The Best Men’s Clothing For Cold Weather

Whether you're headed out hunting or for a night on the town, you need the right threads to keep you warm

   10.25.21

The Best Men’s Clothing For Cold Weather

Depending on where in the country you’ve grown up, winter gear can either be as familiar to you as your underwear is or completely foreign to you. Having grown up in the pacific northwest, and has traveled extensively through Canada during the winter months, I’ve had my fair share of experience with cold weather. Having the right outerwear is essential to not only staying warm but staying dry and also not overheating. Although the biggest concern with the winter months is staying warm (hypothermia can take place within minutes during certain conditions without proper gear), however, you’ll also want your winter clothing to be breathable too so you’re not overheating or soaking in your own sweat. Whether you’re headed out hunting, or for a night on the town, here are some of the best men’s clothing options for heading out into the cold weather.

Cover image: Shutterstock/VVVita

Men's Cold Weather Clothing Guide - Say Warm and Dry with Cabela's

 

1. RedHead Flannel Long-Sleeve Shirt for Men - Only $10!

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RedHead Flannel Long-Sleeve Shirt for Men - Only $10!

Who doesn’t love a flannel shirt? There’s lots to like about this 100% cotton, button-down flannel shirt from Redhead. It’s soft and comfortable, making it perfect for lounging in front of the fireplace, or heading out for a casual dinner. The price right now is absolutely amazing though – just $10!

Pros/A soft, cotton flannel shirt
Cons/None - other than a limited size range
Bottom Line/A great price on a great shirt that is perfect for colder wether

2. RedHead Silent Stalker Elite Parka for Men

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RedHead Silent Stalker Elite Parka for Men

RedHead makes some of the best and most affordable winter gear on the market. The Read Head Silent Stalker Elite Parka is intended for hunters who are going out on some of the coldest hunts in the most bitter of winters. The Shell features several outer pockets for storing various gear while the liner features hand warmer pockets with fleece linking as well as over 300-grams of Thermolight Micro Insulation for a 100% waterproof, windproof and breathable protection screen.

Pros/Features RedHead's 100% BONE-DRY waterproof and breathable protection
Cons/Limited Camouflage Patterns
Bottom Line/A solid winter option that can tackle a number of tasks without being overly bulky

3. RedHead Flannel Lined Carbo Pants

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RedHead Flannel Lined Carbo Pants

Another product from RedHead, these fleece-lined cargo pants are perfect for wearing around the shop or outside when the weather is a bit too cold for normal jeans. Featuring 8-total pockets with two of those being large cargo pockets, the storage options are generous enough for you to accomplish a lot of outside tasks without freezing your butt off. The pants also feature a 100% cotton flannel linking with gives you a great amount of warmth and will keep your lower portions nice and warm while you go about your business.

 

Pros/Interior flannel linking keeps you nice and warm
Cons/No type of waterproofing or breathability
Bottom Line/Great for working around the shop or inside of cold buildings

4. Mechanix ColdWork Original Gloves

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Mechanix ColdWork Original Gloves

Mechanix makes some of my favorite gloves and I’m really glad that they make winter versions of their work gloves. Whether you’re headed out to the range or just need to toss on some winter gloves to keep your digits warm, these Mechanix gloves are made from durable Armortex material and feature a micro-fleece liner for maximum comfort. The gloves also feature an extended cuff to keep cold air out and help you close the gap between your jacket and your gloves and they even feature touch screen compatible synthetic leather digits to keep you connected.

 

Pros/Durable and Warm with Touch Screen Technology
Cons/None
Bottom Line/Great for the man at work in the winter

5. Cabela's Wooltimate Beanie for Men

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Cabela's Wooltimate Beanie for Men

Your head is actually one of the more important parts of your body to cover when it comes to retaining body heat. The Cabela’s Wooltimate Beanie for men features a great skullcap style design and is made from a single layer of Wolltimate which is both warm, weather-resistant, and stealthy for reducing noise while out hunting. The Cabela’s Beanie also features a 4MOST WINDSHEAR wind-resistant liner for keeping the cold air out and your head warm.

 

Pros/Affordable, silent, and warm
Cons/Wet weather resistance is questionable
Bottom Line/A great style of hat to keep inside your truck or car to keep your ears and head warm

6. Carhartt Force Flame-Resistant Balaclava

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Carhartt Force Flame-Resistant Balaclava

The Carhartt Force Flame-REsistant Balaclava is a great way to keep your face warm and the wind and cold out of your neck. Used as a supplement to the rest of your cold-weather gear, a Balaclava can be used to greatly enhance your layering to keep strong winds from letting cold air into your getup. The Force Flame-Resistant Balaclava also meets NFPA 70E and NFPA 2112 standards for resistance against flash fire hazards – great for keeping your face protected from campfires.

Pros/Flame resistant and warm
Cons/None
Bottom Line/A great way to round out your cold weather gear for maximum cold-weather resistance in windy conditions

7. Cabela's Deluxe Cold-Weather Wool Boot Socks

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Cabela's Deluxe Cold-Weather Wool Boot Socks

A warm and comfortable sock that works great inside any tall outdoor boots, Cabela’s® Deluxe Cold-Weather™ Wool Boot Socks for Men helps keep feet warm and dry in the nastiest conditions. A great choice when facing an all-day wait on a cold stand or long stalk through wet, soggy terrain, these socks are a smart addition for any cold-weather boots. Extra-heavyweight construction includes a thick, dense yarn-loop interior that keeps keeping feet cushioned on long treks over rough hunting terrain.

Pros/Extra heavyweight construction and soft Merino Wool
Cons/Very expensive for a single pair of socks
Bottom Line/Boots alone cannot keep you warm and warm dense socks will go a long way to keeping your feet warm.

Dressing for colder weather

When the temperature drops and the days grow short, it’s time to start dressing for the season. That may not apply to teenage boys, as they tend to think it’s still ok to go outside in a t-shirt and shorts when it’s barely above freezing out, but I digress. For the rest of us, it’s time to dress for the season, and that means layers and warmer cloths.

Base layers are those layers of clothing directly in contact with your skin. The direct contact part is extremely important. The base layer is the part of the outfit that will have to deal with the moisture you emit during activity. So when you’re walking in, and you sweat a little, that perspiration goes directly into your base layer of clothing. If that layer holds that moisture, it can do one of two things, and either can be good, depending on two factors. In cold weather, you want any moisture pulled away from your skin/ This is where natural fabrics as well as some of the really good synthetic materials work so well. They insulate you and retain body heat. but keep that moisture away from your skin as it evaporates.

Outer layers should block wind and moisture, while retaining any heat from your body. When it gets really cold, I like a base layer, followed by an insulation layer, with an outer shell that blocks wind and rain/snow/whatever from sucking the heat away from my body. The worst areas for cold seepage are your feet and your head. Keep that in mind as you venture out.

Walking in snow
Photo: Shutterstock/KLYONA

What basic gear do I need for extreme cold weather?

It may seem like a simple question but the secret behind keeping warm in cold weather isn’t actually about adding heat to your body but instead trapping the heat that your body produces to keep you warm. To this end, you’ll need a solid hat, jacket, pants, gloves, socks, and boots to cover as much of your body as possible. As mentioned above a balaclava will easily round out your setup by keeping keep your face warm. The idea is basically to cover as much of your body as possible.

Is there such a thing as too much cold weather gear?

Yes. If you’ve ever gotten too hot on a spring or summer day you’ll know the easiest way to counter that is to remove some of your outer layers. In the winter this becomes much more difficult so it’s important to find clothing that can adapt slightly to changing conditions or activity levels. Clothing that features wicking technology is great but having vent pockets or removable sections is also a plus too so you don’t have to completely remove your heat-retaining clothing. In my opinion, it’s best to have something that lets warm air escape gradually while still maintaining a decent amount of skin or underlayer covering.

Are hand warmers necessary for extreme cold weather?

Hand warmers are a great disposable way to bring along some external heat with you when you’re away from the camp or can’t bring a warm beverage with you. Generally, these chemical heaters produce an exothermic chemical reaction generating a little bit of heat for about 20-30 minutes on average. If you do choose to bring these along with you it’s still just as important to keep the areas where you’re using them insulated to get the most benefit out of them. Usually, you can find these hand warmers pretty cheaply inside most sporting goods stores and most cold-weather gear will have small pockets where they can be placed effectively to give you a bit of extra warmth.

Avatar Author ID 693 - 253794106

Luke is currently a full-time writer for TheFirearmBlog.com, OvertDefense.com, AllOutdoor.com, and of course, OutdoorHub.com. Luke is a competitive shooter, firearms enthusiast, reloader, outdoorsman, and generally takes an interest in anything that has to do with the great outdoors. Luke is also a private certified pilot and is currently pursuing his commercial pilot's license in the hopes of becoming a professional pilot. Some of Luke's other interests include anything to do with aviation, aerospace and military technology, and American Conservancy efforts. Instagram: @ballisticaviation YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/BallisticAviation thefirearmblog.com/blog/author/luke-c/ overtdefense.com/author/luke-c/ alloutdoor.com/author/lukec/

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