Winter's coming, time to pick up some gear if you don't have it yet.
Winter gear has been discussed to death before, and some of the discussion
has been summarised and linked to here:
http://www.pegasus.rutgers.edu/~elflord/running/winter_reviews/
Having made it through a winter, my take on winter essentials is:
(1) I like windproof soft shell clothing. Especially clothes with a windproof
front and a breathable polyester back. This type of garment protects you from
the wind, but breathes much better than a jacket. Because running jackets are
designed to be waterproof, they don't breathe all that well, even with pit
zips, mesh, back vents and all that.
(2) Despite not liking running jackets that much, one thing they have going
for them is visibility. They are very reflective, and if you get one in a
bright color, you will be visible from a great distance.
(3) socks: nothing beats wool on cold, wet days. Forget about keeping your
feet dry when it's wet out. It's not going to happen. Instead, wear something
that stays warm when it gets wet. Like wool.
(4) pants: pants are nice and comfortable, but tights are a must when you have
cold rain. Though the sporthill 3sp pants may be an exception (polypro, so
they won't hold any water)
(5) gloves and mitts: mitts give you better insulation. And you'll need it on
cold days. I put on gloves below 50, and by the time it's 30 or less, I need
really warm gloves. There are only two brands I know of that make running
mitts-- sugoi and sporthill. The sugoi ones are available cheaply now. Several
brands make ski mitts, some of these are OK, but most are way too bulky.
(6) wind briefs/boxers: The difference between a "wind brief" and any other
brief is that the wind brief has a small patch of material similar to that
used on windshells over the fly. Besides that, it's basically an ordinary
brief. But that little patch is important, and on windy days, you (if you're
a guy) will really appreciate that little patch. I have sugoi and hind boxers/
briefs, both are good. I highly recommend these for guys. They're not available
cheaply now. REI have some less expensive windbrief, don't know if these are
any good.
Having said all of this, here is a bunch of stuff I've found on the net while
looking around for winter clothes:
Some picks in different categories:
Rain Jackets
-------------------
Pearl izumi flash jacket, REI. This one is a polyester shell
with large reflective patches. Has a back vent and pockets. On rei-outlet
for $42
Sugoi Bosui vapor jacket: top of the line from Sugoi. On rei-outlet, mens
and womens $57
Sugoi Pro jacket: cheap jacket from sugoi, $22 on rei-outlet
Marmot precip jacket: popular rain jacket from a brand that makes top notch
hiking/ski gear. This should nearly always available on ebay, it's a "classic".
ebay: lots of jackets here, look around.
footlocker: ditto. Search for clearance running clothing
Windproof clothing
-------------------
Sugoi windhibitor midlayer (womens): windproof front (densely woven soft shell
fabric), highly breathable polyester back. $50 at coloradocyclist.com. Mens
version is $75 at holabirdsports.com (or get the womens 1 size up)
Sugoi windhibitor evaporator jacket: jacket similar to the midlayer: windproof
front, soft breathable poly back. greggscycle.com, $70.
Sporthill catalyst top: windpro fleece top. $54- on rei-outlet
Sporthill windshield hacket: soft shell jacket. $80 on rei-outlet
rei lightweight cross country ski jacket: soft shell jacket with windproof
front and poly panels on the back. $47 on rei-outlet
sporthill windshield pants: no-one (or almost no-one) really needs windproof
pants IMO, but you can get them on rei-outlet.
ebay: sometimes has sugoi windhibitor clothing, mountain hardwear (windproof
tops called "transition tee"😉, and marmot's light windproof top ("evolution"😉
Marmot sharp point jacket, marmot gravity jacket: Just threw these in for the
hell of it. Very warm soft shell jackets, which can often be found on ebay.
Will probably be too warm for most people.
Gloves:
-------
smartwool glove liners $8 rei-outlet
hind gloves: performancebike.com
sugoi micratherm wind mitt: $15 performancebike.com
Tops:
sporthill infuzion top. This is a warm poly top with a zip neck. Mens and
womens. $40 rei-outlet
sporthill tempo top. Light nylon top. Mens and womens. $28 rei-outlet
hinddrylete top: light poly/nylon top with zip neck. womens: $22, rei-outlet.
hind tops are also available at footlocker.com (mens,womens) and campmor.com
(womens)
insport: a bunch of stuff at insport.com (under "sale"😉 and rei-outlet.com.
For example, the vapor fleece top is a very warm poly fleece top.
duofold: low cost wicking base layer gear. campmor.com.
Pants and tights:
Hind on campmor,
insport (several choices) rei-outlet.com
pearl izumi: womens on rei-outlet.com
hind: munich pants on campmor.com
Socks:
smartwool: RBX racer socks, RBX ultra cushion socks, RBX micro mini socks
$8 rei-outlet.
Cheers,
--
Donovan Rebbechi
http://pegasus.rutgers.edu/~elflord/