Winter Hiking Gear

There are three kinds of winter hiking boots: insulated winter hiking boots, mountaineering boots, and pac boots. Which kind of winter hiking boot is right for you? Here’s a detailed guide that explains the differences between these so you can pick the right footwear for winter hiking, snowshoeing, winter backpacking, and …

KEEN’s Targhee High Lace Winter Hiking Boots are full-height (not mids) waterproof/breathable insulated boots rated to -25F/-32C. They are amazingly comfortable for a winter boot, with soft leather uppers that require virtually no break-in period to wear. Specs at a Glance Temperature Rating: -25F/-32C Footwear Height: Over the Ankle Footwear …

KEEN Summit County Winter Hiking Boots are waterproof and insulated winter boots that are good for snowshoeing, winter hiking, and peakbagging. They have KEEN’s signature oversized toe box with body-mapped insulation to keep the parts of your feet that need extra insulation warm. Large non-marking lugged rubber soles provide a good …

The Salomon Toundra Mid WP winter hiking boot is a lightweight boot that is perfect for hiking and snowshoeing in winter weather. Rated for -40 F, the Toundra Mid WP is insulated with Aerogel, an ultralight foam insulation that NASA developed to protect the Mars probes from extreme cold. Considered the …

The Vasque Snowburban II UltraDry is a heavy-duty winter hiking and snowshoeing boot with an UltraDry waterproof/breathable membrane and 400 grams of Thinsulate insulation, making them suitable for cold weather use. Vasque doesn’t publish a temperature rating for them but they’re comparable to other 400-gram insulated winter hiking boots (-40F) …

The Odlo Performance Blackcomb Base Layer Shirt is a hooded and body-mapped synthetic baselayer shirt that’s good for aerobic cold-weather sports where you need a wicking baselayer that pulls moisture away from your skin so you stay dry and don’t get chilled. Specs at a Glance Weight: Men’s XL – …

The North Face Green Kazoo 0*F Sleeping Bag is a spacious and more affordable zero-degree winter sleeping bag insulated with 700 fill power water-resistant down. It has a beefy draft collar and hood, a two-way zipper, and an internal draft tube. Weighing 3 lbs 5 oz, it’s surprisingly compressible for …

The Feathered Friends Murre EX 0 Sleeping Bag is a mummy-style down bag specifically designed for women. Weighing 2 lbs 13 oz, it has 25.5 oz of 900+ fill power goose down with cold-weather features that include a draft collar, continuous baffles, hood, zipper draft tube, and a stiff zipper …

The Arcteryx Proton LT Insulated Hoodie is a synthetic insulated jacket that can be used as an active outer layer in cold weather. It’s designed as a self-regulating insulation layer that vents excess heat and moisture through a combination of air-permeable fabrics and insulation. The goal is to eliminate the …

Crescent Moon’s EVA All Foam Snowshoes are high flotation snowshoes that are made of foam without any metal crampons or heel lifts. Highly rockered, (curved like a banana), they’re good for walking and running on well-packed trails and groomed cross-country tracks. They have a very simple velcro binding that’s compatible …

The CAMP-USA Corsa Ice Axe is quite possibly the lightest weight ice ax in the world, weighing just 8.8 oz (250 grams) in a size 60 cm length. Despite its lightweight, it is a fully functional UIAA-certified B ice ax capable of being used for self-rescue, glissading, and strong enough …

Outdoor Research makes great gloves but their Inception Aerogel Gloves fall short of expectations. Although they are insulated with Aerogel, they’re shockingly cold and uncomfortable to wear in colder weather. If you’re looking for a high dexterity insulated winter glove for climbing, skiing, or hiking, I’d look elsewhere. Specs at …

My warmest winter hat is a Mountain Hardware Dome Perignon beanie. It’s a timeless classic in hiking and mountaineering circles. This is the hat I put on when I’m hiking back down a mountain in winter and I feel the cold wind biting through my insulating layers. Putting it on is an …

The Yaktrax Summit is a burly winter traction system that’s in the same league as Kahtoola’s Microspikes and Hillsound’s Trail Crampons. Compatible with soft-soled winter boots and hiking shoes, the Summits have 12 triangular spikes that attach to the underside of your footwear using a rubber harness, coupled with a Boa …