I have to admit that the recent spurt of bitterly cold weather hitting PA and the country in general has left me lacking in one particular area-Leg protection. While I have several boots,coats,fleece & flannel jackets,gloves,mittens,head wear,etc to keep myself more than warm,even below freezing I've come up,at least partly short in leg wear.I do have two pair of pant liners(wool covered in nylon)that are very warm(bought a few years back from SMG along with some Belgian DPM pants)they are a bit on the bulky side.
I've never been into long johns,thermal underwear,etc but have ben wondering what others here wear.I've been looking into silk,silk-wool blends,Polartec,etc and was looking for any opinions and suggestions on lightweight,warm,non-bulky leg protection I can get.Thanks in advance.

When it is really nippy outside, I wear thin Thermax insulated undies. My wife, being a woman, like even softer stuff, so she has a pair of silk, and some others that are Patagonia brand. They are very thin, soft, and she says keep her toasty warm...

I can only comment on CW gear that I've used with Uncle Sam.

Silkyester™ Pants- Cost $20
These are my base layer, I wear under my ACUs. They keep me warm down to about 10* F. They are thin and I haven't had any bunching issues with them.

I don't mind wearing them and would more than likely actually buy a pair.

Polypro pants- Cost $15
I've worn these on winter FTXs that got just plain nasty cold and made it back. They are kind of bulky.

I don't like wearing them because I tend to overheat unless its really cold and they seem to bunch up on me when on the move. I would only buy these if I was going out in 0 to sub-0 temps for extended periods of time.



Fleece overalls- Cost ??
Got these issued in Iraq and never worn them. These things are for seriously cold weather.

Unless your in Alaska I wouldn't buy these. If its that cold outside that you think you might need these, don't go outside.




Anybody tried UA Coldgear leggings, or simular form fitting leggings? I really like UA Coldgear mock turtle necks (which are great if your on the move but are only average if your standing in one spot).

I'm a little old fashioned, I wear sweat pants under jeans. I know, I know, cotton kills, but if they don't get wet they're as good as anything. When I was young and poor, that was my skiing outfit. Never got cold.

Around town, if its below zero, sweats under my utilities. Off the blacktop, wool under utilities, silk between me and the wool if it is really cold out.

I have a few options I use, depending on conditions.
Sometimes, just putting on my rain pants (which are essentially a GoreTex shell for your legs), over whatever I'm wearing,will do the trick. It breaks the wind, keeps me try, and creates another layer of semi warm air.

I sometimes wear long undies, synthetic stuff called Bergelene from EMS. They have long underwear, tops and bottoms, in a few different weights and styles. The stuff is amazing, and somehow it doesn't seem to accumulate B.O. like most of the synthetics tend to. I'm sure they probably treat it with some deadly chemical to accomplish that, but, hey, it works.

Skiing, snow shoe, etc, I wear some fleece lined snow pants or bibs. Nothing fancy, not technical gear, just really coated nylon stuff with decent fleece inside. Add a layer of the Bergelene if it's going to be really cold.

Remember that sometimes your pants are ok, but, they are letting cold air circulate around your legs from the bottom. A good set of gaiters will help solve that problem, and also keep the wet stuff out of your boots.

Lastly, I would mention that most of the time, if it's cold, I'm more likely than anything else to pull on a pair of either flannel or fleece lined jeans. Carhart makes some nice work pants that are bulletproof (well, not real bullets) and keep you warm. That's what I was wearing most of the time on our weekend camping trip 2 wks ago. They are actually canvas more than denim.

You don't really appreciate old fashioned canvas jeans until your buddy sitting next to you at the campfire in his $250 North Face technical climbing pants has an ember melt a whole through them <img src="/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" />, and your canvas ones just shrug those embers off. <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

My favorite long johns are now all wool...Smart Wool being my top pick. These come in a couple of different thicknesses. I have a thin and a medium weight set and would not trade them for anything. I have mostly abandoned all my plastic underwear in favor of Smart wool.

This is a great time of year to be looking for these too, some retailers will begin blowing them out at good prices. These are not cheap but well worth the asking prices and if you can get a 30-50% deal this time of year they are very good prices.

Patagonia has recently introduced wool versions that I have not tried, but look good.

I have also used Ice Breaker, Ibex, Devold, and Filson wool long johns. Smart wool is still my favorite but the Devold in a terry knit is excellent for real cold weather. Filson is pretty scratchy and Ibex I do not like, Ice Breaker is a bit harder finished than Smart Wool but is good choice.

I also use Brynje poly string long johns but prefer these in milder weather or as a first layer then covered with the Smart wool. This combo was excellent for -14 deg in Montana last fall, but would be too much around here.

The best thing I have found with the wool long johns is that mositure management is vastly superior to poly garments. I never get the chilled feeling I get from plastic underwear.

Once I have the basic wool layer then I use wool shirts/sweaters (or fleece) and wool pants layered with windproofs and gaiters.

I detest poly-cotton blend long johns because of the "winter skin" that I get when I wear them. I prefer my normal trousers under Arctic trousers along w/arctic boots. This is bulky but comfortable for me.

During my stint in the Army I was stationed in south korea. The winter there was super cold. We were issued "bear suits" (heavy fleece overalls) and "mickey mouse" boots (rubber inflateable boots)

The problem was that not only would you sweat like you cant imagine in that stuff, you also had roughly the same appearance and mobility of Ralphie's little brother in "A Christmas Story".

I had my father ship me a set of silk long johns and battery powered socks. Man, It was like night and day!! I had no idea that silk kept you that warm and felt so nice. No sweating, no bunching and could be worn under bdu's with no "fat feeling" like the polypropeline issue long johns .

Silk, all the way..

I know what you mean about the Mickey Mouse boots. My feet also sweated like pigs, but the duckcloth Arctic boots (military issue) have proven to be warm, breathable, & the most comfortable footwear I have ever worn. Of course, I was also wearing the wool booties and wool socks with them.
I also liked the Arctic duck cloth trousers (along with suspenders).
It's the jacket and arctic liner that seems to bulk everything up like Ralphie's little brother, to me anyway. Right now, I am using a Swedish Army field jacket which is good although the Arctic liner in it, is bulkier than the US Army M-5 liner. Still it blocks the wind and I don't have to use the liner very often in South Louisiana & SE Texas.