Dressing for Cold Weather Maine Adventure Vacations

Do you like onions?  No matter what the answer is, onions are the key to cold weather adventures, such as Maine snowmobile tours.  Not only are these veggies great on sandwiches, they are a the key to dressing properly for playing in cold weather.

Onions have lots of layers and that’s how you should dress to have fun in the cold.  Dressing in layers does two things 1) it allows your body to heat the air trapped between the layers which helps keep you warm, and 2) it gives you the option of taking off clothing if the day warms up or if the activity you are doing generates extra body heat.  Layers of clothing with zippered necks and vents at the armpits and sides can help micro-regulate temperature.

Avoid cotton and denim which do not dry quickly, hold sweat and keep you cold.  Instead, dress in wool, silk, fleece or polyproplene-type synthetics which are warm even when damp and are better at keeping moisture away from your skin.

A few ideas for Onion Dressing (Not the kind for salad) include:

Feet:

1. Silk or thinsulate liner socks
2. Wool or fleece Socks
3. Winter boots with liners like Sorrels or Bean Boots
4. OR insulated boots without liners like Moon Boots

Legs:

1. Wool, silk or polypro long underwear
2. Lycra Tights/Thickskin Pants
3. Fleece or insulate pants
4. Scarf/Neck gator
5. Windshell pants

Torso

1. Wool, silk or polypro long underwear top (Zip Neck)
2. Zip-neck, turtle neck top
3. Wool Sweater
4. Warm insulated jacket
5. Wind proof shell jacket

Hands:

1. Silk, wool or thinsulate liner gloves
2. Insulated Gloves (OR insulated mittens in extreme cold)
3. Winter/Waterproof shell overmits

Head:

1. Balaclava
2. Wool or Fleece hat
3. Thin Ear muffs in serious cold

This is by no means a complete list of options, but it’s a good start to being prepared to play in the cold.  Come to love onions and stay warm this winter.