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WELCOME
Our passion is to gear up your garment layering knowledge and skills so you can revel in the rain, beam on the ice, and ride skillfully anywhere and through all four seasons. Reading our book and website will enable you to get better results from your existing layers and a better next purchase.
Outdoor Gear Coach is independent of advertising and marketing influences. Our six-person UK and USA based team possibly have the deepest understanding of garments and garment layering anywhere!
Here is almost everything you need to know about outdoor garment layers to keep you dry and stay warm in every climate and terrain, whether you walk, run, ride, rock climb, mountaineer, ski/alpine or Nordic, or backpack.
An expensive jacket isn't a turn-key option to avoid being cold, wet or even hypothermic. The start point is understanding how each layer is sequenced and what influence these characteristics may have on your comfort.
We explain in real terms all the performance words used by garment makers in 'sales speak', and why/if these functions might be important to you. What they mean in the context of: Gore-tex ®, Sympatex ©, Pertex ©, Polartec ®, Primaloft © and more.
Sweat and moisture wicking, waterproofing, hydrostatic head, breathability, RET, mvtr, 3-L system, DWR as water repellency, ePTFE, down, synthetics, laminates, membranes, temperature ratings, DWR and Fluoro the ‘forever’ chemicals.
The only thing we dont tell you is the weather forecast because we know you will check that carefully before you depart!
Our Book
Keeping Dry & Staying Warm, how to stay dry, warm or cool in the outdoors.
Available in digital or paper formats from Amazon
Quote JohnTraynor ,editor Outdoor i and former Berghaus man.
'There’s a lot of knowledge and insight in this book.
Do we need it all? Absolutely! As my one-time boss Gordon Davison, Berghaus co-founder, told me, “If you think you know it all, you’re an idiot.” He never stopped learning and neither will I.'
read the full review by John Traynor
OUR GARMENT LAYERING TRAINING COURSES.
Holding training courses is a vital part of what we do as Outdoor Gear Coach.
The knowledge contained in our multi-authored cross-Atlantic collaborative book 'Keeping Warm and Staying Dry was published on Amazon. forms the basis of our training.
However, live face-to-face workshops unfold individual problems and can solve issues. Most importantly it ensures we remain focused on helping people resolve issues whether in store or on the hill.
We train
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Retail staff ( a customised course for Climbers Shop https://www.climbers-shop.com/ )
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The BMC technical committee, https://www.thebmc.co.uk/bmc-specialist-committees (who are all engineers and requested training on textiles and garments to be able to help and advise BMC members.
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Outdoor leaders. Our one day ‘Performance Layering’ courses are CPD for BAIML leaders and other experienced mountaineers.
So what is ‘performance layering’?
It's a skill based on a clear technical understanding of what each of your 7 layers does or does not do. This understanding enables better layer choice/sequence for a day or long trip. The final factor is knowing how your metabolism and food/liquid intake provides heat whilst garments simply prevent heat loss.
Feedback from the previous course participants.
In response to the question, 'what was the most interesting or surprising thing you learned from the first session called ‘Myths. marketing and misunderstandings?
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“ I now realise I didn't know what I didn't know”.
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3 people said some aspects of wicking, including ‘directional wicking’, were entirely new to them.
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“I've been waiting for this course before making further purchases”.
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Most surprising? Water being 24 times more conductive than air was a surprise. ( In the workshop session, there were no correct responses to the question, ‘why does your base layer feel cold against your back with your sweat when it has come out of your body at 37.5C?
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Everything came together for me after your session on 'Myths, Marketing and Misunderstandings'
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Breathability is usually misunderstood by more than 50% of people as meaning air porous. Consequently there is an over expectation of what waterproofs will do which results in overheating and sweating.
To conclude the day, I asked what the most important take-home was.
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Take my layers more seriously ( in terms of understanding what each and every one of them does.)
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The 3 layer system is dead.
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The importance of windproofs, 90% of people on the hill don't use one.
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You have given me a better knowledge of what I have.
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Baselayers and how they work in reality.
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A better understanding of what's available and working our way around the marketing stuff.
.Alan Hinkes helping in this course.
