Are you an outdoor enthusiasts? Whether you go mountain trekking or for romantic walk outside the city, it is important to wear the right clothing and often underestimate accessories - hats, gloves and scarf.
If you want to maintain optimal temperature during your winter outdoor activities, you should wear the right functional accessories that have been specifically designed for winter wear.
If you are not wearing the right things, it will lead to heat loss through the uncovered head, neck and hands.
To limit heat loss caused by Wind Chill effect you should purchase wind resistant accessories.
The greatest heat loss is when you are sweaty and wet. That is why your clothes and accessories should be water resistant, breathable and quick-drying.
Warm and practical accessories can be used not only during sport and outdoor activities, but also during another winter activities, when the high-quality hat, gloves or scarf provide high thermal comfort.
Winter hat
The head is an important center of the human body. Moreover, it contains many blood vessels, so when it gets cold it is not only unpleasant, but it can also be even health threatening.
When our head is not covered, we loose around 10% body heat. We loose as much heat as much our skin is uncovered and exposed to cold. Small children have different body structure and therefore loose more body heat.
If you are in freezing and windy conditions for longer time without a hat, you are risking frostbite on your ears and it can infect the sinuses as well. This can cause not only cold, but also inflammation in the sinus membranes that can lead to painfull middle ear inflammation. That´s why is important to protect the head with quality winter hat.
You can choose different types of hats according to conditions and activies planned :
Thermal-insulated close-tight scrolling cap - lightweight moisture wicking cap, suitable even under helmet.
Thin, low-profile winter cap from thermo-insulated and close fitting material, compatible with helmets and headphones.
Standard knitted, woolen or fleece hat for outdoor and city wear.
Extra warm hat with ear flaps, that provides very good protection against cold during winter camping. The ear flaps can be folded up to create a less insulated version.
Winter hat should have these features :
You can read about how to choose a winter hat in one of ours previous articles.
Winter gloves
Cold fingers not only worsen your thermal comfort, but also make handling some things worse - for example when building a shelter or camp fire.
Warm gloves will prevent your fingers from becoming cold and brittle. High-quality outdoor gloves provide thermal comfort, good grip, are breathable, wind resistant and moisture wicking. Many models are even touch screen compatible.
You can get standard five finger glove, mittens or three-finger gloves. They can be made from different materials -kevlar, leather, wool and many others, some of them with special features.
Choose your gloves according to your outdoor activities :
1. Gore-Tex gloves for protection against wind and cold – mountain trekking, climbing, skiing and cycling.
2. Leather gloves are suitable for survival, trekking, skiing as well as for city wear. They protect against cold, injuries and burns.
3. Durable winter gloves with extra level of protection against cold and impacts. Ideal for work in demanding conditions.
4. Ultralight insulated gloves for outdoors as well as city wear.
You may find these features :
Scarves
In cold weather you should not forget neckwear too. If you expose your neck to cold, you are risking neck pain, headache and cold. Multifunctional neck gaiter or scarf can also protect your face, which will be appreciated mainly by someone with little more sensitive skin.
Scarves can be worn standardly - tied around the neck or as a neck gaiter. Tube scarf is a practical and versatile accessory for both outdoor and city wear. It protects not only your neck, but in case of need also head and face. Multifunctional scarf can work as a neck warmer, hat, headband or balaclava. Depending on your activity you can also get sport scarf, camo scarf, city wear scarf, etc. Scarves and another neckwear are not only functional but also stylish accessories as they are made in various colours, sizes and materials.
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- Jana Černá
- Her biggest interests include travelling, water, forest, camping, metal festivals, history and reconstruction of battles. And, of course, writing for magazines, which she has been doing since 2010.
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