Originally Posted by
thedudeabidz
As this is the first winter I've tried to commute until the snow, I've been having a hard time getting the right layers/materials for the commute. A wicking layer seems to work as a base, but the long sleeve cotton t-shirt and thin fleece jacket don't seem to be cutting it. Any brands that make a good middle layer between the base layer and the jacket?
I find I don't need wicking as much during the winter. I have a light merino wool (Costco Canada but available in other stores everywhere) as the base layer, depending on the conditions, either a thick, windresistant jersey/jacket or a windproof/waterproof jacket on the outside with a mid layer variable depending on the temps. To about 5C (41F), windresistant jacket, no midlayer, merino base is fine; to about 0C (32F), wind/waterproof jacket and merino base is fine; to -5C (23F), I'll add a lightweight longsleeved loose lycra jersey as a midlayer, and below that, I will put the thick jersey as a midlayer but I've only been tested to -9C (16F) (although the windchill that day was -17C (1F)). I find that the windproof outerlayer provides the most benefit: if the wind is eliminated, then it is easier to keep the layers thin.