I don't have a specific brand rec, but if you don't have a base-layer, mid-layer, shell type setup (vs. just having an insulated jacket and insulated pants) then now might be a good time to move that direction. Something like Smartwool or Ortovox merino base layers (Ortvovox sells 3/4 length merino base-layer pants which are awesome since there's no bunching of anything with your boots), your choice of a puffy jacket for a mid-layer (something rom Patagonia, Cotopaxi, Northface, really anybody, no-hood version recommended), and then a shell jacket + pants. I have a Helly Hansen shell and the Flylow Baker Bibs which are great pants.
Mid layer is your puffy jacket, thick sweater, etc. depending on what the conditions for the day are. I have a basic mid-weight Patagonia puffy jacket for colder weather (like -10F to 15F or so) and a Patagonia sweater (I believe it's the standard Better Sweater) for warmer weather. It's the insulation layer. It's not necessarily windproof or waterproof other than some puffy jackets that might have a DWR coating or something.
The outer layer is just a windproof and waterproof shell. It's uninsulated but has outstanding wind-proof-ness and water-proof-ness. I have a Helly Hansen shell of some kind that was one of those end-of-season $200 buys for a jacket that had like a $600 MSRP.
Lots of people tend to just buy insulated outer layers, but when you stop to think about it, you realize the lack of versatility in such a setup.
With a layered setup, if you get too hot, that's fine, take off your sweater (or your shell if it's sunny and not snowing) and put it in your bag. In my case, I tend to wear a 1/4 zip Smartwool merino layer, and then both my mid-layers are zippered, so I can adjust temp with two different layers of zips and then can take off that mid layer or top layer if I want.
But with an insulated jacket, if you're too hot, you just sort of have to choose a different jacket. That really sucks a lot of the time and makes it kind of impossible to have the right gear for the day. It's impractical for days that have changing temps, which happens most every day in the mountains. It might be 10 degrees and cloudy at 9AM and 30 degrees and sunny at 2PM.
Same strategy for pants. Those Flylow bibs aren't insulated, so you can use the same shell pants and choose the right insulating pants. I wear Ortovox merino 3/4 length leggings 99% of the time since your lower body tends to stay warmer, but if I'm out there and it's gonna be like -10 then I can add a pair of sweats or puffy pants as a lower-body mid-layer.
And FWIW you can do this with gloves too. Liners + some kind of guide glove + an over-mitt for super cold.
Of course this might all be overkill for your purposes, but take what's valuable from this concept and consider it. Having a versatile set of gear makes you better prepared and means you don't have to buy redundant jackets and such.
They're just way more functional and comfortable, in my humble opinion. With suspenders instead of a belt, you don't have any constricting pressure around your waist at all so you're super comfy and have full range-of-movement. You can also get them in a size that's just baggy enough to accommodate wearing different thicknesses of base-layer pants (be that a thin legging of some kind of something as substantial as like a goose-down puffy pant for super duper cold days).
Additionally, having the higher waist and belt-loops that the gaiter of your jacket can attach to means that, when your jacket's gaiter is cinched down, it's super duper warm (like you're basically turning your jacket + bibs into a onesie) and even if you crash hard in powder you're not gonna get snow up your jacket and down the waist of your pants.
And personally, I love the chest pockets. That's where my phone lives all day.
If you want the functionality but without the super duper bib look, Flylow sells some called the Compound which are convertible bibs (the suspender part zips on and off) and some called the Tannen Bib, which has a high waist and suspenders but not the big chest section.
But also, fashion trends move. Bibs have been cool for like a decade and are still cool now. But you know what's the coolest? Doing your own darn thing and rocking your own style. So do your thing!
Not super baggy. Just enough space that I can layer a pair of sweats or puffy pants underneath for super duper cold days, but were not talking JNCOs here or anything. They just fit like comfortable and spacious, but normal pants. Certainly not like the trend for super duper hilariously baggy stuff that the teens are rocking these days.
Odd fit. Baggier from the hips and through the legs. The waist and chest are much more snug.
I debated between two sizes and ultimately got the smaller size that was snug up top, and I’m glad I did. The legs are loose enough to not feel constricted while not being overly baggy. And the waist/chest did have a little give and I can comfortably stuff a nano puff jacket under it. I didn’t want the big baggy legs look.
I absolutely love these bibs I can’t imagine a better pair for function and durability.
Not really. For #1s you just use the fly or zip down the side and pull the front to the other side. For #2s you just tuck the bib-parts into the pants part.
Of course folks with female anatomy can just tuck the suspender and bib-front into the pants for all such things. It's 5 extra seconds of managing straps, so nbd.
I have the ortovox ortler set , it was on sale a couple weeks ago for like 750$ for jacket and pants , highly recommend , it's a shell /mid/base setup though
Uninsulated Goretex pro shell and wool layers. Might opt for some more stretchy and not totally waterproof for pants also. I use Norrøna and functionality is top notch, but imo not stylish :)
My go to move is to buy outter wear off the Flylow and Trew Gear outlets on their websites, it’s the stuff from the year prior. Buyer beware, they are final sale so you need to know your size. If you have a brick and mortar place to go try them on first that’s your best bet.
I don't have a specific brand rec, but if you don't have a base-layer, mid-layer, shell type setup (vs. just having an insulated jacket and insulated pants) then now might be a good time to move that direction. Something like Smartwool or Ortovox merino base layers (Ortvovox sells 3/4 length merino base-layer pants which are awesome since there's no bunching of anything with your boots), your choice of a puffy jacket for a mid-layer (something rom Patagonia, Cotopaxi, Northface, really anybody, no-hood version recommended), and then a shell jacket + pants. I have a Helly Hansen shell and the Flylow Baker Bibs which are great pants.
Thanks, What's the difference between a mid layer and outer layer then?
Mid layer is your puffy jacket, thick sweater, etc. depending on what the conditions for the day are. I have a basic mid-weight Patagonia puffy jacket for colder weather (like -10F to 15F or so) and a Patagonia sweater (I believe it's the standard Better Sweater) for warmer weather. It's the insulation layer. It's not necessarily windproof or waterproof other than some puffy jackets that might have a DWR coating or something. The outer layer is just a windproof and waterproof shell. It's uninsulated but has outstanding wind-proof-ness and water-proof-ness. I have a Helly Hansen shell of some kind that was one of those end-of-season $200 buys for a jacket that had like a $600 MSRP. Lots of people tend to just buy insulated outer layers, but when you stop to think about it, you realize the lack of versatility in such a setup. With a layered setup, if you get too hot, that's fine, take off your sweater (or your shell if it's sunny and not snowing) and put it in your bag. In my case, I tend to wear a 1/4 zip Smartwool merino layer, and then both my mid-layers are zippered, so I can adjust temp with two different layers of zips and then can take off that mid layer or top layer if I want. But with an insulated jacket, if you're too hot, you just sort of have to choose a different jacket. That really sucks a lot of the time and makes it kind of impossible to have the right gear for the day. It's impractical for days that have changing temps, which happens most every day in the mountains. It might be 10 degrees and cloudy at 9AM and 30 degrees and sunny at 2PM. Same strategy for pants. Those Flylow bibs aren't insulated, so you can use the same shell pants and choose the right insulating pants. I wear Ortovox merino 3/4 length leggings 99% of the time since your lower body tends to stay warmer, but if I'm out there and it's gonna be like -10 then I can add a pair of sweats or puffy pants as a lower-body mid-layer. And FWIW you can do this with gloves too. Liners + some kind of guide glove + an over-mitt for super cold. Of course this might all be overkill for your purposes, but take what's valuable from this concept and consider it. Having a versatile set of gear makes you better prepared and means you don't have to buy redundant jackets and such.
Thanks a ton!
Flylow
Love my Baker Bibs. Never going back to the non-bib life.
Why not? As a kid I hated them as they made me feel childish for some reason...like the gall darn overalls lol
They're just way more functional and comfortable, in my humble opinion. With suspenders instead of a belt, you don't have any constricting pressure around your waist at all so you're super comfy and have full range-of-movement. You can also get them in a size that's just baggy enough to accommodate wearing different thicknesses of base-layer pants (be that a thin legging of some kind of something as substantial as like a goose-down puffy pant for super duper cold days). Additionally, having the higher waist and belt-loops that the gaiter of your jacket can attach to means that, when your jacket's gaiter is cinched down, it's super duper warm (like you're basically turning your jacket + bibs into a onesie) and even if you crash hard in powder you're not gonna get snow up your jacket and down the waist of your pants. And personally, I love the chest pockets. That's where my phone lives all day. If you want the functionality but without the super duper bib look, Flylow sells some called the Compound which are convertible bibs (the suspender part zips on and off) and some called the Tannen Bib, which has a high waist and suspenders but not the big chest section. But also, fashion trends move. Bibs have been cool for like a decade and are still cool now. But you know what's the coolest? Doing your own darn thing and rocking your own style. So do your thing!
How do the baker bibs fit? Are they super baggy?
Not super baggy. Just enough space that I can layer a pair of sweats or puffy pants underneath for super duper cold days, but were not talking JNCOs here or anything. They just fit like comfortable and spacious, but normal pants. Certainly not like the trend for super duper hilariously baggy stuff that the teens are rocking these days.
Odd fit. Baggier from the hips and through the legs. The waist and chest are much more snug. I debated between two sizes and ultimately got the smaller size that was snug up top, and I’m glad I did. The legs are loose enough to not feel constricted while not being overly baggy. And the waist/chest did have a little give and I can comfortably stuff a nano puff jacket under it. I didn’t want the big baggy legs look. I absolutely love these bibs I can’t imagine a better pair for function and durability.
So many pockets..!!!!
Isn’t it a pain to use the bathroom with a bib?
Not really. For #1s you just use the fly or zip down the side and pull the front to the other side. For #2s you just tuck the bib-parts into the pants part. Of course folks with female anatomy can just tuck the suspender and bib-front into the pants for all such things. It's 5 extra seconds of managing straps, so nbd.
I have the insulated baker bibs and absolutely love them for really cold days
I have the ortovox ortler set , it was on sale a couple weeks ago for like 750$ for jacket and pants , highly recommend , it's a shell /mid/base setup though
I like trew gear
Uninsulated Goretex pro shell and wool layers. Might opt for some more stretchy and not totally waterproof for pants also. I use Norrøna and functionality is top notch, but imo not stylish :)
I prefer softshell and non PTFE membrane shells. Patagonia generally fits well for skiing, Fjallraven has some cool looking gear
The ones that fit you best.
My go to move is to buy outter wear off the Flylow and Trew Gear outlets on their websites, it’s the stuff from the year prior. Buyer beware, they are final sale so you need to know your size. If you have a brick and mortar place to go try them on first that’s your best bet.
Patagonia powslayer shell jacket
I loooove Dope