All about multilayering for hiking

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Are you on board with multilayering?

During spring and fall, it can be difficult to know what clothes to wear while hiking due to changing temperatures. In the mountains, conditions can quickly shift from mild to wintery, so it’s important to check the weather forecast and dress according to the multilayering principle.

Baselayer

Midlayer and insulation

Shell pants

Shell jackets

By layering clothes, you can combine garments with different characteristics to ensure good breathability and insulation. You can easily remove or add layers if you get too warm or too cold. This lets you adapt your outfit according to the weather and your level of activity, and with some experience you’ll soon learn what you need to achieve the perfect comfortable temperature.

Three layers are commonly combined like this:

Layer 1: Breathability

The baselayer should wick moisture away from the skin. For this, we recommend using fairly tight-fitting wool underwear. Wool is a unique natural material which both insulates and wicks moisture away from the body. It also continues to insulate when wet. Thin wool also dries quickly on the body. The thickness you choose should be based on the temperature of the day, your level of activity and your personal preferences.

Layer 2: Insulation

The midlayer is there for insulation. For low levels of activity, thicker wool clothes, or a thin quilted jacket, down or synthetic, are good options. These are garments which insulate well and keep you warm. For high levels of activity we recommend thinner and more technical clothing made from fleece, wool, or a combination of materials. A good tip is to always pack an extra mid-layer in your bag.

Layer 3: Weather protection

The outer layer should protect you against weather and wind. A waterproof shell jacket is a popular option for this layer, but many people are choosing softshell jackets instead, which offer good wind protection when you aren’t expecting a lot of rain. If you choose this option, you can pack an ultra-light shell jacket in your bag for use in emergencies. The advantage of not using a shell on the outside, i.e., a garment without a membrane, is that you achieve significantly better breathability through all the layers.

As mentioned above, the principle of wearing three layers is a standard solution, or a starting point, which is also called the “three-layer principle”. At Bergans, we prefer to talk about the “multilayering principle” because the number of layers should vary according to the weather, time of year, where you're hiking and personal experience.

The number of layers on the upper body and lower body can also differ. How much insulation you need and how much you sweat also varies a lot from person to person. If you’re going on a quick hike for a few hours in good weather and aren’t up in the mountains, a single layer of thin wool and a super light softshell jacket may be sufficient. But again, it often boils down to personal preference.

It’s just a question of getting out there and experimenting!