The main purpose of the cloths next to your skin is to get rid of perspiration from your body, to keep you dry. Sweat is the issue here, and many might be surprised to learn how much you might sweat even at very low temperatures. Therefore it is of great importance that this layer transports humidity away from your skin, keeping it dry and warm. The inner layer should be close to your body and should be quite tight, but not too tight. Both upper body and legs need to be covered. Good materials for this first layer are wool or so called technical synthetic materials. Recently also bamboo has been used with success, sometimes in combination with wool. Wool has a natural ability to transport moisture and will absorb up to 30 % of its own weight before feeling wet. In the early days of exploration wool was the only option, but in recent years there are many, carefully designed, technical materials on the market. These are typically made to copy the abilities of wool.

The purpose of this layer is to provide insulation and retain body heat without restricting movement. Suitable materials for these layers are wool or polar fleece. Middle layers with long necks (with a zip to adjust ventilation), and long arms with good coverage of wrists are areally good option. The important thing is to reduce heat loss from vulnerable bodyparts like the neck and the wrists. It is important that these parts are relatively loose, not to restrict the blood flow to the extremities. On a really cold day we recommend two or more middle layers. It is better to wear several thin layers than one thick layer when dressing for the cold, as the weather might change and you need to dress down to prevent sweating.

At WildPhoto Travel we work mainly on the ocean or along the coast, using zodiacs (small rubber boats) for cruising or to land on frozen shores. In our experience keeping the wind out and staying dry is the main purpose of the outer layer, meaning both jacket and pants. But at times the weather might change or we find ourselves hiking to get into position for our shots, which means we also need our outer layer to let out excess body heat. Therefore it is good to have a breathable material here such as Gore-Tex. We recommend insulated jackets and pants.

Your extremities are extra sensitive, and it is of outmost importance to keep hands and feet dry and warm! When dressing for the cold the same layering method applies here as with the rest of your body. Use inner gloves or liners made of silk, wool or synthetic fibre and cover with a wind/waterproof mitten. Mittens are much warmer than gloves! Please remember to bring an extra pair of mittens. At WildPhoto we use several different brands, but for the really cold days our preferred mittens and gloves are those from Heat Company. These also have a pocket for hand warmers and will quickly re-heat your frozen fingers if needed.