The winds are blowing. The air feels cold and damp. The days are greyer and getting shorter and shorter. The temperatures are falling.

For me, these are all warning signs to get prepared for wrapping up warm outside. Learning to do this seems to be an experiential process. I can advise course participants to come dressed for being outside, but there is usually several people feeling the cold within a few minutes of being outdoors.

Jeans are cold when wet and take ages to dry

The above photo is one of my favourite from my Winston Churchill Travelling Fellowship back in 2008. These are three students with their lecturer on the International Outdoor Education Masters degree at Linkoping University in Sweden. It is their first outdoor practical session. It’s easy to work out who is the lecturer! At the end of the morning, when the students were reviewing the session, the first comment made was the need to come better dressed! The good news is that a few months later, I saw lots of photos on Facebook from the students’ trip up north where everyone was thoroughly togged up.

Very often, I see situations where children are dressed for the weather but the adults aren’t. The photo below demonstrates this beautifully. Yet, we have to think carefully about the hidden message this sends to children. (There was a fundraising pyjama day happening in school on the day of the photo, just to clarify the situation).

Recommending outdoor clothing

If you ask for advice about outdoor clothing on social media, you will get a flood of replies, all from different parts of the country or even worldwide. Climate varies widely from one part of the UK to another. Some places are wetter, colder and damper than others. Regardless of where you live, you need to wear layers of clothing to trap air. A base (thermals), middle (wool, fleece, etc) and outer (windproof and waterproof) layer is the minimum, ie 3 layers. Muddy Faces has a very good section in their Outdoor Hub about clothing. Whilst occasionally skiwear is sufficiently warm and waterproof, you need to check the information label. Often it is water-resistant and not waterproof or has only a low level of waterproofing. Some suits don’t cope well with dirt and mud.

For me, the clothing worn by adults who work outdoors with children is a good clue as to the amount of time they spend outside. As a general rule of thumb, most adults who spend time outside will be wearing lots of layers of clothing including thermals, boots, overtrousers, a waterproof and windproof jacket that is zipped up, a hat and gloves.

In recent years, some of my local nurseries in Aberdeen have mimicked our Scandinavian neighbours and supplied thermal all-in-ones for staff to wear, It’s not dissimilar to the outerwear worn on oil rigs.

Outdoor gear in many jobs is classed as technical gear that is to be supplied by the employers. This is slowly becoming more common in schools and nurseries. It is standard practice in outdoor nurseries.It encourages staff to go outside and cannot use a lack of suitable clothing as a reason not to. Furthermore, having staff clearly identifiable, can be helpful for visitors and children.

Whilst this is a sensible measure, this doesn’t mean employers have to provide every item and there’s no standard guidance as to what is included. In one ranger service I worked for many years ago, we didn’t have a standard ranger outdoor uniform. Instead we were given a small budget to buy the clothing we needed that suited us. It didn’t cover new kit every year, after all that wasn’t necessary.

It also means sharing of clothing may be required. Thus adults working outside have to still come sensibly dressed and ready underneath the standard jacket provided. As a general rule it’s outdoor workwear that seems more robust and can cope better with educators needs rather than nice Gortex sets that suit being at Everest Basecamp. This is generally a lot more economical.

If you are skint

Here’s some cost-effective ideas to keeping warm outside. Please do add to the suggestions!

• Double up on what you normally wear. So wear 2 pairs of leggings, socks, etc.
• Wear thermal underwear: leggings, vests, long sleeved tops. Layers of clothing trap heat.
• Long socks are warmer than short socks. If you are revealing your ankles, you are super tough.
• Buy second-hand gear from charity shops or online. Check out the outdoor gear exchange Facebook group.
• Hold an outdoor gear amnesty locally. This is when you bring along any outdoor gear including hats and gloves that you no longer wear to an education event and help yourself to stuff that others have brought along.
• Check the footwear you have. Trainers are designed to let feet breathe which means the cold may seep in. Some wellies have thin soles that mean feet aren’t warm – and this includes neoprene winter wellies and boots – so check this carefully before buying. Waterproof footwear is best be this boots or wellies with a good grip
• Accessories can make all the difference: hat, gloves, scarves, leg warmers (seriously), wrist warmers (cut the feet off old warm socks). My latest discovery has been the joy of insulated knee pads. They are so well padded that it’s easier for me to get up from working at ground level!
• Make an informal “skirt” using a fleece or woolly blanket that you wrap around your bum. It works a treat. You can now buy unisex outdoor skirts but they are very pricey.
• Long jackets that cover your bum will keep your rear warmer than ones that don’t.
• Remember to model best practice – zip up jackets, wear over trousers. This will keep you warmer too.

Are we learning how to dress for being outside?

This post was first published in 2010. Below is a photo from one of the last courses I facilitated in January 2020. Look at how well the participants are dressed. So the answer to my own questions is YES – we have learned and are learning and as a nation we are proudly walking outside ready to work with children and young people better dressed than ever before! 🙂

Final food for thought

A friend, Amy Butler, who is an outdoor educator based in Vermont, made this thoughtful comment after this post was published “Dressing for all weather has its challenges and barriers, and I do believe that we live in a time of abundant clothing resources and with some planning and collective effort we can acquire what we need. I’ll add a super important piece to staying warm is how we care for ourselves,…proper sleep, keeping hydrated and healthy food/snacks for fuel. Keep those home fires burning and your layering and clothing choices will keep that heat in. A big thermos of warm non caffeinated tea for the day with honey and warming herbs goes a long way :)”