How To Conquer Winter Layers

It’s that time of year again - when you need to pull out your heavy clothes from the back of your closet to brave the weather. But as the winter chill kicks in, how can you manage to stay warm and stylish, without lumbering around under all the layers? Let us explain.

It’s not just on the ski slopes that having a good base layer is important. If you want to keep out the chill, especially at night, a lightweight but stylish button-down like our men’s Mumford River Denim Shirt beneath a sweater is perfect when paired with dark selvage denim. 

One of the coldest days ever recorded in US history was in Medicine Lake, Montana in 1954, when temperatures dropped to a shivering -70 degrees. It’s unlikely you’ll experience that level of cold this year, but choosing the right layers will give you extra warmth however low temperatures go (we’ll pass on the -70, though).

Go for a gilet or vest if you’re anticipating to warm up later (believe it or not, the sun can appear on the coldest of days). Our Skye Peak Quilted Vest for men and Cherry Quilted Mountain Vest for women are made with Thermo Fibre technology designed to be ultra lightweight, easily packable and very insulating.

Pair a vest over a long sleeve T-shirt or flannel button-down for casual weekends exploring new places in your neighborhood.

If there’s anything you remember out of this guide, remember this: you can’t go wrong with a bomber jacket. This eighties fashion staple - originally designed in World War I to keep military pilots warm - has been enjoying a resurgence this year for both men and women (two supermodels come to mind).

Men can follow the trend with our Skye Peak Bomber, which also has the same  heat-retaining technology to block out wind and cold. Layer it over a T-shirt, or a henley and add a waterproof jacket on wetter days (see below).

For women, we have the Cherry Mountain Quilted Bomber, also made with Thermo Fibre insulation and designed to be lightweight with a flattering close-fit, yet super cozy. In fact, all of our quilted jackets and vests are made with a DWR (Durable Water Repellent) coating that is 100% biodegradable so you can feel good while staying warm. 

Don’t get caught out in the rain on a blustery day while cycling into work or dashing out to run some errands – always carry a waterproof top layer in your backpack to keep your clothes dry.

Our vests and bomber jackets (above) were designed to be worn under waterproof jackets for an effective winter layering system. The end result is a warm and dry combination – all while being lightweight.

We recommend our waterproof Kibby Mountain Hooded Bomber.

You don’t have to be cold and wet if you plan and incorporate our three part system: base layer, Thermo Fibre layer and a waterproof jacket. As the English explorer Sir Ranulph Fiennes famously said, “There’s no such thing as bad weather, only inappropriate clothing.” As someone who climbed Mount Everest and was the first person to cross Antarctica on foot, the guy knows his cold weather outerwear. Well said, Ranulph. 

Headed into wet weather? Our jackets are lab-tested and field-tested to be 100% waterproof.