What to Pack on a Cold Adventure?

This Southern California girl knows how to keep warm and dry in cold destinations. 

Most important is staying dry. I wear the following quick drying pieces to accomplish this:

• A quick drying sports bra and underwear
• Base layer. I wear Columbia heat tech pants and a crew neck shirt. 
• Wool socks. 1 pair with my boots. I love Darn Tough brand. Made in Vermont. 
• I wear Ice Breaker brand merino wool thin 1/2 zip sweater over the base layer.
• A 700 fill down coat over my sweater for colder climates like Alaska.
• Patagonia Nano Puff for Iceland it offers water resistant recyclable filling.
• A high tech winter shell like this green Columbia Titanium jacket. In Iceland I wore an REI soft-shell rain coat because the temps were warmer in October. Always choose a hood.
• A gator for my neck and to cover my face. Columbia has a good heat tech one.
• Gortex snow pants if there will be snow
• Rain pants for rain
• Gortex mittens 
• A base layer warm glove for not so cold times
• A warm beanie tightly weaved. I have a Columbia heat tech beanie.
• Warm boots 100% water proof. I wear the North Face Nuptse Purna. In Iceland I wore my Merrell Moab boots which are waterproof hiking boots.
• Hand & feet warmers come in handy.

Gear is expensive. If adventure trips are something you want to continue to pursue, there are great sale items online. I always look at the ratings. REI is a bit more expensive, but has the benefit of returns for up to a year. Yes, you can return items up to a year if you join the Co-op for $20 even if they have been worn. I returned a backpack that was not comfortable after 2 hikes. They also have a REI Garage Sale at their stores where they sell these items. 

If you want to buy used items there are many options to buy 2nd hand high quality items. I have had luck on Ebay and Gear Trade.  Happy Shopping! 

Going on a tropical adventure trip? Here is a link to apacking list for warm adventure travel.

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