Alpine Shop's Tip: Wear either Merino wool or a synthetic undergarment instead. Merino wool is completely different from the old scratchy wool you may remember from year's past. These garments are soft, comfortable and many times are machine washable, well. We recommend brands like Smartwool and Icebreaker. For synthetics, Patagonia's Capilene is a long-trusted source of warmth and breathability and we also carry Under Armour. If you sweat while wearing either of these materials, that moisture will be spread out over the entire garment and will dry very quickly, reducing your chances of losing insulation

Don't believe us? Try it out yourself. Go outside with a cotton t-shirt under your coat. Now, take a water bottle and drip enough to make a quarter sized spot on your shirt. You will immediately feel cold against your skin where the shirt is wet. And that spot won't go away either. It may take hours for that small bit of water to dry. In contrast, redo the test with a merino wool or synthetic shirt. (If you need to be convinced, head into any Alpine Shop locations and mention this test. We'll let you try it out yourself with a garment from our sales floor.) While the wet area may be cool initially, you'll also notice that the quarter-sized spot begins to fade immediately. Both wool and synthetic base layers are designed to take moisture from your body and transfer it to as much surface area on the clothing as possible. That means it dries faster even while it's holding on to it's original insulation properties the entire time. That's exactly what you need for warmth in the winter.

Alpine Shop's Tip: If you're going to be away from any sort of building or warmth for a significant period of time, use a small backpack to store extra pieces of insulation. That way, you'll never have to worry about having too little or too much with you.

Alpine Shop's Tip: Buy Warmers by the Big Pack. It's cheaper and you've got extras for the entire family!