Men’s thermal jackets – a professional clothing for those who love outdoor activities. It is suitable for travel in the mountains at high altitude, during the fall and winter hikes, as well as for sports in the cold season.
Thermal jacket came to replace the now obsolete cotton underwear, which used to serve as a warming layer in cold weather. But the disadvantage of cotton fabrics is that they absorb sweat and moisture too quickly and do not give it away outside, that is retain it in the fabric. Agree, wet clothes in winter is a direct route to colds! Therefore, men’s thermal jackets and thermo-tops are simply designed to qualitatively drain the moisture from the body in all conditions.
In this article we will focus on thermal jackets for hiking – what they are used for, what functions they perform, and give some tips for choosing tremokofts, depending on the varying degrees of hiking loads.
The concept of three layers in hiking outfits
Conventionally, to equip a hiker needs several layers of clothing, each of which will perform its function:
- on,
- insulating
- and protective layers.
This division is very relative and depending on the weather conditions, you may, of course, wear a different amount of clothing. However, if your activity is associated with serious physical exertion or long hiking trails, you can not do without a quality garment layer – thermal jackets or termotop.
Does thermo mean warm? No – it keeps the body warm!
We are sure that the answer to this question for tourist professionals is obvious. But, if you’re new to camping, let’s understand the terminology before we start choosing equipment. Rather than keeping you warm, thermal underwear wicks moisture away from your body, leaving your skin dry, which in turn helps it retain heat better than if you were wearing a cotton tank top.
Buy thermal jackets for men in the online store SportsTerritory!
During a steep ascent followed by a flat trail, you experience a strain that promotes perspiration. To keep you warm while hiking on a flat section of trail, the thermal jacket maintains a comfortable body heat balance.
Men’s thermal jackets for hiking perform the following functions:
- contribute to body thermoregulation
- Due to its honeycomb structure and special weave of fibers, it provides thermal insulation by creating an air layer with the body.
- thanks to thin synthetic fibers twisted into bundles wicks moisture (sweat) away from the body, leaving it dry
- evaporates moisture from the outer surface of the thermal underwear takes it to the next conducting layer in the three-layer tourist outfit: through the conducting fleece, top through the pores of the membrane jacket, where it finally evaporates.
How to wear a thermal jacket? On the naked body like underwear!
For the wearing layer to cope well with its functions during the tourist trip, it is necessary to observe the following conditions:
- Choose a fabric that fits snugly against your body, ideally you should forget that you are wearing anything at all and feel the thermo-top as a second skin.
Please note the wide range of models of thermal jackets in the SportsTerritory online store!
Tips for choosing a thermal jacket for hiking
Summer and high temperatures, high activity
If you are going on a hiking trip in a hot season and you are going to have serious physical exertion, choose thermal tops made of synthetic material. The main function of such clothes – moisture wicking. Also pay attention to additional inserts of denser and more elastic material in places where muscles are used to the maximum extent (for example – oblique abdominal muscles or back muscles, especially if you go with a heavy hiking backpack).
Winter and low temperatures, high activity
- Winter tourism. In this case, choose thermal underwear whose material combines synthetic and natural (e.g., wool) fibers. So you will keep warm during not very heavy loads and will not get overcooled during a sudden ascent.
For example, for winter tourism this model from brand Helly Hansen with merino wool is suitable
Low activity
- A halt, an overnight stay. If you have to stay for a long time without active movements, and outside – the frost, it is desirable to change into a good thermal underwear insulation. Usually, such clothing is made entirely of wool (often merino wool), a natural fiber with good thermal characteristics.
- Multi-day mountain hiking or a long hike in the cold season. If you have to walk for a long time with a backpack, without the opportunity to make a break, change clothes and change clothes, the underwear can play a cruel joke with you. Due to the fact that the mountains are quite humid, your clothes will get damp not from the inside, but from the outside. Without being able to dry it out, the skin will always be damp. So in this case, you should pay attention to all the equipment and learn how to properly combine it with each other so as not to sweat.
So, now you know what to look for when choosing men’s thermal boots for hiking and we hope that your outdoor activities will be comfortable and enjoyable!
If you have your own hiking outfit secrets, share them in the comments!
