Uploaded December 2016 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
I explain my winter clothing system of wool, canvas, leather, fleece and acrylic that works for me when doing high exertion activities such as sled hauling, firewood collecting, snowshoeing and back country skiing, where the moisture and excess heat must be vented efficiently to the outside. Staying comfortable in deep cold in winter when working hard means staying cool, not hot. I am wearing no outer shell (except for boots and mitts), and all my wool and fleece layers have no membrane to block moisture movement. Excess moisture and heat can quickly escape outside, and I like to have the wind move through the un-shelled fabrics to pull away heat and moisture. So-called "breathable membrane" outer shells do not work below freezing because the moisture frosts and plugs the membrane. If I need a shell for high abrasion activities in the bush, or for sedentary activities like ice fishing, I carry a traditional oversized cotton anorak/parka shell that has capacity for adding more insulating layers underneath. Footage is from a sled hauling winter trek hot tenting trip in Feb. 2016.
Links to clothing:
Empire Wool and Canvas for True North Mitts: empirecanvasworks.com/product/true-north-mittens
Empire Wool and Canvas for wool Camp Coat: empirecanvasworks.com/product/camp-coat
Empire Wool and Canvas for cotton canvas Permafrost Parka: empirecanvasworks.com/product/permafrost-parka
Crown Cap "Dry Ice" 4-layer acrylic toque: crowncap.com/catalog/watch-cap
Codet/Big Bill 28 oz wool trousers (note: I recommend sizing 1 size up for these, and use suspenders) bigbill.com/products/210-0
I explain my winter clothing system of wool, canvas, leather, fleece and acrylic that works for me when doing high exertion activities such as sled hauling, firewood collecting, snowshoeing and back country skiing, where the moisture and excess heat must be vented efficiently to the outside. Staying comfortable in deep cold in winter when working hard means staying cool, not hot. I am wearing no outer shell (except for boots and mitts), and all my wool and fleece layers have no membrane to block moisture movement. Excess moisture and heat can quickly escape outside, and I like to have the wind move through the un-shelled fabrics to pull away heat and moisture. So-called "breathable membrane" outer shells do not work below freezing because the moisture frosts and plugs the membrane. If I need a shell for high abrasion activities in the bush, or for sedentary activities like ice fishing, I carry a traditional oversized cotton anorak/parka shell that has capacity for adding more insulating layers underneath. Footage is from a sled hauling winter trek hot tenting trip in Feb. 2016.
Links to clothing:
Empire Wool and Canvas for True North Mitts: empirecanvasworks.com/product/true-north-mittens
Empire Wool and Canvas for wool Camp Coat: empirecanvasworks.com/product/camp-coat
Empire Wool and Canvas for cotton canvas Permafrost Parka: empirecanvasworks.com/product/permafrost-parka
Crown Cap "Dry Ice" 4-layer acrylic toque: crowncap.com/catalog/watch-cap
Codet/Big Bill 28 oz wool trousers (note: I recommend sizing 1 size up for these, and use suspenders) bigbill.com/products/210-0
