I would be able to get them on and off for lunch stops. On my trips, I have puffy pants for camp but they never come out during the day. You might consider a bothy bag for lunch breaks.

All the arctic explorations I have read about  – and I’ve read quite a few from all eras – seem to suggest that while on the move, you won’t need a lot of insulation, and sweat is your big enemy. I tend to approach my ski trips with that in mind – I try to anticipate heating up or cooling down, and adjust ahead rather than behind. Strip that layer before the start of the climb instead of after you start to sweat. Also, in deep cold you don’t need waterproof, just windproof, so you can prioritize breatheability.

Maybe this is too obvious and stuff you are already well aware of: if so, please excuse.

“All the arctic explorations I have read about . . .  sweat is your big enemy”

The more I remember the mantra, “Never sweat” and keep ahead of it by dropping layers BEFORE I get too warm, the better I do below freezing and below 0F.

Modern wonder fabrics are really helpful if you’re (1) going to let yourself sweat or (2) very near freezing.  When you’re well below freezing and avoid falling in liquid water, a lot of low-tech fabrics, furs, and feathers work fine.

One of the reasons we don’t get out as much in winter is because of this issue.  When I hike, I generate a lot of heat almost immediately…and unless I strip way down, I sweat.   But once stripped down, I can hike a good long time and feel great.  The problem is that the minute I stop hiking, I stop generating heat–and start shivering.  Yeah, I throw on all my warm clothing—but it is always too late.  My skin is well below normal body temperature….and I am cold as h3ll.

My wife, on the other hand, starts out cold, takes a LONNNNNNg time to warm.  But once warm, she can start and stop at will without losing body temperature.

Rereading Richards “New Paradigm” I believe I need to get a new windshirt with a different level of permeability. My Montane UL is too tight and too wind resistant and the Arktis is letting too much air thru, its permeability is over 50CFM.

I have fabric of the correct permeability but it is on the heavier side of 80GSM being an ultra fine cotton