Yes, better living through chemistry is an alternative.

My children used them while skiing but I have managed without them.
Layers and wind-blocking has worked well enough for my bicycling. There have been a few instances when rear shifting was a little stiff. A simple solution to that for me was to put the mountain bike in a mid gear where I could manage through most of the ride and to climb a hill, I would shift the chain to smaller ring in the front. The front gear shifting has never failed yet.